Journal Assessment of ITS653 Unit - Assignment Example

 Individual work_ Journal 3 For Journal 3, please answer the following questions, and make sure to write at least 1,000 to 1,500 words only. 1. From your perspective, what are the positive and negative aspects behind completing this journal assessment in ITS653 unit? According to me, the most positive aspect journal assessment of ITS653 unit is that it has provided immense opportunities for learning to read and evaluate academic sources and relate them according to the given topic. It was important to identify and find the gaps of research while comparing one article with another and understanding how one could fill the loopholes of the other. The issues related to sustainability in higher education was explored in detail based on the article “Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education” by Barth, Godemann, Rieckmann and Stoltenberg (2007) which is very helpful for curriculum makers and educators as they show how inclusion of aspects on sustainability can help build competencies among students. The article shows how an appropriate questionnaire is built and how the focus group discussions can be interpreted to reach the desired conclusions. The analysis has helped me understand the way a survey is carried and processed according to the specific questions. The next journal which comprised comparison among different related articles showed how to categorically research on different subjects of sustainability especially Green IT. The work helped in structuring a set of research articles according to their arguments, keywords etc. This assignment was important to understand how to select appropriate methodology for a research paper. The assignments allowed lot of scope for reflections and observations on the articles reviewed. The negative part is that there was no scope for considering recent news articles or other media publications on the subject which could have given a more practically and topical purview on the topic. Hence the knowledge and analysis got restricted to some extent. Owing to limited space at times writing more or critically analysing one article was difficult since the number of sources required was specified. 2. From your perspective, what did you learn from ITS653 unit? I learnt from the unit that organisations and government should work together for ensuring sustainability in social, economic, political and all other fronts. Practising sustainability should begin at the basic level that is at the education front where the curriculum can include tenets of sustainability to be taught to the class. I learnt about the important role of technology and innovations which should take place with a sense of responsibility and commitments towards sustainability. Here comes the role of the corporate houses especially the CSR aspect. The environment is the crucial aspect of sustainability but the idea is not just to protect the environment or raise campaigns for the same. The important thing is to innovate with an aim to safeguard the ambience. The case study of Epson Australia has been really helpful as it conforms to the principles of green IT. How Epson achieved business sustainability and lead the eco-friendly drives stands as a distinct example for other corporate houses to take up the same ideal. Since this unit involved a good amount of literature studies, a lot of strategy based solution has been given for business sustainability which will help me in career perspective as I will be able to apply business decisions after critically analysing it in terms of sustainable development. This unit has built awareness in me regarding the need of sustainable development. Now I will be able to demonstrate the need for Green IT and fundamentals of sustainability in the same. In fact sustainability should be kept in mind in our day to day living as well. Before spending a fortune on a thing of pleasure I will now think twice whether I will be able to sustain tomorrow with my savings. So, financial management will be an important aspect to remember. Again before taking any action that might harm the environment, (such as smoking) one needs to remember that he or she is polluting the environment for others. Hence I will always try to stop my friends and relatives from such actions. 3. From your perspective, what type of skills improved by completing ITS653 unit, including the assessments (i.e. skills can be professional and personal) From this unit I have learnt the skill of academic writing. I underwent the study of different journals and articles of authors which has helped me to grasp the writing methodology followed in articles. I have learnt the concise way of stating the problem and then assessing it critically on basis of literature review and real world examples as I did in Journal 1. I have learnt how to place arguments in research writing. It has also enhanced my observational power. This will help me in real life as I can present my ideas in a more compact form in my job career. Critical analysis which I have learnt from this unit will help me in addressing other challenging business problems also. Since his unit dealt with numbers of research paper on green IT and sustainability; I got the opportunity to compare diverse articles. As a result I have developed the skill to comprehend and synthesize different materials at the same time. It has enhanced my problem solving capability and thereby devising alternative solutions. This unit has built my presentation skills. I have presented the case study of Epson Australia, thereby learning the proper way of depicting a given problem and the solutions to it. Use of bullet points to present my ideas and findings in short statements has been a challenge. While presenting this presentation I have developed confidence of group speaking and have developed my verbal skills. This presentation skill will help me career wise too as now I will be able to present other business problems and solutions in same way. I have built in me the spirit of team work after this unit. Working cooperatively with others and independent problem solving has been a learning experience for lifetime. I have learnt that expression of knowledge is a crucial aspect no matter how much information one has. I gained some confidence in speaking while presenting the report to the audience. I had to write the notes as if a speech is to be delivered and then read it out systematically. Ability to express is important in both personal and professional fields. It has taught me to be prepared for any kind of questions and be ready with the answers. So it is important to present a work in such a manner that all probable questions can be answered. This applies to personal life too, where one needs to lay his steps carefully so as not to hurt or affect others. 4. Add your perspective/reflection behind this unit in general and what are your recommendations to improve this unit in Future. This unit has raised awareness amongst students on the need of global sustainability. This unit deals with a lot of article readings which again suggests many ways to achieve sustainable development. This unit has added a meaningful aspect to the idea of sustainability by not restricting it to textbooks and articles only. Report writings, review of journal, presentation has made the issue more approachable. Assignment of different tasks has strongly hold the interest of the students in the topic. This unit has given chance to analyse a company which is fantastic in the sense that it acquaints the student with the practical side of the theory. This kind of unit should be introduced in other departments of the university also. My recommendation regarding this unit is that frequent interactive sessions should be built between students and instructors on the topic of green IT and sustainability. An interactive session helps in sharing of ideas and thoughts. It also helps the instructor in tracking a student’s depth of understanding and his progress on the subject. Group workshop should be introduced as it helps in approaching a given problem in an integrated way. Another important addition should be done in terms of field work. Field work helps in holding a student’s interest. It also helps in better understanding of the given topic as a student visualizes the theory in field work. Spot for field work should be the IT industry which has adopted eco-friendly way of doing business. In whatever work we do one needs to ponder its probable impact on others. Read More