Module review for IT1004: Introduction to Electronic Commerce

Taken AY2014/2015 Semester 1


IT1004: Introduction to Electronic Commerce

This is a cross faculty module hosted by the School of Computing. However, this module is highly business in nature, so I feel that it is more appropriate to be classified under “Business”. Personally, I would not recommend this module to anyone, as I felt that the time spent on this module does not justify the gains. The content is very general, mainly focusing on the business model of e-commerce firms. Hence, there is very little to be learnt from this module, with most of the content being based on common sense / a google search away.

The lecturer does little in value-adding her lectures, so you CAN skip all the lectures, like I did. All the slides are on IVLE anyway, and if you read the textbook it’ll be more than enough. Tutorials, however, cannot be skipped since attendance is counted into your grades. Although there are no mid terms, the group work component is very taxing.

Assessment
Tutorial attendance + participation: 10%
Case presentation (group): 10%
Group project: 30%
Finals: 50%

As stated above, tutorial attendance is counted towards your grades, so try not to skip any. Also, it’s important to take down notes during case discussions, which is something I regret not doing. As for participation, all the biz students in the tutorial will be clamouring to answer questions, so just be thick-skinned and volunteer. It doesn’t matter if your answer is wrong, most people spout bullshit anyways, plus no one will remember what you’ve said.

Finding the right group is very important, as 40% of the grade is based on group work. Sadly, my group of 4 had a major slacker who was totally useless and actually more of a burden, so this left us with only 3 active members. The case presentation is only 10%, but the standards for presentation are set very high due to the large no. of biz students taking this module. Be prepared to wear your suit and tie to present, and definitely do not use any cue cards. Once again, choosing the right group mates are important, as two of my members were so bad at presenting, it’s as if they have never presented before in their lives.

The group project requires you to come up with a business pitch for your own e-commerce company, and it involves a written report and presentation. The report has a much higher weightage, so do not focus too much on the pitch. Also, not everyone has to present, so you can cut the deadweight (i.e. only get those who are actually good at presenting to present). It is important to communicate well with your members and allocate work efficiently, since the amount of work required is very high, for a relatively paltry 30%. If you have any slackers in your group, just be thick-skinned and report it to your tutor. It’s not worth enduring all the trouble since the workload is really very high. I really regret not reporting, as it meant more work for the rest of us while the slacker gets to coast along.

The finals include MCQs and short answer questions. To prepare, revise your tutorial case studies, which will help a lot. Also, if you’re a truly hardworking student striving for the A, then go ahead and read the textbook as well. As for me, I basically printed and read through the slides on the morning of the exam. Very bad example, but then again I’m planning to S/U this module.

Workload
The workload for this module is HEAVY due to the group work component, while the tutorials require little to no effort. Content-wise, this module focuses heavily on the business aspect of e-commerce, and the lecturer seems ill-equipped at that, given that she is a computer science lecturer. Choose your groups wisely, and if you’re looking to score well then read the textbook. For those looking to use this module to fulfil their breadth requirements: if you’re a seasoned biz student then go ahead, if not please turn away immediately.

(Intended major: Economics)

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