SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND ARTS INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES COURSE SYLLABUS IST 415 Cases in Information Systems Technologies Syllabus Available on the Course Home Page in Desire2Learn (D2L) FACULTY: Nancy L. Martin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Information Systems Technologies School of Information Systems and Applied Technologies College of Applied Sciences and Arts Mail Code 6614 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901-6614 Office: (618) 453-8838 Cell: (618) 889-2511 Email: nlmartin@siu.edu FACULTY CONTACT: Email is the best way to contact me. Other than when I am in face-to-face classes or meetings, I am online M-F, 9:00 AM 4:00 PM (CST). I am often online in the evenings and on the weekends as well. I will do my best to respond to emails within 24 hours during the week and within 48 hours on weekends. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is the capstone course in the study of information systems technology. Using case studies, this course involves the analysis, synthesis, application and evaluation of advanced concepts related to information systems technology, organizational function areas, technological training, leadership needs, and strategy planning for human aspects of technological change. Not for graduate credit. A grade of C or better is required. This course is writing intensive and reflects the college s Communication-Across-the-Curriculum initiative. PREREQUISITES: 412 with a grade of C or better or concurrent enrollment COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to: 1. Articulate the relationships among end-user information systems related to functional areas of organizations with consideration of the technological training, the change process, personnel resources, and organizational issues. 2. Articulate the human aspects of a technological environment and its importance in overall strategies planning. 3. Analyze comprehensive cases describing organizations, gathering evidence to support conclusions drawn from analysis, and planning activities to solve problems in all areas of information systems technology using problem solving outlines and decision modeling software. 4. Conduct end-user information systems studies to recommend solutions to identified problems using Internet searches, written case methods, and computer simulations. 5. Report and defend the results of case analysis decisions using written and oral communication skills with supporting media, i.e. presentation software. 6. Perform effectively as a team member in problem solving activities.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: McNurlin, R., Sprague, H. & Bui, T. (2008). Information systems management in practice, (8 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN # 978-0-13243-715-8 ATTENDANCE: This is an online course and as such there is no grade component for class attendance. The student is responsible for submitting all course deliverables stated in this syllabus by the due dates assigned. DESIRE-2-LEARN (D2l) ONLINE LEARNING SYSTEM: Because this is an online only class, all course material will be delivered via D2L at the website: https://online.siu.edu/. Course expectations and due dates are listed in the course syllabus which is available in the D2L course IST 415-940, Cases in Info Syst Tech. Students must access the D2L course often to insure due dates are met. STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS: The course is divided into 16 weekly modules. Our week will run from Monday through Sunday. For each module, I will provide introductory notes, called Weekly Briefings, outlining the content for that module and related reading, discussions, and assignments. There are four grading components for the course: chapter assignments, discussions, case studies, and exams. A brief outline and schedule are provided at the end of this syllabus. Assignments: In each weekly module, the chapter and chapter slides are assigned for reading. For each chapter there is a written assignment covering several questions from the text. These assignments are always due on Sunday nights by midnight. Discussions: There will be five discussions covering chapter material. Each will require discussion posts and responses. Each student must post an original, thoughtful response to the discussion question(s), and respond to at least one other student s original response for each discussion. Discussion forums for each week will be locked at 11:59 PM (CST) on Sunday nights. Once the discussion has been locked, there is no longer an opportunity to participate in the discussion or to earn points. No specific length is required for postings as long as it is apparent the student s comments are well thought-out, to the point, and meet the expectations outlined in the rubric below. Examples of unacceptable posts: Good idea, I agree or Great point. Initial posts are worth 10 points; response posts are worth 5 points unless otherwise stated in the Weekly Briefings. Some discussions may not require a response to another student s post. In those cases, the initial posting will be worth 15 points. Criteria Need Improvement Meet Expectation Exceptional Initial posting (0 points) Little to no thought was evident or no posting was made. (8 points) Decent discussion but more needed to convey understanding of the material (10 points) Interesting, valid or well thoughtout discussion point(s). Apparent the student has a grasp of the Response posting (0 points) Little to no thought in providing reply was evident or reply posting was not made. or initial posting was late. (4 points) Decent reply but more needed to convey understanding of the material or initial posting was late. concept(s) raised in the discussion. (5 points) Reply is well thought-out, interesting and valid. Apparent the student has a grasp of the concept(s) raised in the discussion. Case Studies: This is a seminar-based and case study oriented class. Case study and research is one essential requirement of this course. It will provide students with a pragmatic experience in exploring the potential applications of essential information system technology to a specific industry or company.
Students will work in small groups to complete the case study projects. In general, for each case study, students will explore different aspects of the given case questions, playing different roles as though running a small firm. First, student teams will play the role of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS to propose and recommend a set of alternative solutions to the assigned case questions. A case study report and presentation are required to document the team s research findings and alternative solutions. Additionally, student teams will play the role of SYSTEM END USER to review the proposal made by one of the peer teams. A report is to be submitted for each case study giving comments, suggestions and recommendations to the counterpart IT team. Specific instructions for each case will be distributed later in D2L. Exams: There will be three exams. Exam will occur in week 5 and cover chapters 1-4. Exam 2 will occur in week 10 and cover chapters 5-8. Exam 3 will occur during finals week and cover chapters 11, 12 and 14. A study guide is provided for each chapter. Exams will consist of multiple choice and true/false questions and be taken directly from the chapter study guides. Exams will open at 6:00 AM (CST) Wednesday and close at 11:59 PM (CST) Sunday. Exams are open book/open notes and do not require a proctor. Exams are timed so it is important to study and prepare ahead of time as there is not sufficient time allowed to look up answers. GRADING/EVALUATION: Chapter Assignments (11 @ 25pts) 275 points (27.5%) Discussions (5 @ 15 pts) 75 points (7.5%) Case Studies (3 @ 100 pts) 300 points (30%) Case Peer Review (2 @ 25pts) 50 points (5%) Exams (2@100 pts) 300 points (30%) Letter Grading Scale (based on points): A = 900-1000 B = 800-899 C = 700-799 D = 600-699 F = less than 600 Timeliness of Assignments It is expected that students submit all courses assignments in a timely manner. Specifically: Deliverables (assignments, discussion posts, cases, exams) must be submitted on or before the due date. NO EXCEPTIONS! Late Assignment submissions will lose 10% for each day late. Therefore, an assignment submitted beyond 10 days after the due date will not be accepted and will be graded zero. Assignments submitted after the dropbox due date must be submitted via the Late Assignments dropbox. Discussions will lock on Sunday night and there is no opportunity to make up missed discussions. Exams must be completed within the window provided. If, for any reason, the student has a conflict that prohibits the completion of the exam during the open window, the instructor must be contacted immediately via email. SIUC Grade Policies: Incomplete (INC): An INC is assigned when, for reasons beyond their control, students engaged in passing work are unable to complete all class assignments. Students are required to apply, in writing, to the instructor for an INC. If the application is approved by the faculty member and should the student fail to complete the course within the time period designated by the faculty member, not to exceed one year, or graduation, whichever occurs first, the Incomplete will be converted to a grade of F and the grade will be computed in the student s grade point average.
WF: Failure. A grade of WF may be awarded to students who do not officially withdraw from class, cease attending the class, and fail to complete requirements for the course. When awarding a WF, the faculty member will note the date/time of the student s last date of attendance/participation. Course Drops: Students officially drop courses through the program change process. This process is done with the Program Advisor. Unless a student has processed an authorized drop from the course by the published Add/Drop Date, the student will not be allowed to drop the course. It is the student s responsibility to ensure that the drop process is officially completed. It is probable that a student who does not drop by the Add/Drop Date, but stops attending/participating during the second half of the course, will be awarded a grade of WF. Academic Dishonesty Policy: Students may be subject to disciplinary proceedings resulting in an academic penalty or disciplinary penalty for academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, or collusion. References to the Student Conduct Code, (e.g. plagiarism policy) available at the following link: http://policies.siu.edu/documents/studentconductcodefinalmay32011.pdf STUDENT ASSISTANCE: 1. To obtain academic accommodations for this course, students with disabilities should contact Disability Support Services and the instructor as soon as possible. Disability Support Services is located at Woody Hall B-150, DSSsiu@siu.edu, 453-5738, or visit the website at http://www.siu.edu/~dss/. 2. For help with writing for this class or others, SIU s Writing Center provides a variety of services. Visit the website at http://www.siu.edu/~write/.
COURSE OUTLINE: Week Beginning Topic Readings Assignments & Due Dates 1 Jan 14 2 Jan 21 Course Introduction IS Management Top IS Job Intro to Case Studies (slides) Syllabus & Course Intro Homework Tips: Summary vs. Key Points Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Case Study Discussion Class Intro & Photo Due 1/20 Asg 1 Due 1/20 Asg 2 Due 1/27 3 Jan 28 Strategic Uses of IT Ch. 3 Asg 3 Due 2/3 Discussion 1 4 Feb 4 IS Planning Ch. 4 Asg 4 Due 2/10 Discussion 2 5 Feb 11 Exam 1 (Ch. 1-4) Case 1 Due 2/17 Case 1 Peer Team Eval Due 6 Feb 18 Distributed Systems Architecture Ch. 5 Asg 5 Due 2/24 Ch. 6 Asg 6 Due 3/3 7 Feb 25 Managing Telecommunications Discussion 3 8 Mar 4 Managing Information Resources Ch. 7 Asg 7 Due 3/10 Mar 11 Spring Break 9 Mar 18 Managing Operations Ch. 8 Asg 8 Due 3/24 Discussion 4 10 Mar 25 Exam 2 (Ch. 5-8) 11 Apr 1 Case Work Case 2 Due 4/7 12 Apr 8 Managing Information Security Ch. 11 Case 2 Peer Team Eval Due Asg 9 Due 4/14 Discussion 5 13 Apr 15 Supporting Information-Centric Decision Making Ch. 12 Asg 10 Due 4/21 14 Apr 22 Supporting Knowledge Work Ch. 14 Asg 11 Due 4/28 15 Apr 29 Case Work Case 3 Due 5/5 16 May 6 Exam 3 (Ch. 11, 12, 14)