Welcome to the Introduction to System Modelling optional unit which lasts 10 weeks and has been designed to take approximately 100 hours of study time to complete, because there is a lot of material to get through and digest I have divided the material into ten weekly packages which should help keep you on track and allow you time to reflect.
There are several assignments. In addition to the familiar essay based assignment at the end of the unit there is also an online timed Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam along with discussion board  (forum) activities where you are required to post a specified number of messages (10) to pass the unit. I know from having devised online courses for over ten years now that it is very difficult to keep motivated working on one’s own therefore I hope this structure along with the enforced communal activities will help somewhat.
The assessed Timed MCQ will be made available to you for approximately two weeks from Monday 8th June. The MCQs that will appear in the final exam will be taken from those you will have encountered during the course.

So from the above information you can see that this course takes a bottom up approach, you will begin by learning some basic skills and associated knowledge which you will then build on to eventually use and reflect upon in a social context. Some of you may find this approach difficult as it requires you to be prepared to be initially guided and accept a few weeks of very structured learning that you may consider to be irrelevant to your daily job. Please stay with me. The alternative and more, trendy approach is for me to teach you using a top down approach by setting you problems which you then solve which are immediately relevant to your work. I feel that the validity of the approach is dependent upon many factors, not least your own personal learning style. I hope my initial rather pedagogical style (compared to androgogic) works in the end.
So lets begin . .
As a gentle introduction the unit begins with a general overview of the various types of Information systems (IS) within the health sector. Hopefully you will be familiar with much of the material here. This unit is very hands-on with you learning how to use a specific piece of software (MagicDraw). To complete the assignment you will need to be proficient in using this software. The modelling techniques that you will learn have implications far beyond simply developing computer information systems, they can potentially be used to develop any system from international databases to re-restructuring clinical processes and as they reflect a particular philosophical approach, that is a specific way of seeing and analysing the world, they can change your view of the world affecting the way you may produce a Personal Development Plan (PDP) or treat you children! At a more mundane level I would say that it is impossible to discuss, with any degree of understanding, the Electronic Patient Record without both knowledge of, and skills in, modelling.
After these fundamental building blocks have been negotiated you may wish to undertake the second optional unit Systems development and Evaluation which builds on this knowledge.
Weekly plan 13th April – 21st June 2009
If you feel that you can manage it, there is no problem with getting in front of the weekly timetable. The problems occur when you get behind!

Please note that extensions are very unlikely to be granted for this unit as I am going on extended leave after it.

Page last updated 08/04/200 9 at 23.21