Assignment 5 is due in class on Monday March 28; 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 subgroup of society that is currently using computers in some way, to study where computers introduce benefits and drawbacks to the members of that organization (being clear about the kinds of computerization that exist) and to provide recommendations for how to address issues of concern or to promote benefits. Depending on the organization that you choose, you may want to comment on multiple parties -- e.g. medical profession: doctors, administration and nurses. Examples of organizations that can be studied include: the music industry, sports, medicine, financial institutions, religious institutions, schools (elementary, secondary or post-secondary). This is not in any way an exhaustive list of possibilities. Note that the intention is not to do a case study of one specific organization but instead to reflect on the impact of computerization on an entire segment of society. (It is acceptable, however, to discuss specific examples of organizations as part of your effort to argue about general conculsions.) Note as well that it is mandatory to consider both the benefits and the drawbacks -- do not simply present a one-sided viewpoint.
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. 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.