Title: MIS 4596 Syllabus
Course: Information Systems Integration
Professor: Carey O’Donnell
Prerequisite
C or better in MIS 3502 (old MIS 83) and MIS 3535 (old MIS 394)
Course description and goals
MIS 4596 is the capstone for the BBA in MIS program. In this course, you will integrate what you
learned in previous courses and get ready for the workplace. The three major themes in this course are:
 Integration – What does it mean?
 Innovation – What does it mean?
 How do you balance integration and innovation?
Class discussion is an integral part of the course; therefore, I expect full attendance by every member of
the class. I also expect you to arrive on time to class. I will evaluate your participation based on a
number of factors. Attendance is a factor (if you do not attend class, you cannot participate), but your
contribution to the class discussions is the most important. A good level contribution requires a
combination of frequency and quality. This requires you to come prepared to class, having read the case
studies and articles due that day. You won’t receive credit for token contributions that clearly indicate
that you were unprepared.
You can also participate online. The class site includes a facility to comment on course topics. Each
student will also be able to blog about their ideas and easily share their ideas with the rest of the class.
We are using a completely new kind of software that will enable new kinds of interaction and
opportunity for participation. Surprise me!
Grading
25% Participation
 In-class attendance and active engagement
 Online participation on the MIS community site
 Peer assessment (part of project 4)
30% Projects 1, 2, and 3
10% In-class presentations
35% Project 4
Grading Criteria
A and AThe assignment consistently exceeds expectations. As such, it demonstrates originality of thought and
creativity throughout. Beyond meeting all the required elements, new concepts and ideas are detailed
that transcend general discussions along similar topic areas. There are very few mechanical,
grammatical or organizational issues that detract from the presented thoughts.
B-, B, B+
The assignment consistently meets expectations. As such, it contains all the information prescribed for
the assignment and demonstrates a command of the subject matter. There is sufficient detail to cover
the subject completely but not too much as to be distracting. There may be some procedural issues –
such as grammar.
C-, C, C+
The assignment fails to consistently meet expectations. As such, the assignment is complete but
contains problems that detract from the intended goals. These issues may be grammatical, relating to
detail or possess general lack of clarity. Other problems might include the inability to follow directions
set forth in assignment descriptions.
Below CThe assignment constantly fails to meet expectations. It is incomplete, without merit and/or consistently
does not show that the student has a firm grasp on the material.
Plagiarism, Academic Dishonesty and Citation Guidelines
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty can take many forms. The most obvious is copying from another
student’s exam, but the following are also forms of this:
 Copying material directly from the Internet (or another source) without a proper citation
crediting the author
 Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own
 Having someone else complete your assignment and submitting it as if it were your own
 Signing someone else’s name to an attendance sign-in sheet
 If you use text, figures, and data in reports that were created by someone other than yourself,
you must identify the source and clearly differentiate your work from the material that you are
referencing. If you fail to do so you are plagiarizing. There are many different acceptable formats
that you can use to cite the work of others (see some of the resources below). The formats are
not as important as the intent. You must clearly show the reader what is your work and what is
a reference to somebody else’s work.
Plagiarism is a serious offence and could lead to reduced or failing grades and/or expulsion from the
university. The Temple University Student Code of Conduct specifically prohibits plagiarism
(seehttp://www.temple.edu/assistance/main_code.html).
The following excerpt defines plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person’s labor, ideas, words, or assistance. Normally,
all work done for courses — papers, examinations, homework exercises, laboratory reports, oral
presentations — is expected to be the individual effort of the student presenting the work. There are
many forms of plagiarism: repeating another person’s sentence as your own, adopting a particularly apt
phrase as your own, paraphrasing someone else’s argument as your own, or even presenting someone
else’s line of thinking in the development of a thesis as though it were your own. All these forms of
plagiarism are prohibited both by the traditional principles of academic honesty and by the regulations
of Temple University. Our education and our research encourage us to explore and use the ideas of
others, and as writers we will frequently want to use the ideas and even the words of others. It is
perfectly acceptable to do so; but we must never submit someone else’s work as if it were our own,
rather we must give appropriate credit to the originator.
Source: Temple University Graduate Bulletin, 2000-2001. University Regulations, Other Policies,
Academic Honesty. Available online at:
http://www.temple.edu/gradbulletin/regulations/regulations4.html
For a more detailed description of plagiarism:
Princeton University Writing Center on Plagiarism:
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/writing/wc4g.htm