Contents of this Document
The Course Syllabus contains information to help you understand what the course offers, and what is expected for students to succeed. Please read it carefully, and ask the instructor if there is anything you don't understand.
- Catalog Course Description
- Course Objectives
- Text and Materials
- Grading
- Attendance Requirements
- Additional Information
(Updated 2006-11)
This course surveys computer applications and techniques in major areas of business, business structure, analytical communication with system users, principles of package software evaluation and acquisition, planning schedules and resource requirements for software development, and producing software development specifications. Software for data and process modeling will be introduced and used. Several approaches to system planning and development will be examined. Prerequisites will be checked on the first day of class.
Course Outcomes
- Professional approach to client interaction and reporting, properly using the English language
- Ability to apply at least one approach to system planning and development
- Ability to apply professional software to data and process modeling tasks
- Achieve a professional level of system
analysis and design
Course Objectives (revised 2006-11)
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Identify computer-based business systems and their principal components
- Identify the principal systems development approaches, their stages, strengths and weaknesses
- Recognize and apply terminology used professionally in the systems analysis field
- Perform a system study of either a real or realistically simulated computer-based business system
- Perform project planning using computer-based software
- Describe system operation, data flow, input, control, output and communication using Unified Modeling Language (UML)
- Describe and utilize principles of hardware and software evaluation and selection
- Describe the principles
of system conversion and implementation
Required Text
Author: Marakas, George M.
Title: Systems Analysis & Design: An Active Approach
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Irwin
ISBN: 0072976071 Edition: 2nd
These activities will contribute to your grade:
| Attendance | 15% |
| Exercises | 10% |
| Project | 50% |
| Tests | 25% |
| Total | 100% |
|---|
For details, see Grading Weights page
Class Participation consists of:
- Attendance in class (bring your body!)
- Participation in class discussion (bring your mind!)
- Participation in team projects (bring your social skills)
Final letter grades will be assigned as follows:
from |
to |
|
| A | 93 |
100 |
| A- | 90 |
92.999 |
| B+ | 87 |
89.999 |
| B | 83 |
86.999 |
| B- | 80 |
82.999 |
| C+ | 77 |
79.999 |
| C | 73 |
76.999 |
| C- | 70 |
72.999 |
| D+ | 67 |
69.999 |
| D | 63 |
66.999 |
| D- | 60 |
62.999 |
| F | 0 |
59.999 |
When is an Assignment considered late?
Assignments are due before class on the date due.
|
Late exercises will have their value reduced as shown here:
| Submitted before class | Submitted during class | Submitted after class | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Day due
|
Full credit
|
No Credit
|
-4%
|
|
1 class late
|
-4%
|
No Credit
|
-8%
|
|
2 classes late
|
-8%
|
No Credit
|
-16%
|
|
3 classes late
|
-16%
|
No Credit
|
-32%
|
|
4 classes late
|
-32%
|
No Credit
|
-64%
|
|
5 classes late
|
-64%
|
No Credit
|
No Credit
|
|
6 classes late
|
No Credit
|
No Credit
|
No Credit
|
For details see Grading Weights page.
Missed Quizzes and Exams
If you miss a quiz or exam, the procedures and penalties differ according to whether or not you informed the instructor in advance.
- If you know you'll miss a quiz or exam, let the instructor know as far in advance as possible. You and the instructor can arrange to make up the quiz or exam without penalty, if you complete the make-up according to the instructor's alternative instructions.
- If you miss a quiz or exam unexpectedly, contact the instructor as soon as possible.
- Quizzes may be made up with a late penalty of 10% for each weekday late.
- You may not be allowed to make up an exam. If you are allowed to make it up, there will be a late pentaly of 10% for each weekday it is late.
- A quiz or exam is considered "late" if it is taken after its officially scheduled time. However, the instructor may move the "late" date/time back if you can document an emergency that directly prevented you from taking the quiz or exam at the officially scheduled time.
Attendance counts toward your class score and is highly encouraged for those seeking a letter grade. Timely attendance will count 1% per day toward the final grade, up to 14 days. The only way to earn credit for attendance is by being in class. This is because missing class results in lost exposure to valuable learning experiences, as well as depriving the class of your potential input and teamwork. Therefore, the instructor does not attempt to make judgment decisions about "excused" and "unexcused" absences. Days on which you are absent, you will not earn credit for attendance no matter what the reason for your absence, unless classes are cancelled or you and the instructor have agreed on an alternative learning plan in advance. Being on time is important! You will not be given credit for attendance if you are more than 5 minutes late to class. Attendance is based on roll-call or sign-in (and possibly sign-out, if abuses are noted). If based on sign-in, your signature must appear on the sign-in sheet in order for your attendance to earn credit. |
Independent Work:
All students are expected to work independently, except when assigned specifically by the instructor to work together in groups or teams. Writing assignments should be done entirely by each individual student, though proof-reading and language critique by others is acceptable. Material quoted or inserted from other authors' work must be properly referenced, and may not exceed a reasonable proportion of the student's work. Students violating this principle will be subject to discipline as described in the WCC Student Handbook. Specifically, in this class:
- The first violation will result in a zero (0) grade for the assignment.
- The second violation will result in automatic failure (F grade) in the course.
Email to the Instructor:
Because email is one of the primary ways business professionals communicate, we will treat class email as business communication. Also, because busy people (like you and your instructor) can get overwhelmed with email, we will follow certain rules for identifying email. This means:
- In the subject line of your email, include your name,
your class and section, and the name
of the assignment the email is about. Example:
Subject: Sarah Strong, CIS 100 sec.03 W21h
If you have a question or need help, please put question or Help in the subject line. - Check your spelling and grammar. Poor spelling or English usage is unacceptable in business communication.
- Don't use informal email-lingo - but emoticons and common abbreviations are acceptable in some circumstances.
Email that does not meet these standards will be returned with the note, "Please use business email standards". (This could result in an assignment being counted late.)
Disruptive Behavior
Disruptive behavior is any behavior that makes it difficult for you or other students to learn. Disruptive behavior is unfair to everybody in the class, and cannot be tolerated.
Disruptive behavior will be handled as follows:
- First occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be asked to stop the disruptive behavior.
- Second occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be required to leave the room. WCC Security will be called upon to assist if necessary. The student will be counted as not having attended class that day.
- Third occurrence: disruptive student(s) will be required to leave the room, and will be referred to the Vice President for Student Services with a recommendation for suspension. The case will then be handled in accordance with Board of Trustees Policy 4095 "STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES".
Visitors in the Classroom
According to WCC Policy, only registered students are allowed in classrooms. Exceptions will be made only at the instructor's discretion. Visitors who disrupt the educational process in any way will be required to leave. If the visitor is a child, the student responsible for the child will be required to leave the class as well.
Getting Help
The CIS Department and WCC are committed to giving you every possible chance to succeed in this class. Several sources of help are available if you find your work difficult or hard to understand:
- Ask for help in class! We're here to help, and people who ask for help are the ones who succeed.
- See me! I'll be glad to help you. Since I'm retired, I don't come in to the office on a regular basis, but if you ask I'll see if we can find a time that works for both of us to get together. Before and after class often work best.
- Request a tutor! If you start falling behind and need more help than the lab assistants or I can give you, visit Learning Support Services and ask for a tutor.
- Request special needs accomodation if you are eligible! This is also available through Learning Support Services, and I will be happy to refer to you LSS or take you over to see them.
"Homework"In order to complete the computer exercises, you will need to do computer work on your own time. This is considered part of your "homework" for the class, though you may need come to one of the computer labs. (For information on labs, see https://www.wccnet.org/computingatwcc/openlabs/) While this may not be necessary for every student every week, you will find that you do not feel comfortable with the subject matter unless you spend time in addition to the scheduled lab time. PLAN ON IT - IT IS NECESSARY! Disabilities PolicyIn compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to "reasonable accommodations." In order to qualify for accomodations, disabilities must be documented and approved by Learning Support Services. Link here for details, visit Learning Support Services in LA 104, or phone (734) 973-3342. Incomplete PolicyStudents will not be given an incomplete grade in the course without sound reason and documented evidence. In any case, for a student to receive an incomplete, he or she must be passing and must have completed a significant portion of the course. Classroom policies:
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