Welcome to the study of Information Systems IA. Many of you will already have some knowledge of computing. To all of you, the experienced and the less experienced, I want to express my hope that at the end of this unit you will find the world of computers as exciting a place as I do.

As you will know, computers are an increasingly pervasive part of our lives-something that we can't really afford to ignore. We can all benefit from skills and knowledge that will allow us to use computers in productive ways. There are many important and exciting areas of knowledge in this unit. What you can gain includes:

• information literacy-you should be able to access and make critical use of information and information technology-important for further study and lifelong learning after graduation

• skills in word-processing and the use of spreadsheets

• knowledge of computer networks, including the Internet, a fast-growing and stimulating source of information

• sufficient knowledge of computer concepts so that you feel confident about tasks such as the purchase of a computer system

• the ability to see how computers can be used to advantage within organisations, a valuable attribute for current or prospective employees.

What is to be learned?

We can class the knowledge that is to be learned in this unit under four different headings:

	Building blocks-foundations terms and concepts. At times you might not find this learning 'exciting'. There are a large number of terms and concepts to remember. In introductory subjects like this one it is hard to get away from the necessity for memorising the fundamental terms. You need this knowledge, however, for the other skills and knowledge you need to develop.
	Software skills. You will learn to use computer packages such as a word-processor, a spreadsheet and the Basic programming language. The word-processing and the spreadsheet skills will be useful in other units you study, and in many business situations. The Basic programming will help you appreciate further some computer concepts and should help prepare you for using databases in subsequent studies. Who knows-the challenges of computer programming might also whet your appetite and encourage you to think about majoring in Information Systems!
	Problem solving and critical thinking abilities-the ability to apply the knowledge you have to real-life situations. The unit will emphasise how information systems can be used for competitive advantage in organisations and give illustrations with case studies and discussion questions.
	Lifelong learning skills-the key to further learning and knowledge. We want students to develop a capacity and desire to continue to learn after they have completed this unit and after they graduate. Characteristics of the lifelong learner are described further below.

Picture yourself at the end of this unit:

What is a lifelong learner?

One of the aims given above was to help students to become a lifelong learner. This concept is discussed in more detail here as thinking about what is involved in being a lifelong learner should help you to become one. It is appropriate to think about this concept in this unit as it is an introductory unit-skills developed here can help you with your further studies. In addition, because this subject is about information systems, it is particularly suited to helping you develop one particular aspect of lifelong learning-information literacy.

Probably most people who are willing to undertake study off-campus have already developed considerable lifelong learning skills. Otherwise they wouldn't be willing to study in a mode that requires so much self-direction and independent learning. It is to be expected also that adult students, who perhaps have been employed for a period of time, might have developed more learning skills from their experiences. Nevertheless, further attention to developing learning skills can only be worthwhile.

The following profile has been suggested for a lifelong learner (Candy, Crebert & O'Leary 1994, pp. 43-44):

The lifelong learner would exhibit the following qualities or characteristics to some degree:

An inquiring mind

- a love of learning;

- a sense of curiosity and question asking;

- a critical spirit;

- comprehension-monitoring and self-evaluation;

Helicopter vision

- a sense of the interconnectedness of fields;

- an awareness of how knowledge is created in at least one field of study, and an understanding of the methodological and substantive limitations of that field;

- breadth of vision;

Information literacy

- knowledge of major current resources in at least one field of study;

- ability to frame researchable questions in at least one field of study;

- ability to locate, evaluate, manage and use information in a range of contexts;

- ability to retrieve information using a variety of media;

- ability to decode information in a variety of formats: written, statistical, graphs, charts, diagrams, and tables;

- critical evaluation of information;

A sense of personal agency

- a positive concept of oneself as capable and autonomous;

- self-organisation skills (time-management, goal-setting etc);

A repertoire of learning skills

- knowledge of one's own strengths, weaknesses and preferred learning style;

- range of strategies for learning in whatever context one finds oneself; and

- an understanding of the differences between surface and deep level learning.

What can you use to help you learn?

A number of resources, human and otherwise, are available. The table below shows these resources and the areas they can help you in learning. Your Unit Profile, received with this Study Guide, will give you more up-to-date details of what resources are available, and where.

The availability of some of these resources will vary depending on your location. Off-campus students should not necessarily rule out resources which might seem at first glance to be available only to on-campus students. You might be able to attend a lecture or tutorial if you happen to be near one of our campuses, even though you are enrolled externally. Contact the lecturer or tutor first and see if your attendance is feasible. You might be able to borrow videos of lectures from one of the campuses. Some resources such as the CD-ROMs and email access should be available at the Open Learning Centres situated throughout Queensland, and all campuses.

The following table shows the different resources available and the areas in which they should be of most use. A tick shows where the resource is meant to be useful.

_________________________________________________________________________________
		Knowledge	Category
Resource	Building Blocks	Software Skills	Problem solving	Lifelong learning
_________________________________________________________________________________
Laudon textbook
CD-ROM version of Laudon text
Lectures
Lecture videotapes
Study Guide
_________________________________________________________________________________
Basic language text
Self-paced software tutorials
__________________________________________________________________________________
Videoconferencing tutorial/ discussion
Electronic mail and the World Wide Web
Lecturer and tutors
Library interactive tutorial (RASCAL)
Other CQU staff (Library, Counselling, Learning Units)
_________________________________________________________________________________

How will your learning be assessed?

Not surprisingly, what students learn is affected by what is in their exams and assignments. We have tried hard to match your assessment with the different types of knowledge you should acquire. Throughout the unit you are given opportunities to assess your work yourself through the quizzes and exercises that are given. The exam questions will be similar in form to the questions in your quizzes and the exercises, and some of the exam questions will be taken directly from the quizzes and exercises (just enough to motivate you to do them all).

The following table shows the probable type of assessment used for each type of learning. Note this may vary slightly from year to year. Refer to your Unit Profile for up-to-date details.

______________________________________________________________________________________
	Knowledge categories	Assessment types
______________________________________________________________________________________
	Building blocks	Multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank questions in the exam.
	Software skills	Assignments (word-processing, email, World Wide Web, spreadsheet, simple programming). Simple programming questions in the exam.
	Problem solving and criticalthinking abilities	Some exercise(s) in your assignments. Case study questions in the exam.
	Lifelong learning skills	Assignment exercises on information literacy. Case study question in the exam.
______________________________________________________________________________________

How do you use this Study Guide?

Each module in this Study Guide represents the work for one week. The 'Suggested Study Schedule' in the Unit Profile shows the order in which you can study the modules so that you have covered the material required for assignments and the exam. This order will be different from that shown here, as you will need to look at the programming modules part way through the course. Otherwise you can vary the schedule to suit yourself.

You should expect to spend about 10 hours a week on this unit. For each module you could allocate:

• 4-5 hours reading and assimilating the relevant material in the pages in the text

• 1-2 hours doing quizzes and exercises

• 4-5 hours on software skills and assignments.

• Read the specified chapters in your primary textbook, Laudon and Laudon (1995) , paying particular attention to the Learning Objectives at the start of the chapter, and the summary at the end of the chapter. For some modules you will not have to read all the pages in every chapter with the same degree of attention. Only the pages specified as 'Required Reading' will be examinable. You can read the remaining pages for interest or background information.

• Attempt the quiz (multiple-choice, true/false and fill-in the blank questions) in this Study Guide. If you have problems, refer back to the relevant pages in the text.

• Optionally, if you have access to the CD-ROM version of the textbook, attempt the quizzes it provides.

• Optionally, view any of the supplemental material for the unit that you can obtain and that you find interesting (videos, the video clips on the CD-ROM and so on).

• Do the exercises given. Compare your answers with those given.

• Optionally, talk to other people about the exercises and the material you have been reading. If you are working you might be able to talk to Information Systems professionals. In on-campus lectures we will continue to get people from industry to come to lectures and talk to students about what they do.

Learning software skills

Thus, there are different ways you can go about learning the software skills:

• on-campus, in laboratory tutorials where you use self-paced instructional booklets to do hands-on exercises (currently for Microsoft Word and Excel)

• off-campus, with a self-paced instructional booklet to do hands-on exercises for whatever we recommend in the Unit Profile for people who don't already have software (currently Microsoft Office)

• off-campus, with whatever software and method you prefer-maybe just with the manuals that came with your package.