34068 Polites
MIS 34068: Systems Analysis and Design
Fall Semester 2014
Section 002 – CRN 16094
Monday / Wednesday – 7:45 to 9:00 AM
Classroom: BSA 110
Instructor
Dr. Greta L. Polites
Department of Management & Information Systems
College of Business Administration
Email: gpolites@kent.edu (include “MIS 34068” in the subject line)
Phone: (330) 672-1166 (office)
Office: BSA A406
Office Hours: M 9-10:30am, W 9am-12pm, R 3-3:30pm, and by appointment
Course Web Site: BlackBoard
*** I do not regularly monitor my email between 5 PM and 9 AM, or on weekends and holidays. ***
Course Description
This course introduces students to the methods, tools, and techniques used to analyze and develop information
systems in organizations today. It can thus be viewed as the cornerstone upon which all subsequent IS activities
are based. If you intend to pursue a career in IS, the skills you learn in this class are designed to have immediate
applicability. If you intend to pursue a career in another discipline, the knowledge you obtain in this class will
help you better appreciate the role of the IS department in your organization, and better understand how to
manage and support IS-related projects.
Prerequisites
MIS 24053 (Introduction to Computer Applications) or equivalent
MIS 24065 (Web Programming) or equivalent
Minimum grade of C; may not be taken concurrently.
Students who do not have the proper prerequisites risk being deregistered from the class.
Textbook and Course Material
Modern Systems Analysis and Design (7th Edition, 2013) by Hoffer, George, and Valacich
Prentice-Hall Publishers, ISBN 978-0132991308
Astah Professional Student Edition (free download; required for UML portion of class & group project)
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
• describe the basic concepts and principles associated with the systems development life cycle
(SDLC), which includes systems planning, analysis, design, implementation, and support.
• explain the roles and responsibilities of systems analysts in organizations today.
• use a simple CASE tool to create UML diagrams that accurately model system requirements.
• design and prototype forms, reports, screens, and user-computer dialogs which convey the look and
feel of a new system to end users.
• apply what you have learned in a practical manner, by identifying a need for a new or improved IS in
a specific local organization, documenting and modeling the business requirements for that system,
creating and maintaining a project plan, performing a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed system,
and presenting your final proposal before a group of your peers.
Grading Information
Kent State University defines undergraduate letter grades as follows: A = “excellent scholarship;” B = “good
performance;” C = “fair or average performance;” D = “poor (unsatisfactory but passing) performance;”
F = “failure.” Don’t expect to receive an “excellent” grade if you don’t do “excellent” work.
Components of the Final Course Grade Conversion for Final Course Grades
PA assignments / quizzes 10% 100 pts 93% - 100% 930 – 1000 pts A
Homework assignments 10% 100 pts 90% - 92% 900 – 929.99 pts AExam
1 20% 200 pts 87% - 89% 870 – 899.99 pts B+
Exam 2 20% 200 pts 83% - 86% 830 – 869.99 pts B
Group project 30% 300 pts 80% - 82% 800 – 829.99 pts BProfessionalism
10% 100 pts 77% - 79% 770 – 799.99 pts C+
Total 100% 1000 pts 73% - 76% 730 – 769.99 pts C
70% - 72% 700 – 729.99 pts C-
60% - 69% 600 – 699.99 pts D
Below 60% < 600 pts F
• I do not offer “makeup points” for poor individual performance on assignments, quizzes, or exams.
• I do not curve. I do not round. I do not care what “other professors do.”
• I do not accept late work. Written documentation supporting an unavoidable absence such as an
incapacitating illness must be received within 7 days of the missed class to avoid a 0. Verbal excuses
will not be accepted.
• If you spot an error in a posted grade, you have 7 days from the time the grade was posted to notify me,
or the original grade will stand. Tangible proof of the error (e.g. a copy of your homework) is required.
• I will not reduce the course workload, or lower my grading expectations, simply because you are taking
other difficult, time consuming, or “more important” courses at the same time as this one.
• All grades in the course are final and non-negotiable.
Note: The group project grade will not be counted if all other individual grades are not at least at the C level.
Course Policies
ATTENDANCE
Why Does It Matter?
When you are employed, you are expected to show up for work, on time, every day. Likewise, I expect you
to attend class regularly, and will not give you “free” or “bonus” points for simply doing what is expected of
you. The topics we cover in class provide you with the information you need to succeed in your group
project, as well as your individual level work. Further, I often provide project groups with time to meet and
work together in class. Thus, attendance is critical if you want to receive a good grade in the course.
How Will It Be Assessed?
I will take attendance at the beginning of each class. If you are not present when I take attendance, it is your
responsibility to talk with me after class to explain why you were late. I will record absences in BlackBoard
on a weekly basis. If you believe there is an error (i.e., I marked you absent on a day that you were really
present), you have 7 days to bring this to my attention, or the recorded absence will stand.
How Will Attendance Affect My Final Course Grade?
You are allowed three absences during the semester. Each absence beyond the allowed limit will result in a
50-point (half letter grade) deduction to your course grade, subject to the caveats described below.
Excused vs. Unexcused Absences
University-approved absences, by themselves, incur no penalty to your course grade. These include:
• Illness – with medical note
• Death in the immediate family – with documentation
• Religious observance
• Military responsibility – with documentation
• Jury duty – with documentation
• Athletic events, academic field trips, and approved concerts – with coach’s or instructor’s note
• Direct participation in university disciplinary hearings – with documentation
All other absences are considered unexcused.
Combinations of excused and unexcused absences will affect your grade as follows:
• 3 absences (excused or unexcused) = no point deduction
• > 3 absences, all are which are excused = no point deduction; however keep in mind that chronic
excused absences may still harm your final course grade.
• > 3 absences, all of which are unexcused = 50 pt deduction for each absence beyond 3
• > 3 absences (mix of both excused & unexcused) = 50 pt deduction for each unexcused absence once
the 3-absence threshold has been surpassed.
Special Rules Regarding Group Presentation Days
It is critical that everyone show up to support their peers on project presentation days. Thus, missing a group
presentation day w/o an excused (documented) absence = 25 pt deduction for each occurrence
Please note that you alone are responsible for obtaining information from missed classes from other students
and/or BlackBoard (this includes handouts and changes to course requirements, due dates, and the course
schedule). It is not my responsibility to fill you in on what you missed.
PARTICIPATION (“PA”) ASSIGNMENTS
We will have several “PA” assignments throughout the semester, particularly during the UML unit. Each PA
assignment is worth 10 pts (1%) of your overall course grade. These are graded based on evidence of a “good
faith” effort rather than accuracy. Failure to demonstrate a “good faith” effort to complete the entire
assignment properly will result in deductions, up to and including a “0” on the assignment.
• PA assignments are to be completed alone. Violations will result in 0’s for all involved parties.
• All assignments are to be submitted via Blackboard prior to the start of class on the due date.
• No credit will be given for late assignments.
• No makeups will be offered. If you will be absent or late to class on the day that a PA assignment is
due, it is your responsibility to submit it to me before the posted due date / time.
QUIZZES
Quizzes are intended to test whether students are keeping up with the reading. I reserve the right to give pop
quizzes at any point in time if I feel that students are not coming to class prepared. Each quiz is worth 10 pts
(1%) of your overall course grade. All quizzes take place at the beginning of class. There are no makeups.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
There will be two UML homework assignments. These assignments are to be completed alone, and are
graded for completeness and accuracy. Evidence of collaboration will result in 0’s for all involved parties.
• Use case diagram and data model = 50 pts (5% of course grade)
• Use case description and activity diagram = 50 pts (5% of course grade)
EXAMS
There will be two in-class exams. Exams will contain a mix of objective questions (e.g., multiple choice,
true-false, matching), applied problems, and short answer/essay questions.
• My exams are designed to take the entire 75-minute class period to complete. Prepare accordingly.
• If you have a documented need to be absent on an exam day, you must inform me in advance.
Makeup exams will not be allowed without formal documentation – no exceptions! Makeup exams
will generally be more difficult than the exam administered in class.
• All exams must be returned to me for safekeeping after we go over them in class. If you leave the
classroom with a copy of your exam (or if I catch you taking photos of an exam using an electronic
device), you will receive a 0 on the exam and be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
GROUP PROJECT
The purpose of the group project is to provide you with the opportunity to apply the tools and techniques you
have learned in class to a real world problem, within a team environment. All group work must be original
work, created by the members of your group specifically for this class. Use of work by people outside of the
group, or work previously done by members of the group, is not allowed and is considered a violation of
academic honesty. Your individual project grade is calculated as a function of (1) the team grade and (2)
your peer evaluations. Detailed project instructions are posted in Blackboard.
Note: Group project grades will not be counted if the final average for your individual level work
(PA assignments, quizzes, homework, exams, & professionalism) is not at least at the C level (70%).
If you do not have acceptable performance on the analysis and modeling techniques tested in class, your
project work will not help you. You must learn these techniques on your own, rather than trusting in other
team members’ work to raise your grade!
PROFESSIONALISM
I expect you to behave in a professional manner toward me and your classmates at all times. Thus, 10% of
your overall course grade (100 pts) is allotted to professionalism. Mandatory deductions include:
• Using electronic devices in class w/o obtaining prior permission = first violation will result in a
warning; 10 pts each time thereafter. Permitted devices are only to be used for class purposes, and
must not distract me or your other class members.
• Chronic tardiness ( > 7 occasions, without documentation) = 50 pts
• Talking / not paying attention during class project presentations = 50 pts per presentation
• Harassing, intimidating, or otherwise trying to inappropriately influence project team members
regarding their anonymous peer evaluations = immediate forfeiture of the entire 100 pts and possible
removal from the project team
• Speaking in a condescending or insulting manner to (or about) me or another class member = first
violation will result in a warning; second offense will result in forfeiture of the entire 100 pts
• Students who are openly disruptive in class will be given one warning. After that, they will forfeit all
of their professionalism points and be referred to the Dean.
• Requesting a higher grade in violation of the policies spelled out in this syllabus: If at any point
before final grades are posted in Banner, you ask me to curve, round, or otherwise raise your
individual grade above what you earned numerically in the course, you will forfeit your entire
professionalism grade. This means DO NOT email me at the end of the semester, asking me to
assign you a higher grade because you “think you deserve it,” or because you need to maintain a
certain GPA for your major / minor!
Behaviors such as the following may also result in deductions, depending on their frequency and severity:
• Complaining about the workload in the course (this is college; get over it!)
• Pestering me w/ questions that are already answered in the syllabus, project manual, or Blackboard
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
You may earn up to 30 points (3% of your overall course grade) by completing written extra credit
assignments. You have two options (which can be mixed & matched as necessary):
• Attend up to three MISA meetings, and submit a short (1-2 paragraph) reflection statement to me
within 7 days of each meeting. Attendance will be verified, and late papers will not be accepted.
• Write up to three short papers (3 pages each, double-spaced) on organizations that you are interested
in working for. These papers should discuss who / what the organization is, what specific IT job
opportunities it offers, why you are interested in working there, and how you can prepare during
your time at KSU (including in this course) to have the best possible chance of obtaining a position.
Papers must be turned in no later than Nov. 26th. You cannot submit more than one paper per week.
Detailed instructions are posted in Blackboard.
There are no other scheduled extra credit opportunities. If you do not attempt to complete the extra credit
assignments I have offered, and finish the course < 30 points below your desired letter grade threshold, you
have only yourself to blame.
University Policies
The following policies apply to all students in this course:
A. Academic honesty: Per KSU policy, “cheating” means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other
conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved
credit. In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any
such misrepresentation. The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them
appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. It is the University's policy that cheating or
plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in
dismissal from the University.
B. For Spring 2014, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 2, 2014.
C. Students with disabilities: University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be
provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a
documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of
the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first
verify your eligibility for these accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (contact
330-672-3391 or visit http://www2.kent.edu/sas/index.cfm for more information on registration
procedures).
D. Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. You are advised to
review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of
the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section. Should you find an error
in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, September 7, 2014 to correct the error. If
registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes
for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the
conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.
E. If you are eligible to graduate, it is your responsibility to apply for graduation before the set deadline
(May Graduation: Apply before September 15th August Graduation: Apply before December 15th
December Graduation: Apply before March 15th) If you apply after the deadline you will be
assessed a $200 late fee. Please see your academic advisor as soon as possible if you are uncertain as
to your progress toward graduation. To apply for graduation complete the following steps: Log onto
your Flashline account 1. Click on the Student Tools tab, 2. Look in the Graduation Planning Tool
Box, 3. Click on Application for Graduation. If an error message appears, you must contact your
advisor.
Tentative Schedule of Classes
This schedule contains a general layout of the course; however, changes will be necessary. It is therefore
important to attend class, monitor your email, check BlackBoard, and obtain notes from classmates when you
are absent so that you remain informed. Topics, assignments, and due dates are all subject to change.
Please note that for some topics, we will not cover all of the material in the associated textbook chapter. I
will assign the exact pages to be read at the appropriate time in the course. Some topics will also be
supplemented with readings from outside the textbook.
Wk Date Topics Preparation Required Major Due Dates
1
Aug 25 (Mon) Course introduction Syllabus Student Info Sheet
Aug 27 (Wed) Intro to Systems Analysis / SDLC Chapter 1 & supplemental reading
2
Sept 1 (Mon) LABOR DAY – NO CLASS
Sept 3 (Wed) Identifying & Selecting Projects Chapter 4 (pp.91-109) PA (System Request)
3
Sept 8 (Mon) Group project intro, in-class project time Group Project Manual
Sept 10 (Wed) Project Feasibility Chapter 5 + handouts
4
Sept 15 (Mon) Project Management Suppl. reading (replaces Ch 3) PA (PERT Charts)
Sept 17 (Wed) Determining System Requirements Chapter 6 Project Deliverables 1, 2
5
Sept 22 (Mon) Catch-up, exam review, special topics
Sept 24 (Wed) EXAM #1 IN CLASS
6
Sept 29 (Mon) Functional Modeling
(use case diagrams)
Appendix 7A (pp.221-226)
Oct 1 (Wed) + handouts / TBA PA (UCD #1)
7
Oct 6 (Mon) Structural Modeling
(ERDs and class diagrams) Chapter 8
PA (UCD #2)
Oct 8 (Wed) PA (ERD #1)
8
Oct 13 (Mon) CRUD Matrices TBA PA (ERD #2)
Oct 15 (Wed) GROUP PROJECT PRESENTATIONS Project Deliverable 3
(evals due Wed @ midnight)
9
Oct 20 (Mon) Functional Modeling
(use case descriptions)
Appendix 7A (pp.226-233)
+ handouts / TBA
HW #1 (UCD & ERD)
Oct 22 (Wed) PA (UC Desc #1)
10
Oct 27 (Mon) Product & Sprint Backlogs Handouts / TBA PA (UC Desc #2)
Oct 29 (Wed) Behavioral Modeling
(activity diagrams)
Appendix 7B (pp.236-238)
+ handouts / TBA
Project Deliverable 4
11
Nov 3 (Mon) PA (AD #1)
Nov 5 (Wed)
User Interface Design & Evaluation Chapters 10 & 11 (in part) (may be
replaced w/ outside reading)
HW #2 (UC Desc & AD)
12
Nov 10 (Mon)
Nov 12 (Wed) System Implementation - Testing Chapter 13 (in part) Project Deliv 5 (Sprint #1)
13
Nov 17 (Mon) System Implementation - Installation Chapter 13 (in part)
Nov 19 (Wed) System Implementation - Security TBA
14
Nov 24 (Mon) System Maintenance Chapter 14 Project Deliv 6 (Sprint #2)
Nov 26 (Wed) In-class project work day
15
Dec 1 (Mon) FINAL PRESENTATIONS (Day 1)
Dec 3 (Wed) FINAL PRESENTATIONS (Day 2) Project Deliverable 7
(evals dueWed @ midnight)
16 Dec 8 (Mon) EXAM #2 (during officially scheduled final exam period): Monday, December 8th, 7:45 - 10:00 AM
