Syllabus

Overview

As rising Information Systems professionals (or scholars), “systems analysis” may be the best way to quickly describe your core professional skill to folks at the holidays. Despite this, there are many systems analysts in the world who may not have ever referred to themselves as such. Understanding how to identify and analyze human and information systems, their impact on organizations and people, and some methods for changing these systems is a central component of the work of any information professional, whether they are software developers or personnel managers.

The details

Course: INLS 382-001

Semester: Fall 2015

Time: 6:00-8:45 p.m., Wednesdays

Instructor: Jason Casden (casden@email.unc.edu)

Textbook: Hoffer, George & Valacich (2011). Modern Systems Analysis and Design. 7th Edition. A copy is available on reserve at the SILS library. Additional readings are required as posted on the course website.

Online course environment: Sakai

Office hours: I’m happy to schedule Google Hangouts or Skype calls with reasonable notice.

Why I hope you’ll find this useful

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• identify and document systems in various settings.
• decompose these system abstractions into smaller components for analysis and modification.
• analyze these systems, identifying weaknesses and opportunities for improving the impact of a system.
• implement several project management and systems design techniques to implement new systems as well as to modify existing systems.

Grading

Assignments

Weekly journal

I will hand out pocket notebooks at our first class meeting. These notebooks are meant for you to use to document systems as you encounter them in your lives. This can include anything ranging from a restaurant kitchen to the financial aid office. Just keep an eye out for systems that involve people coordinating their work with each other and/or other systems, and think about the way that information moves through this system. Then, take your notebook (or whatever else) and briefly document the system. This can include:

• Some kind of system diagram (we’ll learn more about these throughout the semester)
• Written observations about what seems particularly effective, problematic, or just interesting
• Comments from people who regularly work in this system

Every week, create a new entry in the “Journals” Sakai discussion area that contains your documentation (feel free to post photos of diagrams or legible notes). These are due by 11:59:59 PM on Sundays.

Between Monday morning and the start of class on Wednesday, please review some of your colleagues’ documents and post thoughtful comments or questions to three of them.

Each of these is worth 1 point. Journals will be expected leading into each week in which there are readings. That’s 11 journal entries of 2 points each. To receive full credit for the journal assignments, you will need 20 points. That means that there are 2 points worth of extra credit, which translates into 2% overall.

Project assignments

Throughout the semester I will assign four mini-projects related to a system or organization that you select from one of the weekly journal entries. This will culminate in a 5-minute class presentation.

In-class activities

• Each class will begin with a short quiz for which you will receive full credit for indicating any awareness of the reading. If you are not present at the start of class, you will not receive credit for the quiz.
• Each class will have at least one group activity for which you will receive credit by participating.
• Each class will rely heavily on classroom discussion. You will receive credit for enhancing your colleagues’ classroom experience in some way.

Each of these elements is worth one point. That’s 3 points per class, for 12 standard class sessions…36 points! To earn full participation credit, you will need 30 points. The extra 6 points count as extra credit of up to 3% of your total grade.

Exams

The two exams will include a mix of questions (multiple choice, essay, etc.) based on the readings. We will spend time in class reviewing the readings before each exam.

The final exam is Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:00PM.

Policies

• Attendance is expected. Please let me know if you expect to miss more than one class.
• Journal assignments must be posted to Sakai by 11:59.59 PM on Sunday to receive credit.
• Comments on journal assignments must be submitted by the start of class on Wednesday to receive credit.
• Project assignments are due by the start of class on the due dates.
• Work can be submitted up to 24 hours late for half credit. Otherwise, late work is not accepted except in extreme circumstances.

Classroom conduct

We are a learning community and should treat each other with the respect we would expect of others. Constructive disagreement is encouraged, but please attempt to balance critiques with efforts to build and maintain a welcoming classroom community. I will try my best to do the same, but I welcome any suggestions for improvements or even general statements of discomfort.

Valuing, Recognizing, and Encouraging Diversity

Promoting and valuing diversity in the classroom enriches learning and broadens everyone’s perspectives. Inclusion and tolerance can lead to respect for others and their opinions and is critical to maximizing the learning that we expect in this program. This may challenge our own closely held ideas and personal comfort zones. The results, however, create a sense of community and promote excellence in the learning environment.

Diversity includes consideration of (1) the variety of life experiences others have had, and (2) factors related to “diversity of presence,” including, among others, age, economic circumstances, ethnic identification, disability, gender, geographic origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, social position.

This class will follow principles of inclusion, respect, tolerance, and acceptance that support the values of diversity.

Taken from the UNC Department of Health Policy and Management’s HPM Diversity Syllabus Statement 2011.

Accommodations

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability, or pregnancy complications resulting in difficulties with accessing learning opportunities.

All accommodations are coordinated through the Accessibility Resources and Service Office. In the first instance please visit their website http://accessibility.unc.edu, Tel: 919-962-8300 or Email: accessibility@unc.edu. A student is welcome to initiate the registration process at any time, however, the process can take time. ARS is particularly busy in the run-up to Finals and during Finals. Students submitting Self-ID forms at that time are unlikely to have accommodations set until the following semester.

Please contact ARS as early in the semester as possible.

Schedule

The schedule and readings are subject to change. Please check the schedule each week.

19 August 2015: What is a system?

Readings

• Sellen and Harper, “The Future of Paper” e-reserves

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

26 August 2015: The Systems Development Environment

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 1

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

2 September 2015: The Origins of Software

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 2
• Davis, W. (1999). The problem statement. In W. Davis & D. Yen, The Information System Consultant’s Handbook: Systems Analysis and Design. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Chapter 12, 87-90. e-reserves
• Davis, W. (1999). The feasibility study. In W. Davis & D. Yen, The Information System Consultant’s Handbook: Systems Analysis and Design. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Chapter 13, 91-96. e-reserves

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week
• Project assignment 1 assigned

9 September 2015: Managing the Information Systems Project

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 3

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

16 September 2015: Identifying and Selecting Information Systems Projects

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 4

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

23 September 2015: Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 5
• Artscape DIY, A Guide to Feasibility Studies

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

30 September 2015: Determining System Requirements

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 6
• A Closer Look At Personas: What They Are And How They Work (Part 1)

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments due 18 Oct. and 21 Oct., respectively.
• Project assignment 1 DUE
• Project assignment 2 assigned

7 October 2015: Midterm

Midterm exam.

14 October 2015

No class.

21 October 2015: Structuring System Process and Data Requirements

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 7
• Hoffer, Chapter 8
• A Closer Look At Personas: A Guide to Developing the Right Ones (Part 2)

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week
• Project assignment 2 DUE Sunday, October 25 at 11:55PM
• Project assignment 3 assigned

28 October 2015: Design and values

Guest lecturer: Andreas Orphanides

Readings

• Friedman, B. (1996). Value-sensitive design. interactions 3(6), 17-23.
• Shilton, K. (2010). Technology development with an agenda: Interventions to emphasize values in design. Proceedings of the ASIS&T 2010 Annual Meeting. e-reserves
• Architecture is Politics (and Politics is Architecture)
• Introduction to the Design with Intent toolkit
• Take a quick look at the Design with Intent cards

Optional:

• Hoffer, Chapter 9

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

4 November 2015: Data modeling (cont.), Interfaces, and Telling Stories with Data

Readings

• Data Visualization for Product Managers: More Than Pretty Pictures
• Junk Charts Trifecta Checkup: The Definitive Guide
• Hoffer, Chapter 11

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week
• Project assignment 3 DUE Sunday, November 8th at 11:55PM
• Project assignment 4 assigned, DUE November 29th, 11:55PM

11 November 2015: Design thinking; Designing Distributed and Internet Systems

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 12

Assignments

• Journal submission and comments in the upcoming week

18 November 2015: Elevator Pitches, Pre-mortems, Post-mortems, Retrospectives, and System Implementation and Maintenance

• Semester summary.

Readings

• Hoffer, Chapter 13
• Hoffer, Chapter 14

Assignments

• Reminder: Project assignment 4 assigned, DUE November 29th, 11:55PM

25 November 2015

No class.

Assignments

• Reminder: Project assignment 4 assigned, DUE November 29th, 11:55PM

2 December 2015: Looking back and ahead.

• Project presentations

7 December 2015 (7pm): Final Exam

Final Exam.