WELCOME!
Hello team!
Hope you are all doing great. As you know, classes officially begin on Tuesday July 7th. Thank you all who answered the survey (if you haven’t done so yet, here is the link: https://forms.gle/mpgro9q5Ey5LVd2i9 ). According to your preferences, I will hold two live classes per week, Mondays at 6pm and Wednesdays at 8am (starting Wednesday 8th). This will be a total of 7 live classes, each one hour long. The schedule will be the following:
Wednesday 8th – 8:00amMonday 13th – 6:00pmWednesday 15th – 8:00amMonday 20th – 6:00pmWednesday 22nd – 8:00amMonday 27th – 6:00pm- Wednesday 29th – Final Exam Review Live at 10:00am
As stated on the previous announcement (which you can see on Blackboard if you registered recently to the class), attending the live sessions are 100% optional. It will give me a chance to meet you and have a more interactive class, plus the class will be much more valuable for you. You do not need to use a webcam, and the microphone is optional, chat is encouraged. I read, answer, and explain as I go. All live classes, including public chat messages will be recorded as well and accessible to everyone even if you did not attend.
Please be advised that there will be a lot of video lectures, as the class has a lot of material to cover, but rest assured, they will be entertaining and divided/named into short, accessible subtopics. Also, assignments will be up since the beginning of the class, you have an entire month to work on them, but please remember that some of these assignments may take between 4 – 9 hours, so plan in advance.
You will receive your first pre-recorded video in the form of an announcement and listed here on Monday 6th, after that all videos will be on Blackboard Collaborate. The first video will also have a short explanation on how to use all the Blackboard tools we will use during the class so we are all on the same page. Stay tuned for the first video/announcement tomorrow and our first live on Wednesday. Looking forward to this class.
To learn how to use Blackboard Collaborate check the following video, you can find it under the tools section:
Please note that for full features it is recommended to take these sessions in a laptop or desktop, and not on a mobile device as some screen sharing features may not work properly. Also note that Blackboard recommends using Google Chrome as your web browser.
You will be able to find the class recordings inside Blackboard Collaborate, at the top left hamburger menu.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course integrates both computer concepts and information systems concepts, and provides a strong managerial emphasis focusing on the impact of technologies in different environments. Coverage includes the analysis, design, development, and implementation of information systems. The course provides the fundamentals of management of information systems including organizational, global and strategic issues.
Syllabus
Summer II 2020
CRN 32507
Contact: igris@utep.edu
Office Hours: By appointment only
Recommended reading (not required): Management Information Systems
Recommended software: Azure
Grading
| Evaluation | Grade |
| Midterm | 20% |
| Final | 30% |
| Project (Cloud / IoT) | 20% |
| Discussion Forums Participation | 30% |
| Portfolio | +5% |
Class Schedule
| Week | Topic | Notes |
| 1 | Introduction | Course goals and content |
| 1 | Computer Hardware | PC components, networks, etc. |
| 1 | Operating Systems | Unix, Windows, Android, etc. |
| 1 | IT Infrastructure | Physical and software infrastructure |
| 2 | Data Management | Organizational data collection |
| 2 | Decision Support Systems | Software and infrastructure use-cases |
| 2 | Midterm Review | July 17th |
| 3 | Telecommunications | Enterprise connectivity |
| 3 | Cloud Computing | Web services, AWS, Azure, G Cloud |
| 3 | Internet of Things | Devices and use cases |
| 4 | Smart Systems | AI powered systems |
| 4 | Emerging Technologies | SaaS, virtualization, GPU, Quantum |
| 4 | Final Review | July 29th |
| 5 | Final Exam | July 31st |
Important Dates
- Midterm: Friday July 17th, covers week 1 and 2.
- Final: Friday July 31st, covers weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4, emphasis on last two weeks.
Homework
There is no particular format, lengths, or requirements for the homework. I am just looking for insightful discussions. You don’t even need to write your own post, you can just reply or elaborate on someone else’s! I am looking for people to start conversations and engage with others. This will be your participation and attendance and it’s 30% of your grade. Due dates below. Please do not turn these late, anything after 11:59 pm on the due date will not be graded!
- Discussion Forums labeled Week 1 due Sunday July 12th
- Discussion Forums labeled Week 2 due Sunday July 19th
- Discussion Forums labeled Week 3 due Sunday July 26th
- Discussion Forums labeled Week 4 due Friday July 31st
Projects
Links lead to the project rubric and description. They should all be submitted through Blackboard in their appropriate sections.
EXTRA CREDIT
TBA.
Portfolio
Students are encouraged to create an online portfolio to highlight their work, knowledge, and achievements. Your web portfolio must consist of a website (you can use WordPress, Wix, Drupal, or other free web building tools and templates). This will award you 5% extra credit at the end of the semester. To receive full credit, your portfolio should contain the following:
- A professional looking picture. Don’t spend on this, use your career services department, or take one with your phone.
- A professional looking URL. The domain is free with some web building tools but it has a few restrictions (e.g. you can have a free domain that looks like this: firstnamelastname .wordpress.com)
- A link to an updated LinkedIn profile.
- A short paragraph describing your career goals (i.e. pursue a master’s degree, work for X or Y firm or company).
- A section or a list with the projects you are most proud of. These should be full projects, and can and should contain those which are done as part of your academic coursework, whether it is for this class or others
If there are any personal reasons or privacy concerns for which you would prefer not to create your online portfolio come talk to me and an alternative extra credit will be assigned. If you are taking another class with me, the same portfolio provides extra credit for all classes, provided information about the projects performed in that class is included.
Class Guidelines
- No late assignments will be accepted. Please turn in assignments as-is before the deadlines to prevent a cascading effect where you are never able to catch up. Any grade is better than zero grade.
- The midterm and final exams are open book, open notes, and you can use the internet to search for information, however, you cannot communicate with your classmates or anyone else in any way online or otherwise.
- Not all homework will be graded. Versions of these problems, whether verbatim or with slight variants will appear on your exams.
- Projects will be graded, each containing its own rubric materials. Read the rubric!
- Projects will only be graded if they are submitted through Blackboard within the given time-frame.
Contact and Office Hours
Email: Send them to my UTEP email with the exact header CIS3345-FirstName-LastName. Emails are automatically filtered, not adhering to this syntax may cause your email to be lost in my inbox.
Office hours: Online only. Feel free to schedule via email, we can then meet via Blackboard Collaborate.
Class Feedback
Please remember to give feedback about the course. As we approach the end of the semester, you will receive an online survey from UTEP about this class (course evaluations), make sure you respond!
Accessibility
If you feel you may require special accommodations for any reason, please contact the Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148, go to Union Bldg., East, Room 106, or e-mail cass@utep.edu.
VIDEO MATERIALS
Some additional course materials have been recorded for your convenience, find them all on Blackboard Collaborate!
Ivan Gris 