FIT4037 Case Study was on of the most difficult subjects I have done. Not because of the complexity of the material but because of the high volume of work which required all 4 group members to contribute to a project which needed skills that were not prerequisites for the subject. This provided great practical experience as most work places are comprised of a few experienced team members and a number of inexperienced members. The delegation of tasks and provision of time for team member training are items that derail many projects. In Case Study we experienced these issues and learnt ways to overcome them.
I think that the lectures could include more technical training for students to help them complete the required tasks. The existing content was informing and though provoking but there was definitely room for more technical teaching in the lectures.
This subject is compulsory for MAIT students and I recommend for any students taking this subject to be conservative in the skills listing exercise done in the first tutorial. It will determine the group that you are placed into. On that topic I believe that the subject can be improved by allowing student to choose their own group members. Understandably, this does not occur in the workplace but neither does the hiring of employees for a job that they have no experience or knowledge of. Students know each others abilities with more accuracy than the self assessment activity can yield and would enable for better groups to be formed.
Thanks to Sue Foster and Enjoo Lim for running the subject.
One reply on “FIT4037: Summary”
The biggest problem in allowing students to choose their own team mates could potentially cause other issues, like “well I am too busy right now, as you know” or “I will do it next week” or “I have other assignments, but will help out later”. Management of students is an art in itself especially when everyone knows each other.
The key is to simulate a collaborative team environment.