TOWSON UNIVERSITY
College of Business and Economics

Fall
200
8

Course: EBUS 367 Internet Technology
Section 101: Tuesdays, 5:30 PM - 8:10 PM
Stephens Hall Room 311
Instructor: Lawrence E. Burgee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Department of e-Business and Technology Management
Tel: 410-704-3427
eMail: lburgee@towson.edu
Office: Stephens Hall Room 316M
Personal Website: www.burgee.com/larry
LearnOnline/Blackboard: bbweb.towson.edu (EBUS367C)
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM; Thursdays, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM.
Other times by appointment (please call or eMail).
Required Text: The Internet Book: Everything You Need to Know About Computer Networks and How the Internet Works, Fourth Edition (2007); Douglas E. Comer; Pearson Prentice Hall; ISBN 0-13-233553-0.
This book is about $55 new and $25-35 used. Used books are fine!

Other Resources:

In order to gain "real-world" experience, students will register one or more web domains and create and host one or more websites utilizing a major web hosting service. Students will need a credit or debit card and will need to expend $30-$40 for the domain(s) purchase and hosting. Students will also need a 1 GB (or higher) USB Flash Drive ($5-$20) for storage and backup of their websites.

Additional reading materials will be provided periodically by the instructor to supplement the text and to illustrate real-world applications of the concepts discussed in class. Students will also be required to visit Internet websites for additional information. Students should expect to incur some printing costs for articles.

Students must have access to Blackboard, WebMail, WebDisk, and Microsoft Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, SharePoint Designer, and Picture Manager). As this is an advanced course in e-Business, students are expected to already be familiar with the basic functions of these applications. Students can learn, enhance, and review the basics of these tools by visiting the OTS Self-Help Training Documents website at:

http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/ots/trainingdoc/selfhelpdoc.asp  .

Course Description:

Introduction to technical management of Internet business support systems. Topics include Internet protocols, bandwidth and response time issues, server configuration and requirements, maintenance and scalability issues, security, and firewalls.

Prerequisites: MNGT337, EBUS 311. Majors only. Junior/senior standing.

Learning Goals:

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

  • Develop ability to synthesize and integrate information and ideas as they relate to Internet and Web technologies;
  • Assess state-of-the-art e-Business processes and tools and examine how they can impact organizations competitiveness and business objectives;
  • Create detailed websites using Microsoft SharePoint Designer knowledge and incorporating information gained throughout the semester;
  • Gain additional proficiency in various Web-based tools and applications;
  • Gain additional proficiency in HTML and Microsoft SharePoint Designer;
  • Enhance communication skills and apply these skills in various assignments;
  • Work well in groups and apply this skill in in various assignments;
  • Develop time management skills;
  • Develop ability to work independently outside the classroom structure.

Course Requirements:

Exams

There will be two examinations as part of the course requirements. Exam 2 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.

Project

Each student will complete a project during the semester. The project will consist of a written paper, an oral presentation, and a website. Guidelines for the project will be posted on Blackboard early in the semester and discussed in class.

Class Participation, Exercises & Assignments

Class participation is comprised of multiple activities, exercises, and assignments. Your class participation score is based on your completion of in-class exercises, group activities,  homework assignments, and website creation exercises (as described below). There will be approximately 10-15 of these activities worth 5-20 points each. Many of the participation activities will be graded on a pass/fail basis. Additionally, there will be multiple class participation points attributed to each class. It is your responsibility to read all assigned materials and be prepared to discuss it on the appropriate date (see Class Schedule). If the instructor feels that students are not reading and preparing for each class, pop quizzes may take the place of some components of class participation!

Students will design and construct one or more websites throughout the semester in order to gain proficiency in Microsoft SharePoint Designer and other website creation tools. Various exercises will be assigned that must be completed in order to earn credit for this portion of the class participation grade. The goal is to create professional-looking websites that will impress potential employers! Please see the Other Resources section above for additional information.

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 14 days in advance). Repeated lateness will result in lost class participation points. Food and drinks are prohibited from the classroom. Please turn off or "quiet" your 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:

Exam 1 300 points
Exam 2 300 points
Project 250 points
Class Participation, Exercises & Assignments 150 points
Total 1000 points

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

A 940 points and above
A- 900 - 939 points
B+ 870 - 899 points
B 840 - 869 points
B- 800 - 839 points
C+ 770 - 799 points
C 700 - 769 points
D+ 670 - 699 points
D 600 - 669 points
F Less than 600 points

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. Although not anticipated, it may be necessary to modify the Course Content Schedule.

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 24 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".

University Policies:

Writing Skills - Students are expected to display college-level writing skills. Students who lack writing proficiency will be required to visit the Writing Lab for supplemental instruction.

Repeated Course - All students may repeat any course once. If repeating, you are advised to inform the instructor. For a third attempt, the student must obtain prior written approval from the Academic Standards Committee. If a students enrolls for a third attempt without permission, they do so at their own risk.

Students with Disabilities - If you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in a course, contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester and when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the office of Disability Support Services.

Course Withdrawal - Please note that the last day to drop the class is shown on the Towson University Academic Calendar. Students that drop on or before this date will receive a "W" on their grade transcript. Withdrawal after that date will require an assignment of a letter grade for the course.

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 or driver's license in order to check-out and use a computer.

Course Content Schedule:
 

Class Date Topics
1 Tue Sep 2 Course Introduction; Syllabus; Notebook Computer Introduction
2 Tue Sep 9
 
Chapter 3: Telephones Everywhere
Chapter 4: The World Was Once Analog
Chapter 24: World Wide Web Documents (HTML)
3 Tue Sep 16
 
Chapter 5: The Once And Future Digital Network
Chapter 6: Basic Communication
Chapter 7: The Local Area Network Arrives
4 Tue Sep 23
 
Chapter 8: Internet: The Early Years
Chapter 9: Two Decades Of Incredible Growth
Chapter 10: The Global Internet
Chapter 11: A Global Information Infrastructure
5 Tue Sep 30
 
Chapter 12: Packet Switching
Chapter 13: Internet: A Network Of Networks
Chapter 14: ISPs: Broadband And Wireless Access
6 Tue Oct 7
 
Chapter 15: IP: Software To Create A Virtual Network
Chapter 16: TCP: Software For Reliable Communication
Chapter 17: Clients + Servers = Distributed Computing
7 Tue Oct 14
 
Chapter 18: Names For Computers
Chapter 19: NAT: Sharing An Internet Connection
Chapter 20: Why The Internet Works Well
8 Tue Oct 21 Exam 1
9 Tue Oct 28
 
Chapter 21: Electronic Mail
Chapter 22: Bulletin Board Service (Newsgroups)
10 Tue Nov 4
 
Project Presentations
Chapter 23: Browsing The World Wide Web
Chapter 25: Advanced Web Technologies
11 Tue Nov 11
 
Project Presentations
Chapter 26: Group And Personal Web Pages (Wikis and Blogs)
Chapter 27: Automated Web Search (Search Engines)
12 Tue Nov 18
 
Project Presentations
Chapter 28: Text, Audio, And Video Communication (IM, VoIP)
Chapter 29: Faxes, File Transfer, And File Sharing (FTP)
13 Tue Nov 25 Class Exercise(s)
Chapter 30: Remote Login And remote Desktops (TELNET)
14 Tue Dec 2
 
Project Presentations
Chapter 31: Facilities For Secure Communication
15 Tue Dec 9
 
Course Evaluations
Chapter 32: Secure Access From A Distance (VPNs)
16 Tue Dec 16 Exam 2 (5:15 PM - 7:15 PM)