Faculty Contact Information:
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jkeohane@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
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Consultation:
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Since this course is being given as DE, the instructor is available by Email only.
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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:
Presentations (4) 50%
Final Report and Deliverables 35%
Participation 15%
A grade of Pass (P) will be achieved with a minimum of 80%
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:
Presentations - 4, totaling 50% of course grade
Presentation 1 - Initial Proposal
Content - 15%
Written - 5%
Visuals - 5%
Presentation 2 - Work to date
Content - 15%
Written - 5%
Visuals - 5%
Presentation 3 - Work to date
Content - 15%
Written - 5%
Visuals - 5%
Final Presentation
Content - 15%
Written - 5%
Visuals - 5%
Final Report and Deliverables - 35% of course grade - due on May 13
Content - 25%
Correctness - 25%
Degree of Completion - 25%
Presentation (Quality of English, etc.)- 25%
Participation - 15% of course grade
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Description of Course Requirements:
The goal of the project is completion of the project. Each student will post a written initial proposal at the beginning of the second week. The proposal will be accepted or rejected by the instructor. If it is rejected by the instructor, the student and the instructor will find a more suitable project. Students are expected to provide feedback on other students' proposals.
Students will demonstrate progress toward the completion of their proposed work in a sequence of four presentations. Each presentation will consist of a written report accompanied by a PowerPoint file of slides. Although the student will obviously be unable to provide commentary on the slides, the instructor will evaluate them based upon the written report, which will reference the slides. Students are expected to provide feedback on other students' presentations. Feedback on other students' proposals and presentations will constitute the participation portion of the course, which amounts to 15% of the grade.
You are required to conduct professional-level work, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. 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.
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 proposals must meet 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:
Jan 24-Jan 29
Introduction
Jan 30
Initial proposal due
Feb 13
Presentation 1 due
March 6
Presentation 2 due
April 10
Presentation 3 due
May 8
Final Presentation, Report and Deliverables due
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Academic Policies:
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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 and 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
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.
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Faculty Bio:
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John Keohane earned his BA in Mathematics at Bowdoin College and his MS and PhD in Computer Science at SUNY at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University). He has been teaching on the college/university level for more than 26 years, more than 9 of which have been with the European Division of UMUC.
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