DSC610 Management Information Systems Syllabus Spring 2008

1. Class information

CRN: 35730: Tuesday and Thursday, 08:30am – 09:50am (Lillis 162)

http://isom.uoregon.edu/dsc610

Instructor: Dr Grant Castner
Email: gcastner@lcbmail.uoregon.edu
Phone: (541) 346-4893
Office: 479 Lillis

Office hours: Monday and Wednesday: 1:30pm – 3:30pm or by appointment

2. Overview

Management information systems are an integral component of all organizations. Well designed information systems (IS) have the potential to dramatically improve a business’s competitive advantage. In this course, you will gain an understanding of the most fundamental and vital aspects of IS, both as an academic area of interest and as a profession. The subject of IS deals with how corporations structure, store, retrieve, and process data and information to support business operations. Specific topics include information-systems analysis and design, database design and implementation, managing information technology infrastructure, eBusiness, and information-systems security.

The course is a useful combination of business concepts and practical applications. We start by looking at how organizations plan and design information systems at a conceptual level. The history of information systems (including very recent history!) is replete with stories of companies spending millions of dollars on new hardware and software only to find that it didn’t meet their requirements. The objective of systems analysis and design is to avoid these pitfalls by carefully planning and documenting the costs, requirements, and estimated benefits of the new system.

We then look at database design and development. Databases form the basis of almost every information system. At a practical level, we examine database design, querying, and reporting. At a more strategic level, we explore the data warehousing and business intelligence technologies.

The next section looks at the different components of eBusiness, including infrastructure, application development frameworks, Web 2.0 technologies, search engine optimization, and eBusiness models.

The final topic is information security. What are the objectives of IT security, what are the threats to our information assets and how do we protect those assests from the various types of attacks?

For information on specific topics, please consult the DSC610 website.

3. Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

Recognize potential opportunities of information systems for competitive advantage;
Demonstrate knowledge of issues and theories in information systems;
Model business processes using appropriate methodologies;
Develop information systems to solve business problems; and
Select appropriate technologies and systems to support organizational objectives.

4. Course Requirements

The following table lists the assessment requirements for DSC610.

Description	Weighting	Due dates and times
Exam 1	50 points	See Class Schedule
Exam 2	60 points
Assignment	60 points
Participation	30 points
TOTAL:	200 points

4.1 Participation

Participation requires that you contribute throughout the term to class discussions, small group activities, in-class project work, and online discussions. Useful participation requires completing the required readings before class. Your participation score will be based on the quality and consistency throughout the term of your contributions.

4.2 Exams

There is a midterm exam and a final exam.

Exam questions are based only on the conceptual material from the slides and class discussion. In other words, there are no questions about Microsoft Access on the exams.
Both exams are online but must be completed during the scheduled exam times.
Use the readings to improve your understanding of the material covered in classes but any material in the readings that is not discussed in class in not examinable.
The exams are not cumulative.
Exam study guides are available from the DSC610 website.

4.3 Assignment

The assignment requires that you analyze a business situation, create relevant data flow diagrams and then design and develop a database for your information system. Assignments must be completed in groups of three. Please see the DSC610 website for more information. To encourage students to work consistently on the assignment, there will be deadlines after which help will not be available for certain sections of the assignment.

Peer evaluations are required and are considered in determining your assignment score.

The assignment grading will include a feedback meeting with all group members soon after the submission date. The meeting allows for detailed feedback to be provided. All group members must be able to answer questions about all parts of the assignment. Your ability to answer to these questions is considered when determining your assignment score.

5. Readings

There is no textbook for this course. All readings are available from the Class Schedule.

6. Lecture Schedule

See the Class Schedule.

7. Administrative Policies

7.1 Review of results

Students have one week after the release of results for a particular assessment item to query their grade. This time limit does not apply to receiving feedback on an assessment item. Students must see me during office hours if they have any questions about their results and should have specific questions. Do not simply ask for a re-grade. Please note that any request to re-examine a result may lead to an increase or decrease in grade.

7.2 Plagiarism

Please note the University policy on plagiarism below. Further information is available from http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/. It will be strictly enforced in this course.

All work submitted in this course must be your own and produced exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and documented. For the consequences of academic dishonesty, refer to the Schedule of Classes published quarterly. Violations will be taken seriously and are noted on student disciplinary records. The computer-based nature of this course means that you have to be especially careful in citing sources for your material, especially material taken from websites. If you are in doubt regarding the requirements, please consult with the instructor before you complete any requirement of the course.

7.3 Late work

All assessment items must be submitted on time. Late work will be assessed a 10 percent per day penalty. If you require additional time due to illness or other substantial hardship, please talk to me well in advance of the due date.

7.4 Examination Policy

Exam times are listed in the course requirements above. These times cannot be rescheduled and therefore it is your responsibility that you are present at all exams. If you cannot sit for an exam due to medical reasons, a doctor’s note is required. Exams will not be rescheduled due to early travel plans.

7.5 Email Policy

Always include [DSC610] in the subject.
Do not send the same/similar e-mail more than once. Request a delivery receipt if you are concerned about e-mails not being delivered.
Please do not e-mail me about when grades will be posted. I will keep you up-to-date on grading progress.

8. University of Oregon ADA Policy

The University of Oregon is committed to making available to all its students the opportunity for an excellent and rewarding education. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provide federal guidelines which help the University ensure that students with documented disabilities have equal access to this opportunity.

If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with me as soon as possible. Please request that the Counselor for Students with Disabilities send a letter verifying your disability.