OMIS 259

Introduction to Business Information Systems

Northern Illinois University – Fall 2021

Professor: Chuck Downing	Office: Barsema 328 O
Office Hours: Best way to reach me is via e-mail. Dr. Downing will aggressively monitor email questions from students M-F, and promises a 48 hour or less response. Dr. Downing will also arrange Teams/Facetime/phone call interactions if necessary. Dr. Downing will also be available in person in the Barsema Hall Auditorium each Wednesday from 9:30-10:45 a.m.	Phone: 753-6381 E-Mail: cdowning@niu.edu

Web Page: ChuckDowning.com (can also connect through BlackBoard)

Course Premise:

Technology literacy is a basic requirement for business employment and success today. Applying for a job without knowing how to use Excel, for example, would be like applying for a job fifty years ago without knowing how to read.

There is a high likelihood that many students will not end up working in organizations with an IT Department or IT consultants to support them. Whether forging a path as entrepreneurs, working for a medium or small company, or contributing to a department within a large enterprise, employees today are increasingly expected to "service themselves" in solving business problems and issues with information systems and technologies.

Therefore, this course emphasizes technology literacy for the purposes of enhancing business decision making, providing business intelligence, and improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Microsoft technologies will be used for common desktop applications, and a variety of tools will be used for Web applications.

Course Objectives (for additional and more detailed information, see GLOs and SLOs section of web page):

Hands-On Skills and Concepts:

· Select and apply appropriate Web tool to satisfy the needs of a business context.

· Select and apply appropriate Excel tool to satisfy the needs of a business context.

· Select and apply appropriate Access tool to satisfy the needs of a business context.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

Check the online Course Schedule often to check what is due that week.

STUDENT-FACULTY INTERACTION: Specific questions for the instructor should be sent to the instructor’s NIU email (not through the Blackboard course messages tools). You can expect an instructor response within 2 business days, generally sooner, with business days being 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CT.

TECHNOLOGY:

You are expected to be able to connect to the Internet, YouTube, MyITLab, and the Blackboard learning management system. Given the proliferation of connected devices, no extensions will be given due to technology failures. You are expected to be able to find a new device/connection should your current device/connection fail. If you need suggestions on where and how to connect, please contact the course instructor.

If you experience technical issues with components of the course, the following two steps are to be followed:

1) Email ServiceDesk@niu.edu (or call 815-753-8100) with a detailed explanation of the issue, the course component it occurred in, and what attempts have been made to rectify the issue.

2) Notify the instructor of the same details.

Textbooks & Materials:

MyITLab software code required. Ebooks supporting MyITLab (Excel and Access) are required, and are automatically included with MyITLab when you make that purchase. Both can be purchased online (go to course web page, look for “Get Stuff” link on left side). Course will be structured around MyITLab, which you should access through our class web page.

GRADING:

The percentage breakdown of your final grade is as follows:

35% MyITLab Exercises and Exams

5% Participation

5% Your Web Page

30% Seven Quizzes (one drop permitted)

25% Final Exam

Grades are assigned as follows:

Above 93.5%: A

Above 89.5%: A-

Above 86.5%: B+

Above 83.5%: B

Above 79.5%: B-

Above 76.5%: C+

Above 69.5%: C

Above 59.5%: D

59.5% or lower: F

All of your grades will be posted online (in Blackboard) throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to check these for accuracy. Disputes concerning this data will only be considered which are one deep… meaning, for example, if you have a compelling argument that something was incorrectly scored with a quiz, we will listen to that and resolve the issue. HOWEVER, if you notify us that something was incorrectly scored with the previous TWO (or more) quizzes, we will not consider anything further in the past than the most recent quiz. SO, check your grade data often.

CLASS PARTICIPATION:

At the basic level, you should attend class each Monday and not be a negative influence on any class activity. The OMIS Attendance Policy will be followed. (If you are COVID-concerned and use the online course option, your attendance is still required and will be measured via quiz completion during scheduled course time and also assignment completion during the week). As much of the learning in the course is designed to come from a thoughtful interchange of ideas during class, it is important that all members contribute. To ensure this, we are using NIUResponse.com, an in-house student response system. Simply put, your class participation grade will be 100 times your “NIUResponse Percentage”, which is the number of in-class NIUResponse questions you answer correctly divided by the total number asked.

Everyone gets to drop 20% of all NIUResponse questions asked without penalty. This 20% drop covers you missing class (for any reason, including COVID), your device not working, etc. EVERYTHING. PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION, BRING DOCTOR’S NOTES, SEND EMAILS EXPLANING YOUR ABSENCE, ETC. Everyone gets to drop 20% of NIUResponse questions for free, and that’s it.

Participation = 100*NIUResponse Percentage = 100*[Questions Correct / (80% of Questions Asked)]

So if 10 questions were asked, and you got 8 right your Participation grade would be:

Participation = 100*[8 / (.8*10)] = 100*[8/8] = 100*1= 100%

Participation Adjustments:

We will allow you to increase your participation for the following reason:

1) HELPING OTHERS. You help classmates with work from OUR class (this includes helpful Discussion Board posts), and they register you as helping on our online system. You will get rated by your classmate concerning the quality of help, receiving 1/2 or 1 points each time. Your Participation increase will be the total points you receive. You can achieve a maximum of 10 additional points (10 percentage points on your overall Participation grade). This is a potential FULL GRADE (10 points out of 100) Participation increase.

We will decrease your participation for the following two reasons:

1) DISRUPTING CLASS. If the professor has to ask you to stop reading the paper, browsing the web, talking to your classmates, sleeping, or other disruptive behaviors during class, you will have 5 points permanently removed from your participation grade for each occurrence.

2) LATE SIGN-UPS. If you sign up late for your code or seat, you will have 5 points permanently removed from your participation grade, PER WEEK, for each occurrence. See the schedule for when these are due.

Additionally, 5 points will be added to your numerator (your NIUResponse.com points) for every Discussion Board post you make in Blackboard. (If you are COVID-concerned and use the online course option, you will have to use this option to receive a good Participation Grade).

Participation is capped at 100 points.

MyITLab ASSIGNMENTS

Hands on, business cases covering topics included in the ebook, simulations, and GPHW tutorial videos will be completed by all students. These labs will be “virtual”, where students are expected to complete the work on their own. However, both the instructor and TA will be available to offer remote help. You can also request help from classmates.

Note: The Skill-Based Training and Grader Project (homework) assignments each count for one-tenth of the Chapter MyITLab Assignment Grade and the Skill-based exams and Grader Project (assessment) each count for four-tenths. If you skip a Skill-Based Training assignment (and you may) your score on the Skill-based exam for that chapter will count in its place (so, for that chapter the Skill-based exam would count for 50% of the MyITLab Assignment grade). If you skip a Grader Project (homework) assignment (and you may) your score on the Grader Project (assessment) for that chapter will count in its place. It is NOT recommended to skip the Skill-Based Training or Grader Project (homework) components in MyITLab. This option is only for advanced students who already know certain material.

Given the difficulty some students have had obtaining a fully working copy of Microsoft Excel, we allow flexibility in how you are graded in MyITLab (this can ONLY help you):

Original system for MyITLab chapter grade (stated above):

ST 10%

SE 40%

GPHW 10%

GPA 40%

New system for MyITLab chapter grade if it helps a student:

ST 20%

SE 80%

GPHW videos are REQUIRED to watch in either system.

OR use above (original) system if that produces a higher grade.

MyITLab assignments are due when listed on our online course schedule. Late assignments receive 0 points and no late work is accepted.

Similar to quizzes, the lowest MyITLab chapter grade will be dropped for each student. However, the "MyITlab drop provision" is intended to assist those students who experience circumstances beyond their control and must miss some MyITLab work. While MyITLab chapters on which a student performs poorly may also be dropped, it is not recommended that a student plan on using the drop provision for that purpose. In order to maintain grading consistency, special treatment cannot and will not be given, under any circumstances.

It is also important to note that the grade you see for MyITLab assignments on the MyITLab website is not an accurate representation of the grade you have earned for that portion of the course.  MyITLab only takes an average of the scores and compiles them together without taking into account the weighted system described above for assignments.  It is important that you check your grade via the class webpage to see a current and accurate number for your grade.  Additionally, if you are showing a 0 for your MyITLab grade on the class webpage and have successfully completed MyITLab assignments this is probably due to an error (most commonly: incorrectly spelling your name, using “Bill” instead of “William”, etc., or registering for the wrong class).  While sometimes we will catch this and fix the problem ourselves it is imperative that you monitor your grade to make sure you don’t encounter this problem.  Please be sure to check your grades as they are updated. You must notify the TA in charge of MyITLab’s assignments of the problem before midnight on the Friday of week 4 or face a PERMANENT 5% DEDUCTION FROM YOUR MyITLab score.

Finally, when you download a Grader Project file from MyITLab, the file is secretly encoded with your "DNA" (your MyITLab ID). If you use a file that your friend/roommate downloaded to complete GPHW or GPA, we receive a flag that you cheated. All such violations will have the score reset to ZERO. If you share a computer or otherwise work with others, make sure you are uploading YOUR OWN files for grading. If you upload the file with someone else's DNA on it, you will receive a 0 for that assignment whether it was accidental or not.

QUIZZES:

There are seven Blackboard quizzes given in the Barsema Auditorium on Mondays throughout the semester, based primarily on the MyITLab assignments, and also on any assigned outside readings, and videos. A zero will be given on any quiz missed and there will be no makeup's. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped for each student. However, the "quiz drop provision" is intended to assist those students who experience circumstances beyond their control and must miss a quiz. While quizzes on which a student performs poorly may also be dropped, it is not recommended that a student plan on using the drop provision for that purpose. In order to maintain grading consistency, special treatment cannot and will not be given, under any circumstances. All students are allowed to drop exactly one quiz. Save your drop to make things easier on all of us!

FINAL EXAMINATION:

The final examination will be a cumulative exam designed to be very similar to the quizzes. Think of it as a very long quiz.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you need an accommodation for this class, please contact the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible. The DRC coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. It is located in the Campus Life Building, Suite 180, and can be reached at 815-753-1303 or drc@niu.edu.

Also, please contact me privately as soon as possible so we can discuss your accommodations. Please note that you will not be required to disclose your disability, only your accommodations. The sooner you let me know your needs, the sooner I can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Good academic work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university.

A faculty member has original jurisdiction over any instances of academic misconduct that occur in a course which the faculty member is teaching. The student shall be given the opportunity to resolve the matter in meetings with the faculty member and the department chair. If the facts of the incident are not disputed by the student, the faculty member may elect to resolve the matter at that level by levying a sanction no greater than an F for that course. The faculty member shall notify the student in writing whenever such action is taken, and the University Office shall receive a copy of the Academic Misconduct Incident Report indicating final disposition of the case, which will be placed in the student’s judicial file. In all matters where the charge of academic misconduct is disputed by the student or if the faculty member feels a sanction greater than an F in the course is appropriate (such as repeated offenses or flagrant violations), the faculty member shall refer the matter to the University Judicial Office making use of the Academic Misconduct Incident Report. Additional sanctions greater than an F in a course can be levied only through the University Judicial System. With regards to finding the student either responsible or not responsible for his or her action, the ruling of the Judicial Hearing Board shall be binding. In cases where there is either a finding of responsibility or an admission of responsibility by the student, any recommendations by the hearing board regarding the course grade are non-binding on the instructor, who remains solely responsible for assigning a course grade, consistent with the policies set forth in the course syllabus.

EQUITY STATEMENT

Northern Illinois University strives to improve outcomes for all students by identifying and removing barriers that disproportionately hinder the academic achievement and student experience of historically and currently underserved populations.

SCHEDULE

See the web page for full course schedule.