Course Syllabus for “Introduction to Business Information Systems-MIS 303”

Spring 2021


COURSE

Number: MIS 303 – DL1 (15834)

Time: Online/Asynchronous

Place: Online/Virtual

Course Site: Blackboard Learn (Bb)

Office Hours: Virtual/By Appointment


PROFESSOR

Saiid Ganjalizadeh, Ph.D. (AKA Dr. G.)

Office: Enterprise Hall 155

Phone: 703-993-6748

Email: [email protected]

More information will be on the Bb

(I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus, as needed.)


TEXTBOOK

Primary Textbook: Using MIS (2019), 11th Edition, by David M. Kroenke and Randall J. Boyle, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 978-0-13-579155-4 for eText or ISBN: 978-0-13-519176-7 for Hard Copy. Any edition/version of the textbook except the “International is acceptable.”

 

SOFTWARE

Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access will be used in this class.

Students who have Windows PCs can download and install Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise (formerly Office 365 ProPlus) from your MASONLIVE account, (See more details at https://its.gmu.edu/service/microsoft-365-apps-for-enterprise/) which includes Excel and Access 2019.

Mac users are required to install a virtual machine (VM) or Windows partition on the hard drive to run the Windows operating system. It is the responsibility of Mac users to install and create this Windows VM or partition, as business courses require the usage of software that runs on Windows (partition may slow laptop performance).

For more information, review the “School of Business Minimum Computing Requirements for the 2020-2021 Academic Year” document and other technology related supporting materials posted under the Syllabus section of Blackboard.


COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course will address current management issues related to information technology, supporting systems, data and information management, and business process. Case study discussions will be used to illustrate how major concepts and analytical frameworks can be applied in practice. Business decision making using Excel and Access will be included.


MASON CORE LEARNING OUTCOMES

● Students will understand the principles of information storage, exchange, security, and privacy.

● Students will become critical consumers of digital information; they will be capable of selecting and evaluating appropriate, relevant, and trustworthy sources of information.

● Students can use appropriate information technologies to organize and analyze information and use it to guide decision-making.

● Students will be able to choose and apply appropriate algorithmic methods to solve a problem.


ISOM LEARNING GOALS

● Apply knowledge of information technology, operations, and business functions to assess, design and improve business processes.

● Develop data organization, storage, and processing solutions to support organizational needs for information management. Also develop skills in the area of business intelligence.

● Use knowledge of computer networks as part of IT solutions for improving business processes.


COURSE FORMAT

This course is “fully online” and consists of a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on practice sessions. Please see the topical outline for a tentative list of topics. We will have individual assignments, discussions, quizzes, and projects.


READING ASSIGNMENTS

Students are required to read the course materials before coming to class meetings.


GRADING POLICY

The following grading scale will be used in the determination of your final grade.

Semester Grade Scale
A+
97% and higher

B-
80% to 82.99%
A
93% to 96.99%
C+
77% to 79.99%
A-
90% to 92.99%
C
70% to 76.99%
B+
87% to 89.99%
D
60% to 69.99%
B
83% to 86.99%
F
Below 60.00%
1% means 1% of your total grade. You have only 100% in your semester grade.

This course requires a minimum grade of C to satisfy School of Business degree requirements, and students will not be permitted to make more than three attempts to achieve a C or higher in this course. 

Registration in this course will be prohibited beyond three attempts that result in a grade lower than C. If you have questions about this policy, please see an academic advisor in ENT 008.

For any complaints concerning grades on assignments, exams, team work, etc., submit in writing and I will respond in writing.


COURSE EVALUATION

Weekly Assignments (several):       20%

Excel and Access Projects:              20%

Quizzes (4):                                      40%

Discussions:                                     20%

                                                          -------

Total:                                                100%


QUIZ POLICY

Four quizzes will be given. All technology (cell phones, iPads, laptops, etc.) should be turned off during quizzes.


MAKE-UP QUIZZES/ASSIGNMENTS

Missed quizzes, assignments, and any late deliverables will be assigned a grade of zero. Barring extenuating circumstances, no exceptions will be made for absence from a quiz or class assignment. Work-related time conflicts do not constitute extenuating circumstances. The decision regarding makeup work will be at the discretion of the professor.


COMMUNICATIONS

For privacy and confidentiality, you are required to only use your GMU email account to communicate with me. Your email will be answered with 24 hours. Assignments sent via email will NOT be graded and will not receive credits. If you encountered issues with uploading your files via Blackboard, you can send me an email to receive a reasonable extension. Broadcast announcements posted via Blackboard are also sent to you via email.


POLICY ON ELECTRONIC DEVICES (FOR HYBRID CLASSES)

Please keep cell phones and other communicative devices in silent/vibration mode. Laptops or other electronic devices should strictly be used for class related activities such as taking notes or following lectures. Engaging in activities not related to the course is strictly prohibited, such as sending/reading text messages, tweets, using apps, etc. You will be asked to leave the classroom, should you violate this policy.


INCLEMENT WEATHER AND OTHER EMERGENCIES (FOR HYBRID CLASSES)

Class will be cancelled when the campus is closed, either due to inclement weather or othersituations. Please check GMU website for up-to-date information. Please register Mason Alert so that you can receive timely emergency notifications and warnings.


DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS

If you are a student with a disability and you require academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (703) 993-2474 (http://ods.gmu.edu/), at the beginning of the semester. All academic accommodations due to disability must be arranged through the ODS and should be made during the first two weeks of the semester.


HONOR CODE POLICY

Honor System and Code: The Honor System and Code adopted by George Mason University will be enforced for this class: https://oai.gmu.edu/mason-honor-code/.

In your work on all written assignments, keep in mind that you may not present as your own the words, the work, or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgement. You also may not borrow the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgement. Please note: Faculty are obligated to submit any Honor Code violations or suspected violations to the Honor Committee without exception.

To promote a stronger sense of mutual responsibility, respect, trust, and fairness among all members of the George Mason University community and with the desire for greater academic and personal achievement, we, the student members of the University Community have set forth this:

Student members of the George Mason University community pledge not to cheat, plagiarize, steal, or lie in matters related to their academic work. Please see document attached to the end of this syllabus for details on violations.

School of Business Recommendations for Honor Code Violations
Approved May 2016
UG Non-Freshman Students (including transfer students)
  Type of Violation   First Offense   Second Offense
  Plagiarism
1. Failure to cite/attribute sources
2. Representing someone else’s work as the student’s own (e.g., copying and pasting)
  An F in the class; referral to Writing Center; and Academic Integrity Seminar completion   An F in the class; referral to the Writing Center; Academic Integrity Seminar completion; termination from the School of Business; and at least one semestesuspension or expulsion
  Cheating
1. On a minor assignment (e.g., homework, quizzes)
2. Cheating on a major assignment or exam, submitting course work from another course as original work
  An F in the class; and Academic Integrity Seminar completion  An F in the class; and Academic Integrity Seminar completion, and at least one semester suspension   An F in the class, Academic Integrity Seminar completion; termination from the School of Business; and at least one semester suspension or expulsion
  Lying (e.g., providing fraudulent excuse documents, falsifying data)   An F in the class; and Academic Integrity Seminar completion, and at least one semester suspension   An F in the class; Academic Integrity Seminar completion; termination from the School of Business; and at least one semester suspension or expulsion
  Egregious Violation (e.g., stealing an exam; submitting coursework from another class as original work across multiple courses; lying to an employer about academic performance, false identification or posing as another, in person or online)   An F in the class, Academic Integrity Seminar completion; termination from the School of Business; and at least oneyear suspension   An F in the class; Academic Integrity Seminar completion; termination from the School of Business; and expulsion

Note: The Academic Integrity Seminar used by Office of Academic Integrity costs $100.


OTHER GENERAL COURSE POLICIES

1. Semester grades must be assigned according the grading policy.

2. All assignments must be submitted via Blackboard by the deadlines to receive credits.

3. If you missed a deadline, you would not receive credits for the missed assignment, unless it is mentioned otherwise in the assignment description.

4. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submitted solution satisfies all requirements. If your submitted solution failed to satisfy any of the requirements, you will not receive credits. There is no such thing as “partially correct solution”. A solution is either correct or incorrect.

5. For “Homework”, you are allowed more than one submission before the deadlines. Hence, you can revise and resubmit your solutions before the deadline. For “Project/Quiz/Exam”, you are allowed one submission. (Blackboard allows you to upload many files in one submission.)

6. You are required to attend all class meetings, if the course if face-to-face or hybrid, and be prepared. Absence from class does not constitute a reason for being unprepared at subsequent class sessions. If you missed a class, you are fully responsible for the materials covered in the class that you missed.

7. You are required to check Blackboard course site and your email daily.


STUDENT PRIVACY AND MORE

Student privacy is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is an essential aspect of any course. Students must use their MasonLive email account to receive important University information, including communications related to this class. I will not respond to messages sent from or send messages to a non-Mason email address.

However, as a faculty member and designated “Responsible Employee,” I am required to report all disclosures of sexual assault, interpersonal violence, and stalking to Mason’s Title IX Coordinator per university policy 1412. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact the Student Support and Advocacy Center (703-380-1434), Counseling and Psychological Services (703-993-2380), Student Health Services, or Mason’s Title IX Coordinator (703-993-8730; [email protected]).


Spring 2021 (January 25 – May 10)

MIS 303 – DL1 (15834)

ONLINE

Topical Outline

Weeks
Date
  Topic   Deliverables
1
01/25 – 01/31
  Course Introduction, Review of the Syllabus and Class
  Rules and Regulations
  Introductory Lesson (PowerPoint Presentation)
  Assignments Zero
  Check the Bb
2
02/01 – 02/07
  Chapter 1: The Importance of MIS   Check the Bb
3
02/08 – 02/14
  Chapter 2: Strategy and Information Systems   Check the Bb
4
02/15 – 02/21
  Chapter 3: Business Intelligence Systems
  Check the Bb
  Quiz 1 (Chs. 1-2 and Introductory Lesson)
  Sat. Feb. 20, 12:00-11:59 PM
5
02/22 – 02/28
  Chapter 4: Hardware, Software, and Mobile Systems   Check the Bb
6
03/01 – 03/07
  Chapter 5: Database Processing
  Introduction to Relational Database and Microsoft
  Access Project
  Check the Bb
7
03/08 – 03/14
  Introduction to Relational Database and Microsoft
  Access Project Cont.
  Check the Bb
  Quiz 2 (Chs. 3-5)
  Sat. March 13, 12:00-11:59 PM
8
03/15 – 03/21
  Chapter 6: The Cloud   Check the Bb
9
03/22 – 03/28
  Chapter 7: Collaboration Information Systems   Check the Bb
10
03/29 – 04/04
  Microsoft Excel Tutorial and Project
  Check the Bb
  Quiz 3 (Chs. 6-7 and Excel), Sat. Apr. 3, 12:00-11:59 PM
11
04/05 – 04/11
  Microsoft Excel Tutorial and Project Cont.   Check the Bb
12
04/12 – 04/18
  Chapter 9: Social Media Information Systems   Check the Bb
13
04/19 – 04/25
  Chapter 10: Information Systems Security   Check the Bb
14
04/26 – 04/30
  Review of the lessons for Final Quiz
  Check the Bb
  Quiz 4 (Chs. 9-10)
  Date/Time TBD
15
05/01  05/10
  May 1: Reading Day – No Class
  May 3-10: Examination Period
  Final Words/Review of
  Final Grades

(I reserve the right to make changes, as needed.)

Link to academic calendar: https://registrar.gmu.edu/calendars/spring-2021/


ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT

As a member of the George Mason University community, the School of Business/ISOM plays an integral role in building an educational environment that is committed to anti-racism and inclusive excellence. An anti-racist approach to higher education acknowledges the ways that individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural manifestations of racism against Black individuals and other people of color contribute to inequality and injustice in our classrooms, on our campuses, and in our communities, and it strives to provide our community members with resources to interrupt cycles of racism so as to cultivate a more equitable, inclusive, and just environment for all of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends, regardless of racial background.

To be anti-racist means:

● To make constant, conscious decisions to interrupt racism and cultivate equity, inclusion, and justice for people of all racial backgrounds, and in particular those from Black communities and other communities of color, who are most likely to bear the direct and indirect costs of systems of white supremacy;

● To interrogate histories of white supremacy and white-dominant culture, and to examine the ways in which these histories have impacted our individual beliefs, our interpersonal relationships, our institutional and structural policies and processes, and our entire society;

● To make a commitment to being responsible for our own relationships to, and actions within, systems of white supremacy; and

● To cultivate a practice of self-awareness and self-reflection that allows us to critically evaluate our own role in upholding white supremacy and identify the ways we can interrupt cycles of racism at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural levels.

We believe that the work of anti-racism starts with each individual, and that in cultivating an anti-racist approach to research, scholarship, and practice, our students will build a skillset rooted in principles of equity, inclusion, and justice that they will carry with them throughout their lives.

For more information on how to continuously cultivate the practice of anti-racism, see this guide from the National Museum of African American History and Culture on how to be anti-racist: https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist.

[This anti-racism statement was prepared by Dr. Charles Chavis, Assistant Professor in the Rosalyn Carter School of Peace and Conflict Resolution.]