Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics & Education
COMM20036
Informatics, Culture and Communication
What is this course about?
This course examines the relationship between information technology, communications
and contemporary commercial and political culture. By combining readings taken from
several disciplines with close analysis of case studies, this course bolsters important high
level communication skills.
What are the expected
outcomes of the course?
Course learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. demonstrate an understanding of the basics of interpersonal communication
practice
2. examine the impact that information technology developments are having on
contemporary culture and communication
3. develop an understanding of the communication opportunities now available
through the development of the World Wide Web (Intranets and the Internet) and
how to utilise them in a variety of situations
4. demonstrate the application of appropriate managerial and interpersonal
communications to real-life situations.
When is it offered?
2010 Term One
For those of you taking the course on campus, the schedule will be published at
http://timetabling.cqu.edu.au
Where is it offered?
Brisbane, Flexible Learning, Melbourne, Sydney
How is it assessed?
Approved assessment for this course is:
Examination 0%
Other
100%
Assessment 1 50% Papers
Assessment 2 50% Interim and Final Report
What textbooks do I need
to obtain?
Who do I contact?
ALL
ALL
There are no set textbooks for this course.
Coordinator:
Email:
Phone:
Karl Neuenfeldt
k.neuenfeldt@cqu.edu.au
+61 7 4150 7019
Additional contact details may be found at:
http://lecturer.cqu.edu.au/lecturer.jsp?term=2101&course=COMM20036
Copyright CQUniversity
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 1
Information for Students for this Offering
Study Schedule
Week
Begin Date
Module/Topic
Week 1
01 Mar 10
1. Communicating Cross-culturally: Communication,
Technology & Culture
Week 2
08 Mar 10
Cross-cultural Issues & Technology 1
Week 3
15 Mar 10
Cross-cultural Issues & Technology 2
Week 4
22 Mar 10
Case Studies that will enable the Importance of
Interpersonal Communication for the Informatics
Industry
Week 5
29 Mar 10
2. Communicating in a Networked World:
Communication, Technology & Work Practices
Week 6
12 Apr 10
Assessing how different Academic Disciplines,
especially in the Fields of Organisational and
Managerial Communication, Local and Global
Economies and Politics, have managed Information
Technology Issues - 1
Week 7
19 Apr 10
Assessing how different Academic Disciplines,
especially in the Fields of Organisational and
Managerial Communication, Local and Global
Economies and Politics, have managed Information
Technology Issues - 2
Week 8
27 Apr 10
Case Studies that will examine the Aspects of
Managerial Communication for the Informatics
Industry
Week 9
04 May 10
Module 3: Online Communication Development of
the World Wide Web and implication for Society
Week 10
10 May 10
Community, Society and Globalisation Issues will be
analysed in the Context of Growth of the Internet and
development of 'New Economies' and 'Virtual
Enterprises' - 1
Week 11
17 May 10
Community, Society and Globalisation Issues will be
analysed in the Context of Growth of the Internet and
development of 'New Economies' and 'Virtual
Enterprises' - 2
Chapter
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 2
Events and
submissions
Assessment Item 2
Interim Report due
Friday, 26/03/2010 4
p.m.
Assessment Item 1
Papers due Friday,
30/04/2010 4 p.m.
Week 12
24 May 10
Case Studies will explore the practical Advantages
and Limits of the Online Community across a wide
Range of Industries and Cultures
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 3
Assessment Item 2
Final Report due
Friday 28/05/2010 4
p.m.
Assessment Submission
Hard Copy (when required)
Off-campus students
Submit hard copy, signed assignments to the Student Contact Centre, Building 5, CQUniversity, Rockhampton
QLD 4702.
● Access CQUcentral to print a personalised Assessment Cover Sheet for each assignment submission Instructions
for generating your coversheet are at: http://dtls.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=23407
On-campus students
Submit hard-copy, signed assignments to Assignment Boxes located on your particular Campus - if none are available
then submit to the Administration Office.
●
Central Queensland Campus Students should access CQUcentral to print a personalised Assessment Cover Sheet
for each assignment submission. Instructions for generating your coversheet are via the link above.
● Australian International Campus Students should access the personalised coversheet available at your Campus.
Electronic Delivery (when required)
All assignments submitted electronically must be through the Student Portal http://mycqu.cqu.edu.au/portal/dt
As submission methods may vary from the above please check details on your course website or with your course
coordinator if in doubt.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSMENT
Students must familiarise themselves with the following policies and procedures:
●
Assessment and examination policy and procedures - http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_file.do?policyid=701
Assignment preparation and presentation Guide for Students http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=26491
Presentation - http://fbi.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=17724
Referencing style
The Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics & Education generally uses the Harvard (Author/date) style of referencing
except for law and education courses. More information on the styles used by various schools can be found at
http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=3955
For LAWS courses http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/cite/law/index.html
Applying for extensions - http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=534
Assignment grading - http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy_file.do?policyid=437
What is plagiarism? - http://facultysite.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=3952
General student information (CQUcentral) - http://navigatecquni.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/getFile.do?id=26605
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 4
Faculty Guide
Guide for Students http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=9177
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
Examinations:
Standard Examinations 3 – 4 June 2010 and 7-11 June 2010
Deferred/Supplementary Examinations 9 – 13 August 2010
Note: A recess is held during term. Please consult the CQU handbook for specific dates and other information at:
http://handbook.cqu.edu.au
Contacting Teaching Staff
During the course, students should initially contact their local teaching staff to answer any queries related to the course
that they may have. Contact details for local teaching staff can be found on the course website. If local teaching staff
cannot fully answer the query or it is of a personal nature, students can contact the Course Coordinator.
Student Contact
A directory of assistance containing information for both on-campus and off-campus students will be provided on the
web, before term starts, at: http://content.cqu.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?site=534
The university allocates every student an individual email address, the format of which is student
number@student.cqu.edu.au (e.g. S00011123@student.cqu.edu.au). This is the official email address that the
university will use for all email correspondence. Student emails can be accessed through http://webmail.cqu.edu.au or
http://mycqu.cqu.edu.au. Students are expected to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis
(at least once weekly). Students are encouraged to review the new university policy relating to email communication at
http://policy.cqu.edu.au/Policy/policy.jsp?policyid=642 which has been introduced to ensure all course and program
updates are received.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 5
Assessment details for ALL students
Assessment item 1—Papers
Due date:
4:00pm, Friday of Week 8.
Weighting:
50%
Length:
3 x 1200 word
ASSESSMENT
1
Objectives
This assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes numbers’ list 1, 2, 3 and 4 as stated in Part
A.
Task
For this assignment you must consult material from three modules dealing with the topics
communicating cross culturally, communicating in a networked world and online communication. For
each topic you must find three (3) Internet sites and three (3) online journals. Using these sources
submit three (3) papers of no more than 1200 words each on the following topics or scenarios:
1. Topic
You work for a company in Brisbane, Australia that exports dairy and confectionary products to
the Middle East region. Write a set of guidelines that will help your staff to maximise effective
communication with their business contacts in that region and maximise sales by supplying
appropriate dairy and confectionary products to the region’s import market.
You should consider communication channels and cross-cultural business ethics and methods as
well as cultural, religious and dietary issues that may impact on successful communication.
2. Topic
Does the use of digital communication help Australian Indigenous peoples to 1) preserve, 2)
publicise, and 3) market their culture? Reflecting on all three aspects, consider what is contained in
the digital materials (e.g. websites, music, youtube), how the use of digital communication might
change Indigenous culture, and whether the websites about Australian Indigenous peoples are
being created by people within Indigenous communities or by non-Indigenous people or by crosscultural collaboration.
3. Topic
Does access to digital communication – the Internet, web pages, virtual meetings, email – cause more
problems than it solves when cross-cultural issues such as religion, hierarchy or business ethics are
involved. In your paper contrast two countries, such as Australia and India OR Japan and Indonesia OR
China and New Zealand.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 6
You will need to:

Provide a properly annotated reference list of your readings and sources.

Refer to appropriate concepts and literature to support your analysis and discussion.
Assessment criteria
1. Knowledge and understanding:

Evidence of understanding of concepts and principles applicable to the topic.

Evidence of critical analysis of the topic and demonstration of its implications for computermediated communication.
2. Research skills:

Evidence of a range of sources used with appropriate referencing.

Key issues identified and evidence of a degree of reflection on them to support an argument.
3. Communication skills:

Grammatically correct and well-structured, with accurate spelling.

Coherent and logical with an intelligent application of knowledge/techniques to support a
proposition.

An effective conclusion.
4. Conforms to specified word length.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 7
Assessment details for ALL students
Assessment item 2—Interim and Final Report
Due date:
Interim Report: 4:00pm, Friday of Week 4
Final Report:
Weighting:
Length:
ASSESSMENT
4:00pm, Friday of Week 12.
Interim Report:
10%
Final Report:
40%
Interim Report:
1200 words
Final Report:
3000 words
2
Objectives
This assessment item relates to the course learning outcomes numbers’ list 1, 2, 3 and 4 as stated in Part
A.
Task
This assignment runs throughout the duration of the course and has the objective of developing
communication strategies and skills using online techniques. You must create an online discussion
group of at least three people. These participants can be from any source but must agree to your request
to meet and discuss a topic online. All dialogue must be conducted online.
To facilitate an online discussion group you can use a number of service providers who operate free
online discussion groups. There include www.topica.com; Yahoo e-groups, the course mailing list or a
web-based bulleting board. If you are having difficulty please e-mail me or your local
lecturer/tutor immediately.
INDIVIDUAL EFFORT WILL BE RECOGNISED THROUGH THE ASSESSOR READING
THROUGH THE LOG OF MESSAGES THAT MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE FINAL REPORT.
The online discussion group is required to develop online a set of guidelines for managing the
discussion group (i.e. agree on the topic and responsibilities for research and analysis), arrange a
schedule to deliver regular reports and then reach agreement online as to the role of each group member
in writing the final report.
Interim report
During Week 4 each group must deliver a formal 1200 word report on the selected topic supported by
references to the discussion group and with printed evidence of the discussion groups (all online traffic
demonstrating the following assessable outcomes):

Evidence that agreement was obtained for participation in the group.

Evidence that a topic was selected and agreed and an agenda was created and accepted; that tasks
were agreed and allocated; that a regular process for communication was proposed (at least weekly)
and agreed by all participants.

Evidence that a process was agreed to mediate any conflicts that may occur.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 8

Evidence that research tasks were agreed and tasks allocated and accepted and delivered within
mutually agreed timeframes.

Evidence of individual work in gathering information, submitting it for discussion and
incorporating it into the final report.

Evidence that a range of computer-mediated communication techniques, tactics and processes were
used to gain a shared understanding of meaning and effective communication.
You will also need to reference your material with appropriate academic sources.
You are an Australian-based Consultancy Team. You are to provide Guidelines for implementing
company policy about the appropriate business culture to follow for either of the following scenarios.
Choose ONE from below:
A. Topic
An Australian university intends to open campuses in Tokyo and Taipei. Your group has been
asked to prepare guidelines on cross cultural communication for Australian staff who will be
liaising with the university staff in Japan and Taiwan. The guidelines must incorporate computermediated communication channels (which could include videoconferencing, teleconferencing,
email, memos, staff meetings and discussion forums) with procedures and protocols that take into
account the different cultures involved and promote effective cross cultural communication.
B. Topic
You work for a consultancy firm in Australia. A mining company intends to conduct exploratory
drilling for minerals in the Cape York region of north Queensland. The mining company has asked
your consultancy firm for recommended ways to communicate with Indigenous groups and other
groups in the area. What communication strategies would be needed to lead to successful outcomes
for all stakeholders? In your essay discuss cultural and environmental matters as well as the use of
digital communication systems.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 9
Assessment criteria
The interim report will be assessed using the first two criteria only. The final report will be assessed
using all three criteria.
1. Knowledge and understanding:

Evidence of understanding of concepts and principles applicable to the topic.

Evidence of critical analysis of the topic and demonstration of its implication for computermediated communication.
2. Evaluation (all the following measures relate to the activity being conducted online as part
of a discussion group):

Evidence that agreement was obtained for participation in the group.

Evidence that a topic was selected and agreed and an agenda was created and accepted; that
tasks were agreed and allocated; that a regular process for communication was proposed (at
least weekly or fortnightly) and agreed by all participants.

Evidence that a process was agreed to mediate any conflicts that may occur.

Evidence that research tasks were agreed and tasks allocated and accepted and delivered within
mutually agreed timeframes.

Evidence of individual work in gathering information, submitting it for discussion and
incorporating it into the final report.

Evidence that a range of computer-mediated communication techniques, tactics and processes
were used to gain a shared understanding of meaning and effective communication.
3. Report analysis:

Coherent, logical and well-researched discussion.

Appropriate referencing to relevant literature to support arguments.

Clear and grammatical expression, no typographical or spelling errors.

Conforms to specified length.
Course Profile for: COMM20036, 2010 Term One - Page 10