| Schedule by week | Information to cover |
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PowerPoint Presentations:
Free PowerPoint viewer for 97,2000,2002 users Note that the speaker notes are provided on a separate Word document if you are having trouble accessing them! You should check the schedule multiple times a week, sometimes I add things during the week. Please keep copies of all work you submit until you receive your final grade at the end of the semester. | |
| Week #15 Week of December 10th |
Finish up portfolio and projects. You need to also let me know where you stand on the course. The final can be requested via email. It must be returned to me by December 17th. |
| Week #14 Week of December 3rd |
Finish up portfolio and projects. Finish up the New Century as well. |
| Week #13 Week of November 26th |
Work on homework assignments and finishing up the New Century from each chapter. |
| Week #12 Week of November 19th |
If you have not finished creating an electronic portfolio, now is the time. Please be sure you have read the entire book - your final will definately be easier if you have. I have an open lab from 9:00-2:00 on Tuesday the 20th in K101. Please note that I am also do a webhuddle meeting with you if there is a topic you need to go over! Assignments: The dairy project should include the following documentation: description of the system, DFD, systems flowchart, programs (list all and document 1), files (list and layout fields for all and document 1 (dictionary)), reports (list and layout fields for all and document 1 (dictionary)), input (list and layout for all document 1). I also want an implementation plan. Documentation information can be found at: Documentation |
| Week #11 Week of November 12th |
Read chapter #10 - we will not cover it this week but I want to keep you reading one chapter
at a time, so... I want you to experiment with the Project Management software. You can download it from the web or get a copy from Carol Mello. I have asked that it be installed in the K130 lab. Project Manager Remember the business software packages that I asked you to send away for at the beginning of the semester - well now I want you to look at them! I would also like you to do some research on UMLs. What are they and how they are used. Assignments: We need to start getting me the systems flowchart for the dairy. When that is set, I want you to pull together a documentation package that will include the listing of input and output and files, the DFD, the systems flowchart and documentation. We will talk about what that means this week. Evaluate two of the software packages. You want to understand what functions they can accomplish (payroll, order entry, accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory etc.). You want to look at them related to the business notes I had you read and your own experience and evaluate whether they would work for a small company trying to set up a portion of their business with this software. Look at ease of use, whether the package works, whether it is flexible, whether in fact you could recommend it to a client. Experiment with project management. Report back briefly on UMLs. |
| Week #10 Week of November 5th |
This week we will continue looking at systems design including systems flowcharts and talking
about some standard business systems. Please read chapter #9 in the text. Read the information on Systems Analysis and Design Toolkits (if you haven't already) up through part #4 with special focus on PERT/CPM charts - you will also find notes at the site on this topic. I think it would be beneficial to meet or set up a webhuddle meeting or try instant messaging or something - this tends to me the place where people have trouble. Assignments: Pert/CPM assignment We worked on this in class so if you were in class, you do not need to pass it in - extra credit if you finish the project and pass it in. I want you to continue working on the dairy system. This week I want you to draw the systems flowchart and explain briefly what each of the programs does. Continue with New Century Health Clinic. |
| Week #9 Week of October 29th |
I am putting this assignment on google docs and sending you an invitation to collaborate. I think
you will benefit by working on this together. So please go in and start the discussion about
how to do the dairy assignment we started last week.
This week we will continue designing systems and look at data and processing. Assignments: Dairy Project: First, you need to design a DFD for this project and I want you to draw one. Second, we are going to decide on the storage/database etc that will be needed. I want you to make a list of tables in third normal form including keys/indexes. (Be sure to include fields) Continue with New Century Health Clinic. |
| Week #8 Week ofOctober 22nd |
Please read chapter #8 in the text. We will continue the discussion of design, databases,
IO etc. Assignments: Dog Store Database assignment Dairy System We will be working on this via email for a couple of weeks. I would suggest that you make some time to go over this with me either in a internet conference session or in person. First, I want you to decide on the output and input that would be produce and give me a list. Continue with New Century Health Clinic. |
| Week #7 Week of October 15th |
Note I have a help lab in K-101 on Tuesdays at 11:00. Please try to come if you are behind. Please read chapter #7 in the text. You should spend this week being sure you are comfortable with Access, relational databases and normalization - hopefully the assignment will have introduced you to the concepts. Assignments: Credit Union Assignment Continue with New Century Health Clinic. |
| Week #6 Week of October 8th |
Please read chapter #6 in the text/ You should also look at the additional information
about relational databases and normalization at this site. We will spend
time on that this week. Since most of you are comfortable with Access (if you aren't be sure to look at the Access tutorials), I am going to ask you to start thinking about normalization as you follow these two example/tutorials. Assignments: Using Access, I want you to create the following two databases: Student database example Payroll database example Continue answering the questions about New Century Health Clinic at the end of the chapter. Essentially you should be preparing a project containing this information to turn in at the end of the semester. |
| Week #5 Assignments Week of October 1st |
Transfer Scholarships for
anyone considering transferring The Boston Public Library has a large collection of computer books you can read on line for free. I am in the middle of one right now. Look for information related to this course by going to Boston Public Library This week we are going to spend time on DFD diagrams. Please go over the Systems Analysis and Design Toolkits for Communication Tools, Case Tools and Financial Analysis Tools in your textbook. Be sure to check for notes under notes and handouts that would be helpful in understanding the analysis phrase. I decided to wait until next week to assign chapter #6. Assignments: I have sent you an invitation to collaborate on a Ticket DFD Assignment posted in Google Docs & Spreadsheets - please send me your solution within three weeks - however, collaboration should take place starting now. Analysis/Powerpoint assignment |
| Week #4 Week of September 24th |
Please read chapter #5 in the text. We will start focusing on Data Flow Diagrams. I want you to spend a lot of time going over the examples in the text (chapter #4) and the example out on one of my presentations very carefully. Be sure you understand them. Notes on using Docs and Spreadsheets has been sent to you. Assignments: I want you to do a Data Flow diagram for something you are familiar with. Processes that you do at work would be ideal. Put together a diagram and send it to me with an explanation. I am not going to grade this assignment, I am just going to check it off (maybe a check plus for more details). Continue answering the questions about the New Century Health Clinic at the end of the chapter. Accept my invitation to Docs & Spreadsheets and go there and respond to the Beach House Case Study Assignment. If you have a project you would like to work on for the development project to be assigned later, please let me know your plan. In the meantime, please work on the homework assignments to increase your knowledge. |
| Week #3 Week of September 17th |
As you have probably gathered, we will use the text book as only one of our resources to
understand what analyzing a system is about. This week I would like you to read chapter #4 in
the text book. We will be looking at decision tables this week. Please read the information posted under notes and handouts. I also want you to look at the information about data flow diagrams very carefully. We will look at them next week as well. I would like you to read about a project involving the South Dakota Library. Project information I would also like you to test the site. SoDakLive another part of the project Assignments: Continue with the New Century Health Clinic, you can choose to give brief answers to the questions at Doc & Spreadsheets or you can summarize the steps and stages as the chapter applies to the case. I just want you to be sure you are comfortable with the concepts as they apply to the analysis of the New Century Clinic. Either way you need to post something at Docs & Spreadsheets in google. At Docs & Spreadsheets at google, please comment on the project undertaken by the South Dakota Library System, how it works from your testing, and any thoughts you have about things that could have been done better. Decision Table assignment |
| Week #2 Week of September 10th |
Remember that this is a capstone course - you should keep a portfolio of your work to pass in at
the end of semester (it should be web based). I would like you to upload
samples of things you have done during your studies in this major. Read chapter #3 in the text. There are also some links on the site and some information and resources at the text book site. I would like you to do some reading about copyright and fair use. Some suggested sites are: University of Maryland Copyright and Fair Use Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Copyright crash course Medical Library Association on copyright and fair use I would like you to go to google and set up an account if you do not already have one. Then you should open your account and go to Docs & Spreadsheets. This is a collaborative space that I want you to use for one of the assignments below. Assignments: I want you to read along and follow the analysis for the New Century Health Clinic as you read the text. You should take the time now to review the information about the clinic and start thinking about solutions in relationship to the chapters you are reading. The web site for the New Century Health Clinic is at New Century Health Clinic Work on New Centry making sure you are following along with the material as it applies. I want you to go to this site and experiment with it as a possible place for a portfolio, Digication Spotlight Create some pages and let me know what you think. Get back to me in two weeks. Please take this quiz using a document at googles docs & spreadsheets. Enter your answers and then correct yourself. This is a check off assignment and not a graded assignment so be honest and test yourself. You need to make me a collaborator using pgrocer@bristol.mass.edu. Quiz on copyright and fair use |
| Week #1 Week of September 3rd 2007 |
Read chapter #1 and #2 in the text. I can ask the bookstore to order the text if you need me
to, but since I believe there are only one or two people taking the course I would suggest
an online purchase. Explore some of the information and resources at the text book site. Text book site Part of your work this semester will be to prepare a portfolio of your work. You should spend some time this week looking at sites that talk about what should be part of an electronic portfolio and figuring out what you want to have in yours. I would set up a free email to use for this course, acquiring software requires an email and you will get lots of email responses from the information you provide. Acquiring software can be done over the next month. Downloading is always risky, so the safest way of doing this is to send away for CDs. You should also acquire case tool software to experiment with. There is a list of case tools at the text book site. and there is a trial version of Visible Analyst that is used in the book available at Visible choose the educational version Start to acquire some sample software for use later in this course. These are some that I have found, you can look for your own. You should acquire three or four different business software packages. If you see a time period limitation, either wait to download or install. You want the duration to start when you get an assignment. I want you to get some sample packages in areas of interest. For example payroll, restaurant management, sports management, inventory, health care. If you are not comfortable with spreadsheets and need more information, let me know and I will find a text book for you to use. Assignments: Information on software demos for this course These are just some possibilities of demo software - it would be great if you found some other options! I suspect some of these links are dead, but you can get some ideas. First e-commerce assignment: eCommerce due in two weeks Spreadsheet assignment: Southworth Nursery spreadsheet due in three weeks to give you time to review Excel I want you to work with the New Century Health Clinic Case Study at the back of each chapter and design the system step by step as you go through the examples. You should make sure you understand the questions, but essentially I want you to analyze and design the system chapter by chapter with the text and pass in the finished product at the end. This is due as a package at the end of the semester. |