CIS1010 Syllabus

CIS 1010 - Using Technology for Personal Effectiveness and Collaboration

Class Website: WebCT Vista

The syllabus, as well as other class materials, including slideshows and assignments, will be available only to students registered for the course.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Packet of readings

Articles available online

G. B. Shelly, T. J. Cashman, and J. J. Quasney. (2005). Microsoft FrontPage 2003: Complete Concepts and Techniques. Thomson. ISBN: 0-619-25524-2.

e-Learning modules

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

PDA (possibly obtained through a grant from the Student Technology Fee program and lent to the student for the semester)

Headset for voice interactions online using VoIP

COURSE DESCRIPTION (FOR CATALOG):

This course introduces principles for designing a technology environment that enables personal effectiveness and collaboration. Students will use techniques for specifying requirements, identifying alternatives by evaluating currently available technologies.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Students will be able to design a technology environment that enables personal effectiveness and collaboration. They will be able to use techniques for specifying requirements, identifying alternatives, and making decisions. An experiential approach will be used to evaluate and compare currently available technologies. Principles and techniques covered will continue to be useful in designing technology environments, as new technologies become available.

Objectives will be met through lectures, demonstrations, assignments, and a group project. Lectures and demonstrations will be designed to explain general concepts. Students will be required to spend time and effort outside of class working in the GSU computer labs or on their own PCs and the equipment on loan to them for the semester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Goal I. Communication

Students communicate effectively using appropriate writing conventions and formats.

The presentation and paper will be graded based on how clearly and convincingly arguments and are expressed and supported with evidence, and how well sources of supporting information are referenced using either APA or MLA formatting.

· Students communicate effectively using appropriate oral or signed conventions and formats.

Students will be able to use effective communication techniques for eliciting user requirements. Class exercises and test questions will evaluate students’ requirements elicitation skills and whether they can explain the purpose of each technique.

The presentation will be graded based on how effectively the presentation content is researched, how well the presentation is structured, how effectively PowerPoint slides support the points being made, and how effectively the presenter speaks without reading verbatim from notes.

Goal II.Collaboration

Students participate effectively in collaboration activities.

Students will collaborate in preparing and delivering presentations based on their experiences in using a PDA or simulation and researching what experts have to say about computing devices and software. The presentation will be judged by the quality and quantity of relevant information presented and how effectively each student collaborated to combe the work of team members into a seamless presentation.

Goal III. Critical Thinking

Students formulate appropriate questions for research.

Students will research hardware and software and identify evaluation criteria that are important for a specific user. In addition, students will formulate evaluation criteria based on their experiences with hardware and software. Results of students’ thinking will be evaluated as they contribute to class discussions, the paper, and the presentation.

· Students effectively collect appropriate evidence.

Student can locate hardware and software evaluations produced by others; they can also collect and organize evidence from their own experiences and those of their classmates. The quantity and quality of evidence presented in class discussion, the paper and presentation will determine grades.

· Students appropriately evaluate claims, arguments, evidence, and hypotheses.

Students can evaluate claims and evidence associated with assessing as well as comparing and contrasting specific hardware, software, and processes. The correctness and completeness of student evaluations in class discussion, the paper, and the presentation will determine a student’s grade.

Goal IV. Contemporary Issues

· Students effectively analyze contemporary issues within the context of diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Students will be able to apply principles of software design, HCI (specifically software usability principles), decision sciences, law, and communication to analyze and discuss how to design a technology environment for personal effectiveness and collaboration. They will be able to use selected hardware and software and articulate improvements needed. Skills in the use of hardware and software will be evaluated based on the completeness and correctness of assignment (solutions) submitted. The ability to articulate the current limitations of selected hardware and software will be tested on an exam.

· Students effectively analyze contemporary multicultural, global, and international questions.

Students will be able to summarize research about different levels of access to information technology and the consequences of this “digital divide” in the U.S. as well as in the rest of the world. Students can explain what devices are available to make computing more accessible in developing countries. They can also explain how web pages should be designed to be accessible to people who are hearing or sight impaired, color blind, or otherwise unable to use conventional input and output devices. In addition, students will be able to explain what web page design decisions (such as use of specific colors and icons) that merely involve aesthetic judgments in the U.S. may be interpreted differently by web users in other countries and cultures. Finally, students will be able to discuss the current state of development of devices that offer brain/computer interfaces, who can benefit from such devices, and how such devices can be used. Knowledge of accessibility and cultural issues associated with hardware, software, and the Internet will be demonstrated in class discussions, the paper, and the presentation.

Goal V. Quantitative Skills

· Students effectively translate problem situations into symbolic representations and use those representations to solve problems.

Students will be able to create Excel spreadsheets that perform calculations to solve problems, and students will be able to explain the results obtained. Quantitative skills we be evaluated based on performance on Excel assignments and class discussions.

Goal V. Technology

· Students effectively use computers and other technology appropriate to the discipline.

Students will learn to use either a PDA or a computer simulation of a PDA. They will be able to compare and contrast the capabilities of major categories of PDAs and smart phones (including those that use different operating systems) that are currently available. They will also be able to effectively search for information online, produce a properly formatted paper in Word, use Excel to analyze problems that involve quantitative analysis, use Access to store and retrieve data in the appropriate format, and have hands-on experience with currently available tools that support brain-computer interfaces. They will be able to design and build a basic web page and use voice recognition software.
Students will also be able to use the web conferencing tool called Elluminate Live! during selected class sessions as well as to collaborate with their teams outside of class via web conferencing software. A student’s ability to use web conferencing software will be evaluated during class. A student’s ability to explain the capabilities and limitations of the hardware and software discussed will be evaluated on exams.

Creating and manipulating digital media (text, photos, sound, and video) Personal publishing (blogging and print to order)

· Students are expected to attend all classes and group meetings, except when precluded by emergencies, religious holidays or bona fide extenuating circumstances.

· Students who, for non-academic reasons beyond their control, are unable to meet the full requirements of the course should notify the instructor. Incompletes may be given if a student has ONE AND ONLY ONE outstanding assignment.

· A “W” grade will be assigned if a student withdraws before mid-semester while maintaining a passing grade. Withdrawals after the mid-semester date will result in a grade of “WF”. Refer to GSU catalog or Registrar’s office for details.

· Spirited class participation is encouraged and informed discussion in class is expected. This requires completing readings and assignments before class.

· Unless specifically stated by the instructor, all exams and lab assignments are to be completed by the student alone.

· Within-group collaboration is allowed on project work. Collaboration between project groups will be considered cheating unless specifically allowed by an instructor.

· Copy work from the Internet without a proper reference will be considered plagiarism and subject to disciplinary action as delineated in the Student Handbook.

· Any non-authorized collaboration will be considered cheating and the student(s) involved will have an Academic Dishonesty charge completed by the instructor and placed on file in the Dean’s office and the CIS Department. All instructors regardless of the type of assignment will apply this Academic Dishonesty policy equally to all students. See excerpt from the Student Handbook below: