TOWSON UNIVERSITY
College of Business and Economics
Fall 2005

Course Description (from Catalog):

Strategic, tactical, and operational applications of information technology including management information systems, decision support systems, intelligent systems, strategic information systems, and electronic commerce. Topics include data and knowledge management and networking computing. Not open to those who have successfully completed MNGT 437. Prerequisites: COSC 111 or equivalent course; major standing.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

• Competently discuss the areas of IT listed in the Course Description.
• Describe the role of information systems in organizations and discuss the relationship of information systems to organizational objectives and structure.
• Define the hardware, software, organization and people components of information systems.
• Differentiate among the various types of information and information systems used in business.
• Describe in their own words ethical dilemmas and implications of using information technology in organizations.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach oneself advanced features of a software tool.
• Enhance communication skills and apply these skills in various assignments.
• Work well in groups and apply this skill to the group project.
• Demonstrate the ability to do research on current technology topics using the internet and traditional paper media and to reference it appropriately.

Course Requirements:

Exams

There will be three examinations as part of the course requirements. Exam 3 is non-cumulative and will be held during the Final Examination time block. See the Class Schedule for actual dates.

Unexcused absence from an examination will result in a zero (0) grade for that exam. Make-up exams will be given only if the student’s absence has been excused by the instructor in advance. In cases of illness, a written excuse from the physician will be required.

Group Project

The group project will consist of teams of five students. Each team will produce a written research paper based on a topic relevant to this course and deliver an oral presentation summarizing their topic. Guidelines for the group project (including suggested topics) will be posted on Blackboard early in the semester. All team members are expected to participate equally.

Class Participation

Class participation is comprised of multiple subjective and objective activities. These activities have been diversified to address student ability and interest. Subjective activity is your contribution to the class discussions based upon lectures and various class exercises. This contribution can take the form of asking thought provoking questions or providing examples of concepts discussed in class. Objective activity is primarily based on your completion of in-class exercises, group activities, and homework assignments. There will be approximately 10-15 of these activities worth 5-30 points each. Most of the participation activities will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Additionally, there will be at least one class participation point attributed to each class. It is your responsibility to read each chapter and be prepared to discuss it on the appropriate date (see Class Schedule). If the instructor feels that students are not reading chapters and preparing for each class, pop quizzes may take the place of some components of class participation!

Students are expected to arrive on-time and attend all classes. It is not possible to make up class work missed due to absence. The only exceptions to this rule will be for athletes who file the official documentation prior to a missed class, documented (doctor's note, etc.) cases of severe illness, or for religious reasons (must notify instructor at least 30 days in advance). Food and drinks are prohibited from the classroom. Kindly turn off (not to "vibrate") cell phones. Do not use the classroom computers unless instructed to do so. The instructor has the ability and reserves the right to monitor classroom computer activity.

Grading:

The breakdown of points to determine your grades is as follows:

Grades will be given on the basis of the following final point totals:

Notes:

1. Graded exams and projects may be retained by the instructor for future reference.
2. You are responsible for all material covered and any announcement made in any class session, whether you are present or not.
3. It is possible that certain components of Class Participation will be substituted as opportunities present themselves. This may include participation in one or more of the professor's research studies for which credit will be given.
4. Peer Evaluations for the Group Project may affect final point totals. In order to protect student confidentiality, final point totals are not divulged - just a letter grade.

Inclement Weather / Class Cancellation:

In the event that a class is cancelled due to inclement weather or other adverse conditions, an alternate assignment will be posted on Blackboard within 12 hours.

Academic Integrity:

Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to the Student Academic Integrity Policy as published in the Towson University Undergraduate Catalog (Appendix F - Code of Conduct). In particular, students should be familiar with the definitions of plagiarism, fabrication and falsification, and cheating. Students caught engaging in any of these activities will be immediately dismissed from class and issued a grade of "F".

Notebook Computers:

We are fortunate enough to be using state-of-the-art notebook computers during classroom sessions in this course. All students will be issued instructions on the care and handling of these machines and must sign an agreement that they will abide by the rules of use. Students will also be expected to assist the instructor with the distribution and collection of the computers. You must bring your Towson University One Card in order to check-out and use a computer.

Class Schedule:

Dates that appear as "blank" indicate a continuation of the last chapter listed.

 

		CLASS SCHEDULE
Week	Date	Topics	Text
1	Aug. 29 Aug. 31 Sep. 2	Course Introduction; Syllabus The Information Age in Which You Live Notebook Computer Introduction	Chapter 1
2	Sep. 5 Sep. 7 Sep. 9	No Class - Labor Day! Relationship Strategy Evaluation & Video Relationship Strategy Class Exercise; Digital Photos
3	Sep. 12 Sep. 14 Sep. 16	Project - Guidelines Computer Hardware and Software	Module A
4	Sep. 19 Sep. 21 Sep. 23	The Strategic and Competitiveness Opportunities Project - Choose Teams Databases and Data Warehouses	Chapter 2 Chapter 3
5	Sep. 26 Sep. 28 Sep. 30	Exam 1 - Part 1 Exam 1 - Part 2
6	Oct. 3 Oct. 5 Oct. 7	Decision Support and Artificial Intelligence The World Wide Web and the Internet	Chapter 4 Module B
7	Oct. 10 Oct. 12 Oct. 14	Project - Checkpoint 1 - Structured Outline Due Electronic Commerce	Chapter 5
8	Oct. 17 Oct. 19 Oct. 21	Systems Development	Chapter 6
9	Oct. 24 Oct. 26 Oct. 28	Exam 2 - Part 1 Exam 2 - Part 2
10	Oct. 31 Nov. 2 Nov. 4	IT Infrastructures Network Basics	Chapter 7 Module E
11	Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 11	Project - Checkpoint 2 - Progress Report Class Exercise Protecting People and Information	Chapter 8
12	Nov. 14 Nov. 16 Nov. 18	Emerging Trends and Technologies	Chapter 9
13	Nov. 21 Nov. 23 Nov. 25	No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday
14	Nov. 28 Nov. 30 Dec. 2	Project -  Group Presentations Project -  Group Presentations
15	Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 9	Project -  Group Presentations Project -  Group Presentations; Written Projects Due Project - Peer Evaluations; Course Evaluations
Mon.	Dec. 12	Exam 3 (8:00 AM - 10:00 AM)