MIS 34045 Fall 2010 Nwankpa

Small Systems Technology Syllabus

M&IS 34045 – Section 001, Call No. 11962

Fall 2010

Mondays and Wednesdays 2:15 pm to 3:30pm, BSA Room 206

Instructor: Joseph Nwankpa, MBA (Windsor), MS (Helsinki) in Information System

Office: Business Administration, Room A402

Phone: 330-389-5022 (email preferred)

Email: jnwankpa@kent.edu

Office Hours: Tues 12:30pm -2pm and Wed 1pm - 2pm or By Appointment

Overall Goal

The primary goal of this course is to introduce students with the use of information system in solving problems. The course explores how organizations use information systems to support a variety of tasks such as basic day to day business activities with a view of sustaining competitive advantage in the global business environment. In particular, this course covers topics such as computer hardware and software, telecommunications and network, and emphasizes the e-commerce and internet based models required in the evolving business environment.

Learning Objectives

The specific objectives for students taking this course are the following:

·                To understand the role of information system in business and the application of Information system in problem solving.

·                To understand the technology and architecture of information systems.

·                To gain a sophisticated awareness of the rich variety of business issues raised by information systems and understand the paradigm shift as we move rapidly into the information and digital age. This will include an understanding of the strategic impacts of IT, inter-organizational systems, electronic commerce and markets, and business transformations and re-engineering

·                To understand IT values by exploring multiple case studies on contemporary issues pertaining to Information System.

Prerequisites

The main prerequisite for this course is M&IS 24060 or M&IS 24070.

Textbook

The following textbook will be used for this course.

Introduction to Information Systems: O’Brien, Marakas: 15^th Edition. Note that because we are dealing with a rapidly evolving digital age, our course will go beyond the topics covered in your textbook.  

Supplementary Course Materials

The power-point lectures can be downloaded from the KSU WebCT Vista system. The URL for the WebCT Vista system is: https://vista.kent.edu/webct

Click on the link for Kent State University and then log into the system with your Flashline username and password.

Evaluation and Grades

Students will be evaluated on the basis of the following:

The tentative thresholds for assigning letter grades are as follows. This grading policy is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.  

Quizzes

Quizzes will not be announced ahead of time. When they occur, quizzes will take place close to the end of class time and be approximately 10-15 minutes in duration. If you miss class the day of the quiz is given, you will receive a zero for that quiz. I do not offer make-ups for quizzes.

Some few exceptions for being absent on the day of the quiz include medical events and University related travel (athletics and job fairs/interviews). When documentation is provided for these events, your absence will not be counted against you however, you will have one less quiz grade than the rest of the class to average together at the end of the semester. I expect to offer 4 to 5 quizzes.

Project:

Successful completion of this course requires completion of individual project. You will choose a small systems technology topic. The goals for the individual project is for you to examine how organizations use information system to support some specific business processes that they need to perform in order to produce a product or provide services to a customer. You may physically travel to the organization and interview various people involved with the business process and its associated information system and see for yourself how the concepts we discuss in class play out in an actual living, breathing organization. At the end of the semester, your will turn in a 3-4000 words paper and make a presentation before the class about what you have learned.

Enrollment and Official Registration

Students have the responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) 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 12, 2010 to correct the error with your advising office.  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.

In addition, students attending the course, who do not have the proper prerequisites, risk being deregistered from the class.

Course Withdrawal Deadline

For Fall 2010, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday November 7, 2010.  Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript.  After the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

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. The use of 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 a failing grade (0 points) for the work or course. Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

Students with Disability

Students with disabilities:  University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access course content.  If you have 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 through the Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).

Attendance

Missing class is not an excuse for failure to understand material or complete assignments. Material covered in class will not be covered again outside of class. It is up to you to read the material and get notes from another student if you miss class. Do not expect any help during office hours or by e-mail if you do not attend class regularly.

This Syllabus is tentative and subject to change

Tentative Class Schedule

The following class schedule is to be regarded as a general guideline and the topics discussed on any given day can be changed at the discretion of the instructor.