The document outlines an IT professional practice course, including its agenda, learning outcomes, content, assessment, and schedule. The course aims to develop business, professional, communication and interpersonal skills. Assessments include reports, assignments, presentations and a test. Topics include organizational structures, professional ethics, communication skills, data visualization, and personal skills like teamwork.

1. IT 5118:
Professional
Practice

2. Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Course Overview
3. An Elephant
4. Technical Writing

3. Introduction

4. House-keeping
1. Who am I?
2. Attendance
3. Timeliness

5. Course Overview

6. Course Learning Outcomes (LO):
By the end of this course, students will have the following
knowledge and skills to:
1. Apply business concepts and analysis in the IT context to
support organisational systems and processes.
2. Understand and apply professional, socially responsible and
ethical principles; ethical work practice and professional
behaviour
3. Demonstrate communication, information design, report, and
technical writing skills for the IT environment.
4. Demonstrate personal, self-management and interpersonal
skills, including collaboration, teamwork, customer service,
relationship management, and conflict resolution.

7. Course Learning Outcomes (LO):
By the end of this course, students will have the
following knowledge and skills to:
1. Apply business concepts and analysis in the IT
context to support organisational systems and
processes.
2. Understand and apply professional, socially
responsible and ethical principles; ethical work
practice and professional behaviour
3. Demonstrate communication, information
design, report, and technical writing skills for
the IT environment.
4. Demonstrate personal, self-management and
interpersonal skills, including collaboration,
teamwork, customer service, relationship
management, and conflict resolution.
Course Content:
 Various organisational structures, systems and
processes (SDLC, agile/waterfall
methodologies, etc.)
 Professional, sustainable, socially responsible
and ethical principles; ethical work practice and
professional behavior.
 Communication, document design skills, e.g.
report writing and presentations.
 Data visualisation User interface and user
experience design
 Personal and interpersonal skills, including
teamwork, customer service skills

8. Assessment Weighting Max Score Type Due Assessment Details
Written Assessments 50%
Report 25% 100
Assignment
(LO 1)
30 March 2023 Written
Group Feedback 10% 100
Assignment
(LO 2)
26 May 2023 Written
Ethics Quiz 5% 100
Assignment
(LO 2)
6 Apr 2023 Written
Course-based Exercise 10% 100
Assignment
(LO 1,2)
Throughout
Semester
Written, quick quiz, check
progress of knowledge
Practical Assessments 30%
Data Visualisation 20% 100
Assignment
(LO 3,4)
26 May 2023
Practical, Teamwork, UI and UX
design
Group Presentation 10% 100
Assignment
(LO 3, 4)
2 June 2023 Presentation, Teamwork
Test 20% 80
Test
(LO 1 - 3)
TBA (week 16) Short answer and multi-choice questions

9. Week Material Assignments
Comment
s
27 Feb Intro, overview, technical writing
6 Mar Fundamentals of IT, roles, SDLC Report out
13 Mar Waterfall development
20 Mar Agile development
27 Mar Self-management Report due (30th Mar) 25%
3 Apr Ethical and legal practices Ethics quiz (6th Apr) 5%
10 Apr Mid-term Break/Easter
17 Apr Presentations
24 Apr Presentations Data Visualisation out
1 May Introduction to Data Visualisation
8 May Data Vis. as Communication – Telling a story with data
15 May Data Vis. as Communication – UI and UX design
22 May Common Data Visualisation Tools
Data Vis. + Feedback Due
(26th May)
30%
29 May Catch-up/students' choice
Presentation due
(2nd June)
10%
5 Jun Recap (Queen’s Birthday Monday)
12 Jun Test Test 20%
19 June Test

10. The Elephant

14. 3.3 Plagiarism also includes:
a) Copying the work of another student
b) Re-use of previously submitted work
c) Submitting an assessment written by someone
else
d) Submitting the work of a group when
individual work is required
e) Intentionally or knowingly helping or
attempting to help another student engage in
some form of academic misconduct
Academic Misconduct
3.1 Academic misconduct includes any form of
dishonest academic practice that intentionally or
unintentionally undermines academic integrity
and may result in unearned academic benefit.
3.2 Plagiarism is using someone else’s work
without proper acknowledgement (citation),
including:
a) Copying directly from any source
b) Summarising another’s work
c) Using research data obtained by another
These are likely to be deemed cases of serious
academic misconduct.

15. 7.6 After a hearing, the Head of School may impose any of the
sanctions in 6.7 and/or require the student to repeat the
course.
7.7 The Head of School may recommend to the Director
Teaching and Learning that the student’s enrolment in the
programme is cancelled.
7.8 The Head of School may be required to inform the
appropriate professional body.
7.9 Registration bodies may decline to register students who
have been found guilty of academic misconduct.
Serious Academic Misconduct Sanctions

16. Technical Writing

17. Technical Writing
Writing or drafting technical communication used in technical and
occupational fields, such as computer hardware and software,
architecture, engineering, chemistry, aeronautics, robotics, finance,
medical, consumer electronics, biotechnology, and forestry.
Including:
• Instructions and procedures
• Proposals
• Emails, letters, and memoranda
• Press Releases
• Documentation
• Technical Reports
(Source: Wikipedia – Technical Writing)

18. Technical Writing
Like writing English essays but even
more boring and tedious

19. Technical Writing
Ok, if it’s boring as heck, why is
it so important?

20. Technical Writing
Ok, if it’s boring as heck, why is it so important?
“Great things in business are never
done by one person. They're done
by a team of people.”
Steve Jobs

21. Technical Writing
How to write good technical documents
1. Audience specific
2. Genre specific
3. Less is more
Write the document you would want to read

22. Technical Writing
How to write good technical documents
1. Proofreading
2. Second opinions
3. Make sure it says what it
needs to

23. Technical Writing
How to write good technical documents
1. No grammar or spelling mistakes
2. Flows logically
3. Effective formatting

24. Shortcuts
Quick Aside
1. Ctrl + C/Ctrl + V
1. Ctrl + x
2. Ctrl + Shirt + Escape
3. Alt + Tab
4. Windows + Shift + Left/Right
Arrow

25. Technical Writing
Formatting
Peter.alexander@weltec.ac.nz