Instructor: Barbara Wildemuth
Office: 210 Manning Hall
Email: wildem@ils.unc.edu
Phone: 962-8072 or 962-8366 (SILS office); 968-3018 (home)

Class meetings: Tuesday & Thursday, 11:00-12:15; 208 Manning Hall

Course Description

This course will introduce the basic concepts underlying systems analysis, focusing on contextual inquiry/design and data modeling, and the application of those analysis techniques in the analysis and design of organizational information systems.

Textbook and readings

Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1998). Contextual Design: Defining Custom-Centered Systems. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.

Additional readings are on electronic reserve or available via the World Wide Web.

Assignments and grading

The course grade will be based on five individual assignments (45%), a team project (45%), and class participation (10%).

• The five individual assignments will cover problem definition, flow/sequence/task models, artifact/cultural/physcial models, entity-relationship diagrams and data dictionaries, and budgeting and scheduling. They will be due throughout the semester, as noted on the class schedule.
• The team project will be the development of system specifications in a realistic setting. The team will hand in, for my review, an information gathering plan, draft models of the system (work models, semantic model), and preliminary design ideas. The teams will then integrate their analyses and complete their design specifications. Their designs will be formally presented to the class on December 2 or December 4; the final specifications will be due at 3:00pm on December 11.
• Each student's participation in online and face-to-face discussions will be evaluated as part of the course grade.

Library and lab resources

You will be using SILS library and lab resources during the course of the semester. Please remember that many of your fellow students also need to use the same material. Follow the proper checkout procedures and return materials promptly to be a good SILS citizen.

The Honor Code

The UNC Honor Code, which prohibits giving or receiving unauthorized aid in the completion of assignments, is in effect in this class. The Instrument of Student Judicial Governance gives examples of actions that constitute academic dishonesty.

There are some specific guidelines for this class.

• You may give and receive assistance regarding the use of hardware and software.
• I encourage you to discuss issues raised in class or by the readings with each other. You may also ask your classmates for clarification on class notes.
• Individual homework assignments are to be done individually. You may consult the course readings, your notes, and even other print or web sources. (Keep in mind, however, that what you find in other sources may not be consistent with what I want you to do.) You may not consult your classmates or other people; all questions should be addressed to me.
• Team assignments are to be done as a team, with the team taking responsibility for all products. Work on the project shoudl be distributed equitably among team members. I expect team members to discuss, consult, and even debate with each other about the project throughout the term.

Other course policies

• You are encouraged and expected to participate in discussions, both during class sessions and on the Web-based discussion forum.
• Reading assignments should be done before class so that you can ask questions and participate in discussions.
• All cell phones and beepers should be turned off during class.
• If there is something you don't understand, ask a question! If you don't want to ask during class, come to my office.
• If your team is having difficulty with some aspect of your project, please come to see me. One of the educational outcomes of this class should be an increase in your effectiveness in getting advice from more experienced colleagues.
• Homework assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class in which they are due.