Pre- or Co-requisites

Must meet the technology admission requirements for program.

Catalog Description

INFM 603 Information Technology and Organizational Context
Application of communication and information technologies to support work processes, including technology-enhanced communication networks, computer-supported collaborative work, decision-support systems, interactive systems, and systems analysis. Acquisition of information systems and their integration into the organization.

Extended Description

INFM 603 Information Technology and Organizational Context will explore issues associated with the use of information technology in organizations, particularly the application of information technology to the information resources in an organization. Information in an organization may include records, structured and unstructured text and multimedia ranging from meeting archives to engineering designs. Information technology facilitates the creation, processing, storage, and retrieval of this content. This course will consider the design and structure of information resources with XML and natural-language processing; formal descriptions for organization processes with tools such as UML; the components of information management systems; and the use of information technology as a tool for accessing, using, and disseminating information.

Statement of Goals

After completing this course, students will:

• Understand how information technology can affect organizations
• Understand basic technological principles underlying advanced technology such as speech recognition, encryption, and ubiquitous computing
• Apply relevant technologies such as XML authoring, server management, database modeling, task analysis, and interface design.
• Understand basic principles and criteria of technology management

 

Topics

• Definitions of information technology
• Affect of information technology on organizations
• Task analysis
• Metadata development (e.g., XML)
• Database design (e.g., Access or Oracle)
• Process modeling (e.g., UML)
• Interface design (e.g., Java Script, Composer, Flash, Front Page)
• Multimodal interaction (e.g., audio, text)
• Networking
• Web server specification and management (e.g, Apache, Cold Fusion)
• Introductory information technology management

Teaching/Instructional Methods

There will be a combination of weekly lectures, class discussions, and in-class lab work. There will be three multi-week projects that ask students to put themselves in the role of an organization’s information technology manager. Each project brings together critical technology skills and concepts that are critical for this management role.

Student Requirements /Methods of Evaluation

The students will be expected to complete:

1. Three major technology projects:

• Task Analysis, Metadata Development, and Database Design
• task analysis on specific information domain
• develop metadata from analysis and current standards
• put metadata from intro traditional database
• put same data into XM
• Interface Design
• develop interface design for previous project metadata
• use Java Script and GUI Builder to develop demonstration project
• use technology for managing privacy controls (P3P)
• Server Specification and Management
• describe the issues in the management of a major web sever installation: server bandwidth, server speed, request size, Internet speed
• develop server applications
• enhance with digital rights management
• explore performance/cost tradeoffs

2. A paper for each project on how/why the technical design decisions were made and suggesting issues for scaling to an organizational level

3. A final examination and periodic assignments based on the readings and lectures

Sample Readings

• Allen, R. B. Information Science and Systems. (to be published)
• Anderson, D.L. and G. V. Post. Managing Information Systems: Using Cases within an
  Industry Context to Solve Business Problems with Information Technology. Prentice-Hall.
  JavaScript Tutorials.
• http://www.wsabstract.com/javaindex.shtml.
  Lynch, P. Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites. Yale
  University Press, 1999.
• Shelly, Cashman. Discovering Computers, 2003. Shelly-Cashman Press, 2003.
  XML FAQ. http://www.ucc.ie/xml/faq.xml