ITECH 3002 Social Computing Issues Report Writing

Assessment Details 

Background 

As information technology professionals, entering the workforce, it is important to develop  an understanding of contemporary business practice, and the skills required to support  the social impact of computers. Computing technologies, like most other forms of  technology, are not socially neutral. They affect and are themselves affected by society.  Computers have changed the way people relate to one another and their living  environment, as well as how humans organize their work, their communities, and their  time. Society, in turn, has influenced the development of computers through the needs people have for processing information. 

Computing technology has evolved as a means of solving specific problems in human society.

Requirements 

This is a group task. Students will be required to form groups of 3 members. Groups will be  announced in the first week of the semester. Every group must set up a team in MS Team to  start the communication and meeting immediately once it’s announced. One group member  should be elected the group leader for the duration of the assignment. Groups will be required  to select a social impact of computers and submit a written business style report.  

Your report must be between 6-10 pages with 12pt fonts and around 2,000 words (penalty  applies for breaking the page limits). Each student should contribute between 500 to 800  words. The report should provide an analysis of the issue selected. In particular, the discussion should include an overview of the issue, impact on society, case-study examples,  and ethical issues raised. 

For the best presentation of your group report, you should adopt ‘writing for scanning’ by  making use of the following formats (do not write long paragraphs): 

• dot lists or numbered lists 
• key word headings 
• tables 
• graphs or images

Each group should select one (1) of the following social issues related to computers: 

• Intellectual commons 
• Social Media video recommendation algorithms 
• Cryptocurrency and Ransoms 
• Employment surveillance 
• Using civilian drones (small helicopters with cameras) in suburban areas 

For assistance in report writing techniques, see: 

https://studyskills.federation.edu.au/assessment/written-tasks/reports/ 

Or even from another university:  

https://www.uow.edu.au/student/learning-co-op/assessments/reports/ 

A suggested report structure follows. Please note, as a guide: the executive summary should  be approximately 150–250 words long. The introduction should be approximately 8%–10%  of the overall word count. The body section will vary depending how many students are in  the group. For example, for a group of 3 students, the discussion will be between 800–1200  words. The conclusion should be approximately 8%–10% of the overall word count. 

Each group member’s section should be clearly labeled with their name. If this is not  done,marks will be averaged across the group members. 

The introduction section of the report should clearly indicate the social impact of  computers being discussed and provide an overview of how you intend to discuss the issue. 

The body section of the report should contain an overview of the issue, the impact on  society, case-study examples, and any key ethical issues raised. The discussion should  show an analysis and synthesis of the literature and your own ideas. Include in-text  references and a bibliography. The bibliography should contain authentic academic  literature (approximately four to six references per group member). Gather these  references from various sources such as the Internet, assigned textbooks and readings etc. 

For assistance with in-text referencing and formatting your reference list in APA format, see  the link to General Guide to Referencing provided. 

The conclusion section of the report should draw together all the ideas that have been presented and validated. The detail should arise clearly from the analysis given in the body  of the report. It should explain why one conclusion is preferred to another and offer recommendations. No new data or ideas should be introduced. 

A quality report will demonstrate a clear summary and discussion of the idea(s). It will  provide a synthesis of content and knowledge acquired from lectures, tutorials, and  academic research, with your own ideas. It will include appropriate paraphrasing and in-text reference support.