University of Phoenix rEsource Syllabus
Course Title
CIS319 – Computers and Information Processing
Course Schedule
Mondays, 8/22/2005 through 9/26/2005 (no class on 9/5/2005)
Course Materials
All materials can be found on resource, which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix
eCampus Web site.
The instructor keeps a personal UOP web-site with class-specific information:
General info and FAQ: http://tomdickens.com/uofp/index.html
CIS319: http://tomdickens.com/uofp/cis319/index.html
Instructor’s Name
Tom Dickens
Primary eMail Address
Home: uofp@tomdickens.com : I check this at least every other day.
Alternate eMail Address
Work: thomas.p.dickens@boeing.com : Use for questions M-F for quick reply.
Telephone Number(s)
Work : 425-234-1024
Availability
Best time is at work, Monday through Thursday, daytime. E-mail is best; I take my laptop with me
and log in wherever I can.
University Policies
Please review University Policies regarding topics such as student conduct, attendance, and
plagiarism in your Program Handbook, which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix
eCampus Web site.
Modality Procedures
This is an onground class. The typical UofP policy applies as far as attendance and absences.
Course-Specific Standards
 Attend all classes and study groups; please contact me before if you must miss any.
 Classes run from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm each night.
 Read the material before class – be prepared to ask meaningful questions.
 All assignments are to be typed and turned in on time (starting of the class indicated). No
late homework is accepted without prior arrangement, and will only receive half credit.
 Weekly progress and revisions on the Learning Team paper.
 Have fun and learn a lot.
Welcome
Tom Dickens is a Boeing engineer and Associate Technical Fellow working in aerodynamics
research. He is a professor/ instructor at University of Phoenix, Henry Cogswell College, the
University of Washington, and Boeing off-hours training. He teaches a variety of IS/IT classes
including Java, C++, Operating Systems, Web Programming, and of course this overview class,
Computers and Information Processing.
He has a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology with an emphasis on digital electronics,
microcontrollers, and embedded systems. He has a Master’s in Computer Engineering and his
thesis was in Genetic Algorithms.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is highly valued at the University of Phoenix. Students must always submit
work that represents their original words or ideas. If any words or ideas used in a class posting or
assignment submission do not represent the student’s original words or ideas, all relevant
sources must be cited along with the extent to which such sources were used. Words or ideas
that require citation include, but are not limited to, all hard copy or electronic publications, whether
copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such
communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. Please see the University of
Phoenix Catalog for more information about academic honesty, including consequences of
academic dishonesty.
Privacy and Confidentiality in the University of Phoenix Classroom
One of the highlights of the University of Phoenix academic experience is that students can draw
on the wealth of examples from their organizations in class discussions and in their written work.
However, it is imperative that students not share information that is confidential, privileged, or
proprietary in nature. Students must be mindful of any contracts they have agreed to with their
companies.
WEIGHTING of ASSIGNMENTS
Individual Assignments (70%)
Week One
Week Two
Week Three
Week Four
Week Five
Participation (all weeks)
Learning Team Assignments (30%)
Learning Team Assignments
Learning Team Presentation
TOTAL
Points
5%
10%
15%
15%
15%
10%
25%
5%
100
POINT/GRADE CONVERSION
100-95
94-90
89-87
86-84
83-80
79-77
A
AB+
B
BC+
76-74
73-70
69-67
66-64
63-60
59 or <
C
CD+
D
DF
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
Week One

Complete assignments posted on the rEsource course page.
o Due at the start of class on week 1 - The pre-course assessment. Keep for
comparison at the end of the class.

Assignment: Due before 6:00pm Thursday 8/25/2005 - Complete the e-mail
assignment, specified at:
http://tomdickens.com/uofp/email_conventions.html

Discussion Question(s): Nothing to turn in, but be prepared to discuss in class:
 What are the implications for management of each of the following trends:
Reduction in cost of hardware with time
Reduction in size of hardware with time
Increase in power of hardware with time
 How important is it to understand the strengths and weaknesses of a particular
technology?
 How important is it to have an established process when implementing a new
technology into an organization?
 Which phases are important in the SDLC process?
 What additional phases would you identify as important to the process?
Week Two

Discussion Question(s): Nothing to turn in, but be prepared to discuss in class:
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of virtual offices, including
telecommuting?
 What are important considerations for an organization to dispose of old
computer equipment? What methods would work best for the organization in
which you are working or have worked?
 Why is it recommended to establish a formal evaluation criterion when
considering the purchase of hardware for the organization? Are any of the
criteria from the wireless laptop article applicable to any other types of
hardware to be purchased for your organization?

Paper: Due at the start of class on week 2 - Prepare a paper (2-5 pages)
discussing all of the following 5 topics:
1. Accuracy of data input is important. What method of data input would be best
for each of the following situations and explain why:
o Printed questionnaires
o Telephone survey
o Bank checks
o Retail tags
o Long documents
2. Convenience and quality of output are important. Explain what method of
output would be best for each of the following situations and explain why:
o Color photograph
o Hand held computer
o Resume
o Memorandum
o Statistical report
o Company annual report
3. Explain the difference between primary storage and secondary storage.
4. Different types of storage devices are optimal for different situations. Explain
what situations are appropriate for the following devices and explain why:
o Hard disk
o Floppy disk
o RAM
o CD ROM
o Tape
5. Explain the role of each of the following in determining the speed of a
computer:
o RAM
o Clock speed
o Data on hard disk
o Data on CD ROM
o Data on floppy disk
Week Three

Discussion Question(s): Nothing to turn in, but be prepared to discuss in class:
 What are all the databases associated with the contents of your wallet?
 What are the major differences between Java programming language and any
other language? List and discuss three items.
 How could your company utilize PDA technology to improve efficiencies?
Would there be a time, cost, or labor savings?

Paper: Due at the start of class on week 3 - Prepare a 2-3-page memorandum
(350 words per page) describing what office automation and group collaboration
software is used in your organization. Include an analysis of the advantages and
disadvantages for each.
Week Four

Discussion Question(s): Nothing to turn in, but be prepared to discuss in class:
 What is the difference between the front-end and back-end processes of office
automation?



How would/does your company utilize workflow database technology? Do
you believe workflow technology improves productivity? What could be
done to improve upon it?
What types of tasks would benefit from databases utilizing workflow
technology?
Paper: Due at the start of class on week 4 - Prepare a 2-3-page memorandum
(350 words per page) analyzing the use of databases in your organization. Include
what database applications are used (Microsoft Access, DB2, Oracle, etc.).
Conclude by proposing improvements. For large organizations, restrict the scope
of the paper to the department in which you work.
Week Five

Discussion Question(s): Nothing to turn in, but be prepared to discuss in class:
 How important is wireless networking to your company? Would your
company improve the sales/service process utilizing wireless networking?
 Would you utilize a WEP enabled phone to perform stock trades? Why or
why not?
 With each of the above technologies, how is security important? Would you
trust the methods that exist today to secure these technologies?

Paper: Due at the start of class on week 5 - Locate two Websites that sell books.
Compile a list of 10 books that can be found on each site. List the Author, Title,
Price on Web site 1, and Price on Web site 2. What conclusions can be made
about the pricing? Describe the quality of the user interface on each Website.

Complete a Learning Team Evaluation.
LEARNING TEAM ASSIGNMENTS
Description
The purpose of the Learning Team project is to introduce you to the methodology used to develop
systems in either a single-user or a multi-user environment, and to familiarize you with the
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). You will be introduced to SDLC in Week One. System
solutions are a large capital investment in today’s business world, and the application of such
large investments must be based on specific business needs and subsequent returns. System
projects are being held accountable for meeting business needs. It is therefore critical to identify
and articulate, both verbally and quantifiably, those business needs in order to obtain successful
information technology solution projects.
Objective
Apply the System Development Life Cycle methodology.
Standards
Refer to “Standards for Written Work” and “Standards for Presentations” in your Program
Handbook, which can be accessed through the University of Phoenix eCampus Web site.
The papers prepared in meetings 1 through 3 are sections for the final paper for meeting 4. You
will get feedback on these papers that should be included in the final paper.
Meeting One


Create a Learning Team Charter.
Select a business situation that requires a systems solution. Write a 1-2 page (350
words per page) executive summary that states the business need to be solved,
identifies the purpose of the project, and lists constraints and assumptions used in
defining the project.
Meeting Two


Write a 2-4 page (350 words per page) paper that would identify the business
requirements definition in the form of business topics, such as:
 Inventory tracking
 Accounting
 Marketing communication
 Marketing research
 Sales – projection, actual
 Salesperson production
 Manufacturing production
 Service tracking
Besides a listing of requirements, you may want to use process flow charts,
procedures, or policy statements to articulate the business requirements in terms
of specific process or business development needs.
Meeting Three

Write a 2-4-page (350 words per page) paper to include software and hardware
recommendations for the information technology solution.
Meeting Four

Prepare a 7-10 page paper (350 words per page) summarizing the project
proposal. Prepare a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation (20 minutes plus Q/A) of
the project.