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Welcome to the ISM 3011 Course
Syllabus. This syllabus has two parts: I. Getting
Started, Lessons and
Assignments and II. Teaching
Philosophy and Grading Criteria.
This part describes the course including the teaching philosophy, required
materials and grading criteria. To jump to Syllabus:
Getting
Started, Lessons and Assignments, please click here.
Description:
Overview of information systems technology, including flow
and control of information in an organization and use in decision making.
Focuses on information systems' strategy case studies, current security
issues, hardware platforms, and software systems including both operating and
application software. (Junior standing required)
In addition,
the course explores how information technology (IT)
supports business initiatives. In general, you will learn about: (1) managing
information systems; (2) using IT to enhance business decision-making; (3)
creating collaborative partnerships; and (4) using IT to transform the
enterprise.
Programs: Business/Computer Information
Systems
Subject Areas: Information
Systems, e-Business, IT
Credit Hours:
3
Delivery Mode: Internet - Asynchronous (anytime/anywhere/anyplace)
Prerequisites:
Working knowledge of Microsoft's Windows and Office (equivalent to CGS 1100 Introduction to Computers) |
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Course
URL: http://elearning.fgcu.edu
e-Learning Information:
You will have
the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with a geographically-dispersed community of
students and practitioners. Therefore, you need access to the Internet and the following
computer resources:
A.
Hardware/Software
- Access to a Windows-based
PC with Audio (Speaker) System, connected to the Internet and running
Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Internet
Explorer latest (free download at "microsoft.com"); RealPlayer (free download); the
Angel e-learning systems [To
see detailed instructions, please click
here.]
-
Although this is a very
demanding online course, the only technical prerequisite is a working knowledge of
Microsoft's Windows and Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) equivalent to
"CGS 1100 Introduction to Computers." Students that are not
familiar with Office software applications, are encouraged to register for the
online version of CGS 1100 or an equivalent course.
- E-Mail account from Florida Gulf Coast
University's eagle account.
B. Required Textbooks
and Materials-
You will find the required electronic
textbook titled,
Baltzan, Paige; Phillips, Amy, Business Driven Technology, 4th
Edition at:
http://www.coursesmart.com/givecoursesmartatry?xmlid=0077264576&__instructor=1205370
You may also obtain the
required textbook in traditional hardcopy (printed form) at the
campus bookstore (FGCU Student Union) or
by clicking
Online (Click "books," click
Spring 2010, and select the
ISM department, select "3011"
course, and
the
CRN.) Baltzan, P. et al.,
Business Driven Technology, Fourth Edition (New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill, 2010) Hardcover ISBN 0073376795 .
[But, the 3rd edition is acceptable too (ISBN
: 0073376744)]
[For 4th Edition: Browse Business
Driven Technology - Textbook Information Center at:
https://paris.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073376795/information_center_view0/
]
For 3rd Edition: Browse Business
Driven Technology - Textbook Information Center at:
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073376744/information_center_view0/
]
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To rent the textbook
(usually cheaper), consider checking:
http://www.chegg.com/search/baltzan/
C. Class setting
- In addition to the Angel e-Learning Course Management System (CMS) resource at
http://elearning.fgcu.edu,
the class offers an additional Internet-based "WebClassroom" originally
developed for the MIS course (http://opal.fgcu.edu/courses/cis/).
The Angel system uses
discussion
forums, chat-rooms, e-mail, and multimedia to
establish practice-oriented synchronous (same time) and asynchronous (anytime) discussions among
students, faculty and practitioners.
D . Delivery/Interaction
Strategy - Here is a brief summary of how the course is delivered to
you and how you will be interacting with me and your peers: The instructor will send you an e-mail containing the assignments due.
Important: If you don’t receive at least
two e-mails per week,
please contact Dr. Walter Rodriguez immediately at "wrodrigz@fgcu.edu."
Assignments
usually include textbook readings, quizzes and
discussion
forums at http://elearning.fgcu.edu
.
E. Case Analysis
- The course simulates information technology (IT) practice----using cases in your
textbook and Angel notes.
These cases discuss real-life problems (issues),
and are analyzed using questions posted on the discussion forums at
http://elearning.fgcu.edu
.
Case analysis via
Internet is one of the most demanding forms of pedagogy: Each week, the
instructor posts new questions on discussion forums and assesses students' responses. In addition to understanding the case
"facts," students are required to identify the key issues, the information
that supports their analysis of the issues, and the approach that they
would take for addressing the problem at-hand, using the textbook and
frameworks discussed in class.
Participation in
discussion forums account for 50% of
the grade. The grading criteria for participation includes both quantity and quality
of contributions--but we emphasize the relevance to the topic and
objectives at hand ( Important:
Please study the "Grading Policy" near the end of this
page).
F. Concepts
- Business-driven information technology concepts are learned in class by reading and discussing
BDT's textbook, reviewing slides and videos, and by working on the assigned
questions.
G. Multimedia
- Some assignments
may point to narrated slides and videos. The first time
that you try to play the videos you may be directed to download a free
version of RealPlayer from "real.com."
H. Library
- Students are encouraged to access the following online Library Electronic
Resources: GaleNet, J-Stor, Lexis-Nexis, NewsBank InfoWeb, Stat-USA, Uncover,
and others. Until now, some library resources were unavailable remotely because
many vendors ensure that their products are limited to subscribers by checking
the address (IP) of the computer requesting access. Currently, all of the computers
on the FGCU campus network automatically provide a network assigned address
and connect to those electronic resources unhindered. Users are able to assign a valid
address to a computer outside the campus network by using a proxy connection
that identifies the request for access as coming from an authorized FGCU
user. Step-by-step instructions for using the proxy server are on the library
web site. Just go to the library home page (http://library.fgcu.edu)
and click on Electronic Resources.
For instance, you
may want to access the Communications of the Association of Information
Systems journal. The URL for direct access is
http://cais.aisnet.org
but you may also access via the library's web site:
http://library.fgcu.edu
and then click on Library Catalog. Select Journal/Magazine
Title Search, and type in CAIS in the search Box. (It is not case sensitive).
The result will open up the record for this journal and you will find the
link for the CAIS journal's web site. |
| Instructor
Information:
Name: Walter
Rodriguez, Ph.D., P.E.
Phone #:
239.590.7360
E-mail address: wrodrigz@fgcu.edu
Office Location:
LCOB 3350
Office
Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays afternoon. Of course, available
other times by appointment, or via phone (590-7360), or Angel Live Chat.
Professor's
URL: http://www.fgcu.edu/wrodriguez
Teaching Philosophy:
I.
Instructor's Role - The instructor serves as facilitator in the learning
process:
-
Creating exciting
learning opportunities for the students;
-
Assigning readings
& challenging projects; and
-
Assessing students'
work and stimulating participation.
II. Grader's Role (if applicable) -
The grader will assign preliminary values to each of the assignments and
projects, based on the criteria given below. [The instructor will review and
validate.]
II. Student's Role
- Students (learners) should be active participants in the learning
process:
-
Reading assigned chapters
& analyzing cases (by due date)
-
Participating in discussions
(live classroom discussions, online forums)*
-
Submitting assigned
questions, projects and exams by the indicated due date --- per course schedule
(for details, see Part II).
* Students should be aware that all required
writings may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to
Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted work will be
included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for
the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such work. Use of the
Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on
the Turnitin.com site.
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Grading
In general, grades
in this class have been very good. For instance, only two students got a
C- last semester. Depending on the semester, average final grades have ranged
from A- to B+. Nevertheless, you may be a bit concerned. So, below
is a review the grading criteria (beyond what's normally posted in a syllabus).
I have also included some guidelines that may help you understand how discussion
forums are evaluated. Regards, Walter Rodriguez
Grading
Policy:
Grades will be
awarded on the plus/minus (+/-) basis:
| A |
93-100 |
| A- |
90-92.99 |
| B+ |
87-89.99 |
| B |
83-86.99 |
| B- |
80-82.99 |
| C+ |
77-79.99 |
| C |
70-76.99 |
| D |
60-69.99
|
| F |
Below 60 |
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| Percentage
Distribution:
50% Weekly Modules
and Assigned Tasks: Including, participation in
discussion forums and cases;
25% Mid-Term Assessment
(Multiple Choice and Case Analysis);
25% Final Project
(Web-based business)
Grading
Criteria for Participation in Discussion Forums:
1.
Per syllabus, students are
required to participate in the discussion forums.
2.
The grading criteria
for the discussion forums include both quantity and quality of contributions---emphasizing the relevance of
the particular contribution to the topic and objectives at hand.
3.
Duplicity or
unrelated comments are not penalized---but are not counted.
4.
We want to conduct
a conversational-style, threaded discussion----that is, a dialogue that is as
close as possible to a regular class conversation ... where the professor asks
a question and one or two students respond to the questions ... then other
students react to what has been said. To this effect, students should address
only one of the suggested questions, at a given time, in sequential order, if
possible. [You may also develop your own questions.] Then, return later on and
provide feedback on another student's comment. Below you will find how we
evaluate your responses ... remembering that there is no right answer ... it's
rather rational/emotional process to arrive at general business conclusions or
principles that can be applied to your own business situation. Therefore, the
open question should always be: what did we learn from this particular case
or article?
6.
It’s important
to provide guidance to students desiring to maximize their final grade.
Although assigning a value (number) to a discussion forum or chat comment (grading
itself) is ultimately derived from previous experience, either teaching or
evaluating items under similar circumstances, here are some guidelines:
Usually, comments that have “higher
density” of thought are assigned higher value. For instance, very
insightful and/or experiential (your own business experience) comments may
earn a 9.5 or even a 10. But, say quoting the textbook, or restating the
obvious, will earn maybe an 8.0, since it’s correct (but, obviously, not as
valued as a higher density comment.) Of course, the slight 0.5 differences
come with experience and it’s harder to explain. But, an experienced grader
is able to evaluate the difference between say an 8.0 and 8.5, in a fairly
consistent manner thanks to the insights gained from reading hundreds of similar
comments over an extended period of time. In
summary, fresh, relevant, high-density, accurate, creative, experiential
and insightful comments will be assigned a higher value. On the
average students will have ups and downs depending on how familiar or
interested students are in the current topic. So it all averages out real
nicely. Although we ask you to address one question at a time, we
do count your cumulative submissions to each unit ... so you can feel free
to enter more than one quality comment at various times ... giving you
opportunity to defend, clarify, rebut.
7. Although
the requirement in many forums is to answer one or two questions, these forums are open-ended
discussions involving the full class and the students are encouraged to expand
in order to try to maximize their grades ... that is, students should add
comments later on, or ask and answer other questions to create a discussion
similar to a real class. As mentioned earlier, the grader mainly looks at the
quality of the answers, i.e., density of thought and relevance to the topic at
hand as well as the general discussion. But, please note that the items above
indicate that the grading criteria include "both quantity and quality of
contributions---emphasizing the relevance of the particular contribution to
the topic and objectives at hand." Please read again this grading
criteria very carefully and do not hesitate to contact me again, if you want
to discuss further.
Sincerely, Walter
Rodriguez, Ph.D., P.E.
wrodrigz@fgcu.edu
To jump
to ISM 3011 Syllabus Part I: Getting
Started, Lessons and Assignments, please click here.
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Additional
Information:
University
Statements:
Academic Behavior Standards and Academic
Dishonesty
All students are expected to demonstrate honesty
in their academic pursuits. The university policies regarding issues of honesty
can be found in the FGCU Student Guidebook under the Student Code of
Conduct and Policies and Procedures sections. All
students are expected to study this document which outlines their
responsibilities and consequences for violations of the policy. The FGCU
Student Guidebook is available online at
http://studentservices.fgcu.edu/judicialaffairs/new.html
Disability Accommodations Services
Florida Gulf Coast University, in accordance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university’s guiding principles,
will provide classroom and academic accommodations to students with documented
disabilities. If you need to request an accommodation in this class due to a
disability, or you suspect that your academic performance is affected by a
disability, please contact the Office of Adaptive Services. The Office of
Adaptive Services is located in Howard Hall 137. The phone number is
239-590-7956 or TTY 239-590-7930
Student Observance of Religious Holidays
All students at Florida Gulf Coast University
have a right to expect that the University will reasonably accommodate their
religious observances, practices, and beliefs. Students, upon prior
notification to their instructors, shall be excused from class or other
scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith.
Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up the material
or activities covered in their absence. Students shall not be penalized due to
absence from class or other scheduled academic activity because of religious
observances. Where practicable, major examinations, major assignments, and
University ceremonies will not be scheduled on a major religious holy day. A
student who is to be excused from class for a religious observance is not
required to provide a second party certification of the reason for the absence.
In lieu of including the full policy in the
course syllabus, provide a link to General Counsel Policies at: http://www.fgcu.edu/generalcounsel/policies-view.asp
Additional Resources:
General Education
Information on General
Education program requirements is available online at
http://www.fgcu.edu/General_Education/index.html
Service-Learning
Information on
integrating service-learning into the course and course syllabus is available
online at
http://www.fgcu.edu/Connect/
Distance-Learning
Information on distance
learning courses is available online at
http://itech.fgcu.edu/distance/
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