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Fall 2007
Updated 8/16/07

Required Textbooks

Haag, Stephen, Cummings, Maeve and McCubbery, Donald. (2007). Management Information Systems for the Information Age. (6th Edition). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin, ISBN: 0-07-323062-6.

Grauer, Robert T., Lockley, Maurie Wigman, and Mulbery, Keith. (2008). Microsoft Office Access 2007. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education, Inc., ISBN: 0-13-225212-0.

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to computer and information systems concepts including hardware, software, databases, data communications, and business applications. The student is introduced to methods of determining user requirements and developing application systems using databases and fourth generation languages.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, each student will be able to:

1. Analyze and apply IT to solve common business problems,
2. Propose and defend effective solutions to business problems, and
3. Create a database application to solve a business problem.

Course Outline – Fall 2007

 

Policies

Academic Honesty

Students may have general discussions about assignments with fellow classmates, but each student must develop his or her solution to the assignments, unless assignments are identified as team projects. Students may not ‘share’ work in any form or any portion of an assignment except on team assignments.  It is each student’s responsibility to keep his/her own work secure.  Failing to adequately protect one’s work does not relieve the student from academic dishonesty charges.

University regulations will be enforced regarding dishonorable or unethical conduct (Cheating, Plagiarism, Falsification, Unauthorized Collaboration or Multiple Submissions). The penalties for incidents of academic dishonesty can lead to expulsion from the University (see General Catalogue p. 64, Student Handbook p. 130 or http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcam/academichonesty.html). In this class, there will be zero tolerance for dishonorable or unethical conduct. Electronic or physical sharing of answers will be considered cheating and will not be tolerated.

Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include sharing information with another student during an examination, intentionally allowing another student to view one’s own examination, and collaboration before or after an examination which is specifically forbidden by the instructor.

Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism includes any paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism frequently involves a failure to acknowledge in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else.  The submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one’s reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism. Any work, in whole or part, taken from the Internet or other computer based resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all parties may locate and view the original source. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility.  (Note:  Please review the definition of plagiarism before you submit Assignment 2, your group paper. Your instructor is obligated to file a form with the Dean’s Office, if there is evidence that you have committed plagiarism in your paper.)

Submission for academic credit of a work product, or a part thereof, represented as its being one’s own effort, which has been developed in substantial collaboration with assistance from another person or source, or computer based resource, is a violation of academic honesty. It is also a violation of academic honesty to knowingly provide such assistance Collaborative work specifically authorized by an instructor is allowed.  (Collaboration on all assignments other than the database project, the group presentation, and Written Assignment 2 is forbidden.  If your instructor discovers that you have had unauthorized assistance or collaboration, the instructor is obligated to file a report with the Dean’s Office.)

If a student is charged with Academic Dishonesty, for each charge, a zero (0) with be given for the assignment, a minimum of fifty (50) points will be deducted from the final course total points and a written Notice of Academic Dishonesty will be given to the Dean’s office. The student will also receive a copy of the notice.

Assignments

Each assignment will be submitted by 11:59 pm on the assigned date as an uploaded file. Submit ONE (1) final electronic version through the Assignments section of ULearn.  All assignments must be “uploaded” and “submitted” through the ULearn assignment drop box. A student who fails to upload and submit an assignment will have an additional 24 hours to submit the assignment to the instructor through the same ULearn drop box. If the assignment is submitted through ULearn within 24 hours of the original due date and time, the student will lose five (5) points from the grade for this assignment. Any assignment received more than 24 hours after the original due date and time will receive a zero (0) for that assignment. Georgia State University provides 1,500 seats in its technology labs for its students. Ask the Lab Assistant for help in downloading, uploading, or submitting materials using ULearn. It is your responsibility to make sure that you properly submit the correct file.  Even though clicking on a shortcut file (extension .lnk) will open your assignment file on your computer, submitting the shortcut file will NOT give your instructor access to your assignment file.  Similarly, merely uploading an assignment file to your private folder in ULearn will not give your instructor access to your assignment file.  No credit will be given for assignments submitted more than 24 hours after their original due date and time unless you can provide documentation to support a claim of a valid reason for submitting work late.

Getting Started: (Individual Effort)

The questionnaire consists of a series of questions on the details of the syllabus and background information on you.  It should be downloaded and the questions answered by highlighting the correct answers. The file should be renamed as follows: your last name, your first initial, underscore, assignment, and extension (Example:  SmithA_GettingStarted.rtf). The file should then be uploaded and submitted to ULearn. (5 points)

Written Assignment 1: (Individual Effort)

Summary of requirements (detailed requirements, a slideshow with pointers to help you search for sites, as well as a sample completed assignment posted in ULearn):  Using the Internet, research how you may use IT in your future career by looking up how people currently working in your chosen field use IT or will be using IT soon. Your research should include (a) using a search engine such as Google to find information, (b) finding and reading a Blog (a Web log) written by someone currently working in your chosen field, (c) searching a job site such as careerbuilder.com or monster.com to find at least one job posting in your field that sounds interesting to you, and (d) finding and reading an article about how someone in your chosen field uses IT. Prepare a two-page written report detailing what resources you used for each search and what keywords you used.  Describe what you found at two or more sites for each step and discuss (a) how you expect use technology in your career and (b) skills that you will need to be successful in that career. All resources must be listed in a bibliography. Follow the format of the sample solution provided. See the instructions under the assignment for complete formatting details. When naming files to be uploaded and submitted, use last name, first initial, underscore, assignment, and extension (Example:  SmithLastNameA_Assignment1.rtf). (35 Points)

Written Assignment 1 Discussion

There will be an in-class discussion of what you found when you did your research for Written Assignment 1. You will be asked to describe your intended career and how you expect to use IT. You must be present when the discussion takes place. (5 points)

Students are expected to learn MS Access on their own time. Software programs will not be “taught” during class. It is the student’s responsibility to learn MS Access in order to apply the database tool to the project, just as one must learn word-processing and use it as a tool to apply to the cases.

By the second week of the semester, all registered students in CIS2010 should have received an e-mail from MSDNAA containing instructions on how to download a single copy of Microsoft Access for personal use. If you do not receive this e-mail, copy and paste the following URL: https://msdn.e-academy.com/gsu_cis/ into your browser. Click on Log in, click on the ‘Forgot your password’ link and enter your student GSU e-mail address (Example:  asmith@student.gsu.edu). The MSDNAA website will e-mail you your password. If you don’t receive a reply within a day or two, contact the GSU MSDNAA administrator at the e-mail address listed at the MSNDAA website. PCs with MS Access installed are available at the Pullen Library South (Wells) Computer Center, the Education Building, and Aderhold labs, in case you don’t have a PC available at home.

Individual Database: (Individual Effort)

This assignment will prepare you to complete the team database. Follow the directions in the instruction document posted on ULearn before uploading the completed database to ULearn.  You should complete the individual database before asking questions about the team database. The individual database will be worth forty (40) points. Name your database by using your last name, first initial, underscore, and IndividualDB.  Access will provide the extension.  Example of a properly named database file:  SmithA_IndividualDB.mdb. (45 points)

Notes:  Be sure that you are uploading the correct Access database file by double-checking the file extension.  If you have file extensions turned off in Windows, you can view details about files in the dialog box in which you are selecting a file to upload by clicking on the menu of the icon that looks like a spreadsheet and selecting ‘Details.’ The file size and type of each file will be displayed.  You can also see the file extension of a file that you have attached in ULearn.  Make sure the type of the file you upload is for Microsoft Office Access 2007.

The GSU e-mail system removes Access databases that are attached to messages.  DO NOT attempt to submit either the individual database file or the team database file to your instructor’s GSU e-mail account. Submit your individual database file in the Assignments section of ULearn.  As a backup, your instructor may suggest that you attach your Access file as an attachment to a ULearn e-mail message to your instructor and yourself.  Then, you will be able to open your copy of the message, download the attachment, and open it, to be sure that you submitted the correct file.

Team Database: (Team Effort)

This will be a team Microsoft Access 2007 database project. Through this assignment, each two-, three-, or four-person team will design and develop a database that satisfied all the requirements posted in ULearn. The database project is worth forty (40) points. If a student does not join a group, there will be a 10-point deduction for the assignment plus the student will be ineligible for the 5-point Team Evaluation.

Each student must submit a Team Evaluation worth five (5) points. The instructions and form are under the assignment on ULearn. If a student fails to contribute to a team’s work, that student’s grade will be adjusted downward from the grade received by the group, to reflect that student’s contribution. The instructor should be notified before the project is due, if there are any problems with team members.

The project must be submitted by one team member to receive credit but each team member must submit their own team evaluation. Submit your Database Project file in the E-mail section of ULearn.  Send a copy of the message with your Access file attached to your instructor; also send a copy of your message to yourself and every other team member. Then, you and every other team member will be able to open the message, download the attachment, and open it, to be sure that the correct database file was submitted. Repeat the process, if the wrong file was submitted. If you are not the person submitting the file, it is in your interest to make sure your teammate submitted the correct file.

When naming files to be uploaded and submitted, use the following file naming convention:

Team Database - LastNameALastNameBLastNameC_TeamDB.mdb

Team Evaluation - LastNameA_DBTeamEval.rtf

You may NOT receive help on your project from anyone other than your team members and your instructor.  Any other help will result in a charge of Academic Dishonesty.

Written Assignment 2: (Team Effort)

Teams of two (2) or three (3) will be created, and each team will select a technology topic from a list provided by the instructor. The team may suggest a topic not on the list, but the instructor must approve it. The team will write a paper that is at least six pages long (margins of one inch, 12-point font, and double spaced; the title page and the references page will not count as pages of text; no blank lines between paragraphs) using the outline provided on ULearn (50 points) and present a 5 -10 minute formal presentation to the class (25 points). The written paper must use at least two (2) different sources other than the textbook (two different editions of the same book don’t count). Don’t stop when you have found your first two references.  Search long enough so that you have an idea of the range of current sources available. Remember that this is an IT course. We expect you to present current information about your topic and information technology and/or information systems.  For example, if your topic is “Medical technology,” we don’t want to hear about the history of medical technology or technology that doesn’t involve information systems. 

Although optional, you can submit a draft of your paper to your instructor before the paper is due to get feedback.  Usually groups that improve their papers to incorporate instructor feedback receive a better grade than they would have gotten if they had submitted the draft as their final paper.

The team evaluation is worth five (5) points. . The instructions and form are under the assignment on ULearn.

If a student fails to contribute to a team’s work, that student’s grade will be adjusted downward from the grade received by the group, to reflect that student’s contribution. The instructor should be notified before the project is due, if there are any problems with team members.  If a student fails to participate in a team, there will be a 10 point deduction fro the assignment and that student will be ineligible for the 5-point team evaluation.

ONE team member must upload submit the written assignment as an attachment usingVista e-mail.  Submit your paper file (in .rtf format, to keep the file size as small as possible) in the E-mail section of ULearn. Send a copy of the message with your paper file attached to your instructor; also send a copy of your message to yourself and every other team member. Then, you and every other team member will be able to open the message, download the attachment, and open it, to be sure that the correct paper file was submitted. Repeat the process, if the wrong file was submitted.  If you are not the person submitting the file, it is in your interest to make sure your teammate submitted the correct file. EACH team member must (UPLOAD) submit an individual Team evaluation.

When naming files to be uploaded and submitted, use the following naming conventions:

Assignment2 - LastNameALastNameB_Assignment2.rtf

Team Evaluation - LastNameA_Assignment2Team.rtf

You must use sources other than your textbook. Failure to list sources or present direct quotes in quotation marks will result in a grade of zero and a charge of academic dishonesty.

Second Life Assignment: (Individual Effort)

This assignment will require you to create an avatar in Second Life.

Attendance

Class attendance is expected, anticipated and rewarded. There are 30 points available for participation that will be based on in-class activities so you must attend class to receive these points.  All classes are important and you cannot "make up" the experience of a class.

Bonus Points and Extra Credit

There will be NO bonus points or extra credit beyond the 500 points identified in this syllabus. (See Grading)

Canceled Classes

If classes are “canceled by the University,” be prepared to cover both the missed and current reading assignments at the next scheduled class meeting. 

Class Disruption

Do not disrupt, distract, or prevent others from learning by arriving late, leaving early, or failing to turn off all electronic devices during the scheduled class. (Laptop computers used for taking notes are the exception to this rule.)

Communication

All messages will be broadcast to the class electronically through the ULearn bulletin board. Students may respond to messages/questions on the class bulletin board or chat room. Anyone may send the instructor ULearn e-mail messages and the instructor will reply electronically to the student’s ULearn account, in class, or both. It is important that you check your ULearn account regularly for questions, replies, corrections, and news.

Curve

There will be NO curving of grades in this class section. This class is part of a standardized course curriculum, which allows each student to have the same opportunity to succeed, no matter which section or instructor was selected.

Exam Conflict

A conflict final exam may be given by the department, if deemed necessary. For a student to take the conflict exam, one or more of the following conditions must be satisfied: (A) a religious observance prevents the student from taking an exam on the scheduled date, (B) the student has another exam scheduled on the same day, at the same time, or (C) the student has three (3) exams scheduled on the final exam day.  It is the student’s responsibility to check the exam schedule for conflicts (i.e., other exams or classes scheduled for the same time). Alert your instructor of the conflict by ULearn e-mail before the end of the second week of class, if you need to take the conflict exam.

Grading