IST 301 Information and Organizations
Fall 2007
Time: M W 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Place: 107 ISTC
Course
Prerequisites:
IST 210 and 220; fifth-semester standing recommended
Course
Overview
IST
301 provides students with an overview of
organizations from both a process and an information processing
perspective. These perspectives are
critical to the effective use of information technology in organizations. This course is designed to build on student’s
understanding of organizations and provides them with both diagnostic and
analytic techniques. This course is designed around a series of
ill-structured, contemporary problems that require students to develop
responses by applying analytic techniques and theories of work and
organization.
Text and Materials
Huber, Piercy and McKeown: Information Systems: Creating Business Value
Friedman: The World Is Flat: a
Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (release 3.0)
Other reading material assigned by instructor
Microsoft Office and Visio
Instructor
Emily Wenk, M.S. Email: ewenk@psu.edu
Office: 205 ISTC Phone: 771-4095
Office Hours: M W 9:45
– 11:15
Other
times by appointment
Course Management Space: cms.psu.edu
You are strongly encouraged to use a
Grade
Determination
Your own effort and quality of
work over the course of the semester will determine the final course grade you
are assigned. It will be based on the
following formula:
Two in-class exams 30%
Homework/Course Participation 30%
Projects 20%
Final Exam 20%
Letter grades will be assigned
by this scale:
94 – 100 A 80
– 83 B-
90 - 93 A- 77 – 79 C+
87 - 89 B+ 70 – 76 C
84 – 86 B 60
– 69 D
0 – 59 F
Homework and Course
Participation
Thirty percent of your final
grade will be determined by your active participation in course discussions and
class activities. These activities
include written and oral case study discussions, on-line quizzes, and homework
assignments.
Exams
There will be two in-class exams
tentatively scheduled for October 3 and October 31. Questions will be taken from assigned
readings, class notes, homework assignments, and projects. The format of the exams will be primarily
short answer and essay questions, although there will be some objective-type
questions as well. The final exam will
be held during finals week and will be comprehensive.
If you are unable to attend class
the day of any scheduled exam, presentation, or in-class activity due to illness
or circumstances beyond your control, you must notify your instructor by e-mail
or voice mail before class. Otherwise,
it will not be possible for you to arrange a make-up exam.
Projects
Over the course of the semester,
students will be assigned several types of projects. Some projects will be completed by teams of
students, while others will be completed individually.
Course Outline
These are the topics to be
covered this semester in IST 301:
|
Number of Weeks |
Topic |
|
2-3 |
Business in a Changing World |
|
5-6 |
Organizational Structure
Analysis |
|
2-3 |
Business Processes |
|
2-3 |
E-Business and International
Business |
Academic Dishonesty
According to Penn State University
Policies and Rules (section 49-20), “Academic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations,
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized
possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work
previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the
academic work of other students.”
Academic integrity is expected
of all students. All work submitted for
a grade is required to be a reflection of your own efforts and understanding of
course material. Any violation of this
policy will be grounds for disciplinary action which will be determined
according to the university’s policy on academic integrity. For more information please visit the
following sites:
Student Collaboration
Throughout the semester students will be assigned group
work. There is substantial value to
collaborative learning, which takes place during group exercises. Students are also encouraged to discuss course
concepts and examples that are not specific to any assignment.
Disabilities
Students
with disabilities who may need disability-related classroom, testing, or campus
accommodations are encouraged to make an appointment to see the instructor.
Disclaimer
This
syllabus is subject to change. Be sure to check with a classmate after an
absence to see if any announcements were made. Remaining in the course after
reading this syllabus will signal that you accept the possibility of changes
and responsibility for being aware of them.