CIMS 471 INTRODUCTION TO

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS & DESIGN

Spring 2010 - Course Syllabus

 

Instructor:

Dr. Linda K. Lau

Associate Professor of CIMS

Office:

Hiner G15-3

Phone:  434-395-2778

Section # B73

(hybrid)

T  2:00 p.m.  – 3:15 p.m. (in-class)

R  2:00 p.m.  – 3:15 p.m. (4 Thursdays for online tests and 1 Thursday for in-class presentation)

Room:  Hiner G20

Office Hours:

TR   8:30 a.m.  –  9:30 a.m.

TR  12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

I will respond to emails within 24 hours on weekdays. 

HANDBOX laulk@longwood.edu

 

Course Description

Course Prerequisites

Course Objectives

Text

Grades

Group Project

Tests

Final Exam

Attendance

Honor Code

Dishonesty Policy

Learning Disabilities

Weather Policy

Comments

Schedule

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Development of an information system from the analysis of present information flow, system specifications and equipment selection to implementation. Emphasis on analysis of existing systems and design of new systems.  3 credits. 

 

COURSE PREREQUISITES:  CIMS 370 Principles of MIS and CIMS 373 Database Management. 

 

Course Objectives:  The overall course objective is to provide students with the concepts and skills needed to analyze and design information systems.  The course concentrates on the front-end of the systems development process; that is, the course only lightly touches on the design and development of computer programs and their testing and maintenance (although the instructor will work through some elements of the whole development process on your project).

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

·         Describe the major alternative methodologies used in developing information systems and the considerations involved in choosing which methodology to use.

·         Produce the requisite systems documentation at each point in the analysis and design of an information system, and to do so with clarity and completeness.

·         Analyze a business need for information and to develop an appropriate strategy to solve the problem and provide the required information service.

·         Prepare and use various information gathering techniques for eliciting user information requirements and system expectations.

·         Construct and interpret a variety of system description documents, including physical and logical data flow diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, Structured English, structure charts, and decision tables, as well as screen, form, and report layouts.

·         Communicate effectively, in both written and oral forms, systems specifications, and to be persuasive in these presentations.

·         Develop a personal plan for improving yourself to become a better systems professional or user/manager of a system, by understanding your own strengths and weaknesses and matching those with the critical success factors of a modern business manager.

SAD_Textt.jpg  

Required Texts and Other Materials                      

·           Satzinger, Jackson, and Burd.  Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Ed, Boston, MA: Cengage Learning., 2009.  ISBN-10: 1435431448, which contains a free 90-day trial copy of Microsoft Project and Visio Professional.

·           A headphone with microphone that works with your computer. Web camera is optional.

·           Supplementary materials and lecture notes for this course are available on-line at the instructor’s Web site, http://www.longwood.edu/staff/laulk/CIMS471Spring2010Schedule.htm.  These files can be viewed using PowerPoint.  In order to conserve paper, students should print the notes in pure black and white and in a six-slide handout format.  It is very important that students have these lecture notes ready for each class.

·           All evaluation criteria and rubrics are available online on Blackboard, under the Course Documents link.

 

REQUIRED RESOURCES AND ONLINE COURSE POLICIES

·           Minimum computer and software requirements for Longwood Online courses can be found at  http://www.longwood.edu/online/hardware_req.htm. Please be sure that your primary and home computers meet these requirements.

·           Accessing the course through a high-speed Internet connection (DSL or cable) is advised. If you don’t have high-speed access from your home computer, you may want to view course content containing audio, video, or images from your work location or another location with high-speed access.

·           You are responsible for knowing the Longwood online policies. On the left side of the screen the menu lists links to “Student Responsibilities” and “Student Support”. Be sure to review ALL the student responsibilities before beginning this course. Longwood Technical Support will provide you information about how to resolve technical issues if they should arise. The Help Desk (434-395-HELP) solves technical problems. The instructor solves academic problems.

·           Students must maintain current system software and virus definition updates. Free anti-virus software is available for downloading. If your anti-virus software is not up-to-date, YOU MUST download the free anti-virus software!

 

GRADES

Description

Percentage

Scale

Grade

3 Surveys, CYPHIR, and Homepage

0

90 – 100

A

Chapter Quizzes (14)

14

80 – 89

B

Participation (online and in-class)

18

70 – 79

C

Four Tests

28

60 – 69

D

Semester Project and Final Report

30

< 60

F

Group Presentation

10

Total

100%

 

1.      3 SURVEYS, CYPHIR, AND HOME PAGE:  Students must complete 3 surveys, CYPHIR, and a personal homepage on Blackboard. These assignments are required but will not earn you any points toward the course. 

 

2.      14 CHAPTER QUIZZES:  Students must complete 14 chapter quizzes (Chapters 7, 11, and 12 are not required) which are administered online via the Longwood Blackboard system.  The deadline for all quizzes is listed on the Class Schedule and all quizzes must be completed by 11:55 p.m. of the date stipulated in the Class Schedule. Each quiz consists of 20 questions, which could be multiple-choice and true/false, and has a time limit of 20 minutes.

 

3.      PARTICIPATION:  Since this is a hybrid class, students will be evaluated based on the following two types of participation:

 

4.      TESTS:  Four online tests, which focus primarily on materials covered in class and in the textbook, will be administered during the semester using Blackboard.  The questions on the tests will be taken from the materials covered in the textbook and in class.  Students who cannot take the scheduled tests must discuss with the instructor in advance.  Makeup tests will only be given with prior notification and under extenuating and unavoidable circumstances.  The burden of proof of said circumstances is on the student.  Makeup examinations will usually differ from the original exam, and may be essay or oral.

 

Test #

Weights

Chapters

# of Questions

Time Limit

1

6 %

1-3 (3 chap)

60

60 minutes

2

8 %

4-6 and 8 (4 chap)

80

75 minutes

3

10 %

9,10,13,14,15

(5 chap)

75

75 minutes

4

4 %

16-17 (2 chap)

40

40 minutes

 

5.      SEMESTER PROJECT AND FINAL REPORT:  The semester project is an unstructured problem solving experience, and students should continue to progress with their projects based on the subject matter covered in class.  Each team must submit four milestones and a final written report, and the deadlines for these assignments are listed on the Class Schedule.  The project requirements, deliverables, evaluation criteria, etc. are available on Blackboard under the Course Documents link. 

a.       The semester project will be completed in teams of three or four students, and each team is responsible for developing a case project on its own. 

b.      Teams are formed on the first day of class.  Students may select their own teams; however, the instructor reserves the right to add or reassign team members at any time during the semester.  It is the sole responsibility of the students to ensure that they have a team to work with.  Students without a group will have to work on the project alone.

c.       Students are expected to meet their team’s expectations for attending team meetings, completing individual assignments, and contributing to the integration of those assignments into a cohesive team submission.  At the end of the semester, members must evaluate their peers’ group performance based on the criteria listed on the Peer Evaluation Form.

d.      While teams must make a reasonable attempt to inform fellow team members of meetings (in class coordination should be sufficient in most cases), it is each team member’s individual responsibility to contact their teammates if they have missed class or a meeting.  Teams should promptly notify the instructor of attendance or performance problems. 

e.       Team members who are not contributing to their team’s expectations may be ‘fired’ from the team.  Terminated team members will be given a copy of their previous team’s project work, but will be responsible for completing the project by themselves. 

 

6.      GROUP PRESENTATION:  During the last week of class, each team will perform a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation of its project to the class.  Professional attire is required.  The instructor will evaluate the group presentation based on the criteria listed on the Presentation Evaluation Criteria.

 

7.      FINAL EXAM:  There is no final exam – The group project and presentation will replace the final exam.

                                                                                     

8.      ATTENDANCE:  The attendance policy follows the guidelines stated in the Longwood Catalog (read http://www.longwood.edu/registrar/acadpol.htm#Class%20Attendance).  Students must assume full responsibility for any loss incurred because of absence, whether excused or unexcused. All work missed because of absences will receive a grade of zero.  Excused absences are those resulting from the student’s participation in a university-sponsored activity, from recognizable emergencies, or from serious illness.  Students are encouraged to participate actively in class discussion and presentation.

 

9.      LONGWOOD HONOR CODE:  All students must obey the Longwood Honor Code diligently.  The Honor Code is based on the need for trust in an academic community.  Longwood’s Honor Code is a system developed by and maintained for the welfare of its students, and all students should make sure that they read and understand the provisions outlined in the Student Handbook (read http://www.longwood.edu/judicial/honorsystem2.htm#Honor%20Code).  All work completed for this course will be considered pledged.  However, students are strongly encouraged to write the Pledge of Honor on every submitted assignment and tests:  I have neither given or received help on this work, nor am I aware of any infraction of the Honor Code.  CHEATING IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TOLERATED AT LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY.

 

10.  CBE ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY:  Cheating in any form will not be tolerated in the College of Business and Economics.  If the instructor determines that a student has cheated on an assignment, the grade of “F” may be assigned for the entire course.  “Cheating” is the use of unauthorized resources and/or work of another including but not limited to homework, tests, papers, presentations and exams.  Unless specifically instructed otherwise, students are to assume that all coursework is to be the work of the individual student alone.  If a student is unsure as to whether collaboration is permitted, the professor should be contacted in advance of performing the work.  If a faculty member penalizes a student in a course for an Honor Code violation, they should also bring formal charges against the student with the University Honor Board.     

 

11.  DISABILITY POLICY:  Any student who feels that he or she may need accommodations based on a learning disability should make an appointment to discuss the disabilities with the instructor or Dr. Sally Scott at The Office of Disability Services (434-395-2391).

 

12.  Inclement Weather Policy:  In cases of inclement weather, commuter and campus based disabled students will be permitted to make decisions about whether or not to attend classes without penalty.  If the University is open, it is expected that residence students will attend all classes being held that day.  Canceled classes will not be rescheduled since students should utilize the canceled class period as computer lab time.

 

13.  COMMENTS

a.       The instructor reserves the right to make any appropriate and necessary changes to the class schedule and syllabus. 

b.      Students are responsible for all materials covered in class as well as materials in the textbook.  If you must be absent, the instructor assumes that you have obtained notes from a classmate.  Any student having difficulty with the materials should make an appointment to see the instructor.

c.       Private conservations between students are disruptive and annoying to both the instructor and other students. Therefore, students with disruptive and annoying behaviors are dismissed from class until the behavior is under control.

d.      The instructor will NOT accept any file attachments via e-mails from students.  All assignments must be submitted to Blackboard.  

CLASS SCHEDULE

Go to the Top

Go to the Computer Information Management Systems Concentration Home Page

Go to the College of Business and Economics Home Page

Go to the Longwood University Home Page

If you have any comments, corrections or suggestions, please don't hesitate to Email me at laulk@longwood.edu or call me at 434-395-2778.  Also, my office hours and class schedules are listed on my homepage.

This page was last updated on January 7, 2010.