The course looks at the intersection of Information Technology with law. Five broad subject areas have been identified within which this intersection is explored: from the impact of digital content, through the challenges and opportunities of a vastly more interconnected, perhaps "borderless" society. Anyone who was intrigued by the movie "The Social Network" will be interested in this course.

The 5 areas of study are:

• information technology and intellectual property;
• censorship;
• privacy;
• computer crime and evidence; and
• e-commerce and IT contracts.

An important component of the course is the cultivation of an understanding of the technology underlying information technology.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain, distinguish and apply the fundamental legal principles of information technology law covered in the course;
2. Select and apply a range of approaches to written and oral communication, and apply the critical thinking required to bring about solutions to complex legal problems in the area of information technology law;
3. Access, use, interpret and apply a range of domestic primary and secondary legal resources to solve complex problems.
4. Undertake a research project with intellectual independence.

Research-Led Teaching

This is a relatively new area of the law, with new technologies and companies emerging all of the time. You will be expected to research new areas, and are welcome to suggest additional areas of interest in the new digital world. Surend has been working in this space as a founder of a successful startup and in Silicon Valley for over 25 years. Sarah is proficient and published in areas of information technology law, company law and business law. She has many years of experience as a business leader and legal practitioner, in both the private and public sectors. The course draws on the academic and practical experience of both Surend and Sarah.

Examination Material or equipment

Permitted Materials: Any except ANU library books and excluded electronic devices

Further information is available at: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-conduct

Required Resources

The prescribed text for the unit is Ian Lloyd Information Technology Law (8th Ed, Oxford University Press). Note the 9th edition is due to be published April 2020; it will be made available to borrow at the Law Library at the end of April 2020.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Extensions late submission and penalties - https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/extensions-late-submission-and-penalties

Deferred examination: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations

Special consideration: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/special-assessment-consideration

Penalties for excess word length: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/word-length-and-excess-word-penalties

Distribution of Grades Policy: Effective from Winter Session and Second Semester 2018 (and until further notice), the current Grading Distribution Policy has been suspended pending the development of a new policy. For further information about the interim policy please see: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/grading

Further Information about the Course: is available from the course WATTLE page. Students are required to access the WATTLE site regularly throughout the course for details on weekly classes and any announcements and updates relating to the course.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction and Scientific Development and Innovation
2	Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Science and Technology
3	Artificial Intelligence and Regulation of Science and Technology
4	Online Censorship and Regulation of Censorship
5	Data Protection and Privacy
6	Social Media and Communications
7	E-commerce: Law, Technology and Commerical Transactions
8	Law, Technology and the Criminal Justice System
9	Cybercrime including Investigation, Jurisdiction and Prosecution
10	Intellectual Property
11	Intellectual Property
12	Future Directions of Information Technology Law and Revision

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Research Essay Outline	0 %	13/03/2020	03/04/2020	1,2,3,4
Research Essay	50 %	28/04/2020	22/05/2020	1,2,3,4
Final Take Home Online Examination	40 %	*	09/07/2020	1,2,3
Participation	10 %	*	*	2

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Examination(s)

This course involves a final examination. Please note, that the dates used in the Assessment Summary in relation to exams indicate approximate timeframes. Students should consult the ANU final examination timetable to confirm the date, time and venue of the exam.

Assessment Task 1

Research Essay Outline

Nature of Task: Optional. This task is formative, and is designed to give you feedback to assist in the writing of your research essay. You will find more information about this task on the course Wattle site.

Due: 5pm, Friday 13 March. Submission via Turnitin.

Length: Approximately 600 words.

Estimated return date: Friday 3 April.

Assessment criteria: Not applicable.

Assessment Task 2

Research Essay

Details of Task: You will write an essay on a topic in one of the areas covered in week 2 to week 7. Specifically:

Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Data Protection, Privacy, Social Media and Communications or Digital Transformation (IT Contracts & E-Commerce).

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Failure to submit the essay will result in a 0 for this assessment task. Failure to submit Task 1 will result in the student not being able to receive any feedback before the essay is due.

Weighting: 50% of Final Mark.

Release Date: Topics will be released on Wattle by the end of Week 1 (28 February 2020).

Due Date: Final essay COB, 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2020. Submission must be via Turnitin.

Word limit: 2000 for the essay. Referencing requirements are as per the 4th edition of the AGLC published 2018.

Estimated return date: Results on the essay will be made available by Week 10 (22 May 2020) via Turnitin.

Assessment criteria:

• Understanding and discussion of relevant law.
• Critical evaluation of doctrine.
• Critical evaluation of material.
• Creative and originality of approach.
• Structure including logical development of content/material.
• Research of primary legal (case law and legislation) and scholarly secondary sources.

A research essay rubric is available on the course Wattle site.

Assessment Task 3

Final Take Home Online Examination

Details of Task: You will be given 2 questions: one in the topic areas of:

 Intellectual Property, and Computer Crime & Evidence.

The Intellectual Property question will be a choice of an essay question and a problem-style question.

The Computer Crime & Evidence question will be a choice of an essay question and a problem-style question.

You must answer both questions: Intellectual Property and Computer Crime & Evidence.

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Failure to attend the exam will result in a 0 for this assessment task. 

Weighting: 40%

Duration: 90 minutes

Timing: Students should consult the ANU final examination timetable to confirm the date, time and venue of the exam.

Permitted Materials: Any except ANU library books and excluded electronic devices.

Estimated Return Date: After final results are released (for final exams).

Assessment criteria:

• Selects relevant issues.
• Understanding and discussion of relevant law.
• Analysis of relevant facts.
• Persuasiveness of arguments.
• Formulation of strong and clear conclusion(s) and advice about outcomes.

An exam rubric is available on the course Wattle site.

Assessment Task 4

Participation

Details of Task: You will be measured on your levels of participation in class and the online Class Facebook page.

Participating in class includes:

• 75% attendance rate & engagement; and
• Engaging in class discussions and activities.

If you cannot attend class due to work commitments or medical reasons, your participate mark will be waivered if you hand in the requisite evidence to the lecturers.

Online Class Facebook page:

In terms of online Class Facebook page, the link to it will be given in Week 1 and made available on the WATTLE site. For students who are stuck in China, we will supply a Wechat group instead.

Students are to post 4 individual discussion pieces on the page. The content in the posts should be relevant to the current week’s topic in the course and include the student’s opinion. These posts should be no longer than 500 words in length.

In addition to the 4 individual posts on the page, students are required to write 6 comments on different student’s posts. The purpose of these comments is to further discussion and should be no longer than 250 words in length.

Nature of Task: Compulsory. Failure to participate will result in a 0 for this task.

Value or weighting: 10%

Release Date: Ongoing

Due Date: Ongoing

Feedback: Feedback will be provided on Wattle in Week 13 (12 June 2020).

Assessment criteria:

• Demonstration of preparation for class.
• Understanding and application of relevant law and concepts.
• Amount and value of participation in class and online.
• Effectiveness of communication and delivery in class and online.
• Questioning and critical approach to class content/material in particular online.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students