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UMUC-Europe Syllabus UMUC-EUROPE GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Common Syllabus for ITEC 630

Course Title:

Information Systems Analysis, Modeling, and Design

Required Texts and Readings:

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American psychological association (5^th ed.). Washington, D.C.: APA. [KEN] Kendall, K. and Kendall, J. Systems analysis and design (7^th ed.) Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (ISBN 13: 9780132240857). The companion website is located as follows. Bookmark this site. http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_kendall_sad_6 [CHAT] Chatfield, C. S. & Johnson, T. D. Microsoft Project 2003 Step-by-Step. Microsoft Press, Book and CD-ROM edition. Readings from periodical articles may be assigned throughout the semester. The full text of these articles is available through UMUC’s Information and Library Services’ Web site. The student is responsible for the materials contained in assigned articles.

Supplementary Readings:

Defense Acquisition University, (2001). Systems engineering fundamentals. Ft. Belvoir, VA. (Basic information provided in the referenced readings). All graduate students should be prepared to utilize theUMUC online 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.

Recommended Journals:

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 IT professionals should become familiar with, many of these being published both weekly and on-line.

Course Description:

A study of systems analysis and design, using selected engineering and management science techniques and practices. Topics include requirements determination, modeling, decision making, and proposal development. The System Development Life Cycle Model, including system implementation and postimplementation activities, is examined. Emphasis is on the specification of the information system’s logical and physical analysis and design from a management perspective. Research and project assignments related to information systems analysis, design, implementation, and/or project planning and control, require individual and group work.

Course Goals:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should understand and be able to apply knowledge concerning: Fundamentals of systems analysis and design techniques and practices. Requirements determination, modeling, and decision making. The System Development Life Cycle. Current and emerging issues and trends in systems analysis and design.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion, the student should be able to: Design and analyze organizations’ information systems. Demonstrate competency in the development of systems requirements and design specifications. Define and discuss systems analysis and the design process. Apply selected engineering and management science tools and processes to select a systems design. Propose and justify a systems design. Apply analysis to portions of the System Development Life Cycle. Demonstrate familiarity with modeling, simulation, and analysis as they apply to decision making. Evaluate alternative physical implementations of a system.

Grading Information:

The final grade will be determined as follows: 15% -- Mid-term Examination 1 15% -- Mid-term Examination 2 20% -- Final Examination 20% -- Group Research Project 20% -- Individual Project 10% -- Participation According to the Graduate School grading policy, the following symbols and scale are used: A = excellent (90-100) B = good (80-89) C = passing (70-79) F = failure (less than 70) The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School. It indicates the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, i.e., has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, reasoned, well-organized and grammatically correct responses, whether written or oral. Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, who demonstrate exceptional comprehension and application of the course subject matter, merit an "A." Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they earn an "F."

Course Requirements:

Examinations: Two midterm tests and a final examination will be given. Group Research Project: Students will be assigned to project teams of 2 to 4 participants for the purpose of analyzing a specified topic that will involve a review of the recent scholarly and trade literature in a topical area approved by the professor. The paper should review the literature, distill the primary and fundamental issues, discuss the various possible solutions to the issues raised, identify where the "trends" are, and formulate a position. Students should expect to consult a host of articles and perhaps some books to perform an adequate literature search. The topic of the group research paper should be related to a main aspect of the course, the profession and practice of systems analysis. Individual Project: Students will work individually on a system design project to demonstrate their ability to apply the knowledge acquired in this course. The project will require students to perform requirements analysis, system and database design, and a project plan. Class Participation: Students are expected to participate in the Weekly Discussions.

Description of Course Requirements:

Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom. STATEMENT ON WRITING REQUIREMENTS: Effective managers and leaders are also effective communicators. Written communication is an important element of the total communication process. The Graduate School recognizes and expects exemplary writing to be the norm for course work. To this end, all analyses and papers must demonstrate graduate level writing ability and comply with the format requirements of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. All writing assignments will be graded on the basis of content, logic, analysis, mechanics, organization, and research. Careful attention should be given to source citations, proper listing of references, the use of footnotes, and the presentation of tables and graphs. Work submitted online should follow standard procedures for formatting and citation. POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic integrity is central to the learning and teaching process. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that will contribute to the maintenance of academic integrity by making all reasonable efforts to prevent the occurrence of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) obtaining or giving aid on an examination, having unauthorized prior knowledge of an examination, doing work for another student, and plagiarism of all types. PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person's idea or product as one's own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all or part of another's written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustrations, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas, conclusions, or research without citing the source; and using all or part of a literary plot, poem, film, musical score, or other artistic product without attributing the work to its creator. Students can avoid unintentional plagiarism by following carefully accepted scholarly practices. Notes taken for papers and research projects should accurately record sources of material to be cited, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, and papers should acknowledge these sources in footnotes. The penalties for plagiarism include a zero or a grade of F on the work in question, a grade of F in the course, suspension with a file letter, suspension with a transcript notation, or expulsion. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. DISABLED STUDENTS: Students with disabilities should contact the Director of Student Services, phone: +49-6221-378299, email: edstudent_svc@ed.umuc.edu, mailing address: Unit 29216. APO AE 09102 or Im Bosseldorn 30, D-69126 Heidelberg, Germany. COURSE EVALUATIONS: Feedback on each graduate course and instructor is important to the university, your professor, and to all UMUC students. UMUC has the responsibility to assess the effectiveness of classroom instruction, and each student has the responsibility to provide accurate and timely feedback through completion of the course evaluation form. This is a shared obligation for us all. It is therefore important that you complete the evaluation form for each course you attend. This should be viewed as an additional course and program requirement.

Course Schedule:

SESSION 1: Introduction System analysis and development methodologies Readings: KEN, chapter 1. SESSION 2: Requirements Determination: Interviewing Gathering data – sampling and interviewing Kinds of information sought Planning and conducting the interview Joint application design Gathering data – questionnaires and observation Planning for the use of questionnaires Using scales Designing and administering questionnaires Observing a decision maker’s behavior Observing the physical environment Readings: KEN, chapters 4, 5 SESSION 3: Prototyping Gathering data – prototyping Purpose of the prototype Approaches to prototyping User’s role Readings: KEN, chapter 6 Individual Research Project topic approval SESSION 4: Data Flow Diagrams and Data Dictionaries Analysis – data flow diagrams and data dictionaries Developing data flow diagrams Logical and physical DFDs Partitioning and leveling Data dictionaries and repositories Readings: KEN, chapters 7, 8 Work Group Project assignment 5: Feasibility and Risk Analysis Determining feasibility and project setup Project Fundamentals Selection of projects Activity planning and control Readings: KEN, chapter 3 Midterm Exam 1 Distributed SESSION 6: Systems Proposal Development Preparing and presenting the systems proposal Determining hardware and software needs Forecasting costs and benefits Comparing costs and benefits Writing and presenting the systems proposal Readings: CHAT, chapters 1, 2; KEN, chapter 10 Exercise: CHAT MS Project step-by-step Creating a task list SESSION 7: Systems Development Life Cycle Exercise: CHAT Setting up resources Assigning resources to tasks Readings: KEN, chapters 1, 4, 6; CHAT, chapters 3, 4 SESSION 8: Database Design and Implementation Design – database Conventional files and databases Data concepts Data normalization Guidelines for proper relational designExercise: CHAT Formatting and printing your plan Tracking progress on tasks Readings: KEN, chapter 13; CHAT, chapters 5, 6 SESSION 9: Human Computer Interaction Design – user interface and data entry Types of user interfaces Human factors and ergonomics Feedback for users Designing for productivity Effective coding Data capture Validation of dataExercise: CHAT Fine-tuning task details Fine-tuning resource and assignment details Readings: KEN, chapters 14, 15; CHAT, chapters 7, 8 10: Quality Assurance and System Metrics; ISO 9000 Standards Software engineering The TQM approach Software engineering and documentation Code generation and design reengineering Testing, maintenance and auditingExercise: CHAT Fine-tuning the project plan Printing project information Readings: KEN, chapter 16; CHAT, chapters 9, 11 SESSION 11: Midterm Exam 2 Distributed SESSION 12: System implementation Distributed system architectures Training programs for users of the new system Conversion strategies Information system security issues System evaluation Readings: KEN, chapter 17 Individual Projects due SESSION 13: Post implementation, fine-tuning, maintenance & Wrap up Group Research papers/presentations due SESSION 14: Final Examination Distributed Remarks: 1) The project should include several components: the requirements analysis, design, and planning of an information system. The planning part will require the use of MS Project. 2) Face-to-face classes may have the final exam during the 13^th session and conduct paper presentations during the 14^th session.

Academic Policies:

The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi." Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course. Students with disabilities should contact the appropriate support office at UMUC-Europe. Jan Keller, Director of Student Services UMUC-Europe, Heidelberg Phone: +49-6221-378299 Email: edstudent_svc@ed.umuc.edu Mailing Address: Unit 29216, APO AE 09102 OR Im Bosseldorn 30, D-69126 Heidelberg, Germany Please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following: Academic Integrity Course Load Exception to Policy Grade Appeal Process Make-up Examinations Nondiscrimination Code of Civility Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.