There will be 9 quizzes, 3 examinations, 1 project, and 4 cases. All quizzes, examinations, and projects will be taken online. Examinations and quizzes will consist mainly of multiple choice questions. In some cases, you may get questions that will require you to match the answer to the question, or even a short-answer question. All online testing material can be found at the course web site on Vista WebCT, and can be taken from anywhere (home, work, school, BSA computer labs, in the airport, from a hammock sipping Guava juice, etc.) the student has access to the Web. All tests are open-book, open notes, but before taking any test, the student will be asked to indicate his/her agreement to an Academic Honesty Statement. This statement will certify that the student agrees to abide by university rules on cheating, and any failure to do so will result in a failing grade. Thus, for example, while you are allowed to use books and notes for the tests, it is cheating if you ask other students to help you while taking the tests. This statement is available online at your course website. Do this first before doing anything else.

Quizzes: There are 9 quizzes for this class. Only the best 8 quizzes will count towards your grade. Each quiz is worth 10 points. The amount of time allotted for each quiz may vary, but will typically be around 25 minutes. You will have only one attempt to take each quiz. Results for the quizzes will be known only after the quiz closes for all students. For each chapter of your book, there is a companion study guide that provides multiple-choice, true-or-false, and essay questions. This study guide can be accessed from within Vista for each chapter, or just use the links at the top of this syllabus. The maximum points from quizzes is 80.

Examinations: There will be three examinations. Only the best two of the three examinations will count towards the course grade. Each examination is worth 50 points. Each exam (including the final) will take approximately 75 minutes. All examinations are cumulative. You will have only one attempt to take each examination. Results for the examination will be known only after the examination closes for all students. The maximum points from examinations is 100.

Projects: There will be one project worth 30 points. Projects will be done in groups, and will use a collaborative open tool called Wiki (http://a402a-04.bsa.kent.edu). Unlike most technological implementations for collaboration, Wiki sites allow any student to view and edit any wiki page. Thus, if this syllabus were posted on a wiki site, you could edit it. Topics for the project will be assigned in class. Projects will be graded based on their content, accuracy, and organization according to the following breakdown:

That is, a project should be well written, organized, and informative. In addition, individual contributions will be taken into account while grading the project. Thus, it is possible that not all members of the group get the same score for the project.

As part of the grade, each group will present their project in class. The presentation will be for a minimum of 10 minutes, which will be followed by questions from the audience. Each presentation will be graded mainly on their clarity. Thus, speaking clearly, having knowledge of the material, designing effective overheads, etc., all add to a clear presentation, and hence a better grade.

Thus, the maximum points for this course is 310 (100 + 80 + 30 + 100).

Attendance: It is not mandatory to attend classes, except when cases and projects are discussed. Students are required to attend all project and case-related class and lab days to get any credit for them. 

Groups: Projects and cases will be conducted in groups. Your instructor (i.e., me :-)) will randomly assign each student to a group. Results of this assignment will be posted on your Vista site.

Dates and Timings: Test (quizzes, examinations, projects, and cases) dates are posted at your course website, and also given below. Tests can be taken at any time during which they are available. As a warning, please do not wait until the last minute to take your tests. As you must realize in dealing with technology, several things can and will go wrong. The only condition under which I will extend the due dates is if the Vista server goes down on the last available day. Any problems with your computer, will not change the due date. As such, it is your responsibility to ensure that you complete the tasks in a timely fashion. You will get zero (0) points for all missed tests. Please ensure that your tests have been graded correctly, and notify the instructor immediately of any concerns. Specifically, you will have one week after the test scores are posted to notify the instructor of any errors.

Software: Many of the cases will require the use of Oracle CASE tools. These tools will be available from the computer labs in room 230 BSA (use only the computers with CRT monitors, not those with the LCD screens). Instructions for using the CASE tools will be available on your website soon. Before students can use these tools they will have to agree to the Oracle licensing agreement.

Extra Credit: Periodically, you may be given additional homework / quizzes in class or online, each of which will count as extra credit towards your final grade. As missed quizzes / examinations cannot be made up, it is in your best interest to attend class regularly. Please check your electronic calendar regularly for any announcements about quizzes, etc.

Academic dishonesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, online quizzes) 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 for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University. Students must indicate their acceptance to this policy before they are allowed to take any quiz or exam. As soon as you log into your Vista course website, please take the Academic Honesty Statement quiz first. You will not have access to any other quiz or exam until you do so.

Grades

Grading Scale: A: [279,310] points, B: [248,279) points, C: [217,248) points, D: [186,217) points, and F: [0,186) points.

None of the tests can be made up. You will receive a score of zero (0) for any missed tests.

Course Material

One of the following two textbooks is required: