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New Technology Alignment Postgraduate Studies
Registration can be made at any time until 5 September 2010. Study Period 3 runs from 12 September to 11 December 2010. Charges will not be made until early September, but fees must be paid prior to commencement of the course.
New Technology Alignment (NTA) is a survey subject. It is normally the third subject taken in the Computer Professional Education Program. The Program consists of four subjects, three core and one elective. Business, Legal and Ethical Issues is a pre-requisite for this subject, unless it is undertaken as a stand-alone subject.
We cover a broad range of topics, but we do not delve deeply into all of them. As students in this subject have completed a three-year undergraduate course in an IT-related area, and many also have considerable work experience, we assume a level of understanding of technology basics. Our emphasis is on technology trends in the broader context of the role of technology in business.
The subject uses as a basis relevant components of the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) (see http://www.sfia.org.uk/), in particular, the SFIA skill Emerging technology monitoring (EMRG) (see http://www.sfia.org.uk/cdv3/ah1037381.html). This skill is part of the Strategy and Planning category and is concerned with
“The identification of new and emerging hardware, software and communication technologies, products, methods and techniques and the assessment of their relevance and potential value to the organisation. The promotion of emerging technology awareness among staff and business management.”
SFIA Version 3 Framework Reference can be found at http://www.sfia.org.uk/pdfs/sfia3-ref.pdf )
The SFIA framework identifies two practice levels for EMRG
Level 5 (ensure, advise) Monitors the market to gain knowledge and understanding of currently emerging technologies. Identifies new and emerging hardware and software technologies and products based on own area of expertise, assesses their relevance and potential value to the organisation, contributes to briefings of staff and business management.
Level 6 (initiate, influence) Coordinates the identification and assessment of new and emerging hardware, software and communication technologies, products, methods and techniques. Evaluates the likely relevance of these for the business. Provides regular briefings to staff and business management.
In common with the aims of the CPeP programme, this subject aims to produce outcomes at level 5.
The SFIA skill set EMRG is based around a process of (1) identify, (2) assess and then (3) promote new technologies. Accordingly, this subject is structured along similar lines, with assessment (2) being further broken down into assess relevance (2a), and assess potential value (2b).
Some of the trends we cover, such as service-oriented architectures and business process management, receive extensive coverage for two main reasons. Firstly, they are widely perceived as significant trends that will affect business and technology professionals in many specialist areas. Secondly, they are the topics on which assignments are based.
This subject covers technology trends in the field of information technology (IT), sometimes referred to as information and communications technology (ICT). It is increasingly difficult to isolate technology components of IT/ICT and discuss them separate to their broader context in the business world. For example, IT architecture to some is a technical issue, yet it needs management and it is becoming recognised as a strategic enabler in organisations. This subject attempts therefore to consider technical and managerial issues side-by-side rather than as discrete topics.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
This subject provides resources that help students learn to:
- Identify local and global business and technology trends;
- Evaluate and critique expert predictions for IT;
- Examine the impact of new approaches to online collaboration;
- Analyse the evolving impact of technology on business performance, including the impact of the Internet;
- Examine the role of IS/IT in information capital processes in operations management and information capital processes in organisations;
- Analyse the impact of business process management on organisational performance;
- Identify issues associated with integrating key application areas into fully digitised services;
- Explain how new methods of organising technology resources increase organisational agility by enabling organisations to introduce new business practices and processes;
- Identify key infrastructure clusters and explain the relationship between integrated infrastructure and business agility;
- Explore the notion of infrastructure as a service;
- Explore the key role that standards in areas such as web services play in enabling more flexible connections across and between organisations;
- Examine the developments in service-oriented architectures and identify any new technical and organisational challenges they present;
- Explore how innovative organisations are introducing service-oriented architectures to embed business processes in their customers’ and suppliers’ business operations;
- Explain how agile approaches to software development change project management and software development processes;
- Evaluate the impact of technologies such as federated identity management, biometrics, smarter cards, wireless, sensor networks, VoIP and collaboration software;
- Evaluate the likely impact of technologies such as grid/ utility/ autonomic computing.
CONTENT
Module 1 (weeks 2 to 4) – Technology identification
Topics: Expert predictions; Emerging technologies and trends; Business process digitisation; Internet futures; Wireless and mobility futures; Security issues; Sourcing issues; Online collaborating trends; Technology Parks; Technology Digests
Module 2 (weeks 5 to 7) – Technology assessment (relevance)
Topics: Business Process Management – BPM; ITIL, CobiT and other standards/frameworks; Topical Issues
Module 3 (weeks 8 to 10) – Technology assessment (potential value).
Topics: Web services and service oriented architecture; Wireless technologies and VoIP; Topical issues
Module 4 (weeks 11 to 13) - Technology promotion.
Topics: Integration challenges; Technology Acceptance Model
Assessment consists of three assignments plus participation in discussion forums.
This subject is delivered online – No classrooms, just e-learning techniques, plus tutor and peer-to-peer interaction. Improve your career and employment opportunities with further study – move to senior IT roles.
Single subjects can be taken individually and can be credited towards completion of the Computer Professional Education Program upon enrolment. (Entry requirements must be met).
For more information on New Technology Alignment email pam.barnes@acs.org.au or call 1800 671 003 (freecall within Australia).
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