BU509 IT in Organizations

~ DESIGN NOTES

Overview: BU509 is designed to offer a traditional MBA course using the emerging distance learning (D/L) paradigm as a delivery method. In some respects, the course is very traditional. For example, the content is primarily based on a textbook, and students are evaluated based on their written analysis of the substantive content, their participation in discussions, their completion of exercises and their performance on traditional exams. In other respects, however, the course is non-traditional in that there are no classes (after the initial session) in the sense of face to face meetings of students and professor . Traditional "classes" are replaced with interaction on the network. The course assumes that the use of Internet based web pages and email can be effective surrogates for physical synchronous meetings.

The following discusses some of the course's design features.

1. Classes & Modules: There is a single introductory class with a face-to-face meeting in a traditional classroom environment (or in the computer lab). Subsequent classes (or sessions, or modules) are conducted via the Internet. An on-line mid-term and final exam are scheduled. See also: modules.html

2. The textbook is a significant component of the course. It is available at both the PSC and the remote site bookstores. See also: text.html

3. The syllabus and related class material is at the following URL:
http://oz.plymouth.edu/~harding/BU509/contents.html.
This file is in a sometimes password protected directory in the professor's Unix account at PSC. Passwords are available to students formally enrolled in the course.

3. PC access: Adequate access to a PC is essential [Intel-based, Mac or other compatibles all seem to work fine]. Students are individually responsible for having computer accounts that provides access to the Internet. In practice this may be accomplished through an private Internet Service Provider (ISP), combined with a PC at home or work with sufficiently fast modems (28K minimum, 56K standard, cable modems are cutting edge) or network connections to use the Internet effectively. All PSC MBA students are provided user privileges on the Plymouth campus.

4. Exercises: Running concurrently with readings in the text, is a series of exercises intended to build a marginal proficiency in working in the Unix environment, manipulating files, and using hyper-text markup language (HTML). Prior proficiency in Unix and HTML is not assumed. The timing of these exercises and detailed instructions may be found in exercises.html.

5. Discussion Notes: In a traditional classroom setting, a professor may reasonably be expected to enhance the textbook material through critiques, connections with current events, personal anecdotes, and other ancillary commentary. In this course, the professor posts this commentary to pages of discussion notes. See also: discnotes.html Students are expected to read the professor's notes and respond with discussion notes of their own. The student submitted discussion notes constitute a portion of the student's course grade.

6.  Email: Students are expected to have email accounts at work or home, or may use their PSC Unix accounts.  This course uses Netscape software for email, which may or may not be fully compatible with other email packages.