Syllabus - Fall 2009
ISKM 3100W - Introduction to Information Technology
(Formerly ISKM 210W)

Excluding textbooks, the information on this syllabus is subject to change.  For the most
up-to-date syllabus, check this site on the first day of classes. 

This course, Introduction to Information Technology, is one in a series of undergraduate courses in Web Technology.

The developer of this course is Dr. Andy DePalma.

Course Information

Course Title: Introduction to Information Technology (ISKM 3100W)

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 or 1011 or 3800 and basic computer proficiency skills (including working with word processing and spreadsheet documents)

Instructor: Carrie Horvath
E-mail: carrie.horvath@uconn.edu

For special permission to register for this course, contact ccsonline@uconn.edu. Include your Peoplesoft ID number and reason for taking the course.

This course provides an overview of information technologies including fundamentals of the Internet, service protocols, web development and deployment, and fundamentals of networking.

In addition, this course emphasizes “personal responsibility” as it relates to the use of technology in four areas:

1. safety and security,
2. ethics,
3. compliance, and
4. information assurance.

Note: This is a W course with an extra writing component and as such has some very specific requirements. Please see the Course Policies for more details.

By the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Use a technology skills inventory to assess his/her own technology skill strengths and weaknesses.
2. Describe personal and professional technology learning goals.
3. Describe components and structure of the World Wide Web.
4. Justify decisions for the use of technology in business and personal life.
5. Recognize and describe issues of personal responsibility as they relate to technology.
6. Create, post, and maintain simple Web pages.
7. Demonstrate effective writing by clearly presenting ideas and logical arguments in course papers.

Instructor Availability
You should use HuskyCT mail to contact me instead of regular email. I check HuskyCT mail first. Regular email will likely be queued longer before I can get you a response. I check HuskyCT mail every weekday and as I can on weekends. To be sure I see your HuskyCT mail message on a given day, be sure to send it before 9:00 am on that day. You also have the option to call me at my office telephone number listed above. Face to face meetings are possible by arrangement.

Logging In - Attendance
You are expected to login to the course 3-4 times every week and check messages at least once every 48 hours.

Course Papers
Papers in this course are of two types, reflection and research. Reflection papers are an opportunity to organize your thoughts about personal and professional responsibility as they relate to technology. You'll explore your existing technology skills, the skills you wish to attain, the ethicality of decisions, and your plans for maintaining and building your technology knowledge and skills. Research papers are an opportunity to explore in-depth topics of special interest to you, and apply the specific technical knowledge presented in the course to furthering your understanding of these topics. Both paper styles contribute to building your understanding of concepts presented in the course and meeting course goals outlined above.

Complete descriptions of paper assignments are provided in HuskyCT as part of the learning modules you'll be working through this semester. Generally paper preparation will begin with the weekly discussion of a given module. Paper topics are a refinement of discussion topics. Discussion is an opportunity to present ideas and receive some initial feedback from both your instructor and your peers. Be sure to completely read the paper descriptions before class discussion!

A first draft is usually due one or two weeks after the paper assignment. Drafts are submitted via the HuskyCT Assignments tool as word processor files. The more effort placed into preparing the draft, the more useful and detailed feedback provided by your instructor will be.

Initial drafts will be reviewed by your instructor and returned as pdf files with up to three components. The first will be your commented paper. Carefully review all pages. You should plan on addressing all questions posed by your instructor. The second item included will be a summary page (“rubric”) describing your overall performance on specific mechanical aspects (grammar, spelling, structure, etc.) and conceptual aspects (clarity, idea development, logic of arguments, etc.) of your paper. Lastly a “Remedial Reading and Review” (RRR) sheet will be provided which lists readings from the writing handbook (required!) to address specific issues with your writing or to provide a review of selected writing topics for the entire class.

Initial drafts are graded, and do count as part of your final draft grade. They are not included separately in the “paper” component of your course grade. Initial drafts that are substantially incomplete will not be accepted.

Final drafts are also submitted via the HuskyCT Assignments tool. Feedback is similar in structure to that received for initial drafts. Keep electronic copies of final drafts for inclusion in your web-based portfolio at the end of the semester.

Overview of Writing Intensive (“W”) Course Requirements (“W” sections only)

This course fulfills the writing competency of the general education requirements.  You will be required to write a minimum of fifteen pages that have been revised for conceptual clarity and development of ideas, edited for expression, and proofread for grammatical and mechanical correctness.

During this W course, your instructor will address the writing process and provide feedback to you for ongoing revision throughout the course. The structure of revision and supervision can vary but may utilize the mail and assignment tools within the HuskyCT course. You may schedule an individual consultation with your instructor by telephone or in person. Please do NOT use outside email.

Enrollment is restricted to 19 students.

Students must pass the writing component in order to pass this course.

Adherence to Due Dates
Everything in the course with a due date should be handed in on time. Late submissions will be penalized.

Assignments
All assignments should be handed in on time. Assignments that are one day late may be penalized 20%. Assignments more than one day late may not be accepted.

Please double check that your submissions have been properly processed by HuskyCT. You are responsible for uploading functional files. Please test accordingly. Files that do not open cannot be considered submitted until working files are submitted. If assignment deadlines pass resubmitted files may be late. If you plan on uploading a file type I haven't mentioned in the assignment, please check with me beforehand.

Each assignment requires a filename or names that I have specified. Incorrect filenames will be considered late until corrected.

Discussions
You are expected to participate in ALL required discussions. The minimum requirement is a quality initial message and responding to as least one of your classmates. Please do not post messages shorter than three complete sentences. In addition, your discussion postings are expected to clear, with proper grammar, and spelling. Refer to the discussion grading rubric for a complete description of expectations.

Quizzes
This course has graded reading quizzes in every module. You are required to take these quizzes and score a minimum of 80% on each of them. You can retake a quiz as often as you need until it closes. However, note that the each quiz is randomly assembled from a pool of questions and will be different each time you take it. Quizzes that are not scored at 80% or better will be counted as zero towards the course grade calculations.

Final Exam
The final exam is available for three days. Documentation of illness or other serious unavoidable cause for missing the exam is required for another opportunity to take it.

Academic Integrity
It is your responsibility to understand and abide by the University's Code of Conduct. You should not share work unless specified by the assignment. Any assignment may be submitted to a plagiarism scanning service. Improper citation of sources, even if accidental, will be handled according to University's plagiarism policy. Check your documents carefully!

Special Arrangements
It is not uncommon for life to sometimes interfere with schoolwork. So, if you believe you have a special circumstance regarding assignment deadlines or exam dates, please let me know so we can make special arrangements. Let me know at least a week in advance.

Students with Disabilities
Students needing special accommodations should work with the University's Center for Students with Disabilities . You may contact the Center by calling (860) 486-2020 or by emailing csd@uconn.edu . If your request for accommodation is approved, an accommodation letter will be provided. Please present your official letter to the instructor as soon as possible so special arrangements, as appropriate, can be made. (Note: Student requests for accommodation must filed each semester.)

The University of Connecticut's online course management system, HuskyCT, is a product of Blackboard, Inc. "Blackboard measures and evaluates accessibility levels using two sets of standards; Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act issued from the United States federal government and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)." (Retrieved December 1, 2008 from http://www.blackboard.com/company/accessibility.aspx)

The course is broken down into the following course components:

Graded Course Components	Weight
Papers	35
Discussions	12
Technology Skills Inventory	3
Homework	15
Project	5
Reading Quizzes	15
Final Exam	15
Total	100

The final course grading scale is as follows:

Grade	Letter Grade	GPA
93-100	A	4.0
90-92	A-	3.7
87-89	B+	3.3
83-86	B	3.0
80-82	B-	2.7
77-79	C+	2.3
73-76	C	2.0
70-72	C-	1.7
67-69	D+	1.3
63-66	D	1.0
60-62	D-	0.7
<60	F	0.0

You are responsible for acting in accordance with the Student Code, available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/code2.html.

 

These course texts may be purchased locally, through an online bookstore, or at the Storrs UConn Co-Op. Please visit our page on buying books for more information.

Required Textbooks:

Hult, C. & Huckin, T. (2007). The New Century Handbook (4th ed.). Pearson-Longman. ISBN: 978-0-205-55368-6

O'Leary, T.J. & O'Leary, L.I. Computing Essentials 2010 (Complete ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ISBN 978-0-07-351674-5

• Word processing software
• Adobe Acrobat Reader

Your Internet browser and browser settings need to be HuskyCT compatible.
See Settings.

Module 1 - Information Technology and You

Module 2 - Internet

Module 3 - Basic Applications

Module 4 - Special Applications

Module 5 - System Software

Module 6 - All About "The Box"

Module 7 - The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating

Module 8 - Information Assurance

Module 9 - I Can Get From Here to There!

Module 10 - Security and Privacy

Module 11 - Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Module 12 - Of Rules and Guidelines and Such

Module 13 - Everything Else Is Negotiable

Module 14 - The Sum of Tomorrows