Spring 2001

CIS 465 : Advanced Information Systems

As a capstone course in the Information Systems curriculum, CIS 465 builds on many concepts and issues discussed in earlier courses. The emphasis on the first part of the course is on helping students to recognize, describe, analyze, and design information systems from a business professional’s viewpoint. The textbook for this part of the course, Alter’s Information Systems: A Management Perspective, provides a very practical, widely applicable approach for analyzing IT-enabled systems from a business viewpoint. It will help the student understand the larger business environment in which these systems are supposed to operate. A significant amount of time will be spent on covering Alter’s approach. Examples will be presented, case studies discussed, and group exercises held in class.

One purpose for information technology is to provide solutions to organizational problems and challenges. The second part of the course aims to obtain a more detailed understanding of the nature of problem solving and decision-making. Methods and models for supporting the management process will be explored in some detail. As no textbook on information systems covers this area in sufficient detail, a second textbook will be used, Rubenstein and Firstenberg’s Patterns of Problem Solving. The textbook provides a broad overview of human problem solving techniques, modeling, decision-making models, and behavioral models. All of these concepts are crucial in designing information systems for decision support.

Readings:

Assignments and Group Project:

Consult your Section website for your assignments. The course will finish with students organizing themselves into groups and designing an information system to solve an organizational decision-making problem. Student groups will compete with one another as if they were consulting firms bidding on a systems design project. The project will involve a formal proposal and presentation.

 Participation: Your participation in class discussion and/or discussions in the on-line conference can have the effect of moving your final grade a half grade point in either direction if it is way below or above average. (e.g., B to B+ for outstanding discussion or B to C+ for poor participation). This participation is not based upon any required on-line assignments that you must answer.

Attendance: Since attendance is required for class participation, more than three unexcused absences (20% of class time) may result in lowering of your final grade a half grade point (e.g. B to C+).

This is the preliminary schedule for CIS465. Please consult your Section website for updates of the schedule. The first class is on  January 16^th for all Sections. Week 16 is in the final exam period (May 3-9).

Office: ITC 5212

Ullman@njit.edu

Office: ITC 4101