Syllabus INSS 540 - Grant Wiswell

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Syllabus INSS 540 - Grant Wiswell

Maryland in Europe - Graduate Programs
Bowie State University, M.S. in Management Information Systems

INSS 540 -- INFORMATION MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS & DESIGN

Education Center, Sigonella (NAS 2), Italy	4 June to 26 July, 2002
2001-2002/Term 5	Tuesdays and Thursdays
Lecturer: Grant Wiswell	18:00 to 21:00

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Description

Objectives

Text

Grading

Office Hours

Schedule

Credit

3 semester hours of credit
Prerequisites: Either INSS 510, INSS 520, INSS 530 or permission of the instructor.

Course Description

This course provides an in-depth look at two principle phases of the information systems development life cycle: analysis of system requirements, and system design. We will consider various approaches to the gathering and analysis of system requirements, and we will see how a good specification of user requirements contributes to an effective system design. We will study both the structured and the object-oriented methodologies.

The course will cover CASE (computer-assisted software engineering) as applied to systems analysis, design and task estimating. Current trends will be a part of this course, including business process reengineering, client-server architectures, networks, and the UML (Unified Modeling Language). There will be an overview of other phases of the entire development life cycle, to gain a better understanding of the role of requirements specifications and design in the success of information systems.

Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course should then be able to understand:

How to look at an existing information system, define requirements for changes, and evaluate alternative solutions.
How requirements are combined with technology to create a system design.
How to document and communicate system requirements and designs to users.
The terms and concepts currently accepted in systems analysis and design.
How to apply the concepts and principles of systems analysis and design to given problems.

Text

Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World
   by John W. Satzinger, Robert B. Jackson and Stephen D. Burd.
    Course Technology Inc., 2nd edition, 2002.
  ISBN 0-619-06309-2

Course Evaluation

Grades for this course will be based on:

	Individual Homework Assignments	20%
	Term Project	25%
	Midterm Examination	25
	Final Examination	30

Computation of Final Grades for INSS 540

	A	90 to 100
	B	80 to 89
	C	70 to 79
	F	below 70

Office Hours and Communication

Students may request individual discussions before or after class, and by appointment. Messages may be left for me in the University of Maryland office, or by e-mail (phone numbers and e-mail address to be announced at beginning of term).

Also, I will try to keep a web site going during the term, where information and copies of assignments can be posted. The URL will be announced at the beginning of the term.

Policies

Class attendance is expected. Students are responsible for all material covered during lectures and discussions, as well as assigned textbook readings. In order to have lively and effective classroom discussions, students should read assignments and case studies and think about them before class.

On such matters as exceptional grades, academic dishonesty, interpersonal behavior and attendance, the policies expressed in the current Graduate Catalog of the University of Maryland in Europe will apply to this course.

Instructor

Mr. Wiswell received a BA in History from Stanford University, and an MA in History from the University of London. He worked for over twenty-five years in the computer industry as programmer, systems analyst, data base consultant and project manager. He has taught for the University of Maryland in Europe for eight years.

Project

There will be a term project where students can acquire the experience of using software engineering methods to organize information for problem-solving and to create useable designs. Because teamwork is a standard part of the professional software environment, at least some part of the projects will be conducted in teams. During the first week of the course, guidelines for project content will be handed out, and we will decide how to organize the projects in a way which allows for constructive student cooperation and at the same time encourages and recognizes individual student work.

Course Standards

Exams will cover both text and lectures. They will consist mostly of short answer essay questions, and technical problems in systems analysis and design. Each exam will include an essay question of the type found in the MIS Graduate program comprehensive exams.
Students will be graded primarily on their written work. Good presentation skills are also important, however, and will help contribute to the grade. In both written assignments and verbal contributions, students are encouraged to follow the maxim, "Content before form".

Written assignments:

Black ink on white A4 or 8.5x11 paper, in a standard typewriter face such as Courier, or 11- or 12-point Times New Roman. Line spacing double-spaced or 1.5.
No color or graphics, except for (1) charts or maps generated by the student to convey substantive information; or (2) as an artifact of the subject being studied, in support of a point discovered or being argued by the student.
Where there has been research, use a consistent, generally accepted, format for citations.

Tentative Course Schedule