MERRICK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
INSS 300.WB – MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Fall 2010
Professor: Dr. Anil Aggarwal
(If this is your FIRST course in WebTycho, please complete the webTycho orientation available in
webTycho)
(Keep you e-mail current in webTycho; this is “the” mode of communication between you and me)
Email address :
aaggarwal@ubalt.edu
Required Materials:
(You can buy value package from bookstore or get each book individually
McGraw-Hill VALUE Package - Value Package - Management Information for the Information Age with
SIMNET, Office 07 (ISBN 0558498477).
or (individually)
Haag, Stephen and Cummings, Meeve, Management Information for the Information Age, Eighth edition (2010),
McGraw-Hill Pub., ISBN: 9780073376783.
SimNet for Office 2007 Office Suite Registration Card, 1st Edition, ISBN: 9780077218645
Other Reference Books:
Baltzan, Philips and Haag, Business Driven technology, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill Pub., ISBN:13 9780073323060
Hart-Davis, Gary, How to DO everything with Microsoft Office Excel 2007, McGraw Hill, Pub., ISBN-13
9780072263695
Anderson, Virginia, How to DO everything with Microsoft Office Access 2007, McGraw Hill Pub., ISBN-13
9780072263466
Course Description and Learning Objectives
This course provides a fundamental knowledge of information systems and technology (IS&T) issues from the
perspective of business professionals. This includes information technology concepts and vocabulary, as well as
insights into IS&T applications in business organizations. Topics include searching and extracting information to
solve business problems; the role of organizational context in IS&T effectiveness; the economic, social, legal and
ethical impacts of IS&T; the system life cycle approach; and key technologies such as the Internet, networking and
database management systems.
Students will examine the strategic, tactical and operational applications of current information technology and
resulting products such as groupware and e-Commerce implementations. The emphasis is on business and to prepare
students to use information sources and Information Systems to meet their information needs.
Upon completion of the course you will be able to:
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Understand the differences between data, information and knowledge, and the role of information in
businesses.
Define MIS and IT and describe their relationship, including the strategic and competitive nature of
information in business
Define an information problem and identify the type of information needed to solve it
Locate, acquire and evaluate information from different sources
Select from various information seeking strategies
Demonstrate proficiency with information search techniques using a variety of search tools (databases,
search engines, etc).
Explain why people are the most important organizational resource, define their information and
technology literacy challenges, and discuss their ethical responsibilities
Define common information system types, such as supply chain management systems and business
intelligence systems
Understand key technological tools such as databases, spreadsheets, and search engines
Describe social and personal implications of technology, including privacy, security and ethical issues
associated with information use
OTHER RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Computerworld
Computing Surveys
InformationWeek
InfoWorld
Network World
PC Week
Personal Computing
GRADING INFORMATION
Grading will follow university policy of A, A-,B+,B,B-,C+,C,C-,D+, D, D-,F (Refer to student handbook)
Criterion
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%Course Grade
Six quizzes1
Final exam (cumulative, short-answer, multiple choice etc
DSS assignment (Microsoft Excel)
Database assignment (Microsoft Access)
Internet assignment (Internet Search)
Conference participation (see below for explanation)
Bio (pre/post) completion (available on the course web site)
24% (4 out of 6 will count)
30%
15%
15%
10%
4%
2%
EXTRA CREDIT: (Must inform professor if you intend to do extra credit by November15th) 2%
Develop a video on a topic approved by the instructor and
post it on youtube.com
COURSE LOGISTICS:
 New lecture modules will be posted every Tuesday (available through Course Content in webtycho).
 New CONFERENCE Discussion questions will be posted every Tuesday (available through Conference in
1
2 of the lowest grade or missed quizzes will be dropped.
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WebTycho)
Discussion Questions will be available for a week (Tuesday to Tuesday), unless otherwise specified
All assignments are due at 10pm on the date specified. Assignments turned in late will have the following
deductions:
 one day late 10% deducted from total points possible
 two days late 20% deducted from total points possible
 one week late 50% deducted from total points possible
Solution will be posted a week after the due date. No assignments will be accepted after a week.
Final Exam will cover materials from class discussions, assigned readings, and any supplemental material
provided by professor. It will consist of short answers, multiple choice and short case studies.
You will have THREE days to complete the final exam. You must select a three hour block of time to
finish the exam on any of the exam day.
You will have THREE days to complete the quiz. (Friday through Monday).
Quizzes will consist of multiple choice questions.
There will be 6 quizzes. You will be allowed to drop 2 of your quiz grades. Each quiz will count for 6% of
your final grade.
Academic dishonesty of any type will result in a grade of "F" for the course.
You can monitor your progress in grade book.
We will follow the sequence in course syllabi, unless I make a change.
All announcements, changes or anything else will be communicated via e-mail.
I will intervene in discussions as necessary
Forum (Conference) Participation
The course will involve extensive CONFERENCE discussion, major form of communication in online learning. Part
of your grade (4%) is dependent on your cumulative participation( in terms of QUALITY) in FORUM discussion
at the end of the semester. Your first posting should be posted by noon on Wednesday of each week (excluding first
week).
You will be expected to have carefully studied the reading assignment IN ADVANCE, including
an understanding of examples, illustrations, and review exercises. Forum discussion questions will include
understanding of concepts from the book and additional concepts that I feel are necessary in understanding the
concept. Forum participation in online courses is of utmost importance, since there is NO face-to-face interaction.
It is NOT necessary that you always have the right answers. It DOES include the following elements:
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Evidence of having studied the chapter/assignment every week
Reponses to the discussion questions posted by the instructor
Reponses to questions/answers posted by peers (very important)
Response to response posted to your postings (very important)
Quality of postings will be measured as:
 Clear and concise
 Response to other’s postings
 DO NOT repeat what others have already said, those postings will not count and will be deleted.
 Postings like, I agree, I do not agree will not count and will be deleted.
E-Mail & Q/A
If you have difficulty understanding a topic or a concept, please do not hesitate to seek help. The best
thing to do is to ask questions in the CONFERENCE. Think of CONFERENCE as a classroom Blackboard.
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If you have specific questions about your assignment or any concept (problems that you will ask an instructor during
office hours) email me.
Tentative Class Schedule
Week
Topics
01/25
Introduction to the course
Chapter 1: (except pages 16-29)The Information Age (an
overview)
Extended Learning Module A (Computer hardware and
Software)
02/01
Assignments (post/Due) Dates
Continued:
Chapter 1: The Information Age (an overview), (except pages
16-29)
Extended Learning Module A (Computer hardware and
Software)
Chapter 2: Major Business Initiatives
Extended Learning Module B (The WWW and the Internet)
Internet overview:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/section/www.html
Continue:
Extended Learning Module B (The WWW and the Internet)
02/08
02/15
Quiz 1 (Ch 1 & 2; Module A )
Chapter 4: Decision Support and AI
Extended Learning Module D (Decision Analysis with
spreadsheet Software)
Continue:
Chapter 4: Decision Support and AI
Extended Learning Module D (Decision Analysis with
spreadsheet Software)
DSS Assignment posted
SIMNET EXCEL exercise
02/22
Chapter 5: Electronic Commerce
1.Extending Learning Module E (Network basics)
02/29
Chapter 6: System development
03/07
Chapter 3: Data Bases and data warehouses
Extended Module C (Designing Databases and EntityRelationship Diagramming)
Extended Module J (Implementing a Database with Microsoft
ACCESS)
MS Access Tutorial.
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Quiz 2 (Ch 4; Module B & D)
Quiz 3 (Ch 5; Module E)
http://www.bcschools.net/staff/AccessHelp.htm
Continue:
Chapter 3: Data Bases and data warehouses
Extended Module C (Designing Databases and EntityRelationship Diagramming)
Extended Module J (Implementing a Database with Microsoft
ACCESS)
SIMNET ACCESS exercise
03/14
Chapter 7: Enterprise Architecture
Chapter 1 : Pages 16-29
Learning Module G (Object Oriented Technologies)
03/21
DSS Assignment Due (03/14)
Database Assignment posted
Quiz 4 (Ch 6)
Chapter 8: Protecting People and Information
04/04
Chapter 9: Emerging Technologies
Quiz 5 (Ch 7, Ch1 Pages 16-29
and Learning Module G)
04/18
Continue Chapter 9
Computer Security and Crime:
Learning Module H (Computer Crime and Forensics)
Database Assignment Due
(04/18)
Internet Assignment posted
04/25
Continue Module H (Computer Crime and Forensics)
Information Sources and Quality
Web Searching including search Engines
Alternate information sources and how to evaluate them
05/02
Information Sources and Quality
Web Searching including search Engines
Alternate information sources and how to evaluate them
05/09
Final Exam (comprehensive)—posted
05/14
Final Exam Due
04/11
Quiz 6 (Ch 8 & Module H)
Lectures posted in webTycho
Internet Assignment Due
(05/02)
(Video url due only If doing
extra credit)
NOTE:
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All changes will be announced in the class
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE & PLAGIARISM
As per university policy all students MUST complete the following tutorial on plagiarism at:
http://www.ubalt.edu/plagiarism/
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Please refer to student handbook
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