Faculty Contact Information:
Mailing Address:
UMUC - Unit 29216, APO AE 09102
Phone (in Germany):
49(0)6224/929773
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Consultation:
In classroom, half an hour before the start of class. Other times by appointment.
Note: For specifics on class meeting times contact the MS in MIS Program Director, John Meinke, at jmeinke@ed.umuc.edu or DSN 370-6762, or the instructor.
As this is a "technologically enhanced" course, we will communicate via the MIS webboard
http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~mis
between the face-to-face sessions.
Students shoulld post a progress report there every two weeks, and also check there frequently to post questions and to answer questions posted there by others.
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Required Texts and Readings:
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There is no text for this course.
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Supplementary Readings:
The standard for papers in the graduate program is the APA style. All participants in this course and all graduate INSS, MGMT, PUAD, and ECON courses should have a copy of the style guide:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. Washington DC: Author.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
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Recommended Journals:
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Publications of the various professional societies (such as ACM -- the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computing Society, and the various management professional societies) are strongly recommended. In addition, there are many trade journals (such as eWEEK) that MIS professionals should become familiar with, many of these being published both weekly and on-line.
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Course Description:
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3 semester hours credit. Prerequisites: INSS 540, INSS 550, INSS 620, and advancement to candidacy in the M.S. program. Provides the student with practical experience in analyzing, designing, implementing, and evaluating an information system in educational, industrial, governmental, or military environments. The student completes 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) and is normally conducted over two terms.
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Course Goals:
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1. Critical Thinking: Students should improve their ability to analyze information and develop appropriate summarizing and reporting techniques.
2. Writing Skills: Students should improve writing skills through development of the Project Proposal and project documentation.
3. Oral Presentation Skills: Students should improve their presentation skills through oral presentations and structured walkthroughs of the project in process.
4. Computer Skills: Students are expected to improve their computer skills implementing a systems analysis and design project. In addition, the conduct of the course will make extensive use of the webboard.
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Course Objectives:
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1. Directly apply the SDLC (systems development life cycle) methodology
2. Participate proactively in a structured walk-through of code
3. Evaluate critically (on a managerial level) a systems analysis, design, and implementation proposal
4. Identify, describe and model procedures for information systems projects
5. Demonstrate data reporting and analysis techniques
6. Demonstrate technical writing skills
7. Demonstrate oral reporting skills appropriate for a managerial environment
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Grading Information:
A grade of Pass (P) will be achieved with a minimum of 70%
The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs.
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Course Requirements:
60% of the course grade comes from the presentations to be given at each of the four sessions:
1. Initial proposal
2. Report on progress to date
3. report on progress to date
4. Final Presentation
The grade for each presentation comes 60% from content, 20% from the quality of the oral presentation, and 20% from the quality of the visuals.
40% of the course grade comes form the deliverables (see Description of Course Requirements), due at the final class session. Of equal weight in evaluation of the deliverables are:
1. content
2. correctness
3. degree of completion
4. presentation (quality of English, correct use of APA style, etc.)
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Description of Course Requirements:
Since the goal of the project is completion of the project, the bulk of the formal meeting times will be devoted to achieving this goal. This will be accomplished via formal status reports on the projects, beginning with the Project Proposal which each student is expected to present at the first class session.
Each participant in the course should have a formal presentation of the project proposal prepared for the first class. The group will evaluate the strength of each proposal and will recommend appropriate modifications (evaluating the strength of the proposal as well as recommending modifications to the scope.)
The Project Proposal Form should have been drafted at that point. This will be the basis for the presentation. A notebook with Power Point as well as a projection device will be available for the presentation. Note that while group projects are possible, they are not encouraged, and group projects should not involve more than two participants.
This not a lecture type of course. The instructor's responsibility will be to guide the student toward successful completion of the project. Students have responsibility to provide constructive suggestions regarding the projects of others.
Project Proposal for Information Systems Practicum -- INSS 680
Project Proposals are due to the instructor in draft form no later than the first class meeting. You are also expected to prepare a presentation of your proposal to be given during the first class session. Project Proposals are due in finalized form the second day of the session, incorporating feedback given by the class as appropriate.
The project proposal form is available at:
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~sdean/680Proposal.doc
The form is designed so that student, faculty, and organization can present a Project Proposal that meets the academic integrity of Bowie State University and UMUC - Europe.
Specifically, the proposal must meet the following guidelines:
This course 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.
The following guidelines must be used when completing the Project Proposal:
Consider the length of the course - two eight week terms. Ensure that the project scope does not exceed this very real constraint.
The course description states that the student must "experience" the system-development cycles. This 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 evaluate phases to be completed by other students or teams.
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 INSS 680.
The proposal requires a definitive presentation of the tangible results expected from the project. These tangible results are hereinafter referred to as "deliverables".
a. 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.
b. The deliverables must be presented in concrete terms that can be evaluated by a disinterested party.
c. 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.
i. A LAN User Manual.
ii. Analysis Documents that could include interviews, periodical research and other tasks associated with the analysis phase.
iii. A detailed Design Document
iv. A Programmer's/System Administrator's Maintenance Manual for an implemented database system.
v. A UNIX System Security Manual for System Administrators on AT&T 3B2 Computers.
vi. Documented installation of a LAN with two (2) file servers, three (3) printers, and fifteen (15) fully functional workstations.
vii. Documented installation of a relational database system.
viii. The creation of a new functional module for an existing database.
ix. The analysis, design,
implementation, and evaluation of a reliable Client-Server file transfer system.
Any project that "does" an implementation (a deliverable) must also include the development of an evaluation document (a deliverable) that may be used to evaluate 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 requirements:
a. Allow adequate access to software, systems, documentation, and other resources to allow students or teams to complete the project during the term.
b. Sign a Release of Liability with the University of Maryland, Overseas Division.
c. 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.
d. Organizations wishing to formally present their projects to students at the first class meeting to "drum up support/interest" are most welcome to do so. This is not a requirement, but an invitation, if you wish to sell your project.
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Course Schedule:
Please note that this is a 16 week course.
First Session: presentation of proposals and critical evaluations of such by the group.
Second Session: work-in-progress reports, with critical evaluations of such by the group, involving structured walkthroughs.
Third Session: work-in-progress reports, with critical evaluations of such by the group, involving structured walkthroughs.
Final Session: Presentation of the final project, and submission of project deliverables.
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Academic Policies:
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Please refer to the UMUC - Europe Graduate Catalog, available online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs/index.html or from your local Education Center, for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
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Faculty Bio:
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Dr. Dean earned the BA in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University, and the MS and PhD in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She has worked at various times as a programmer, programmer/analyst, systems analyst, and project manager in the areas of medical information systems, small business support, and life insurance. Since 1975, she has been involved in teaching and curriculum development in computing, most recently at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. She has served on the Board of Directors and as President of the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges. She serves on the Regional Board of the CCSC Southeastern Conference. Her areas of interest include curriculum development, database management systems, programming languages, security, and operating systems.
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