COMP11001: Ethics for the IT Professional
Coursework Assessment:
The coursework for the Ethics for the IT Professional module involves the research for, and production of, a discursive, essay-type report. Students should undertake this assessment as individuals (it should be all your own work and it is not group-work).
Topic: There is a direct link between violence in computer games and violence in society.
The Structured Abstract (In the Coursework Outline Form and the final essay).
Your structured abstract should outline the aims and objectives of the research, the methods used to carry out the investigation, the findings of the research and, in conclusion, any implications and recommendations. Structured abstracts allow readers to gain a quick impression of the whole paper and help authors summarise their ideas clearly in an organized way. (You may find it useful to start your research using Google Scholar).
A structured abstract may include the following sections:
- Introduction to and background of the debate or question or problem
- Brief review of the important literature
- Methodology, Data collection and Analysis
- Conclusions and recommendations
Keywords (a few words or short phrases that capture key aspects of the article) can be listed below the abstract.
Completing the Coursework
Students should undertake a significant amount of research into their chosen topic area before writing up their report. However, the report that is produced should not just be a regurgitation of facts and opinions that are read elsewhere. In the earlier sections the report should be a careful and critical literature review and analysis of the chosen topic. Later sections should reflect the student’s own views and findings based on the research that has been undertaken. Students must make sure that they present the cases for both sides of the topic that is being researched.
Many of the 30 coursework topics have social, political and psychological aspects to them. Whilst it is important that discussion of these aspects forms a part of your coursework, you should be careful to ensure that your coursework can clearly be identified as containing content that is suitable for the postgraduate degree for which it is being assessed.
The format and structure of the final essay report that you produce should be as follows and must include sections which have headings very similar to those shown below: –
| Section 1 | Structured Abstract |
| Write a succinct executive abstract or summary of the main points and ideas in your essay. Outline the topic, the objectives and the research findings in a structured and organised way so that a reader can obtain a quick overview of the whole paper. (This may be different to the abstract submitted and assessed earlier in the trimester). | |
| Section 2 | Introduction |
| Provide a general introduction to the topic and, in particular, explain the key aspects of the topic that you are going to be discussing. Assume that the reader knows almost nothing about the topic. Explain any terminology and use the introduction to make it clear to the reader what your report will focus on. | |
| Section 3 | Literature Review supporting the “Case For” the statement about the chosen topic |
| Research the case for the stated topic viewpoint and present a summary of your findings from the literature, taking care to properly reference your sources. | |
| Section 4 | Literature Review supporting the “Case Against” the statement about the chosen topic |
| Research the case against the stated topic viewpoint and present a summary of your findings from the literature, taking care to properly reference your sources. | |
| Section 5 | Summary Diagram |
| A one-page diagram or model that captures and reviews the topic’s main issues and points – see for example Rich Pictures and Mind Maps. | |
| Section 6 | Arguments on Balance, Conclusions and Recommendations |
| Critically analyse your research findings and present your own “informed” opinion(s) of the arguments on balance. Discuss implications and put forward any conclusions and/or recommendations that you feel are relevant to the topic at hand. | |
| Coursework Topic: There is a direct link between violence in computer games and violence in society. |
| Structured Abstract (250 words, no less than 200 and no more than 300 words) |
| Case For – Academic sources (minimum of 3) |
| Case Against – Academic sources (minimum of 3) |
References – Whichever topic you choose, it is of the utmost importance that you provide evidence of research and justification for any claims, arguments or conclusions that you present. It is expected that students will quote from, and provide references to, reasonably up-to-date books, journals, conference papers and other credible sources within their report, as evidence of the research that they have undertaken. It is expected that you will provide a minimum of 10 credible reference sources, that these will be properly cited within your submission and listed in alphabetic order at the end of the report.
Notes on referencing within your report are included at the end of this document and a useful link to a guide to the Harvard referencing system is also included in the “Coursework Assessment” section of the Moodle site for this module. Students are required to adhere to the Harvard referencing system for all material cited within their report. Further information on referencing can be found in the Bibliographies & Referencing section at http://www.uws.ac.uk/about-uws/services-for-students/library/guides-and-online-help/
Students are also advised to review the services and support available at http://www.uws.ac.uk/about-uws/services-for-students/student-support/effective-learning/ as an aid to improving their coursework submission and, in particular, to access and fully review the content in the following two guides:-
Making Sure the Work You Present is Your Own
Students are requested to pay heed to the University’s policy on plagiarism, which will be strictly adhered to for the purposes of this assignment.
Coursework submitted after the due date will be penalised by the reduction of ten percentage points from the mark awarded provided that the work is submitted within one calendar week of the due date. Coursework submitted more than one calendar week after the due date will not normally be marked.
Word Count – Submissions should be word processed and should contain ideally 2,000 words. Submissions out with this word count may be penalised. The Reference and Diagram sections of the coursework do not contribute to the word count. Please make sure you print the word count on the front page.