Designing, Implementing and Managing Interactive Projects UPDATED

ATEC 4340
Spring 2010
Professor: Dr. Marjorie Zielke
ATEC 1.102

Instructor Contact Information:

• Cell Phone: 817-368-5772

• Email: maz031000@utdallas.edu. If you need to contact me by email, please put subject as: ATEC 4340:
Subject.

Course Description: This course teaches students how to design and manage interactive projects from a marketing,
management, financial, and behavioral perspective. Emphasis is on tools and techniques appropriate for interactive
project design.

Learning Outcomes:

o Introduce students to full, multi-dimensional, interactive project development “process” from a design,
planning, development, marketing, financial, testing and implementation viewpoint.
o Introduce scientific principles behind project design and management.
o Introduce students to principles of good leadership, team membership and client management.
o Introduce students to business principles behind project design and management.
o Introduce students to “constantly evolving” environment in which they will be working.
o Develop a sense of ethical and cultural implications of technology development
o Introduce students to career and project opportunities.
o Create portfolio piece.

Required Texts:

The following texts for the class are required. Students are expected to complete weekly readings before class:

• Web Redesign: Workflow that Works 2.0, Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler, New Riders Publishing, 2005
(WR)
• Additional Readings will be assigned throughout the course and will be included on exams.
 Class Calendar

Week 1 (Jan 11):

Topic: Class and instructor introductions, course objectives, team and project work experience.

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Review Course Project

Week 2 (Jan 17):

Topic: Project Management Overview

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: Goto: Chapter 1-3
• Form Teams

Week 3 (Jan 24):

Topic: The Interactive Customer and Customer Analysis, Global and Multicultural Considerations in
Project Design, Working with Clients

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: Goto, Chapters 4-6, 10
• Team Project Proposals Due

Week 4 (Jan 31):

Topic: Information Architecture, Usability and Prototyping

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: Goto: Chapter 8

Week 5 (Feb 7):

Topic: Project Management Leadership: Management styles and managing creative teams. Being on a
Team.

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings as assigned
• Team Software Design/Prototyping Strategies Assignment
• Team Project Status Report

Week 6 (Feb 14):

Topic: Project management collaboration tools.

Assignment:
• Readings as assigned
• Individual Research Paper: What kind of a Manager am I?
Week 7 (Feb 21):

Test: Midterm Exam (timed 3 hours online)

Week 8 (Feb 28):

Topic: Marketing Considerations in Project Design

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: as assigned

----------------------Midterm Grades due March 5th---------------------------------

Week 9 (Mar 7):

Topic: Prototype and Usability Workshop (groups testing other groups)

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings as assigned
• Team Project Status Report
• Prototype Online Usability Test

Week 10 (Mar 14):

Spring Break

Week 11 (Mar 21):

Topic: Financial Considerations in Project Design

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: as assigned

Week 12 (Mar 28):

Topic: Lessons learned from usability testing

Assignment:
• Team Usability Presentations

Week 13 (Apr 4):

Topic: Ethics in Project Management

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Readings: as assigned
Week 14 (Apr 11):

Topic: Analyze Prototype

Assignment:
• Discussions
• Team Project Status Report

Week 15 (Apr 18):

Assignment:
• Workshop time for projects

Week 16 (Apr 25):

Topic: Wrap up

Assignment:
• Post Final Projects

Finals (May 6 – May 12)

Assignment:
• Take home final exam due to instructor May 11 by 5pm CST.
Class Grading:

Team Grading
• Team Project Proposal: 5 percent pass / fail
o Due January 24

• Software design / prototyping strategies: 10 percent

o Due February 7

• Three Team Status Reports (Submitted Online): 5 percent all pass/fail

o Due February 7
o Due March 7
o Due April 11

• Report on Team Usability Test of Prototype 10 percent (grade)

o Due March 28

• Final Team Project: 20 percent

o Due April 25

Individual Grading

• Individual Research Paper: 10 percent

What kind of a team member am I?
What kind of a manager am I?
o Due February 14

• Midterm Exam: 10 Percent

o Due February 21

• Individual Take Home Final Exam (Due: 5pm CST): 20 percent

o Due May 11

• Class Participation (All Weeks): 10 percent

Online Discussion / Interactive Questions

• Maximum 3 points possible for each graded discussion…there are two graded discussions per
week. 6 points per week available.
• Week is Sunday to Sunday. Discussions open on Sunday morning, 7am and close the following
Sunday at midnight.
• 3 posts required per question. Post on three different days with first post due on Monday.

(see class calendar for discussion dates)

All assignments based on 100 point basis.

 Class Policies:

• In fairness to other students, no late assignments will be accepted without prior approval. To request an
extension, email instructor with the request date before the deadline. You must keep records of all
correspondence. Late assignments are highly discouraged.

• Attendance at class is expected. Please discuss absences beforehand with instructor and your team. This is a
project oriented class and your team depends on you. For each unexcused absence, 50 points will be deducted
from your total grade.

• Responses to phone calls or emails from instructor are expected within 24 hours.

• Students are expected to have done weekly assigned readings prior to class.

• Professional conduct as a team member is expected. Teams are encouraged to work without need for
supervision by instructor; however instructor is available for coaching and consultation on subject matter.

However, should a team encounter nonparticipation (lack of attendance in class or at other team meetings) by a
team member, communication with the instructor is encouraged and appropriate grade reflection will occur.

Team members are required to communicate with each other on a consistent basis and to meet team established
deadlines.

Team members will be evaluating each other as part of team presentations. Students who uniformly receive
unsatisfactory evaluations from other team members may receive a decrease in team project grade, after review
by the instructor.

• No extra credit is available. You must be able to work in a cooperative team environment to complete the class.

• Please be courteous with the use of cell phones, pagers and surfing during class. Please do not do your
homework for other classes in this class.

• Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated.

• The instructor reserves the right to make adjustments to the syllabus as needed.

• Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance: It is the policy of UTD to provide reasonable and appropriate
accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. This college will adhere to all applicable federal,
state, and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as
required to afford equal educational opportunity.