Discussion

 

In the last week of class, we are going to complete a reflection activity.

 This discussion topic is to be reflective and will be using your own words and not a compilation of direct citations from other papers or sources. You can use citations in your posts, but this discussion exercise should be about what you have learned through your viewpoint and not a re-hash of any particular article, topic, or the book.

Items to include in the initial thread: 

• “Interesting Assignments” – What were some of the more interesting assignments to you? 
• “Interesting Readings” – What reading or readings did you find the most interesting and why? “Interesting Readings”
• “Perspective” – How has this course changed your perspective? 
• “Course Feedback” – What topics or activities would you add to the course, or should we focus on some areas more than others? 

School of Computer & Information Sciences
COURSE SYLLABUS

Course and Instructor Information

Course Name

ITS 831 – Information Technology Importance in Strategic Planning
Section – 31
Spring 2020 Hybrid course with required residency

Residency Session Date: 06/12/2020 – 06/14/2020   
Residency Session Course Site: Online

Professor

Dr. Douglass Smith

Contact Information

Email: douglass.smith@ucumberlands.edu
Office Location: Remote

Phone: (optional)

Office Hours/Preferred Contact Times: 9-12 pm Central Tuesday/Thursday

Nature of Course Content and Goals

Course Description

This course focuses on the information technology leader’s collaborative roles working with an organization’s senior leadership, including aligning business strategy with IT strategy, acting as an equal contributor to the formation of organizational strategy, and integrating ethical policies and practices into an organization. Learners evaluate multidisciplinary research and practices related to leadership, organizational structures, and culture. Through the lens of complexity/chaos and change theories, learners analyze information technology’s role in contributing to organizational resiliency.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will:

· be proactive with risk management practices.

· understand IT business management.

· Understand the basics of Blockchain technology

· understand the economics of cloud computing.

· understand the benefits of eco-efficient technology adoption

· understand how to balance customer and shareholder value.

· understand how emerging technologies effect strategic planning.

Learner Outcomes/ Assessments

· Learn how to perform research identifying and analyzing technological challenges

· Build critical thinking skills to develop and apply solutions that achieve strategic and tactical IT-business alignment

· Develop professional skills and expertise to advance knowledge in your chosen field or discipline within information technology

· Conduct research with professional and ethical integrity

· Address complex technical questions and challenge established knowledge and practices in the area

· Identify, comprehend, analyze, evaluate and synthesize research

· Communicate effectively and employ constructive professional and interpersonal skills

· Critically evaluate current research and best practices

· Demonstrate IT leadership skills at the team and enterprise levels following tenets of professional, social, and ethical responsibility

· Recommend IT strategies that support enterprise mission and objectives

Course Website

Access to the course website is required via the iLearn portal on the University of the Cumberlands website: http://www.ucumberlands.edu/ilearn/

Books and Resources

Required Text

Pearlson, K., Saunders, C., Galletta, D. (2020). Managing and Using Information Systems: A Strategic Approach, 7th Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 978-1119

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Requirements and Policies

Academic Integrity/ Plagiarism

At a Christian liberal arts university committed to the pursuit of truth and understanding, any act of academic dishonesty is especially distressing and cannot be tolerated. In general, academic dishonesty involves the abuse and misuse of information or people to gain an undeserved academic advantage or evaluation. The common forms of academic dishonesty include:

· Cheating – using deception in the taking of tests or the preparation of written work, using unauthorized materials, copying another person’s work with or without consent, or assisting another in such activities.

· Lying – falsifying, fabricating, or forging information in either written, spoken, or video presentations.

· Plagiarism—using the published writings, data, interpretations, or ideas of another without proper documentation

Plagiarism includes copying and pasting material from the internet into assignments without properly citing the source of the material.

Episodes of academic dishonesty are reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The potential penalty for academic dishonesty includes a failing grade on a particular assignment, a failing grade for the entire course, or charges against the student with the appropriate disciplinary body.

Plagiarism Offense // Consequence

· First Offense // 0 on the assignment

· Second Offense // Removal from course = F for course grade

· Third Offense // Dismissal from University

Attendance Policy

When any student has exceeded 20% of the time prescribed for any class, that student will be automatically dropped from that particular class with the grade of “F.” This grade is placed on the official transcript of the student and is treated as a failing grade in calculating the grade point average. The definition of a class absence is a student’s failure to attend class for any reason. Instructors may count three times tardy or leaving early to be equal to one class absence. There are no excused absences, regardless of the reason for the class having been missed. However, faculty will make reasonable provisions to allow students to make up work if the absence is due to a university-sponsored function or a medical or family emergency that is documented in a timely manner. Allowance for students to make up work for other reasons is at each instructor’s discretion. A class absence does not excuse the student from being responsible for course work missed; the student is responsible for contacting the faculty member in order to make up class assignments. The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the authorized agent to consider any exceptions to the above regulations.

Residency Attendance: Each student must be in attendance for the entire duration of the required residency weekend.  Late arrivals and/or early departures are not permitted.  Punctuality is important as each student is required to have the documented in-seat time per USCIS regulations.  If a student is not in attendance for the full session, he/she will be counted absent for the entire session, and receive an automatic “F” and will be required to pay the $300.00 make-up fee and attend a residency make-up session.

Participation Policy

Study after study has linked successful academic performance with good class participation. Those who assume positions of responsibility must “show up” in order to be effective. Therefore, students are expected to actively participate in intelligent discussion of assigned topics in all areas (Discussion Board Activities, Synchronous Sessions, Forums, Shared Papers, etc.) to help process course material and/or to demonstrate understanding of course content. Point adjustments will be taken for non-participation.

Disability Accommodations

University of the Cumberlands accepts students with certified disabilities and provides reasonable accommodations for their certified needs in the classroom, in housing, in food service or in other areas. For accommodations to be awarded, a student must submit a completed Accommodations Application form and provide documentation of the disability to the Disability Services Coordinator (Mr. Jacob Ratliff, Boswell Campus Center, Student Services Office Suite, jacob.ratliff@ucumberlands.edu). When all paperwork is on file, a meeting between the student and the Coordinator will be arranged to discuss possible accommodations before accommodations are formally approved. Students must then meet with the Coordinator at the beginning of each semester before any academic accommodations can be certified for that term. Certifications for other accommodations are normally reviewed annually.

Academic Appeal

Both undergraduate and graduate students have the right to challenge a grade. If discussions with the course instructor and department chair do not lead to a satisfactory conclusion, students may file a formal written appeal with the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who will forward the appeal to the chair of the Academic Appeals Committee. This formal written appeal must be filed by the end of the 4th week of classes in the next regular term following the term in which the course in question was taken. The Academic Appeals Committee then gathers information from the student, the instructor, and any other relevant parties. The Committee will deliver its recommendation on the complaint to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. After reviewing this recommendation and concurring or amending it, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will inform the student and instructor of the disposition of the complaint no later than the last day of classes of the term in which the complaint was filed. Records of all actions regarding academic grade appeals, including their final disposition, are maintained by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Academic Appeals Committee. (Undergraduate Catalog/Graduate Catalog)

Appropriate Online Behavior

Prohibited learner conduct includes, but is not limited to the following:

Illegal Activities: Learners may not post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that they know is illegal or could reasonably be expected to know is illegal. Conduct that violates federal, state or local laws is prohibited.

Theft: Learners may not post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that violates copyright or other protected intellectual property rights. Unauthorized use of university property is prohibited. Theft or abuse of computer resources is prohibited.

Disrespect: Learners may not harass, threaten, or embarrass others. Learners may not post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is racially, religiously, or ethnically offensive or is harmful, abusive, vulgar, sexually explicit, or otherwise potentially offensive. Learners must refrain from behavior that may be perceived as inappropriate, offensive, and unfair and must treat all other learners, faculty, staff, and administrators with respect at all times.

Dishonesty: Learners may not intentionally provide false information, forge, alter, or falsify documents. Learners may not represent the academic work of others as their own.

Learners engaging in prohibited conduct will be subject to disciplinary action, including, but not limited to: course failure, probation, suspension, or expulsion. Such sanctions may lead to additional academic and financial consequences. Learners who are unable to complete a course resulting from disciplinary sanctions, suspension or expulsion are not eligible for tuition refunds.

Student Responsibilities and Course Policies

· The only authorized electronic means of academic, administrative, and co-curricular communication between University of the Cumberlands and its students is through the UCumberlands email system (i.e. Webmail). Each student is responsible for monitoring his/her University email account frequently. This is the primary email account used to correspond with you directly by the University; imperative program information is sent to this email account specifically from campus and program office.

· Students should check for e-mail and class announcements using iLearn (primary) and University of the Cumberlands webmail (secondary).

· Students are expected to find out class assignments for missed classes and make up missed work.

· Students are expected to find out if any changes have been made in the class or assignment schedule.

· Written work must be presented in a professional manner. Work that is not
submitted in a professional manner will not be evaluated and will be returned as unacceptable.

· There is a craft to writing. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and diction (word usage) are all tools of that craft. Writing at the collegiate level will show careful attention to these elements of craft. Work that does not exhibit care with regard to these elements will be considered as inadequate for college writing and graded accordingly.

· Students are expected to take the examinations on the designated dates. If you are unable to take the exam on the scheduled date and know in advance, you are to make arrangements with your professor before the designated date. If you miss the exam, you must have a legitimate reason as determined by your professor.

Recognizing that a large part of professional life is meeting deadlines, it is necessary to develop time management and organizational skills. Failure to meet the course deadlines may result in penalties. Keep in mind that all deadlines are set using Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Late assignments will NOT be accepted.

Course Activities and Experiences

Students are expected to:

• Review any assigned reading material and prepare responses to homework assigned.

• Actively participate in activities, assignments, and discussions.

• Evaluate and react to each other’s work in a supportive, constructive manner.

• Complete specific assignments and exams when specified and in a professional manner.

• Utilize learned technologies for class assignments.

• Connect content knowledge from core courses to practical training placement and activities.

Writing Expectations

Learning outcomes for candidates’ writing competencies include clarity of thought, discernment in planning and organization, and integration of evidence and criteria.

· The instructor expects that students will have knowledge of appropriate forms of documentation and use it where appropriate. APA format is required and style of notation to credit all sources that are not your own.

· There is a craft to writing. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and diction (word usage) are all tools of that craft. Writing at the collegiate level will show careful attention to these elements of craft. Work that does not exhibit care with regard to these elements will be considered as inadequate for college writing and graded accordingly.

· All assignments, unless otherwise instructed, should be submitted in APA format.

Links to Support

Orientation to I-Learn: Student training course on I-Learn, https://ucumberlands.blackboard.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

Book Store: https://cumber.bncollege.com/shop/cumberlands/home

Library:
http://www.ucumberlands.edu/library/

Academic Resources & Writing Center:
www.ucumberlands.edu/learningcommons

Course Assignments and Evaluation

Course Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on:

1. Homework Assignments, Discussion, & Reflective Activity –will be given throughout the term. Assignments and Discussions will come from the course lectures, materials, and required reading assignments.

2. Practical Connection Assignment – Written Assignment where students will reflect on course concepts and their practical connection to a working environment.

3. Residency Project – Research project completed during the residency weekend. Students will be randomly grouped in iLearn. Each group will submit their research project as a group. Students need to bring their laptops to conduct research, write research paper (SafeAssign reviewed), create PowerPoint presentation, and present their project orally before the class. Students must attend the residency weekend to earn a grade, there are no exceptions to this rule. Students not attending will earn zero points and a 0% as a grade. Please note that the totality of all residency activities will constitute 60% of the course grade.

4. Final Research Paper – will come from the course lectures, materials, and required reading assignments

Graded work will receive a numeric score reflecting the quality of performance. Relative weights assigned to graded work are as follows:

Weekly Discussions 17.5% (25 points each)

Residency Weekend Project (Paper and Presentation) 50% (500 points)

Practical Connection Activity (to be completed during Residency Weekend) 10% (100 points)

Final Portfolio Project/Research Paper 10% (20 points)

Weekly Research Papers (Weeks 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 @ 20 points each) 10%

Reflective Activity 2.5% (25 points)

Total = 1,000 points

Grading Scale

Graded work will receive a numeric score reflecting the quality of performance as given above in evaluation methods. The overall course grade will be determined according to the following scale:
A= 90 – 100 (90% – 100%)

B= 80 – 89 (80% – 89%)

C = 70 – 79 (70% – 79%)

F < 69 (Below 69%)

Links to Academic Writing:

Writing Center

https://www.ucumberlands.edu/learningcommons/writingcenter

This website includes beginning information about the Writing Center.  Look for The Learning Commons in your class list in iLearn.  Once you open The Learning Commons “course”, look for the Writing Center on the left menu bar.  

Three Awesome Programs:

Academic Writer: This is APA’s resource for APA format, style, citations, and document types (like how to write a literature review). UC has a dedicated link for students to create their Academic Writer account, and that link can be found here http://ucumberlands.libguides.com/c.php?g=504168

Citation Help Tools – Citation and Plagiarism – LibGuides at University of the Cumberlands – ucumberlands.libguides.com
The Learning Commons (TLC) is here to help you succeed in your courses, from your first day at Cumberlands through completing your degree.TLC offers a variety of academic resources both virtually and in-person that are informal and with qualified Academic Fellows.
ucumberlands.libguides.com

Zotero is a great, easy to use reference management tool, and it’s free. 🙂 https://www.zotero.org/

Zotero | Your personal research assistant
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research.
www.zotero.org

Grammarly

Compose bold, clear, mistake-free writing with Grammarly’s AI-powered writing assistant

https://www.grammarly.com/

Tentative Course Expectations (specific due dates are listed in the course module)

Course Schedule
Weekly Unit	Readings/Topics	Assignments and Due Dates
1	Chapter 1, “The Information Systems Strategy Triangle Dent, A. (2015). Aligning IT and business strategy: an Australian university case study. Journal of Higher Education Policy & Management, 37(5), 519–533. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2015.1079395	Welcome Discussion Graded Discussion 1 *Failing to Participate in Week 1 may result in being dropped from the course. Academic Honesty Pledge Signed * *Must sign this pledge to continue with the course All assignments are due starting on the first Unit by Sunday night 11:59 PM
2	Chapter 2, “Strategic Use of Information Resources” pp. 38-46; 51-54 Zhang, Y. (2016). What Makes Information Strategic? An Examination of Access to Information Resources for Entrepreneurs and Business Performance. ProQuest LLC. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=eric&AN=ED588420&site=eds-live	Review chapters 1 & 2 and prepare for Blockchain discussions starting next week Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
3	Blockchain: · Stoyanovich, M., & Tanz, F. E. (2019). Coming to Grips with Blockchain. Benefits Magazine, 56(5), 20-25. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=f5h&AN=135900272&site=eds-live · Waldo, J. (2019). A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Blockchain Universe. Communications of the ACM, 62(3), 38–42. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1145/3303868 · Burns, S. (2019). Blockchain: Hype Vs Reality. Computer Weekly, 21-24. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=f5h&AN=138564674&site=eds-live	Discussion 2: Blockchain Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
4	Blockchain continued: · Tarzey, B. (2019). Inside Blockchain and Its Various Applications. Computer Weekly, 16-20. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=f5h&AN=138681123&site=eds-live · Carson, B., Romanelli, G., Walsh, P., & Zhumaev, A. (2018). Blockchain beyond the hype: What is the strategic business value? McKinsey Quarterly, (4), 118–127. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=buh&AN=133693412&site=eds-live	Week 4 Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
5	Chapter 4, “Digital Systems and the Design of Work” pp. 83-98 Harris, W. J. (2018). Technology adoption by global virtual teams: Developing a cohesive approach. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 83(1), 4-21. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=buh&AN=135806019&site=eds-live	Discussion 3 Due: Sunday night 12 PM
6	Chapter 5, “Information Systems and Digital Transformation” pp. 109-121 Strutynska, I., Kozbur, G., Dmytrotsa, L., Sorokivska, O., & Melnyk, L. (2019). Influence of digital technology on roadmap development for digital business transformation. 2019 9th International Conference on Advanced Computer Information Technologies (ACIT), 333-337. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1109/ACITT.2019.8780056	Week 6 Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
7	Chapter 6, “Architecture and Infrastructure” pp. 143-150 Singh, M. (2018). Virtualization in Cloud Computing- a Study. 2018 International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communication Control and Networking (ICACCCN), 64. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1109/ICACCCN.2018.8748398 Verma, A., Malla, D., Choudhary, A. K., & Arora, V. (2019). A Detailed Study of Azure Platform & Its Cognitive Services. 2019 International Conference on Machine Learning, Big Data, Cloud and Parallel Computing (COMITCon), 129. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1109/COMITCon.2019.8862178	Discussion 4 Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
8	Review Chapters 1-6 in the course text as well as Blockchain content from weeks 3 and 4	Week 8 Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
R	Residency at the end of week 8	Residency Project (Paper and Presentation) Practical Connection Activity – 500-word personal paper Due: As posted
9	Chapter 7, “Security” Khelf, R., & G-Z, N. (2018). IPsec/Firewall Security Policy Analysis: A Survey. 2018 International Conference on Signal, Image, Vision and Their Applications (SIVA), 1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1109/SIVA.2018.8660973	Discussion 5 Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
10	Chapter 10, “Information Systems Sourcing” pp. 224-234 Buhrendorf, E. (2019). Outsourcing IT is a money-saving cyber safety net for company data. Fairfield County Business Journal, 55(20), 12. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=b9h&AN=136657455&site=eds-live	Week 10 Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
11	Chapter 9, “Governance of the Information Systems Organization” Sari, R., Kosala, R., Ranti, B., & Supangkat, S. H. (2018). COSO Framework for Warehouse Management Internal Control Evaluation: Enabling Smart Warehouse Systems. 2018 International Conference on ICT for Smart Society (ICISS), 1. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTSS.2018.8549983	Discussion 6 Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
12	Chapter 12, “Business Intelligence, Knowledge Management, and Analytics” Dong-Hui Jin, & Hyun-Jung Kim. (2018). Integrated Understanding of Big Data, Big Data Analysis, and Business Intelligence: A Case Study of Logistics. Sustainability, (10), 3778. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103778	Week 12 Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
13	Chapter 11, “Managing IT Projects” pp. 246-259 Jenkin, T. A., Chan, Y. E., & Sabherwal, R. (2019). Mutual Understanding in Information Systems Development: Changes within and across Projects. MIS Quarterly, 43(2), 649–671. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2019/13980	Discussion 7 Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
14	Yang, Z., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., & Cao, L. (2017). Employees’ collaborative use of green information systems for corporate sustainability: motivation, effort and performance. Information Technology for Development, 23(3), 486-506. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2017.1335281	Final Portfolio Research Paper Draft Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
15	Chapter 13, “Privacy and Ethical Considerations in Information Management” pp. 299-311	Final Portfolio Research Paper Due: Sunday night 11:59 PM
16	Final Evaluations *SHORT WEEK* Last Day of Class is August 20th Last Day for to accept assignments for Week 16 is August 25th.	Discussion 8: Reflective Activity

Syllabus Disclaimer:

This syllabus is intended as a set of guidelines for this course and the professor reserves the right to make modifications in content, schedule, and requirements as necessary to promote the best education possible within conditions affecting this course. Any changes to the syllabus will be discussed with the students.

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