Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
Nil
Incompatible
ITEC200 Data and Information Management , DATA200 - Data and Information Management
Unit rationale, description and aim
In the information age we live in, data is recognised as a vital asset for organisations. Databases have become an essential technology for the organisations to record, process and manipulate data and information efficiently, and preserving data quality and security. This unit will provide you with foundational knowledge and practical skills in database design and implementations. The unit further develops your skills in identifying and modelling organisational information requirements; developing using conceptual data models and verifying its structural characteristics with normalisation techniques; implementing and utilising a database using a widely-used Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and Structured Query Language (SQL) to manipulate data and generate information. In addition, the unit introduces database administration activities and ethical consideration in handling organisational data.
The primary aim of this unit is to provide students with knowledge and practical skills needed to design, implement and administer database solutions to address real-world needs of organisations while preserving data privacy and security to support the dignity of humans served by the organisation.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Describe the main components, functions, advantages, and challenges of database management systems | GC1, GC9 |
| LO2 | Discuss security, professional, legal and ethical issues in managing organisational data for the dignity of the human person | GC1, GC9 |
| LO3 | Apply conceptual database design techniques including ER diagrams and normalisation to create a conceptual database design for a given case study | GC1, GC8 |
| LO4 | Apply SQL for manipulating data stored in databases and generating meaningful information | GC2, GC10 |
Content
Topics will include:
- Database concepts/foundations
- The relational database model
- Non-Relational databases
- Entity-Relationship (ER) modelling
- Normalisation of database tables
- Structured Query Language (SQL)
- Database security
- Database administration
- Distributed and highly available databases
- Big data and scalable storage
- Modern data warehouses for Data analytics and visualisation
- Professional, legal and ethical issues in data management.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Mode of delivery: This unit is offered mainly in ‘Attendance mode’ with aspects of ‘Multi-mode’ incorporated into the delivery to maximise the learning support offered to students. Students will be required to attend face-to-face workshops in specific physical location/s (including supervised lab practical sessions) and have face-to-face interactions with teaching staff to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is also structured with some required upfront preparation before workshops – learning materials and tasks set via online learning platforms. This will provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for students to prepare and revise.
Further to this, to ensure students are ready to transition from the Diploma and articulate into the second year of undergraduate study, transition pedagogies will be incorporated into the unit as the key point of differentiation from the standard unit. This focuses on an active and engaging approach to learning and teaching practices, and a scaffolded approach to the delivery of curriculum to enhance student learning in a supportive environment. This will ensure that students develop foundation level discipline-based knowledge, skills and attributes, and simultaneously the academic competencies required of students to succeed in this unit.
Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students are required to achieve an aggregate mark of at least 50%. Marking will be in accordance with a rubric specifically developed to measure the level of achievement of the learning outcomes for each item of assessment. Students will also be awarded a final grade which signifies their overall achievement in the unit.
The assessment strategy for this unit is based on the need to determine authentic student achievement of the learning outcomes. Assessment 1 provides students with an opportunity to apply database design and SQL through a series of hands-on lab exercises. Assessment 2 allows students to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding of database technology concepts and tools through the Microsoft Certification Exam. Assessment 3 requires students to convert the logical-level database design to a physical-level database using a database management system software. It also requires developing queries to generate information and manipulate data. This assessment also requires students to demonstrate the Catholic Social Teaching principle of dignity of the human person: how organisations organise, use, manage and secure data in organisations to maintain the dignity, privacy and rights of a person.
Strategies aligned with transition pedagogies will be utilised to facilitate successful completion of the unit assessment tasks. For each assessment, there will be the incorporation of developmentally staged tasks with a focus on a progressive approach to learning. This will be achieved through activities, including regular feedback, particularly early in the unit of study to support their learning; strategies to develop and understand discipline-specific concepts and terminology; in-class practice tasks with integrated feedback; and greater peer-to-peer collaboration.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment 1: Developmental Exercises This assessment consists of a series of exercises including conceptual database design and using ER diagrams, using a RDBMS and SQL programming for data manipulation. This task requires students to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and practical skills gained in the unit in the creation of a database and applying SQL programming. The feedback from this assessment will help students to apply the database concepts in the next assessment. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Practical tasks Artefact: ER diagram + SQL code | 25% | LO3, LO4 |
Assessment 3: Microsoft Certification Exam This assessment task requires student to undertake Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals DP-900 Certification Exam. The exam assesses students’ foundational knowledge of core data concepts and how they are implemented using Microsoft Azure data services. This exam reports on a scale of minimum 100 and maximin 1000 with a passing score of 700. The exam contains 53 questions and students have 60 minutes to complete it. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Microsoft Certification Exam Artefact: Certification | 35% | LO1 |
Assessment 2: Database Design and Implementation Project This assessment task requires students to develop a logical-level design of a database for a given case study and verify its structural characteristics with normalisation techniques. Also, it requires students to convert the logical-level database to a physical-level database using a DBMS. This task also requires students to create SQL queries to generate information and manipulate data, perform user account management, and enhance the security of the database. In addition, it requires a report detailing actions performed to improve security and demonstration of the understanding of Catholic Social Teaching principle of dignity of the human person: how organisations use, manage and secure data in organisations to maintain privacy and security. To ensure academic integrity students are required to record a video presentation presenting their assignment work in class or through a recorded presentation. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Practical task Artefact: Database file + Report + Presentation | 40% | LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Required text
Coronel, C & Morris, S 2019, Database systems, design and implementation and management, 13th edn, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA.
Required online resources
Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore core data concepts
Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore relational data in Azure
Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore non-relational data in Azure
Azure Data Fundamentals: Explore modern data warehouse analytics in Azure
Recommended references
Connolly TM & Begg D 2015, Database systems: a practical approach to design, implementation and management, 6th edn, Addison Wesley, Boston, MA.
Friedrichsen, L, Ruffalo, L, Monk, E, Starks, JL, Pratt, PJ & Last, MZ 2020, Concepts of database management, 10th edn, Cengage Learning, USA.
Kroenke DM & Auer, DJ, Vandenberg, SL, Yoder, RC 2019, Database concepts, 9th edn, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Murach, J 2019, Murach's MySQL, 3rd edn, Mike Murach and Associates.
Silbershatz, A, Korth, H, Sudarshan, S 2019, Database System Concepts, 7th edn, McGraw-Hill Education.
Vanier, E, Shah, B, Malepati, T 2019, Advanced MySQL 8, Packet Publishing Ltd, Birmingham, UK.