INSS 540 INFORMATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

COURSE SYLLABUS

Initial Version, Subject to Change

CLASS TIMES: M, W 1845 to 2130	LECTURER: RON DICKINSON, Ph.D.
LOCATION: HEIDELBERG	PHONE: TBA
COURSE CREDIT: 3 HRS.	EMAIL: RDICKINS@FACULTY.ED.UMUC.EDU
PREREQUISITES: AS LISTED IN CATALOGUE OR PERMISSION OF LECTURER	OFFICE HOURS: ONE HOUR BEFORE CLASS AND BY APPOINTMENT
TEXTBOOK: ADDITIONAL READINGS AS ASSIGNED.	ASSIGNMENTS: Group Project, Group Presentation, Midterm, Comprehensive Final, Three Article Reviews AND/OR CASE STUDY ANALYSES. List of articles and cases will be available first week of class.

This course is about the practice of information systems development. There are two broad approaches to the design and development of information systems: Process-centered, and Heuristic. Process-centered approaches begin with some underlying model or checklist of how to "properly" develop an information system. The heuristic approaches emphasize steps to improve the current state of information processing, with few pre-conceptions. In the text and readings for this course you will become familiar with a range of techniques of both types. Having a checklist of how to "properly" design a system can be overly comforting however, the instructor will also emphasize the limitations in the applicability of systems design techniques.

About the Lecturer

Dr. Dickinson first began programming computers in 1964 with the first IBM System/360 mainframes. He was an IBM Systems Engineer for many years and worked with project managers in Fortune 500 corporations and government to apply IBM technology to many corporate information systems needs. He also spent several years in IBM HQ developing product and marketing strategies for IBM's networking, office and workstation product divisions. He also holds a M.S. and Ph.D in Marketing and MIS and emphasizes an integrated view of business and technical aspects of systems design and development. Ron also has been an independent consultant to small and medium sized businesses and e-businesses in the Pacific Northwest and an author of commercial software. Ron has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, in addition to Visual Basic and Java programming before coming to UMUC.

Course Assignments

The major assignment for this course is a group project. You will work with others to apply the course's techniques to a limited-in-scope but substantive design problem as your team's Group Project. The Group Project end product will consist of a comprehensive design document and a Group Presentation. The presentation is at the end of the term, about 20 minutes plus question period of 10 minutes. The midterm and final exam are short essay type questions over the concepts, terminology and usage of the systems design techniques covered in the text. There will also be a list of professional articles and case studies from which you may choose three to write an article review or a case analysis (about 500 - 750 words).

	Group Project This is a team assignment of 3-5 students that will undertake a limited in scope systems design problem. There are some candidate projects with the textbook, and the lecturer will consider proposals by the team so check around for a problem that needs a 'systems solution' that you think might be done in 6 weeks or so. The project is to include requirements investigation, feasibility analysis, design and implementation planning as well as a projected project budget. Your project document will be evaluated as to its completeness, correct use of design methods covered in class and clarity of organization and writing. Your group presentation will be evaluated by the rest of the class, and also by the lecturer (weighted 50/50).
	Article Reviews These assignments are individual assignments where graduate students will pick an article from a state-of-the-art journal (like Communications of the ACM) and write a precis of the article along with a critical analysis of its merits, limitations and its applicability to systems design practices.
	Midterm and Final Exams There will be a list of 10-15 possible questions for each test distributed before exam week. On the day of the exam the instructor will select some from the list which questions you are to write on for the exam itself. there will no more than 4 selected for the Midterm and no more than 7 for the Final exam.

Grading

Assignment	Weight
Group Project	35 %
Group Presentation	10
Article Reviews & Case Studies (3)	15
Midterm	15
Comprehensive Final	25

GRADING SCALE: 90-100% - A, 80-89% - B, 70-79% - C, Below 70% - FA.

Course Policies

Attendance
Regular class attendance is expected for all regular class meetings. If you should miss a meeting, it is your responsibility to obtain information concerning the material covered and upcoming assignments, and not the lecturers. If there is a quiz or other assignment due on that class period, previous arrangements should be made with the instructor whenever possible. 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. Cheating on tests, plagiarism on written assignments, or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in a "0" for the assignment. Note that a D or an F usually results in at least 60 or 50 points (out of 100), where violation of academic honesty results in none. 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 and complete all tests on the days they are due. If a student fails to complete any assignment or test, the resulting grade will be a "0," rather than an "F." Any other assignments will be marked down half a letter grade for each half week the assignment is late. Quizzes cannot be made-up unless the student had an excused absence. Major tests to be missed must be taken before the date the test is to be given in class. On the date of research presentations or project presentations, each person must be in attendance for all the class presentations. Otherwise, your group's presentation will be deemed late and a 10% reduction will be made. Peer evaluations of group projects is an important part of the learning process.

Class Preparation
Students are expected to come to class prepared. This means they should have read the materials assigned for class for that session and have prepared any pertinent assignments. Quizzes may be given and any time without warning.

Course Objectives

The objectives for this course are listed in each chapter. Questions on the midterm and final will be directly related to these goals, even though the topic may not be covered in class. Students completing class should acquire the following abilities: (more complete list on final syllabus)

	Develop a systems design project using the System Development Lifecycle Concept.
	Research, analyze and write professional grade systems requirements statement.
	Prepare and critique database ERD's from design specifications
	Evaluate the completeness of a systems design specification and the major risks to project completion.
	Prepare a systems implementation plan using either parallel conversion or cutover.
	Discuss Security systems appropriate for systems and their related databases
	Develop Specification Requirements for on-line intranet or internet systems and their related databases.
	Describe the process for developing applications, including development of Program Specification Requirements

The activities and assignments for this course are designed to help the student know, comprehend, and apply the basic concepts of systems analysis and design. In addition to the above academic course objectives, students are expected to improve their skills in the following areas:

Critical Thinking: Students should improve their ability to analyze computer user situations and make appropriate suggestions for resolving business problems through computer systems. The projects in this class encourage students to think critically about real-world situations.
Writing Skills: Students should improve writing skills through development of the article reviews and formal report on the major project and on the mid-term and final.
Oral Presentation Skills: Students should improve their presentation skills through their class discussions, and group presentations.
Computer Skills: Students are expected to improve their computer skills by using word processing and project management software. The use of Internet and e-mail are also encouraged. If available, use of system design aids (like Visio products) is encouraged.