Western Illinois University - College of Business and Technology
Accredited by AACSB-International
IS 340 – Management Information Systems
Spring, 2017
Catalog Description: Management Information Systems (IS 340). (3 credits) Conceptual and practical approaches to computer-based information systems.
Instructor: Lawrence L. Andrew, M.S., M.B.A.
Office: Stipes Hall 442-I, (309) 298-1305, email: LL-Andrew@wiu.edu
web page: http://faculty.wiu.edu/LL-Andrew
Office Hours: M,W, F: 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM; T, H: 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM; Or by appointment.
Classes: Section 001 – T, H: 2:00 – 3:15 PM, Stipes Hall 322
Classes: Section 002 – M, W. F: 9:00 – 9:50 AM, Stipes Hall 322
Classes: Section 003 – M, W. F: 10:00 – 10:50 AM, Stipes Hall 322
Each class will meet one day every other week in Stipes 327 for work on spreadsheets (time/dates to be announced).
Required Textbooks: Valacich, Joseph & Schneider, Christoph (2010). Information Systems Today: Managing in the Digital World, 5e. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-706699-6.
Grauer, Robert T., Mulbery, Keith & Poatsy, Mary Anne (2017). Exploring Microsoft Excel 2016 Comprehensive. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. ISBN: 0-13-447944-0.
Handouts: to be distributed in class or through the computer network.
Additional Required Materials: Flash Drives, CD-RWs, or Floppy Disks as required. Additional costs may be involved in printing/binding projects, etc.
Course Description: This course is designed to provide you with the basics in information technology skills, analysis/problem solving skills, and related business and organizational skills so that you can function effectively as business professionals in an increasingly digital world. The format of this course consists of lectures, discussions, and problem sets. Textbook chapters, cases, and articles will be used to facilitate the in-depth understanding of multiple topics under each major area. The four major issues covered in the class include:
1. Fundamental Concepts and the operational decision-making and strategic roles of information systems;
2. Technological Foundation of information systems: hardware, software, storage, and telecommunications;
3. Development of information system solutions to business problems;
4. Applications of information systems toward supporting end-user activities, business operations, managerial decision making, and strategic advantage.
Course Objectives: This course introduces the principles of management information systems. It serves the non-specialist, undergraduate student – users rather than builders of systems. The major objective of this course is to acquaint students with enough knowledge about information management and information technology to function effectively as a user of organizational information systems.
As an Outcome of this course, students should:
1. Understand and appreciate the critical role information plays in business and government;
2. Understand information technology and appreciate the importance of computer-based information systems (CBIS) to modern business;
3. Understand and appreciate the roles played by senior management, MIS management, and users in MIS system development and operation;
Understand and appreciate the increasing use of information technology to raise productivity in business;
4. Possess necessary and sufficient knowledge of MIS concepts and applications for effective communication with information systems personnel;
5. Gain skills that are necessary to participate effectively in the development of integrated user-machine systems for providing information to support operations, management, analysis, and decision-making functions in business organizations;
6. Understand the importance of ethical behavior in information collection, processing, and dissemination;
7. Understand the importance and scope of political, social, legal, and regulatory trends in information collection, processing, and dissemination;
8. Understand and appreciate the importance of a team approach to systems work;
9. Understand the importance of professionalism, including dress, attitude, demeanor, outlook, and following specifications/requirements/instructions.
Policies: The primary sources of information will be the textbook and lectures. Other sources may include video presentations, guest speakers, library reserve works, or other ancillary material. Lectures will cover the main topics, but students will be responsible for all material covered and assigned in class. All assignments must be completed using a computer, should be free of grammatical and mechanical errors, and measure up to standards which would be acceptable in a business office. Keep in mind that computer equipment fails when you need it most; start early, and do not expect to print out your assignment minutes before it is due. All assignments are to be appropriately double-spaced, stapled (diagonally in the upper left corner), or placed in a cover (as assigned in class).
Note: Student Attendance and Grades will NOT be discussed over email, telephone, or in the classroom. Any such request will be ignored and will receive no response. These issues will be discussed in person in the instructor’s office only.
Note: The instructor reserves the right to make exceptions and changes to ALL parts of this syllabus on a class-wide or case-by-case basis with notice to students during regularly scheduled class meetings. Speak to the instructor during office hours if you believe you need an exception made to a policy identified in this syllabus.
Note on Cell Phones and Wireless Devices: Use of Cell Phones is STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the classroom. All audible devices MUST BE turned OFF, or set to SILENT/VIBRATE during class. Students may NOT text, email, surf the Web, or otherwise use such devices during the class period. Any student violating this policy will be ejected from the classroom for the class period and will receive an unexcused absence for that day. Multiple violations will require meeting with the department chair, the dean, and/or other university officials before returning to the classroom; any missed exams, quizzes or other classwork will receive a grade of zero (0).
Note on Recording Devices – any use of audio or video recording devices at any time during the course without prior approval of the instructor will be considered cheating and will result in immediate dismissal from the course and assignment of a failing grade for the entire course.
Attendance: (see Attendance link:) http://faculty.wiu.edu/LL-Andrew
Attendance is an important part of college classes and is required for all class sessions. No provision is made for absences or late assignments. If you must be absent you should notify the instructor before the beginning of class. Unexcused absences always result in no credit for that day’s work in class, including tests, quizzes, and homework. Requests for an excused absence should be made in writing prior to the incurred absence and should be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. Students are responsible for all material assigned or discussed in class, and the student carries the responsibility to obtain class notes and other materials or assignments presented during an absence. Attendance in class and taking the tests will not guarantee the best grade. Each student will be evaluated based on punctuality, preparedness, and meaningful participation in class activity and positive contribution to a classroom experience that is conducive to learning. Classroom etiquette requires you come to class on time, remain until class ends, and not maintain a conversation while the instructor or another student is speaking. If you must leave early, please do so without disrupting the class.
Attendance is taken daily and tardiness is recorded as an unexcused absence. Therefore, if you are in your seat when roll is taken, you are counted present; otherwise, you are counted absent. [Note: Keep in mind that at least you will get the benefit of hearing the material presented by attending class even though your tardiness counts against you for attendance purposes.]
Note: All students are required to have all necessary problem set materials (Excel text, disks, problem sets, etc.) in their possession and on their person to be permitted in the computer classroom. Students will not be permitted to attend these sessions without all necessary materials – text, disks, etc. Also, note that students are not permitted to surf the web, check email, work on other classes or assignments, or anything outside the boundaries of the IS340 spreadsheet assignments during these sessions. Any such behavior will result in the student being immediately dismissed from the lab. This places the burden to accomplish the spreadsheet assignments outside the lab periods, completely and on time, upon the student with no further input or assistance from the instructor. Students removed from the lab will receive an unexcused absence for that day.
Exams: Exam dates will be announced in class about a week in advance, and the final exam will be comprehensive. There are no make-up exams and provision for such will be made exclusively at the discretion of the instructor, who reserves the right to allow or deny any absence at his sole discretion. Students are expected to be present at the scheduled exam time. Medical emergencies and extenuating circumstances should be brought to the instructor’s attention before the exam begins. All exams are closed book and may consist of a combination of objective (true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blanks, etc.) and essay or case analysis questions. Unless advance arrangements have been made, there will be No Make-Up Tests. Any missed tests/quizzes will constitute a zero for that test/quiz.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be unannounced and may not be made up. Quizzes will be based on material previously discussed in class or on assigned readings.
Team Project: Every student must participate in and complete a team project/presentation. Students will work in teams of three or four and may not work on projects that are not their own. The team project is a very important part of the course learning experience. You are advised to begin the project early in the term by organizing project teams. If you fall behind or wait until the last minute to begin the project it will be extremely difficult to catch up or complete the project on time. Additional information regarding the project will be provided in class. Failure to participate in and submit all team projects and the presentation will result in a failing grade for the entire course.
Note: Business Professional dress (Business Formal, as explained in class) is Required for presentations. Also see http://www.umsl.edu/depts/career/files/pdfs/Professional%20Dress%20Handout.pdf and
http://www.iuk.edu/career-services/assets/pdfs/Professional%20Business%20Attire.pdf for examples.
Homework: Homework assignments must be handed in at the beginning of the class meeting (class starting time) on the due date to receive credit. Late assignments will receive no credit. Extensions without penalty will be permitted on a case-by-case basis at the instructor’s discretion.
NOTE: MINIMUM COURSE REQUIREMENT – Students must submit a minimum of four (4) of the six (6) Excel homework assignments (although all six count toward the final grade) or a failing grade will be issued for the entire course. These submissions must be made on time (when due), and must be up to standards of a reasonable expectation of success (i.e., must have all assigned components attempted and completed). Incomplete and late submissions will be considered as no submission having been made. For instance, simply handing in the raw/original file after filling in your name and a few numbers and/or formulas is NOT considered a reasonable expectation of success and will be considered as having failed to meet the minimum course requirement. The instructor’s decision on whether or not a submission meets these requirements is final.
Time Requirements: You will need to study/prepare every day since we move quickly through the assigned topics. A rule of thumb for college level classes is 2-3 hours outside of class in preparation for every hour in class. If you do not keep up, you will not be able to do either the project, quizzes, or tests. It is much easier to fall behind than to catch up. Planning this time is your responsibility.
Academic Dishonesty
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students are expected to complete their own assignments and submit their own work, and will be held responsible for their actions. Discipline will be enforced according to the regulations set forth in the Western Illinois University Undergraduate Catalog.
ADA: in accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies faculty of a specific need for accommodation. It is imperative that students bring such needs to the faculty member’s attention, as faculty are not legally permitted to inquire about such particular student needs. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations should contact their faculty to discuss emergency procedures. Contact Disability Support Services (298-2512) for additional services.
If you have a disabling condition that will require an accommodation in tests or class structure, please advise the instructor. http://www.wiu.edu/student_services/disability_resource_center/
Student Rights and Responsibilities: http://www.wiu.edu/provost/students.php
Drop Policy: Course Withdrawal Policy: http://www.wiu.edu/users/policies/
Note on Grades: No scores or grades are final until posted to your official academic record in the registrar’s office and posted on STARS.
Grading Components (subject to change with notice):
Exam #1 15%
Exam #2 15%
Exam #3 15%
Final Exam 15%
Quizzes 15%
Excel Assignments 15%
Project and Presentation 10%
Example of how to compute course PERCENTAGE (assume each component is worth 100 points):
Your score on each of the above 5 items is 86, 83, 90, 81, 75, 99, and 90, respectively. Your overall course percentage is {(86*.15)+(83*.15)+(90*.15)+(81*.15)+(75*.15)+(99*.15)+(90*.10)} =
{ (12.9) + (12.45) + (13.5) +(12.15) + (11.25) + (14.85) + (9.0)} = 86.1%
Your course grade, corresponding to 86.1% (using the table below) is B+.
Grading Scale:
|
PERCENTAGE |
GRADE |
PERCENTAGE |
GRADE |
|
>=90 |
A |
>=70 AND <74 |
C |
|
>=87 AND <90 |
A- |
>=67 AND <70 |
C- |
|
>=84 AND <87 |
B+ |
>=64 AND <67 |
D+ |
|
>=80 AND <84 |
B |
>=60 AND <64 |
D |
|
>=77 AND <80 |
B- |
>=57 AND <60 |
D- |
|
>=74 AND <77 |
C+ |
LESS THAN 57 |
F |
Course Outline (subject to change)
Week Topic
1 Introduction
2 Chapter 1 – Managing in the Digital World
3 Chapter 2 – Gaining Competitive Advantage Through IS
4 Chapter 3 – Managing the Information Systems Infrastructure and
Services
5 Tech Briefing 1 – Foundational Topics in IS Hardware, pp. 449 – 457
6 Tech Briefing 2 – Foundational Topics in IS Software, pp. 457 – 467
Exam 1
7 Tech Briefing 3 – Foundational Topics in Networking & the Internet,
pp. 467 – 488
8 Tech Briefing 4 – Foundational Topics in Database Management,
pp. 488 – 492
9 Chapter 4 – Enabling Commerce Using the Internet
10 Chapter 5 – Enhancing Collaboration Using Web 2.0
Exam 2
11 Chapter 6 – Enhancing Business Intelligence Using IS
12 Chapter 7 – Enhancing Business Processes Using Enterprise IS
Chapter 8 – Improving Supply Chains and Strengthening Customer
Relationships Using Enterprise IS
13 Chapter 9 – Developing and Acquiring IS
14 Chapter 10 – Securing IS
Exam 3
15 Project Presentations
16 Final Exam