Unit rationale, description and aim
This is the second of two units taken across two semesters, providing practical experience in designing, developing and evaluating an information technology project or investigating an IT area in depth. Projects are usually software-based and span the full system development lifecycle—from requirements analysis and design to implementation and testing. Together, Parts A and B develop project management, communication and technical skills to support students’ transition to professional practice. Students consolidate knowledge from prior units through project management, documentation, presentations and, where relevant, coding.
Part A focuses on foundational project planning, communication and technical skills. Part B centres on implementing and testing the project according to the plans developed in Part A, applying software engineering principles. Students develop and test their system, designing test cases to evaluate functional and non-functional requirements. A final report is required, outlining project outcomes, challenges, performance analysis and recommendations for future improvement, including consideration of human dignity and diversity.
The unit aims to equip students with essential project management and system development capabilities, enabling them to become responsible IT professionals who are prepared for industry and committed to working for the common good.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Design and implement IT systems using an appropria...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply appropriate test techniques to design a numb...
Learning Outcome 02
Prepare a comprehensive final project report summa...
Learning Outcome 03
Prepare presentations to communicate the progress ...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Principles of software engineering
- Overview of software processes
- Software requirement engineering
- Software architectural design
- System design and modeling
- Software design and implementation
- Software testing
- User interface evaluation
- Software reuse and evolution
- Distributed software engineering
- Service-oriented software engineering
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks are structured to scaffold learning and ensure students achieve the unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes. The project proposal presentation requires students to apply technical, project management and communication skills, and to monitor their project progress, establishing a strong foundation for workplace-aligned practice. The project progress presentation builds on this by requiring students to demonstrate interim outcomes, reflect on their learning, and evaluate their skills against the SFIA framework, strengthening professional awareness and critical self-assessment.
The final project report and presentation consolidate learning by requiring students to document technical processes, tools and results, and to reflect on ethical considerations, including balancing business needs with the common good. This ensures students demonstrate advanced communication, teamwork and reflective thinking.
Group work across all tasks reflects industry expectations, and peer assessment promotes accountability for individual contributions. Overall, the progression from proposal to progress review to final reporting provides an authentic, industry-aligned learning experience that supports attainment of the unit’s outcomes and prepares students for professional practice.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Project Progress Presentation ...
Assessment Task 1: Project Progress Presentation
The first assessment task consists of a project proposal presentation. This assessment allows students to apply their knowledge and technical skills as well as their project management and communication skills at higher levels. It also helps students monitor and review their progress of their project. Students will use generative AI tools to develop their presentation.
Submission Type: Group
Assessment Method: Live/speaker view webcam overlay presentations
Artefact: live/speaker view webcam overlay recorded Presentation (8 minutes)
30%
Assessment Task 2: Final Project Presentation &n...
Assessment Task 2: Final Project Presentation
This assessment task consists of a final project presentation. This task requires students to demonstrate the final version of their project, reflect on their project journey, and evaluate their acquired skills throughout this project against the SFIA framework.
Submission Type: Group
Assessment Method: Presentation + Report
Artefact: live/speaker view webcam overlay recorded Presentation (8 minutes) + Online Viva
30%
Assessment Task 3: Final Project Report This ass...
Assessment Task 3: Final Project Report
This assessment task consists of a final project report. This task requires students to reflect on the ethical considerations or social impacts of the project, including reconciliation of business success and working for the common good and demonstrate their effective written communication skills. It requires students to apply their knowledge and skills in order to develop and deliver an IT project, including demonstration of critical and reflective thinking skills, ability to use diverse range of authentic resources, and demonstration of high-level written communication and teamwork skills.
Submission Type: Group
Assessment Method: written report and presentation
Artefact: Written report (2000 words) + Online Viva
40%
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Attendance Mode
In a weekly attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops; most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.
Online Mode
The online mode designed to facilitate students’ exploration of knowledge fundamental to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in their learning and are encouraged to participate in asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities in both synchronous and asynchronous formats enable students to practice and apply theoretical concepts in contexts that reflect professional practice. Learning activities promote the demonstration of understanding and application through constructive engagement with peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback throughout the semester to support their progress and ongoing academic development.
Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.