IST 331 Organization and Design of Information Systems: User and System Principles
Spring 2009
Time: M W 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. Place:
107 ISTC
(Note:
If
Course Prerequisites:
IST 230
Course Overview
IST 331 provides students with an
introduction to theories, models and analytic techniques related to how users
interact with information, and with information and communication technologies
(ICT). Basic concepts of use, tied to how humans process information, are
developed through projects, cases studies, examples and discussion. The course
also serves as a focused introduction to the concept that people are important
in technology systems. It also covers
aspects of how groups process and share information, use ICT, and
interact.
IST
students benefit by being able to differentiate themselves from the traditional
view in computer science of focusing only on computers, and MIS's rather
"user-less" orientation. The IST degree is "not the technology
itself, not the million bit per second router ... , but rather the effect that
technology will have on society, on ... individual[s], and on groups making
decisions in an organization."
Please
note: In order to receive fulfill degree requirements, IST majors must earn a
grade of C or better in IST 331.
Text and Materials
Stone, Jarrett, Woodroffe and Minocha, User
Interface Design and Evaluation
Other reading material assigned by
instructor
Other highly recommended (but not required)
books:
Norman, The Design of Everyday Things
Nielsen, Usability Engineering
Shneiderman, Designing the User
Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction
Dix, Human-Computer Interaction
Instructor
Emily Wenk, M.S. Email: ewenk@psu.edu
Office: 205 ISTC Phone: 771-4095
Office Hours: M W 3:15 – 4:00 p.m.
Other
times by appointment
Course Management Space: cms.psu.edu
Helpful Web
Resources
SIGCHI – Human-Computer Interaction
group of ACM
HCI Bibliography – maintained by
SIGCHI
Jakob Nielson’s Usability Web Site –
the usability guru
U.S. Government Usability – lots
of information
Many other sites listed in Angel
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:
Mid-term Exams 20%
Course
Participation 20%
Presentation
Project 20%
Team Project 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
Course
Participation
Twenty percent of
your final grade will be determined by your attendance and active participation
in course discussions and class activities.
These activities include written and oral discussions, on-line quizzes,
and homework assignments.
It is also
expected that IST 331 students will have completed the assigned reading before
class. There will be discussion during
class in which all students are required to participate.
Attendance will be recorded at every class meeting. There will be no penalty for up to two
absences over the semester. A percentage
point will be deducted from your course participation grade for each attendance
over two.
Exams
There will be two
in-class exams tentatively scheduled for February 18 and April 1. 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. The
comprehensive final exam will be held during finals week, at a time and place
to be determined by the campus registrar.
Presentation
Project
Another
requirement of IST 331 is to make a presentation to the class on a topic
related to course material. Students may
choose to work alone or with a classmate on this assignment. The project will
be graded on accuracy, relationship to course material, appropriateness,
creativity, and presentation skills.
Detailed project specifications, along with a schedule with the date and
the topic of each presentation, will be handed out in the first two weeks of
class.
If you are unable
to attend class the day of any scheduled exam or presentation 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 make up the missed assignment.
Team Project
Students will be
assigned to teams of four or five students to work on a project designing the user
interface for a computer system. There
will be multiple phases to this project which will be due near the end of the
semester. Complete and specific project
details will be distributed.
Course Outline
These are the
major topics to be covered this semester in IST 331:
|
Number of Weeks |
Topic |
|
2-3 |
Human Factors |
|
5-6 |
User-Centered
Design |
|
2-3 |
Information
Communication Technology |
|
2-3 |
Interactive
System Requirements |
Academic
Integrity
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
Disabilities
It is our policy
at Penn State York not to discriminate against qualified students with
documented disabilities. If you have a disability-related need for modifications
in this course, please contact the instructor. You also may choose to contact
the
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.