Syllabus ISM 3011 (CRN80097): Information Systems

(Fall 2004)

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Click here for the Online Units for Monday and Wednesday (November 8 and November 11, 2004). No classes on those two days!

Click here for the latest online resources (slides etc.).

General Course Information

Instructor:

Dr. Martin Hepp

Office: Academic III, Room 152
Phone: (239) 590-7311
Email: mhepp@computer.org

Office Hours:

Wednesdays, 2:00 – 5:00 and by appointment

Course Website:

http://ruby.fgcu.edu/courses/mhepp/crn80097.htm

Class Times and Classroom:

Mondays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 noon, Reed Hall 146

Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 noon, Reed Hall 146

Prerequisites:

CGS1100 Introduction to Computers with a minimum grade of C

Note: Please check your FGCU email account frequently, as I will use the Gulfline mailing lists to post important information!

Required Text

Ralph M. Stair/George W. Reynolds: Principles of Information Systems, 6th edition (ISBN 0-619-06489-7).

Course Objective

The goal of this course is to present a core of IS principles with which every business student should be familiar and to offer a survey of the IS discipline as a whole. Students will learn to use Computer Technology effectively and efficiently for business purposes, understand the transformation of the business world currently in progress and look behind the buzzwords. The topics include flow and control of information, security issues, hardware platforms, application software, and strategic decisions.

Teaching Philosophy

One has not understood a matter until one is able to apply the knowledge. Thus, it is my personal goal to empower you to use the abstract concepts contained in the textbook for current and future real-world scenarios. This overall goal determines both the way of instruction in the classroom and the character of all exams and assignments. Very frequently you will need to explain concepts with your own words or apply them to a case study. This requires that you ask questions in class if you are not sure whether you have understood a specific topic.

Grading

The final grade will be determined by your performance in

- 3 midterm exams (40 %),

- 2 assignments (each 15% -> 30 %), and

- your average score in all quizzes (30 %).

For the assignments and exams, the following grades are given.

Grade	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D	E
Numerical Value	4	3.75	3.25	3	2.75	2.25	2	1.75	1	0

The quizzes always contain four multiple-choice questions. Thus, you may receive between 0 and 4 points per quiz.

According to the grade weights as outlined above (40 / 30 / 30 %), the final grade will be determined using the following formula:

Final Score = (Exam_Average*4 + Assignment_Average*3 + Quiz_Average*3)/10

The final score will be transformed into the final grade using the following table:

Score Range	Final Grade
4.0 - 3.76	A
3.75 - 3.51	A-
3.50 - 3.16	B+
3.15 - 2.88	B
2.87 - 2.51	B-
2.50 - 2.16	C+
2.15 - 1.88	C
1.87 - 1.51	C-
1.50 - 0.75	D
0.74 – 0	E

Attendance Policy

Attendance in class is absolutely necessary, as the topics covered in class deepen and expand the contents of the textbook. Reading the respective textbook sections is thus required but not sufficient. I will not keep track of your attendance in a formal way, but you we will have plenty of quizzes – on average one per week. Theses quizzes directly relate to the reading assignments or respective course preparation. Thus, if you thoroughly prepare for a unit, it will be easy for you to get the full four points per quiz. The quizzes will always take place at the very beginning of class. If you are late or do not attend, there is no possibility to make-up the respective quiz. However, the two lowest quizzes will not count (e.g., if we have ten quizzes, only your best eight quizzes will count).

Please take into account that the quizzes altogether will determine 30 % of your final score!

Schedule

Unit No.	Class	Topic(s)	*Read before* class**	Homework assigned	Homework due	Remarks
1A	08-23	Course Overview	-	-	-
1B	08-25	Introduction to Information Systems	Chapter 1
2A	08-30	IS in Organizations	Chapter 2
2B	09-01	Case Studies Chapter 2 and selected topics	pages 76 - 81 (Cases)
	09-06	Labor Day observed (no classes)
3	09-08	Hardware	Chapter 3
3	09-08	Case Studies Chapter 3 and selected topics	pages 127 - 129 (Cases)
4A	09-13	Software	Chapter 4
4B	09-15	Case Studies Chapter 4 and selected topics	pages 174 - 176
5A	09-20	Organizing Data and Information	Chapter 5	Assignment 1
5B	09-22	Telecommunications and Networks	Chapter 6
6A	09-27	Case Studies Chapter 6 and selected topics	pages 268 - 270 (Cases)
6B	09-29	Exam 1				Covers chapters 1 - 6
7A	10-04	Internet, Intranets, and Extranets	Chapter 7		Assignment 1 due
7B	10-06	Case Studies Chapter 7 and selected topics	pages 311 – 316 (Cases)
8A	10-11	Electronic Commerce	Chapter 8	Assignment 2
8B	10-13	Online Unit: Transaction Processing and ERP Systems	Chapter 9
9A	10-18	Discussion: Transaction Processing and ERP Systems	Chapter 9 and Online Unit 8B
9B	10-20	Online Unit: SAP Business Software
9B	10-25	Information and Decision Support Systems	Chapter 10
10A	10-27	Case Studies Chapter 10 and selected topics	pages 456 – 459 (Cases)
10B	11-01	Exam 2				Covers chapters 7 - 10
11A	11-03	Specialized Business Information Systems	Chapter 11		Assignment 2 due
11B	11-08	Online Unit: Specialized Information Systems	Chapter 11
12A	11-10	Online Unit: Case Studies Chapter 11	pages 498 – 501 (Cases)
12B	11-15	Web Site Development & feedback on Assignment 2	Read Introduction to HTML, Web Site Primer, and Document 2
13A	11-17	System Investigation and Analysis	Chapter 12
13B	11-29	Course Review and Exam Preparation
14A	12-01	Exam 3				Covers chapters 11 – 12 and Web Site Development Unit
14B	12-06	Course Summary and Feedback