IIST 523: Fundamentals of Information Technology Fall 2013 Instructor: Ozlem Uzuner Office: Draper 114A Phone: 518-442-4687 Email: ouzuner@albany.edu Office Hours: Mondays 12-1, Wednesdays 1pm-4pm, and by appointment 1. Course Information 1.1. Course Description IIST 523 provides a basic grounding in the fundamental information technology (IT) skills for information professionals. The course introduces students to, and provides practical exercises on, several areas of information technology including the personal computer (PC) hardware and PC applications (software), networking, databases, spreadsheets, information security, web page design, and website development and maintenance. 1.2. Course Objectives Upon successful completion of IIST 523, students will: have an understanding of fundamental concepts and terminology of information technology and be able to define them have a basic understanding of personal computers and their operations be able to use the main PC applications have acquired basic web design and development skills have an increased ability to learn and explore new IT with confidence be able to identify social and professional implications of IT and issues related to information security. 1.3. Prerequisites and Technology Background This is an introductory course in technology for students in the Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) program. This course assumes that you possess some basic computer skills, including the ability to create, send, receive, and open email messages and their attachments; browse the Web; and access and respond to interactive web pages. No additional computer skills are assumed or required. There are no course prerequisites. 1.4. Textbook The required textbook for the course is: Snyder, Lawrence. 2011. Fluency with Information Technology: Skills, Concepts, and Capabilities. 4th Edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley. ISBN-10: 0136091822. The publisher provides resources for students at: http://wps.aw.com/aw_snyder_fluency_4 The textbook is most affordably on Amazon, although you should be able to order it from other bookstores. Additional course material will be provided via Blackboard. 1.5. Course Website and Blackboard Blackboard will be used to provide course materials, including the most current syllabus and the assignment documents. 1 2. Course Requirements 2.1. Readings The semester schedule at the end of this document shows the assigned readings for each class. Students are expected to read the assigned materials before each class. 2.2. Exam One midterm exam will be given. There is no final exam. 2.3. Assignments There are eight (8) assignments for this course. All assignments are posted on the course's Blackboard site. Release and due dates of assignments are detailed in the semester schedule at the end of this document. All assignments must be submitted electronically via Blackboard mail (sent to the instructor) by midnight Eastern Standard Time on their due dates. 2.4. Final Project Each student will complete an individual Website development project. Students can pick a topic of interest for their projects and must first submit a one-page preliminary proposal before proceeding with their project. Each student will prepare and make a presentation on his/her project in class at the end of the semester (see semester schedule for details). 2.5. Expected Effort This course meets approximately three hours per week. Students can expect to spend 18-24 hours a week, including classroom time, on this course. Students spending substantially more time than this are encouraged to contact the instructor for additional help. 2.6. Style Manuals and Guidelines Written reports must be word processed and double spaced. Students are required to cite sources, if any are used in their written reports, according to either the American Psychological Association (APA) or Turabian style manual. Choose only one style manual and use it throughout the report. American Psychological Association. 2001. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Turabian, Kate L. 2007. A manual for writers of term papers, theses, and dissertations. 7th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Both style manuals are available in the reference sections of many mainstream bookstores and reserve sections of the University Libraries, including the Dewey Library. 3. Student Performance Evaluation The assignments, exam, and the project contribute to the final grade as follows: Assignments Exam Final Project Proposal Final Project Final Presentation Total Percentage of Total Grade 40% 25% 5% 25% 5% 100% 2 Grades are determined on a 100-point scale. An A signifies superior understanding of the course material, B signifies adequate work that meets most requirements of the course, C or lower signifies inadequate work that does not meet the requirements. Letter Grade Scale A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D E 95100 90-94 87-89 84-86 80-83 76-79 70-75 67-69 60-66 0-59 4. Course Policies 4.1. Class Attendance and Participation Students are expected to be prompt and prepared for class as well as participate in the classroom and online discussions. Students are asked to notify the instructor in advance if they cannot attend class, must arrive late or leave early, expect to submit work late, or intend to withdraw from the course. 4.2. Late Submissions Late submissions will not be accepted without the advance express permission of the instructor and students who submit their work late will lose 5 points per late day at the discretion of the instructor. 4.3. Incompletes A tentative grade of “I” for Incomplete is given only when the student has nearly completed the course but due to circumstances beyond the student’s control cannot complete the course on schedule. The student is responsible for contacting the instructor and requesting an “I” grade in advance of the semester end. The conditions of the “I” grade, including the timeline for the completion of the work will be specified by the instructor. The “I” grade is automatically changed to “E” unless the work is completed as agreed between the student and the instructor. 4.4. Academic Dishonesty The instructor has a zero tolerance policy for academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and cheating. Any such activity will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs according to the policies set forth in the current University at Albany Undergraduate Bulletin or University at Albany Graduate Bulletin, whichever is applicable to the student. 4.5. Students with Disabilities Reasonable accommodations will be provided for students with documented physical, sensory, systemic, cognitive, learning, or psychiatric disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation in this class, please notify the Director of Disabled Student Services (Campus Center 137, 442-5490). 3 Term Schedule – Fall 2013 (Subject to change) This schedule may be updated/changed. Week of August 26 Reading September 9 Fluency: Ch. 1 and 2 Fluency: Ch. 3 and 14 Fluency: Ch. 4 September 16 September 23 September 30 October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28 November 4 November 11 November 18 November 25 December 3 Fluency: Ch. 4 Fluency: Ch. 8 and 11 Fluency: Ch. 9 Fluency: Ch. 10 Fluency: Ch. 18, 19 Fluency: Ch. 16 Fluency: Ch. 12 and 13 Lecture & Lab Topics Class orientation; Blackboard & Email exercises Computer hardware & software; text editing Networking; Spreadsheets HTML; file management Aimee Wooding HTML Digital representation of information and multimedia Exam Computer operations Algorithms Aimee Wooding JavaScript Databases Social implications of IT; digital security Aimee Wooding No class Project Presentations Assignment Assignment 1 Due Assignment 1 Part 2 Assignment 2 Assignment 1 Assignment 3 Assignment 1 Part 2 Assignment 2 Assignment 4 Assignment 3 Assignment 4 Assignment 5 Assignment 6 Project Proposal Assignment 5 Assignment 7 Assignment 8 Assignment 6 Assignment 7 Assignment 8 Project 4