General Information

Texts:

•Alexander, C., The Timeless Way of Building, New York: The Oxford Press, 1979.

•Brooks, F.P., The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1995.

•Norman, Donald A., The Design of Everyday Things, New York: Doubleday, 1988.

Articles: see readings.

Supplemental Materials

Prerequisites: Only students officially admitted to the Ph.D. Program in Information Systems are allowed to register for class. In addition, students must have completed IS 5800 and IS 6840.

Course Description: The official description of the class is:

Advanced topics of current interest in management information systems.

Content to be determined each time the course is offered. May be repeated for credit.

Semester Goals: This class addresses a series of questions: Why is there not more IS research directed toward systems analysis and design? Clearly these topics are critical for effective business applications in the 21st Century. However, most of the development and drive comes from industry. Why? If the development and drive come from industry, is this a good thing or a bad thing? What kinds of research agendas might be developed to address these questions? How might we apply the theories addressed in your other seminars to address questions of systems analysis and design?.

Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam, and both will be take home exams and due on the date stated below.

Midterm exam: March 4

Final exam: May 13

Grading Policy: The following proportions will be used for grading.

Website - 5%

Class Participation - 10%

Discussion Leading - 10%

Paper - 35%

Midterm - 20%

Final - 20%

Course Format: Classes will often be student led discussion of research projects. Papers will be assigned to a student who will review the research. All students will be expected to contribute to the discussion by identifying the strengths, weaknesses and extensions of the research. Since this is a class of questions, students will be asked not only to discuss the assigned readings, but to bring to the discussion readings from other classes or outside readings. Students should be aware of topics to include when reviewing research.

Research Proposals: Each student will create a proposal for research on some topic of systems analysis and design, database or decision support systems. You should think of these proposals as a first step in creating a publishable journal article. As such, the proposals should answer the same questions that area addressed when reviewing research (see above). Select a topic that is interesting to you. Perform a preliminary literature search to ensure that your idea has not already been completed and that you have a fresh approach. You may want to consult with the instructor about topics and the literature.

Submit a preliminary proposal by March 11. Not only should you turn in a paper copy to me on that date, you should also provide either an electronic copy or paper copy to your classmates. On March 18, each person will present his or her proposal to the class for discussion. Please plan for no more than 15 minutes for your presentation. Other students should have read the proposals and be prepared for discussion.

Academic Honesty: According to the University Standard of Conduct, Section 6.0101,

Furthermore, note that the University’s Collected Rules 200.010 B.1 REQUIRE faculty to notify Academic Affairs of suspected cases of dishonesty. It states, “In all cases of academic dishonesty, the instructor shall make an academic judgment about the student’s grade on that work and in that course. The instructor shall report the alleged academic dishonesty to the Primary Administrative Officer.”

For the purposes of this class, cheating will include: plagiarism (using the writings of another without proper citation), copying of another (either current or past student's work), working with another on individually assigned work or exams, unauthorized marking on a graded paper or exam, or in any other way presenting as one's own work that which is not entirely one's own work. It is unacceptable to seek the help of another (whether in the class or not) for help on an exam; this is considered academic dishonesty.

Any student who is caught cheating on any assignment or exam will receive a grade of zero (0) for that assignment or exam. Further, a recommendation will be made to the appropriate university officials that additional disciplinary action be taken.

Tutorials on Plagiarism exist at the following sites:

http://education.indiana.edu/~frick/plagiarism/item1.html

http://exlibris.memphis.edu/help/plagiarism/index.html

http://panther.indstate.edu/tutorials/plagiarism

http://www.lib.sfu.ca/researchhelp/tutorials/interactive/plagiarism/tutorial/introduction.htm

Rights and Responsibilities of Computer Users