MIS 34045 Spring 2010 Ngniatedema

MIS 34045 SMALL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Kent State University

Spring 2010

Course Syllabus, Schedule, Project and Deliverables:

All the handouts, announcements, and deliverables for this course will be available on-line: WebCT Vista

Most of the materials generated for this course are copyrighted. Please do not copy or distribute course materials unless you are expressly granted permission.

Course Description

MIS34045 is a general introduction to information systems. It explores how organizations use information systems to support a variety of tasks such as basic day to day activities to creating competitive advantage in the market place. In particular, MIS34045 covers topics such as computer hardware and software, telecommunications and network, and emphasizes the e-commerce and Internet based business models to get competitiveness of global based business environments.

Course Objectives

The objectives of the course are for you to:

§  Become familiar with the different kinds of computer-based IS commonly used in business.

§  Gain a sophisticated awareness of the rich variety of business issues raised by information systems and understands 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 transformation.

§  Have the opportunity to learn about IT value by exploring more through case studies on a contemporary issue pertaining to Information Systems.

Attendance Policy:

While I do not have a specific attendance policy for this course, it is expected that students will not miss any class and participate to the discussions (worth 10% of your final grade).  The material discussed in class is important for the project development process.  If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from attending class, please inform me in advance.

Exams:

The exams for this course will take place in class and will be closed book and closed notes. There will be NO MAKEUP EXAMS offered unless you provide to me one of the following: 1) documentation from the Dean's office concerning an emergency that causes you to be off-campus on the day of the exam, or 2) a NASA-confirmed videotape featuring your abduction by aliens the night before the exam.

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, you will simply 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 process that they need to perform in order to produce a product or serve 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.

Grading:

Tentative Course Schedule, MIS 34045 springs 2010

The Following Kent State University Policies Apply to All Students

A. Enrollment and Official Registration

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, January 31, 2010 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. 

B. Academic Honesty: 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 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 (0 points) for the work or course. Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

C. Course Withdrawal: For Spring 2010, the course withdrawal deadline is April 4

D. 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.registrars.kent.edu/disability  for more information on registration procedures).