MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
MIS 406-2: Information Systems Design
San Diego State University
College of Business Administration
Department of Management Information Systems
Administration
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Class: Tuesdays, 4:00 – 6:40 pm, EBA 254
Instructor: Dr. Robert H. August
Office: EBA 322
Phone: 210-548-8547 voice/text
raugust@mail.sdsu.edu (Please put MIS 406 in subject line of email)
Office hours:
o Tuesdays and Thursdays, after 9:00 am class and 1:00 – 2:00 pm
o Other times by appointment (e-mail for appointment)
o I will also usually be available to meet with you immediately before and/or after class
 Blackboard
o This course is administered through Blackboard. Every student is responsible for
checking the Blackboard site to obtain detailed assignments, announcements and
updates to course requirements. Once something is posted on Blackboard, it is assumed
that the student has read it. There might be no other announcement, and the professor
will not necessarily use class time to call attention to items posted on Blackboard.
Course Content
 Catalog description:
 Business information systems design, installation, and implementation as part of the systems
development life cycle, with emphasis on structured design methodology.
 Student learning outcomes (SLOs)
o After succeeding in this course, students will be able to:
 work in a project-team setting
 perform all aspects of the SDLC design phase
 perform all aspects of the SDLC implementation phase
 understand and articulate the benefits and limitations of the steps and
deliverables used in information systems design and implementation projects
o Accomplishing these learning objectives contributes in a positive way to students
meeting the goals of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA). BSBA
graduates will be Effective Communicators, Critical Thinkers, Able to Analyze Ethical
Problems, Global in their Perspective, and Knowledgeable about the Essentials of
Business.
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
 Textbook
o Dennis, A., Wixom, B. H., and Roth, R.M.; Systems Analysis Design, fifth edition. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. ISBN: 978-1-118-05762-9.
 Recommended supplemental books:
o Shepherd, R., Microsoft Access 2010 VBA Macro Programming, McGraw Hill, 2011, ISBN:
978—0-07-173857-6
o MacDonald, M., Access 2010: The Missing Manual, O’Reilly, 2010, ISBN:978-1-44938237-7
 Other readings
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Additional readings will be assigned during the course of the semester. These will
normally be accessible online or through the library reserve system.
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
Tentative class schedule
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Important: Students are responsible for checking the ASSIGNMENTS tab on Blackboard
to get updates to this schedule and detailed preparation requirements for each class
session.
Date
Reading
Topic
Assignment
1/25
Ch. 11
Student Information
Sheet
2/2
Ch. 7
Ch. 13 (471473, 481-490)
Course Introduction
Data Storage Design
Access - tables
Moving into Design
Managing the IS Project
Access - queries
2/9
Ch. 8
2/16
Ch. 9
2/23
Ch. 9
3/1
3/8
Ch. 10
3/15
Ch. 10
3/22
Ch. 12
3/29
4/5
Ch. 13
4/12
None
Ch. 14
4/19
4/26
5/3
5/10
none
Architecture Design
Access - forms
User Interface Design
Access - VBA
User Interface Design (continued)
Consulting
Mid-term Exam
Consulting
Program Design
Consulting
Program Design (continued)
Consulting
Moving into Implementation
Consulting
Spring Break
Transition to the New System
Consulting
Security Modeling
The Movement to Objects
Consulting
MIS 406 Jeopardy
Finalizing Requirements/Catchup
Last day for consulting
Team Presentations
Final 3:30 – 5:30 pm
MIS 406 Semester
Project Assigned
Handout on
Blackboard
Assignment #1 due
Assignment #2 due
Assignment #3 due
Assignment #4 due
Ch 7 – 9, & 11
Assignment #5 due
Assignment #6 due
Assignment #7 due
Assignment #8 due
Assignment #9 due
Assignment #10 due
Ch 7-14 Exam
Project Notebook
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
Semester project
 Description
o The focus of the course is on developing skills needed to perform the design and
implementation phases of a simulated information-system development project. Each
member of the class will be assigned to a group, and the semester project will be
performed as a group activity. There will be a number of specific deliverable items that
will be created by each group and presented to the rest of the class. The group project
will consist of a working prototype and supporting documentation for a simulated
information-system project.
 Expectations
o All members of the class are expected to participate in the group project. This will entail
a significant amount of coordination and meetings outside of class. Students should plan
on allocating time in their weekly schedule for this purpose.
 Deliverables
o Each group will collect its deliverable products into an electronic notebook. Because of
the iterative nature of SAD, it will be necessary to continually revise and update the
various items in the notebook as the project proceeds through its several steps and
reviews. The electronic notebooks and prototypes will be turned in for grading at the
end of the semester.
o Each group will present portions of its work when called upon throughout the semester.
Random selection will be used to decide which groups present during various class
meetings. Be prepared to present at every class meeting!
o Each group will present a formal summary of its work at the end of the semester, in the
form of a PowerPoint presentation.
 Prerequisites
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To perform successfully on the semester project, you must have completed ALL the
prerequisite courses for MIS 406.
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
Individual assignments and participation
 Requirement
o Individual class participation and completion of assignments is required.
 Individual assignments
o Detailed reading assignments will be posted on Blackboard in advance of each class
meeting. Ten graded individual homework assignments will be given during the course
of the semester. Students are expected to do the reading, ask questions during class,
and volunteer to discuss their work.
 Student Information Sheet
o To get full credit for participation, students must complete the student information
sheet. The sooner the information sheet is provided the easier it will be for the
instructor to learn the name and keep track of participation. Delay in getting your
information submitted may adversely affect your participation grade.
o Submit your form to the Blackboard.
Attendance
 Attendance will be taken during some, but not all, class meetings. There is no need to contact
the instructor to give reasons for an absence unless the circumstances fall into a category
covered by university policy (see Policies topic below).
 Punctuality
o Please do not habitually come to class late or leave early. Be considerate of the other
students in the class.
Exams
 General
o Two exams will be given. Exams are naturally cumulative, but the final will emphasize
material from the second half of the course.
o Dates
 Midterm: March 1
 Final: May 10
 These dates are fixed, regardless of any other changes to the course schedule.
There will be no special accommodations or makeup exams unless the
circumstances are covered by university policy (see Policies topic below).
Students will receive a score of zero for any missed exam not excused for policy
reasons. If you know that you will be absent on one of these dates, you should
drop the course.
o Format
 Most of each exam will be short-answer or multiple choice questions.
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
Evaluation
 Project evaluation
o Each student will receive an individual grade representing work on the semester project.
The individual grade will be determined by:
 overall quality of the deliverable prototype and associated documentation
 quality and clarity of presentations
 peer-review results
 Weighting
o Midterm: 25%
o Final: 35%
o Group semester project: 30%
o Individual assignments (if any) and class participation: 10%
Grades
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90% or better: A-, A
80% or better: B-, B, B+
70% or better: C-, C, C+
60% or better: D-, D, D+
less than 60%: F
A decision to use a curve to raise the average grade may occur, depending on the class
average. It is not anticipated that the use of a curve will lower anyone’s grade.
 Status
o Students will be able to track their current point percentage on Blackboard throughout
the course as points are earned. Participation points and the group-project grade will
not be assigned until after the final class session.
Policies
 Qualifications
o You must be an approved upper-division business major, business minor or another
major approved by the College of Business Administration. No work will be accepted
from students who do not meet the qualifications as of the time the deficiency is
discovered. Students who are registered for the course but are not qualified risk being
administratively dropped or receiving an F for the course if the deficiency is discovered
after the drop deadline. The professor may grant exceptions in rare cases.
 Excused absences
o University policy defines circumstances under which examinations may be rescheduled
due to absence. Students who fall into these categories have a responsibility to notify
the professor of the circumstances and request accommodation. The notification must
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
be given before the end of the second week of classes for the semester. Major
documented illnesses or death in the family may also result in accommodation if the
professor is notified in a timely fashion. Any event that is—or should be—foreseeable at
the start of the semester will not be an excused absence unless specifically covered by
University policy.
 Academic Honesty
o The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These
activities will not be tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html).
o Cheating is defined as attempting to take credit for misrepresented work. This includes
giving or receiving help on any graded work in this course without permission from the
professor, cheating during exams (including obtaining advance knowledge of test
questions), submitting alterations to graded work for re-grading, and plagiarism (i.e.,
taking credit for someone else’s words as if they were your own). Any student caught
cheating will receive an F for the course, will be reported to Judicial Procedures, and will
be recommended for expulsion from the College of Business.
o Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
 Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this
can include phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
 Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it
your own
 Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the
author credit
 Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words
or phrases
 Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
o If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy and this helpful
guide from the Library
 Grade changes
o Students may request a re-grading of an assignment or exam if they believe the original
grade was unjust. However, the re-grading will be “zero based.” That is, the student
risks receiving a lower rather than a higher grade as a result of the review.
o Final grades are assigned based on a student’s performance in this course, not on the
basis of what grade the student needs in order to maintain a GPA. No changes to final
course grades will be entered unless the original grade was given by mistake.
 Students with Disabilities
o If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To
avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until
MIS 406
Information Systems Design
Spring 2016
you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Changes
This syllabus is preliminary, and may be changed as needed at the discretion of the professor.
Blackboard is the designated communications channel for notifying students of any changes or updates
to course content or requirements.