Course Meets:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00 - 11:50

Office Hours:

I am in my office most of the time. However, I have set aside some specific hours to make it easier for students to find me. Those hours are Monday-Friday 3:30-5:00 PM, except for the following Thursdays: Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 18, Dec. 9. If you would like to be sure that I am in my office at another time, just make an appointment to see me.

Catalog Course Description

Introduction to fundamental concepts in management information systems, the role of computers in MIS, etc. Topics include analysis of available hardware and software, database management systems, and development and management of an information system. Prerequisite: Computer Science 101.

Course Overview

The U.S has entered the information age and this has drastically changed how business is done. Some of the key components of this new age are the availability of large amounts of information, the existence of high speed networks to move the information, and improved computer interfaces that allow people without professional training to use these resources.

Businesses and individuals that fail to make use of the new informational resources will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. The first part of this course is designed to give students a basic understanding of how the information revolution is transforming contemporary organizations. The second section covers some technical aspects of the information systems that have made this revolution possible. In this section computer hardware, networking technology, and the software of information systems will be discussed. The final section of the course covers techniques to build effective information systems.

Course Objectives:

Students who complete successfully CSC 207, should be able to:

• Understand the fundamental concepts of management information systems
• Weigh alternative approaches to the management of information systems
• Appreciate the role information systems play in today's world
• Articulate why information system projects frequently fail to deliver the desired results
• Understand the critical importance of quality information in decision making and the role of computer technology in making that information available
• Articulate current issues in information systems, particularly as they relate to management of businesses
• Speculate about what factors are likely to play important roles in future information systems

Required Material:

Laudon, Kenneth C. & Jane P. Laudon. Management Information Systems: Organization and Technology in the Networked Enterprise. Fifth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. (Price $64.50)

Text website: (http://cw.prenhall.com/~bookbind/pubbooks/laudon/)

A few floppy disks.

Class attendance:

Students are expected to attend each scheduled class session. If a student needs to miss a class he or she should notify the instructor in advance. However, merely attending class is not enough. For a student to receive an A or B grade for class participation he or she needs to participate actively in the class discussions.

Because this course covers a rapidly changing field, some material will be covered that is not in the textbook. Due to time constraints we will not be able to cover all the material presented in the textbook. You will be tested only on the material presented in class (including student presentations). If you do have to miss class you may want to review another student's notes to prepare for the exams.

Grading Scale:

Grade	Percentage
A	90 - 100%
B	80 - 89%
C	70 - 79%
D	60 - 79%
F	0 - 59%

Grade Distribution:

Component	Percentage
Exam 1	12 %
Exam 2	12 %
Final Exam	25 %
Regular assignments	16 %
Current trend reports	5 %
Major project	20 %
Participation	10 %

 

Academic Honesty:

Students are referred to the policy outlined in the student handbook (The Maggie).

 

Course Outline:

 

Part 1: Organizational Foundations of Information Systems

Week	Chapter	Topics covered
Wed, Sept 1		Introduction
Fri, Sept 3	1	The role of information systems in an organization
Mon, Sept. 6	1	New opportunities with technology
Wed, Sept 8	2	The six major types of information systems
Fri, Sept 10	2	Strategic information systems and business strategy
Mon, Sept 13	2	Managing systems to gain competitive advantage
Wed, Sept 15	3	The nature of organizations
Fri, Sept 17	3	How organizations affect the information systems they use
Mon, Sept 20	3	How information systems change organizations
Wed, Sept 22	4	What do managers do?
Fri, Sept 24	4	Individual and group decision making
Mon, Sept 27	4	How information technology is changing management
Wed, Sept 29	5	Ethics in an information society
Fri, Oct 1	5	Moral dimensions of information systems
Mon, Oct 4	1-5	Review
Wed, Oct 6		First exam

 

 

Part 2: Technical Foundations of Information Systems

Week	Chapter	Topics covered
Fri, Oct 8	6	CPU and primary storage
Mon, Oct 11	6	Secondary storage considerations
Wed, Oct 13	6	Trends in information technology
Fri, Oct 15	7	Introduction to system software
Mon, Oct 18	7	New trends in software
Wed, Oct 20	7	Managing software assets
Fri, Oct 22		Fall break
Mon, Oct 25	8	Introduction to databases
Wed, Oct 27	8	Emerging database technologies
Fri, Oct 29	8	Database management issues
Mon, Nov 1	9	Revolution of the telecommunication industry
Wed, Nov 3	9	Computer networking
Fri, Nov 5	9	Electronic business technologies
Mon, Nov. 8	10	The Internet
Wed, Nov 10	10	Electronic commerce
Fri, Nov 12	10	Intranets
Mon, Nov 15	6-10	Review
Wed, Nov 17		Exam

 

Part 3: Building Information Systems

Week	Chapter	Topics covered
Fri. Nov 19		Written portion of major project due
Nov. 22-26		Thanksgiving break
Mon, Nov 29	11	System development and organizational change
Wed, Dec 1	11	Understanding the business value of information systems
Fri, Dec 3	12	System development lifecycle
Mon, Dec 6	13	Quality Information systems
Wed, Dec 8	14	Why information systems projects fail
Fri, Dec 10	11-14	Review
Mon, Dec 13		Comprehensive final at 10:30 AM

 

Notes on assigned readings:

In this course you will do more reading than in most computer science courses. In addition to the text there will be course handouts and readings on the Web. To grasp the material that you read for this course (both the textbook and outside articles) consider the following questions while you read.

• What is the main purpose of this article?
• What is the key question raised by the author?
• What is the most important information in this article?
• What are the main conclusions of this article?
• What are the key concepts one needs to understand?
• What are the main assumptions made by the author?
• If people fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, what are the implications?
• What are the main points of view included in this article?

Suggestions are from: Paul, Richard & Linda Elder. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts & Tools. Cotai, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking, 1998.

Major Project:

Each student is required to prepare a ten page paper on a topic related to Management Information Systems. Students should submit a one page proposal with at least two references by Monday, September 27. The final paper is due Friday November 19 and must include at least 6 references.

Each student will be expected to make an 8 to 10 minute presentation to the class based on his or her paper. These presentations will be scheduled for class sessions from November 30 to December 8.

 

Current trend reports:

Each student is required to prepare 3 current trend reports. For these reports a student should locate an article or chapter about some issue related to information technology and write a one page review of the article. The student should include a full citation of the article using the documentation protocol given in Allen Metcalf's Research to the Point. In the class session following the day the reviews are turned in, each student will be asked to give a short presentation to the class about the article he or she reviewed. This presentation should only be a few minutes long.

Current trend reports	Written report due	Oral presentations
Review 1	September 15	September 17
Review 2	October 13	October 15
Review 3	November 10	November 12

Regular homework assignments:

Results of all the Prentice Hall Web site assignments should be e-mailed to the instructor at: kpalmer@mac.edu.

 

Due	Assignment
Sep 6	Complete the true false exam for the first chapter. http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/laudon/chapter1/deluxe.html
Sep 13	Complete the multiple choice exam for the second chapter. http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/laudon/chapter2/multiple1/deluxe-content.html
Sep 20	Complete the essay exam for the third chapter http://cw.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/laudon/chapter3/multiple1/deluxe-content.html
Oct 1	On separate handout
Oct 11	Complete the multiple choice exam for chapter 6 on the Web
Oct 18	Complete the multiple choice exam for chapter 7 on the Web
Oct 27	Complete the multiple choice exam for chapter 8on the Web
Nov 3	Complete the multiple choice exam for chapter 9 on the Web
Nov 10	On separate handout
Dec 1	Complete the essay exam for chapter 11 on the Web
Dec 8	On separate handout

MacMurray College Homepage

Department of Computer Science Homepage

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Kent Palmer Homepage
e-mail instructor

Page Last modified: October 21, 1999