BA 3351 Syllabus

INTRODUCTION TO MIS - BA3351

Spring 2006
January 9 – April 24
(Revised 1/5/2006)

Instructor: Richard Fisher

Phone: 972 883-2298
Email: rfisher@utdallas.edu (Please use WebCT for communications)
Website: webct.utdallas.edu

Course: BA 3351 Section 003

Class Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 AM Room SOM 2.115

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 3:30-4:30 PM

Room SM 4.403 Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:30 PM or by appointment

Textbook: Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 9th Edition, by
Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon, Prentice Hall, 2006 (Includes Train It CD for Office 2003)

Course Objectives:
The course is designed to introduce students to the use of Information Systems as an essential tool for
conducting business in an increasingly global economy. The course will provide an overview of
Information Systems and the conceptual foundations underlying the design, control and operation of
computer-based systems used by business. The course will help you achieve the following skills:
1. You will become familiar with the Information Systems terminology used to support business.
2. You will gain critical thinking skills needed to solve business problems with Information
Systems.
3. You will learn to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access for solving many
different types of business problems.

Software: Microsoft Office 2003

Schedule:
Week Date Description

1/10 Course Administrative Procedures

Introduction to WebCT
1
1/12 Laudon Text Chapter 1 - Managing the Digital Firm
Introduction to Train IT

1/17 Assignment 0 due

Laudon Text Chapter 1 - Managing the Digital Firm
2
1/19 Laudon Text Chapter 2 – Information Systems in the Enterprise
Microsoft Word introduction – Assignment 1

1/24 Assignment 1 due (Word)

3
1/26 Laudon Text - Chapter 3 – Information Systems: Organizations,
Management, and Strategy

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1/31 Laudon Text - Chapter 4 – The Digital Firm: Electronic Business and
Electronic Commerce
PowerPoint introduction – Assignment 2
4
2/2 Assignment 2 due (PowerPoint)
Laudon Text – Chapter 5 – Ethical and Social Issues in the Digital
Firm

2/7 Quiz 1 (if necessary) - Chapters 1 to 5

5
2/9 Microsoft Excel introduction

2/14 Laudon Text – Chapter 6 – IT Infrastructure and Platforms

6
2/16 Laudon Text – Chapter 7 - Managing Data Resources
Microsoft Excel

2/21 Assignment 3 due (Excel)

Laudon Text – Chapter 7 - Managing Data Resources
7 Microsoft Excel

2/23 Laudon Text – Chapter 8 - Telecommunications, Networks and the

Internet

2/28 Laudon Text – Chapter 9 - The Wireless Revolution

8
3/2 Laudon Text – Chapter 9 - The Wireless Revolution

3/7 - 3/9 Spring Break

3/14 Assignment 4 due (Excel)

9 Laudon Text – Chapter 10 – Information Systems Security and Control

3/16 TBA

3/21 Quiz 2 (if necessary) - Chapters 6 to 10

10
3/23 Laudon Text – Chapter 11 – Enterprise Applications and Business
Process Integration

3/28 Laudon Text – Chapter 12 – Managing Knowledge in the Digital Firm

11 3/30 Assignment 5 due (Access)

Laudon Text – Chapter 13 – Enhancing Decision Making in the Digital
Firm

4/4 Access – Assignment 6

12 4/6 Laudon Text – Chapter 14 - Redesigning the Organization with

Information Systems
Microsoft Access

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4/11 Laudon Text – Chapter 16 -- Managing Global Systems

13 4/13 Assignment 6 due (Access)
Laudon Text – Chapter 15 – Understanding the Business Value of
Systems and Managing Change

4/18 TBA
14
4/20 Quiz 3 (if necessary) – Chapters 11 to 16

Grading: We are planning to use WebCT to help with the course and grading

In-class computer concepts evaluation 65%

Application Assignments & evaluation 30%
In-class Exercises and Judgment 5%
Total 100%

To compute your final letter grade use the following scale:

A+ > 96.7% B+ > 86.7% C+ > 76.7% D+ > 66.7% F < 60.0%
A > 93.3% B > 83.3% C > 73.3% D > 63.3%
A- > 90.0% B- ≥ 80.0% C- > 70.0% D- > 60.0%

Grades will be posted on WebCT after each exam or assignment is graded. Access to your grades will
be through WebCT.

Changes: This course will be very dynamic, so EXPECT changes. Changes in assignments or schedules
will be posted on WebCT. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the changes that are posted
on WebCt.

Computers (laptops), mobile phones, voice recorders, or cameras are not to be used during class
unless prior permission of instructor is obtained.

Assignments : Assignments will involve the use of Microsoft Office 2003. There will be
assignments relating to Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access. You must use Microsoft Office
2003 or newer; previous versions of the Microsoft Office are not allowed. Assignments must be
submitted through WebCT; submission of electronic copies by e-mail or on floppy disk is
not acceptable. All assignments should be completed on time and submitted on WebCT before
the submission deadline as shown on WebCT. Assignments submitted after the deadline will be
considered late. A penalty of 20% of the assignment value per day (including weekends) is
assessed on late assignments beginning on the day due.

If you are dialing into UTD to access E-mail or the World Wide Web, you may have trouble getting
connected for various reasons. Make sure that you give yourself enough lead time to complete
assignments. Because you will almost always have access to these systems on campus, busy modems or
other technical problems are not accepted as excuses for late submission.

Questions on Exams: If traditional Exams are used, questions on the Exams will be taken from the
assigned readings of texts, class lectures and assignments. Exams will consist of true/false, multiple-
choice type, and short discussion questions. The true/false, multiple-choice portions of the Exams will be
machine graded. Please bring a full page Scantron sheet (1712 Pink Form) for Exams. No other type of
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Scantron forms will be acceptable. If the answer to an Exam question is disputed, the student should
submit a written appeal, citing the source (text page) to the instructor. The instructor will take these
appeals into account during grading. If you know in advance that you will miss an exam, contact the
instructor and make arrangements for a possible make-up exam.

Missed Exams: If an Exam is missed, a COMPREHENSIVE Exam covering all material for the course
will be given in place of (and at the same time as) Exam 3 and will count for Exam 3 and quizzes missed.

The Internet: You will need a NetID account to access WebCT. To get your NetID (if you
don’t already have one) see https://netid.utdallas.edu:4443/guam/servlet/MAIN. If you already have a
NetID account, check and make sure that it works correctly.

Working Together: You may work together when learning how to use computers and applications.
WebCT has a message board and you are encouraged to use the bulletin board for clarification or
questions that can be answered by the instructor or other students. Each student, however, is expected to
do the assignments on their own. Copying the computer files of some other student amounts to
scholastic dishonesty (see below) and will be subject to disciplinary actions that could result in a failing
grade or expulsion from the University.

Scholastic Dishonesty: We expect UTD students to be academically honest. Because the value of an
academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by a student for that degree, it is
imperative for students to maintain a high level of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications
for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's own work of material that is not
one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating,
plagiarism, collusion, and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are
subject to disciplinary proceedings. Specifically, copying another student's computer files or buying
assignments from a third party is Scholastic Dishonesty. Penalties that may be imposed for Scholastic
Dishonesty include: grade penalties, disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion. For more
information on Scholastic Dishonesty see http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-
AcademicIntegrity.html

Introduction to WebCT: WebCT is a software tool for the use of instructors, teaching
assistants (TA) and students. It is accessible from the Internet both on and off campus and has
the following features:

1. Syllabus: A current copy of the course syllabus.

2. Lecture Notes: Notes provided from the textbook vendor and the instructor.
3. Bulletin Board: Communications about topics that would be of interest to the entire class can be
placed on the bulletin board. Students are reminded that all notes posted on the bulletin board are
visible to everyone in the class and should contain appropriate material.
4. Chat Room: Groups of students can sign up for chat room sessions to work on group projects.
5. Mail: WebCT contains a mail system that can be used for communicating to any member of the
class or to the instructor. This is primarily used when the message is of a personal nature and
hence not appropriate for the bulletin board.
6. Grades: You can access your grades here. If you have questions about your grades, communicate
through WebCT mail with the instructor. Check the bulletin board to see if there is a message to
the class about the posting of grades.
7. Links: This contains a number of web links that are related to the course. The publisher of the
textbook might have additional material, such as student downloads of data or files, and their web
site links can be found here.
8. Assignments: Assignments will be posted here and can be downloaded to your PC. Each
assignment will have a deadline. This is the latest time the assignment can be submitted without
penalty. You can upload your assignment file many times and submit it many times before the

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given deadline. After the deadline your assignment will be frozen and you will not be able to
change your assignment (if it is turned in before the deadline). If you submit your assignment
after the deadline it will be considered late. Once your assignment is graded, comments on your
assignment will appear along with your grade on WebCT.

Course Access and Navigation: To enter WebCT and access the course material, you will need
a UTD NetID and password. If you don’t have a UTD account yet, go to
https://netid.utdallas.edu:4443/guam/servlet/MAIN to initiate your account as early as possible in the
semester. The URL for the WebCT login page is: http://webct.utdallas.edu. You can login to the
course whenever you want. You should login to the course site regularly to check course
updates, discussion board messages and so on.

The “My WebCT” page will appear on the screen after you login. The page lists all the courses for which
you are a registered student. You can click the course title to access the course Home Page. This page
displays several icons. Each icon will take you to subsidiary pages containing course material or built-in
course tools. The Navigation Bar with Course Menu on the left side, the Menu Bar and the path link on
the top, and the Action Menu on the content page can help you to navigate within the course site.

For more information about WebCT, see the WebCT’s Student Help Index. Within the course site, you
can always click HELP on the WebCT Menu Bar to get more information. You can also check out the
Orientation Center to Online Learning and WebCT provided on the WebCT web site. More information
can be found on the WebCT Home Page.

Communication: There are four built-in communication tools to facilitate learning,

communication and collaboration. A course conferencing system, the Discussion, allows
communication among all course participants. Discussion topics or groups can be set up for topic
discussions and homework assignments. You can use the course Email tool to communicate
privately with the instructor and with classmates. The Chat tool can be used for real time
communication among course participants.

No whiteboards will be used in this course. Students can contact the instructor by email, discussion board
and phone. The instructor will be available during scheduled office hours for questions and discussions.
Extensive use of the discussion board is encouraged. The student should check the discussion board
frequently for changes and updates.

If you have any problem with your UTD account or in connecting to the UTD WebCT server, contact
assist@utdallas.edu or call the student help desk at 972-883-2911.

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