Assignment 5 is due in class on March 30; bring TWO copies of your report. We will conduct assignment 5B in class that day, with each student reading the assignment of another classmate and completing a review sheet.
In this assignment, students will select a particular organization that is currently using computers in some way, to study where computers introduce benefits and drawbacks to the members of that organization, followed by some recommendations for how to address issues of concern. Depending on the organization that you choose, you may want to comment on multiple parties -- e.g. hospitals: doctors, administration and patients. Examples of organizations that can be studied include: the music industry, sports, medical environments, banks, schools (elementary, secondary or post-secondary). This is not in any way an exhaustive list of possibilities. You are also free to focus on a very specific organization, to study in depth (e.g. The Toronto General Hospital NeoNatal Unit).
Whichever focus you choose for the project, you must find research papers that can be introduced as part of your commentary on the benefits and drawbacks. If you are focusing on a very specific organization, you will still be able to reach conclusions based on research conducted for other organizations facing similar challenges. You are also free to do primary research -- interviewing of people. In this case, you should include an appendix to indicate which questions were asked. NOTE: Graduate students are required to do primary research as part of this assignment.
Be sure that your report includes a proper introduction and conclusion, as well as a list of references.
The assignment should be roughly 2000 words in length and is worth 15 marks. Assignment 5B will count towards your participation grade.
The purpose of this assignment is to have students draw together some of the various subtopics that were investigated in the course (e.g. security, privacy, work, communications) with a more targeted study.