The objective of this course is to expose students to the concepts of modern Management Information Systems. Using real-life examples and a considerable amount of business fundamentals, the important aspects of information systems will be discussed and explored. The role of information systems in organizations, particularly the use of these systems in business problem solving, will be emphasized. The student will be introduced to personal computer applications and end-user development.

The following core competencies will be emphasized during the course:

• Computer Proficiency;
• Analytical Expertise and Skills;
• Presentation Skills;
• Understanding the Global Aspects of Business;
• Ethics.

Attendance at lectures is expected. Copies of lecture notes (transparencies used in lecture) will be distributed to students when available. Students are fully responsible for all material presented in lectures, even if some of it does not appear in these notes.

Reading assignments will be given every week to complement the lecture theme, it is hoped that this will also constitute a useful revision instrument for quizzes and exams.

There will be 2 group projects requiring the application of the theoretical concepts in a systems analysis and design situation. As part of both projects, you will be expected to develop applications using Microsoft Access Database and Excel Spreadsheet. Generally, the projects will be handed out at the start of the first half and the start of the second half of the semester, with submission due 5 weeks later.

There will also be 12 quizzes — distributed over 12 weeks. These will be handed out at the beginning of a lecture and will each last for approximately 15 minutes. The quizzes will consist of short questions and the content will be drawn from material covered during lectures.

The majority of class time will be devoted to lecture, review discussion of reading assignments, and hands-on computer exercises in the instructional laboratory. Reading material will be supplemented with other relevant topics as required. Project assignments will be completed outside of class time and submitted for grading.

Grades on the quizzes, projects, assignments, and exams will be 100% (perfect in every way), 90% (outstanding), 80% (excellent), 70% (very good), 60% (good), 50% (not bad), 40% (minimal effort), 30% (bad), 20% (hopeless), 0% (not handed in).

The quizzes, projects, assignments, and exams all contribute significantly to your grade. Specifically, your final course grade will be calculated as follows:

• Quizzes: 20%
• Projects: 30%
• Midterm Exam: 20%
• Final Exam: 20%
• Class Participation & Lab Assignments: 10%

All completed projects and assignments must be submitted either during lectures or to Room 442 (CB4). Assignments and Projects submitted late will NOT be marked unless under exceptional circumstances.

There will no extensions due to scheduling conflicts, computer downtime, or other such factors, except under truly extraordinary circumstances. Extensions will be granted only for university-sanctioned excuses such as illness, and then only with the proper documentation. You are responsible for planning ahead and managing your time so that you can complete the projects on time. You must either finish on time or accept the consequences of doing otherwise.

You may work on your project on any machine that you like. However, your finished application must run on the same software used in the classroom. All the instructional software is installed on Windows NT machines in either Lab 400 or Lab 419 in the School of Business. All registered students in COBIS should have active accounts in the Labs. Students who had accounts in past semesters will have the same login (userid) and password. Other students must contact the relevant system administrators to obtain an account or re-activate a dormant account.

There will be a midterm exam on the Thursday before break, which will cover all material up to and including the lecture on the previous Tuesday. The final exam will cover all material in the course.

Each exam will consist of true/false, multiple choice, fill-in the blank, and some essay questions (2 to 5 sentence answers). The questions on the exams will cover not only the material in the reading assignments in the text, but also topics covered in the lecture and the laboratory assignments. The final exam will be a comprehensive departmental exam, including all material covered throughout the semester. There will be no make-up exams except in exceptional, well-documented circumstances.

Collaboration in projects is highly encouraged. Project marks will be allocated on individual basis based on individual input into the group effort, in essence, this means that being a member of a group doesn’t necessarily mean that you are guaranteed the same grade as other members.

Academic integrity is assumed. It is important that you do your own work! Doing your own work is the best way to fulfill the course objectives. If it appears that several students have collaborated on a given individual assignment, all will share in the grade of zero for that assignment. Anyone caught cheating in an exam or quiz will receive a zero for the test and the incident will be reported to the Assistant Dean of the School of Business.

The best way to contact the instructor is by electronic mail. To raise matters pertaining to the course or get help, send e-mail to: [email protected]

• School of Business: www.bschool.howard.edu
• Text Companion Web Site: www.prenhall.com/laudon