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.
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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).
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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
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