Professionalism and Personal Skills

1. Professionalism and Personal Skills Lecture 1: Introduction to The Module

2. Professionalism and Personal Skills "A study of how people interact with computers and how computers have changed the workplace, home etc. Legislation governing IT and the ethics/professional responsibilities of an IT Professional"

3. Professionalism and Personal Skills Objectives • By the end of this lecture the student should • Understand the module content and requirements • Understand what constitutes New Technology • Appreciate the need for competing views • Appreciate the need for presentations and research • Appreciate the need for effective report writing • Appreciate the importance of effective problem solving techniques • Appreciate the importance of effective project management

4. Professionalism and Personal Skills Essential Module Information • Discuss issues of IT; for example those affecting – • Home • Employment • Education

5. Professionalism and Personal Skills Essential Module Information • Assessment • The need for Team work • Practical Sessions • Ethics and responsibilities of an I.T. Professional • Laws

6. Professionalism and Personal Skills Essential Module Information • Skills to be learnt • Research Techniques • Report Writing • Preparing and delivering effective presentations • Problem Solving • Project management • Perspectives

7. Professionalism and Personal Skills Practicals, Research etc. • The University has moved away from ‘passive’ learning (lectures) to ‘active’ learning • Contributions to this will be monitored • Assessments will be made of work undertaken • Will need this work to get a good pass in the exam • Tutorials are the practical elements

8. Professionalism and Personal Skills Practicals, Research etc. • Definition of ‘Active Learning’ “An approach which allows the student to take charge and responsibility of their learning process” THE AMOUNT YOU GET FROM ACTIVE LEARNING IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT

9. Professionalism and Personal Skills

10. Professionalism and Personal Skills Assessments • Assignment • Group based project • Involves completion of a professional report and presentation • Time Constrained Test • 1.5 hour

11. Professionalism and Personal Skills Presentation Skills • What are effective presentations? • Using OHP slides • Using Powerpoint

12. Professionalism and Personal Skills Problem Solving • Thinking • Defining Problems • Learning • Blocks to Problem Definition

13. Professionalism and Personal Skills Problem Solving • The Brain • Brainstorming • Mind Maps • Analogies • Probability • Decision Trees • Weighted Matrices • SWOT Analysis • Fishbone Diagrams

14. Professionalism and Personal Skills Report Writing • Introduction • Body/Findings • Conclusions • Recommendations • Summary • References and Bibliography

15. Professionalism and Personal Skills Teamwork and Project Management • Introduction to Teamwork and Project Management • Examine teamwork • Understand Task Identification • Understand Task allocation

16. Professionalism and Personal Skills New Technology • What is new technology? • It is not just I.T. • Newspaper • Typewriter • Radio • Cinema • Television

17. Professionalism and Personal Skills Some Competing Views of I.T. • IT extends high level work, brings new employment opportunities, and will save our economy OR • IT throws huge numbers out of work and downgrades those that remain • IT will increase malevolent control by the state and big corporations OR • IT will bring new opportunities for democratic participation and a better way of life for all

18. Professionalism and Personal Skills Some Competing Views of I.T. (cont) • IT is inevitably revolutionising all our lives, whether we like it or not OR • IT’s development depends on human choices; including political and legal decisions • Go ahead managers will be equipping offices with the best and most recent technology OR • Good managers think first about people and problems; only secondly about technology

19. Professionalism and Personal Skills Competing Views • IT can be either DOOM or UTOPIA • There are two main perspectives • Technological Determinist • Social Context

20. Professionalism and Personal Skills Recommended Reading • Major • People and Chips: The human implications of Information Technology (3rd edition) Christopher Rowe and Jane Thompson, Blackwell Scientific Publications ISBN 0-07-709345-3 • Adair J, Decision Making and Problem Solving, Institute of Personnel Development (London), 1997. • Whetten D, Cameron K, and Woods M Effective Problem Solving, Harper Collins, 1996. • Additional Texts • Abbott P & Sapsford R, Research into Practice, OU Press, 1992. • Stanton N, Mastering Communication, Palgrave MacMillan, 2004.. • Lyon D, The Silicon Society, Lion Paperbacks, ISBN:0-7459-1038-6. • Drucker P F, The New Realities, Mandarin Business, ISBN: 0-7493-0355-7.

21. Professionalism and Personal Skills Recommended Reading • Useful Journals and Magazines • Computing • PC Weekly • Computer Weekly • The Computer Bulletin (a BCS publication)

22. Professionalism and Personal Skills Objectives • Understand the module content and requirements • Understand what constitutes New Technology • Appreciate the need for competing views • Appreciate the need for presentations and research • Appreciate the need for effective report writing • Appreciate the importance of effective problem solving techniques • Appreciate the importance of effective project management