NOTE TO ALL DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS

To be successful and effective in this class, you should:

1. Have Netscape 4.0 (or better or its equivalent) and be able to access it once a week--it is essential to using WebTycho on which this class is conducted. You will need WebTycho to be able to read the course materials and read and provide information to your classmates in Conferences.
2. Have access to and be able to use Power Point--used for presenting Projects to the instructor and your classmates. Have access to Word 97 or 2000; used for submitting documents to the instructor.
3. Have access to an e-mail account to which documents can be attached (many students have found setting up a separate, free e-mail account just for this class an efficient way to keep class materials separate from regular mail).
4. Read all of the Introductory Materials and Orientation on how to use WebTycho. Students who are not using the class materials in the first week of class are at a significant disadvantage.
5. Have the ability to work comfortably in a virtual classroom. This means a lot of self-discipline with regard to the schedule, and the ability to communicate how and why you are having difficulty with the course materials or its delivery.
6. Especially for those of you who are new to distance education, have patience and flexibility to adjust as the class progresses.

ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS

Class Times:  At your convenience; each week should be completed by Tuesday of the following week. As an instructor, I will try to make Tuesday-Wednesday the class day.

Lecturer:  Valerie Mock, Ph.D. (Please address me as Valerie.)

e-mail: in680de@hotmail.com

Web page: http://docmock.freesqlhost.com

Office Hours: If you need to contact me urgently, please use docmock@hotmail.com.  Otherwise, I would be happy to try to arrange a “chat” with you online.

Pre-requisite: Advancement to candidacy in the MIS program and completion of 21 semester hours. The student is expected to have successfully completed all of the required 500-level core courses.

Course Credit: 3 semester hours

TEXTBOOKS: While no textbooks are specifically assigned for this course, the following textbooks that you have used in previous courses may prove to be useful to you:

From INSS 510: Systems Architecture: Hardware and Software in Business Information Systems, by Stephen D. Burd. Second edition, 1998. Publisher: Course Technology, Cambridge, MA.

From INSS 530: Management Information Systems by James O'Brien, Fourth edition. 1999. Publisher: McGraw-Hill, New York; The Portable MBA, by Robert Bruner et al, Third edition, 1998.  Publisher: John Wiley and Sons, New York.

From INSS 538: Business Data Communication, by David Stamper, Fifth Edition.  or Business Data Communications and Networking, by Fitzgerald and Dennis, Sixth edition, 1999.  Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (ISBN 0-471-23798-1).

From INSS 540: Systems Analysis and Design Methods by Whitten and Bentley, Fourth Edition, 1998. Publisher:  McGraw-Hill, New York.

From INSS 550: Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, by Peter Rob and Carlos Coronel, Fourth Edition, 2000. Publisher: Course Technology, Cambridge, MA.

 From INSS 620: 1) Strategic Management and Business Policy (7^th Edition), by Thomas Wheelan anad J. David Hunger, Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1998 and 2) Corporate Information Systems Management (5^th Edition), by Lynda Applegate, F. Warren McFarlan, and James McKenney, New York: Richard D. Irwin, 1999.

HANDOUTS: There will several samples and lists of references you may find useful.  These will be included on the instructor’s web page: http://docmock.freesqlhost.com.  Other forms and materials will be attached to Course Content Topics in WebTycho.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Provides the student with practical experience in analyzing, designing, implementing and evaluating an information system in industrial, government, or military environments. The student is assigned a systems development project in which all of the systems development cycles can be experienced. Students can be placed in practicum sites independently or in a team to acquire practical experience. This course is graded Pass (P) or Fail (F).

GRADING CRITERIA:

During this one term course, the student will be evaluated based on weekly presentations of the project decided upon by group or individual and the course grade will be based on the final project to be presented in class. To obtain the grade "P", the student's performance has to be "B" or better. There are no letter grades in this course. This not a lecture type of course. The instructor's responsibility is to guide the student toward successful completion of the project.

Output of Systems Survey Phase

  5 points

Output of Systems Analysis Phase

10 points

Output of Design Phase

20 points

Implementation Plan

   5 points

Support Plan

  5 points

Evaluation Plan

  5 points

Final Project

40 points

Class Participation (Evaluative Comments on Peers’ Work)

  10 points

TOTAL

100 points

Content and correctness

60%

Degree of completion

15%

Quality of structure, organization, English

25%

Pass (a B or better) or fail (below 80 points)

ASSIGNMENTS

Practicum: Students are required to work singly or in pairs to solve a problem in some aspect of information system development. (The advantages and disadvantages of individual effort versus team co-operation should be considered carefully before choosing one or the other mode.)  In the first week of the course, students will choose a problem they might like to solve. This could be a problem arising from their work experience, but it is preferred that it is not something they are doing as part of their daily work. The instructor will assist with the choice of project. See the Project Proposal Form and Suggestions as the end of the syllabus.

Students will be required to present their ideas and progress reports to the class for critical appraisal via class presentations each week (see Tentative Schedule). These presentations will detail work in progress and will take the form of a structured walkthrough (students are expected to develop their own walkthrough report) as would be used in professional systems development. Every student must make a full presentation of their (contribution to the) work and produce appropriate documentation (interim reports) for their review. Students should be prepared for a rigorous and detailed examination of their work. In addition to presenting their own work, all students will be expected to participate in the structured reviews of other students' work. These presentations and reviews will be assessed and will count towards the final grade (see grading criteria above). The Tentative Schedule suggests presentation timing; however, as part of the experience of the SDLC, students are expected to develop their own schedule for the deliverables, which will be monitored by both the student and the instructor.

At the end of the course, students will submit a final written report of their work. Where students work in pairs, the reports must show clearly which student was responsible for each section. (It is expected that joint projects will involve the same amount of effort per student as for a student working alone.) The final project report should show relevant sections of the solution process as described in courses INSS 540 Information Systems Analysis and Design and INSS 550 Database Management and Decision Systems and the phases should be clearly demarcated. It is impossible to prescribe the length of a report - each problem is unique. However, it is strongly recommended that students select a small problem, which they can complete in the set time in preference to one which is too large and which can be only partially solved within the time constraints.

Class Participation/Conferences--each student will be judged on the quality, not quantity, of participation in class discussions. For this class, class participation is contribution to Conferences. It is expected that each student will contribute substantially to weekly Conferences. There will be one conference for each student in the class. I would like for you to treat your conference as your workspace where you submit your work to the rest of your virtual company for review/comments.  I would like for you to treat your peers’ Conferences as though they were members of your corporation and that together we are producing these products for our customers.  In this way your comments on your peers’ work should be constructive and help their work be more efficient and responsive.

COURSE POLICIES/EXPECTATIONS

The following policies apply to this class. These policies are generally reflected in the graduate catalog. 

• ATTENDANCE POLICY: Regular class attendance is expected. You should plan on being connected to the course material at least once a week. The most effective technique is to set aside one particular time to be "connected." If you are going to miss a particular week, I would like an e-mail message telling me when you will be gone and for what reason. For this Practicum, it really means that on a weekly basis, I would like for you to be submitting something for review, commenting on another student’s submissions, or asking for guidance.  Please note that those students receiving tuition assistance from the Federal Government must not miss three consecutive class meetings without prior approval, or the education Services Officer (ESO) must be notified by the instructor.
• ACADEMIC HONESTY: Students are expected to do their own work. Submitting other’s work as your own will result in an F for this class. See the European Division Catalog for the UMUC policy on academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
• ASSIGNMENT/TEST SCHEDULES: Students are expected to hand in all assignments on the days they are due. If a student fails to complete any assignment, the resulting grade will be a "0," rather than an "F." Any other assignments will be marked down half a letter grade for each week the assignment is late. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU GET BEHIND, PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE WITHDRAWING FROM THE CLASS, SO WE CAN SEE WHAT WE CAN WORK OUT.
• CLASS PREPARATION: Students are expected to start the week's activities prepared. This means you should have read the materials assigned for class for that session and have prepared any pertinent assignments.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

These objectives will form the basis for most of the Assignments in this class.  The objectives of this class are to:

1. Provide the student with experience in analyzing, designing, implementing and evaluating an information system (the SDLC)
2. Provide a project experience, guided by the professor, that will help the student integrate program concepts and principles learned in previous classes
3. Help the student develop skills in working with their peers in a virtual and development setting.
4. Help the student better understand the needs of users in defining, implementing, and using information systems.
5. Help the student understand the various roles and phases of the System Development Life Cycle; in particular during:

a)      Survey/Planning: Identify the scope and boundary of the problem; plan the development strategy and goals; establish the measures of the project’s success; and determine feasibility, resources, and schedule. Prepare a project proposal form.

b)      Analysis: Study and analyze the problems, causes, and effects. Then, identify and analyze the requirements that must be fulfilled by any successful solution; that is, analyze the problem domain for causes, effects, and opportunities; as well as communicate the requirements to be fulfilled by any successful solution, regardless of technology chosen.  Specifically state the characteristics of the users, the information used, information flows, and other characteristics of the information used (such as timing). Prepare an RFP.

c)      Design: Prepare a detailed design for a major portion of the solution including statements regarding implementation, training, documentation, and maintenance. Prepare a formal budget and schedule and other Design Documents.

d)      Implementation: Complete all or a major portion of the proposed design (by agreement between instructor and student(s).  Prepare deliverables.

e)      Support: Prepare a Support plan.

f)        Evaluation: Prepare forms and processes that will ensure quality development and post-implementation evaluation.

6. Help the student develop an SDLC evaluation process that ensures greater efficiency and accuracy in the design and implementation of a system

 In addition to the academic objectives, students are expected to improve their skills in the following areas:

1. Critical Thinking: Students should improve their ability to analyze computer user situations through

2. Writing Skills: Students should improve their writing skills through formal reporting on various assignment problems and the major project, especially user documentation and status reports. They will also use their writing skills to communicate with their classmates and instructor.

3. Oral Presentation Skills: Students should improve their presentation skills through their Power Point reports on their major project; however, because this is a DE class, oral presentations will be virtual.  It would be nice if students recorded a presentation to submit along with their project, but this is not required.

4. Team-Building Skills: Students should improve their virtual group work skills through comments and evaluation of the other students’ works.

5. Computer Skills: Students are expected to improve their computer skills by using the development languages and applications of their choice, Power Point, and the Internet for the completion of the assignments in this class. The use of e-mail is also required.

LECTURER INFORMATION

Teaching Philosophy: I believe students learn best when learning is fun and applied to real-world situations and when students are involved in the process. Therefore, students are expected to participate in discussions, work in groups to resolve in-class exercises, assist their fellow students when possible (without doing their work for them), and to ask questions when there is confusion. I believe that every student starts out with an A in the class and through his/her behavior illustrates to me that they are unworthy of an A. As an instructor, it is my job to facilitate the learning process, but I can't do so unless I have feedback as to what may be impeding that process.

Biography: After obtaining a BA from the University of Chicago in Anthropology, Dr. Mock worked for IBM for 15 years, primarily in the technical writing field as writer, editor, manager, and second-line manager. Her highest position was as the division's publications coordinator in the Systems Architecture Department reporting to the General Systems Division Vice President of Manufacturing. She has worked with the IBM 1800MPX System, the 360 and 370 Systems, the System/34, /36, and /38, among others. For several years she was a member of an application development team working in the manufacturing, health, education, and banking industries. After leaving IBM, she worked as an consultant to the IBM Corporation, the American Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Time Systems International, and Zygonic Technologies. 

In 1981 she received her MBA from Emory University and completed her Ph.D. at Georgia State University in Management in 1992. Since that time she has been teaching business courses at Piedmont College in northeast Georgia and at Fort Valley State University in central Georgia. She has been a member of the University of Maryland, University College--European Division for three years.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Class

Topics:

Activities/Assignments:

Pre-class 1

WebTycho, Connectivity, and preparation for the Practicum

Connect to WebTycho, send an e-mail to the instructor, complete a Student Information Form, review the SDLC in the Whitten and Bentley text, and begin exploring potential projects

Class 1

22 January

Introduction to course, lecturer, and other class members; The Planning/Survey Phase

Submit a brief biography to Who We Are; complete a Project Proposal Form; obtain instructor’s approval for your project; may want to review the SDLC discussion on walkthroughs in Whitten and Bentley, paying particular attention to the deliverables and tasks by Phase

Class 2

29 January

Analysis/Study Phase; Walkthroughs Review; User Definition Review

Review and comment on peers’ Proposals; develop a walkthrough report for use by other students in analyzing your work; may want to review the discussion on walkthroughs in Whitten and Bentley

Class 3

5 February

Analysis/Study Phase and/or Definition Phase; Review of Budgeting and Scheduling

Submit for review: 1) User requirements, 2) A detailed analysis of the users, including their tasks, experience level, and other demographics, 3) A rough budget and schedule estimate; Comment on peers’ walkthrough report form; may want to review Modules A and B and the discussion on walkthroughs in Whitten and Bentley

Class 4

12 February

Design Phase

Comment on peers’ project plans (1-3 above); Begin design work

Class 5

19 February

Design Phase

Submit preliminary design for walkthrough and develop a preliminary evaluation plan; Be an active participant in the walkthroughs (number dependent on number of students in class)

Class 6

26 February

Design Phase

Submit final design for walkthrough; Be an active participant in the walkthroughs (number dependent on number of students in class)

Class 7

5 March

Construction Phase

Continue activities listed above and begin constructing the proposed project

Break  10 - 23 March 2001

Class 8

26 March

Construction Phase

Provide either a status report or submit materials for walkthrough; Be an active participant in the walkthroughs (number dependent on number of students in class); continue work

Class 9

2 April

Construction Phase

Provide either a status report or submit materials for walkthrough; Be an active participant in the walkthroughs (number dependent on number of students in class); continue work

Class 10

9 April

Construction Phase

Provide either a status report or submit materials for walkthrough; Be an active participant in the walkthroughs (number dependent on number of students in class); continue work

Class 11

16 April

Construction Phase

First Draft of the Deliverables Due, including Implementation Plan

Class 12

23 April

Delivery Phase

Be an active participant in the walkthroughs on the deliverables (number dependent on number of students in class)

Class 13

30 April

Delivery Phase

Support Plan and Final Evaluation Plan Due

Class 14

5-11 May

Evaluation Phase

Final Project Due, including report on Lessons Learned and Actual vs. Budgeted schedule and resources

PROJECT PROPOSAL

The following guidelines must be used when completing the Project Proposal:

§         If you have questions on completing this form, you may email the instructor (vmock@faculty.ed.umuc.edu) prior to the beginning of the term.

§         All Project Proposals must provide the information specified in the Project Proposal Form attached. Complete the attached form by providing responses to each heading. Keep

§         the information in the same order and include all items.  If you wish to add more, then do so at the end.

§         Any project submitted will not be targeted to a specific student. The instructor reserves the right to assign any student to any project. No submitted project proposal is owned by a specific student or sponsor.

§         Consider the length of the term fourteen weeks from proposal to completion for grade. Ensure that the project scope does not exceed this very real constraint.

§         Even though the course description states that the student must “experience” the system-development cycles, it does not require that the student “do” all the steps in the cycle.  For example, a student or team could read/study previously created analysis and design documents, “do” the implementation, and also prepare an evaluation plan to be completed by other students or teams.  Similarly, a student or team could “do” the analysis, “do” the design and develop frameworks for implementation and evaluation phases to be completed by other students or team.

§         Please note that an INSS 680 Project is not just a “let's do one paper” project. It is expected that the student or team will do several tasks or phases in the systems development cycle. While installing a LAN is a neat thing to “do,” it does not in and of itself come close to meeting the letter or the spirit of the requirements for this course.

§         The proposal requires a definitive presentation of the tangible results expected from the project. These tangible results are hereinafter referred to as “deliverables.”  The deliverables must be presented in concrete terms that can be evaluated by a disinterested part

§         For example, the document(s) that will be created and the scope and detail that the documents must meet are deliverables, or an operational database with ten (10) input screens and six (6) standard reports are deliverables.

§         The following are presented as examples and as the beginning of a list of possible deliverables that a project may require. Remember a successful project will normally consist of several deliverables of this kind:

·        A LAN User Manual.

·        Analysis Documents that could include interviews, periodical research and other tasks associated with the analysis phase.

·        A detailed Design Document.

·        A Programer's/System Administrator's Maintenance Manual for an implemented database system.

·        A UNIX System Security Manual for System Administrators on AT&T 3B2 Computers.

·        Documented installation of a LAN with two (2) file servers, three (3) printers, and fifteen (15) fully functional workstations.

·        Documented installation of a relational database system.

·        The creation of a new functional module for an existing database.

·        The analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation of a reliable Client-Server file transfer system.

·        All projects must also include the development of an evaluation plan document (a deliverable) that may be used to evaluate the SDLC as well as the implemented system.

§         Organizations that wish to sponsor a student or a team in the INSS 680 Practicum should  be prepared to meet some or all of the following: 1) Provide adequate student access to software, systems, documentation, and other resources to allow students or teams to complete the project during the term, 2) Sign a Release of Liability with the University of Maryland, Overseas Division, 3) Provide a specific Point of Contact (POC) for the development and implementation of the project. Additionally, the organization will perform a role in ensuring that the project remains on schedule. This will possibly include meeting with students during the first class so that organizations and students or teams can be matched up.

§         Organizations wishing to formally present their projects to students during the first week of class to “drum up support/interest” are most welcome to do so.  They will need to provide the instructor with the information listed above.  She will then post the information for the WebTycho class.

This is the form to use for submitting a project proposal.  This form should be submitted the first week of class.  Use as much space as needed to answer each one of these items.  Detailed elaboration on some of these items will be expected during the course of the class.  This form is designed so that student, faculty, and sponsoring organizations can present a Project Proposal that meets the academic integrity of Bowie State University and the University System of Maryland. Specifically, the proposal must meet the following guidelines:

1.      Proposal Name:

2.      Name of Proposer(s):

3.      Project Description:

4.      How much time/effort do you expect that this project will require?

5.      Specific Deliverables:

6.      Sponsoring Activity/Unit:

7.      Sponsor Point of Contact (POC) Name and Telephone Number:

8.      Special Requirements:

a)      Security Clearance?  Yes/No

b)      Access to Users? Yes/No

c)      Other:

9.      What special skills must any student have who is assigned to this project?

Please do not try to use this requirement to select a student or a team that you personally want to work on the project. The more restrictive your requirements, the less likely it is that the instructor will accept them for a project. If there is only one person who meets your requirements, then hire them, or pay them overtime to do the project. Do not expect the instructor to give someone a grade in a graduate course to do another task at work.

10.  Sponsor Support (please have your project sponsor complete this part, if appropriate):

What days and times are available for the students to conduct work at your facilities? What hardware and software will be available for the student or team to use for the project? What physical documents, functional descriptions, current forms, requirements, etc., are available that will assist the student or team in defining this project?

11.  Some students and/or organizations may wish to get a Project Proposal approved to accomplish a task or project where the student currently works. If this pertains to your proposal, read the following and provide the set of rules requested in the paragraph below.  Otherwise, skip this section.

Those projects that have this conflict of interest are required to provide a clear, detailed and robust set of rules and evaluation methods that will be implemented. This set of rules is required to try to prevent any conflict of interest, or at least to minimize the conflict. It is your responsibility to provide the rules. Proposals that involve tasks or projects where a student currently works have inherent conflicts of interest. This item is a non-negotiable item for INSS 680 Project Proposals.

1.      Development of a system for a local firm: Under supervision, students will develop a small application for a computer-based management information system for a local firm, e.g., insurance company, payroll application, product/goods company.

2.      Development of a system for a local organization: Under supervision, students will develop a small application for a computer-based management information system for a local organization, e.g., membership database, classroom allocation and enrollment, inventory management, mass mailing for solicitation of funds and accompanying accounting data.

3.      Development of a system for a university, college, or school: Under supervision and help from the data processing unit of the university/college/school, the student will develop a system to benefit the university/college, e.g., alumni record and follow up system, bookstore order/accounting, on-line registration, scheduling program, etc.

4.      Other of interest to the student.

SAMPLE LIST OF PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED TOPICS

§         Automation of a small business

§         University print shop charge back system

§         Requirement determination and strategic selection for information systems for a particular company

§         Automating accounting control procedures for a company

§         Economic analysis of an automated identification card system

§         Development of an automated order processing system for an office automation system

§         Maintenance control system for a company

§         Cost benefit of information system

§         Personnel tracking system

§         Inventory system