Instructor:	George Wyner
Email:	george.wyner@bc.edu
Twitter:	@geowyn
Voice:	617-871-0427
Office:	Fulton 412B (@Fulton412B)
Office Hours:	Mon, Wed, and Fri 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM  (Also: please feel free to make an appointment or stop by. Check @Fulton412B for my latest whereabouts.)
Teaching Assistants:	Matt Donofrio (donofrma@bc.edu)  Sam Kim (kimaov@bc.edu)  Gabbie LeBlanc (leblanga@bc.edu)  Tammy Lee (leeayu@bc.edu)  Emily Linko (linkoe@bc.edu)  Tiffany Liu (liutf@bc.edu)  Connor Logue (logueco@bc.edu)  Donny Wang (wangvf@bc.edu)  Nicole Zunick (zunick@bc.edu)
TA Office Hours:	will be announced on Canvas

 

Note:  You can also download a pdf version of this syllabus.

Overview

This is an introductory course on information technology (IT) and its use in modern organizations. During the past few decades, IT has transformed companies—their business processes, decision-making structures, corporate strategies, and interactions with customers and suppliers. Scan the business news on any day and you will be reading not only about businesses whose success is due to a technology-infused product line or business strategy, but also about businesses struggling with IT issues whether those be security breaches or disruptive challenges from new technology upstarts.  As a result, managers and entrepreneurs face significant IT related challenges in their work including:  how to justify large IT investments, how to manage risks, how to choose the appropriate technology, and how to integrate the technology with existing processes and systems.

To address these challenges, this course will focus on the central questions:

1. How do organizations use information technology to improve their business processes and create competitive advantage?
2. How do managers employ information technology to solve problems and make critical business decisions?

We will tackle these questions by:

• learning about key business and technology concepts,
• developing a set of frameworks for applying these concepts to the analysis of business situations,
• applying these frameworks to the analysis of actual companies who are using technology to transform their businesses, and
• learning to use spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel) to analyze complex business problems.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Understand and discuss various management concepts and issues related to systems and technologies.
• Assess the current role of IS in an organization, identify areas for the strategic use of IS, and understand where technology makes firms and markets vulnerable to disruption. You will have a recall-level awareness of several successful and failed attempts to use IS for competitive advantage so that in meetings you will be able to back up any assertions with concrete examples.
• Use Excel to solve challenging business problems. You will learn how to write formulas, use functions to summarize data, handle conditions, and calculate important financial functions.  You will also learn how to create charts, link multiple data sets using lookup functions, and analyze data using pivot tables.
• Use charts and tables to communicate business information effectively. Excel is not just a tool for solving problems, it is used to communicate your analysis to colleagues and clients.  In addition to learning how to crunch numbers you will learn to display your analysis in an effective manner.

Course Website

The course website is hosted here on Canvas.  For a quick overview of Canvas, have a look at this brief introductory video.  More video tutorials can be found here and answers to frequently asked questions can be found here.

This site includes an updated version of the course schedule along with detailed directions on how to complete and submit all course assignments.

Textbooks

There are two required books for class.

For the Excel material we will be using:  Mastering Excel 2013: A Problem-Solving Approach (2nd Edition) by James Gips.  Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014.  ISBN 978-1269888004.

For the information systems strategy and technology topics we will be using Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology by John Gallaugher, v. 4.0, Aug. 2015, Flat World Knowledge.

See Obtaining The Textbooks for more details about the textbooks and where to obtain them.

Both textbooks will also be on reserve at the O’Neill Library.

Online Readings

In addition to the textbooks, I will be assigning several online readings (links will be posted on Canvas).

Lynda.com

An important resource for learning Excel will be the video tutorials provided via Lynda.com.  A subscription to Lynda.com costs $25 per month. We will be able to get all our videos viewed in two months.  I will be providing information on when and how to subscribe and when to cancel your Lynda.com subscription in order to keep the cost to $50. 

Specific videos will be assigned to watch before each class.  The total length of time required to watch the videos for any class will be under 20 minutes and will often be under 10 minutes. 

Software & Web Applications

Part of our agenda in this course is to develop a hands-on understanding of a range of information technologies.  First hand experience with technology will add depth to our discussion of the strategic import of these technologies for business and will help to support our goal of obtaining a working knowledge of key technical concepts.  While the primary hands-on experience in the course will be using Excel, we will also from time to time explore other technologies including relevant web applications and software already loaded on your PC or Mac.  I will let you know in advance if you should bring your laptop to class.  You will always have the option to look on with another student and work together on these hands on experiences.

Excel

You will need access to Microsoft Excel in order to complete most of the exercises and all of the problem sets.  You can install Excel on your laptop or use computers in O’Neill Library. We will often be using the Windows version of Excel for in class demos.  While there are some advantages to having access to Excel for Windows, you can absolutely complete all the assignments using Excel on a Mac.  New this semester is access to the new Excel 2016 for Mac which promises to make the Mac experience nearly identical to the Windows experience.  Excel 2016 is recommended for both Mac and Windows, but you can continue to use Excel 2013 for Windows and Excel 2011 for the Mac if you have one of these versions on your computer.  See Getting Excel On Your Computer for details about how to install or upgrade Excel.

Poll Everywhere

We will be using Poll Everywhere to add to the interactivity of the classroom. I will post questions in class and you will be able to respond by text message, web browser, or by using the free mobile app. Answers are not used for grading but will help me (and you) to assess your understanding of course topics and also to get some input for class discussions. I will explain how to get set up on Poll Everywhere in class.

Grading

The course grade will be based on the following items, each of which will be explained below:

Exercises & Workshops	15%
Problem Sets	20%
Quizzes	10%
Midterm	15%
Participation	10%
Short Paper	5%
Final Exam	25%
Total	100%

 

Final letter grades will be based on the following ranges: A [94 and above]; A- [90-94); B+ [87-90); B [83-87); B- [80-83); C+ [77-80); C [73-77); C- [70-73); D+ [67-70); D [63-67); D- [60-63); F (below 60].

Exercises & Workshops.  For some classes you will be asked to complete a brief exercise before class.  This will usually involve demonstrating mastery of some Excel technique.  I am asking you to learn about and practice these Excel techniques before we discuss them in class.  I will assign specific videos on Lynda.com as well as pages in the textbook to help you learn the technique.  These exercises are intended to take no more than 30 minutes to complete.  You will have an opportunity to resubmit the exercise after class for an improved grade. In addition to these before class exercises there will be a small number of in class workshops that will challenge you to apply your Excel skills in a small group in real time. Details will be provided on Canvas.  Note: to receive credit, all exercises must be resubmitted by the end of the last day of class (May 4).

Problem Sets.  Problem sets test your Excel skills, including your ability to use Excel to solve complex problems.  There will be four problem sets assigned during the course.  Each problem set will include several challenging problems and will take a significant amount of time (a minimum of several hours and possibly longer).   Unlike exercises, there is no option to resubmit a problem set for additional credit.  It is important that you do these assignments on your own.  If you have a question about a problem set you should contact the instructor or a TA for guidance.  I strongly advise you to start every problem set within a day or two of receiving it, so that you will be able to find out where you have questions and get them answered in class or in office hours. You should not leave these to the last minute.  Late assignments are not accepted unless I agree you have a very compelling reason.  Solutions to the problem sets will often be discussed in class on the day they are due.  It is your responsibility to submit your assignments on time.  Problem sets will be made available on Canvas and should be submitted online before the deadline.

Quizzes.  There will be three closed book, closed notes quizzes during the course.  You will in some cases be permitted to bring a single page of notes (this will be clarified before each quiz).  These will be short (20 minute) assessments of your understanding of course concepts.  The first quiz will focus on Excel skills and will help you prepare for the midterm.  This quiz will be taken using paper and pencil (not a computer).  You will be given some practice in advance working in this way and we will discuss why we are using this “retro” format for a technology quiz. The other two quizzes will focus primarily on technology and strategy concepts.  These latter two quizzes will consist of short answer questions. Information about the precise format and content of each quiz will be provided in advance on Canvas. 

Midterm.  The midterm will be an in class assessment of your Excel learning.  It will be similar in format to the first quiz.  However the midterm will be a full 50 minutes and will therefore be able to give you more and larger problems to work on.  Details about the midterm will be provided later in the course.   

Participation. Your class participation grade reflects your contribution to class discussion.  I am happy to give you feedback about your participation at any point in the semester and to talk about strategies for increasing your class participation.  In addition to in-class participation, contributions to discussions on Canvas (optional) will also be counted towards your participation grade and there will be an opportunity to earn class contribution by suggesting exam questions (details to be provided during the semester). 

Short Paper.  A two page paper will be assigned in the second half of the course.  This paper will give you an opportunity to reflect on the implications of the information systems concepts we are studying and their implication for business strategy.  Details for this assignment will be provided on Canvas later in the course.

Final Exam.  The purpose of the final exam is to provide one final assessment of your learning of course topics.  The final is closed book and closed notes (except for a single page of notes that you will be able to bring to the exam) and is a comprehensive test both of your Excel skills and of your recall-level knowledge of managerial concepts, strategic frameworks, technologies, and the issues and examples highlighted in the readings and covered in class.  The final will take place at the time scheduled by the University: May 10th at 4pm (location will be announced prior to the final).

Extra Credit

There will not be any extra credit assignments possible during the course. Therefore, be sure to keep up with the exercises, problem sets, and other assignments.  Get feedback on your performance on the early exercises and quizzes in order to better prepare for later assignments and the final exam. 

Expectations

Expect the course to be challenging, fun, and valuable!

Please show up on time and be prepared to actively participate. Arriving late is a disruption. Expect that you will be called on to share your knowledge.

The Excel portions of the course depend heavily on your completing the assigned videos and exercises in advance of class.  The Excel material builds as we move through the semester and it is important that you keep up with the course as we go.  If you find yourself falling behind for whatever reason, please seek help from me and from the teaching assistants.  We are committed to helping every student learn this material and there will be resources for helping you to get and stay on track.  It is up to you, however, to seek out this assistance.

Use of Laptops and Mobile Devices

This course is focused on information technology and we will be using laptops in class on a regular basis.  However, laptops can be a tremendous distraction in a classroom setting.  Our classroom discussions will be intellectually challenging, and it goes without saying that the Internet offers many tempting escapes from this level of focus.  Therefore, classroom policy is that laptops are to be closed except when doing an in-class exercise, taking notes, or following along with an Excel example.  If you do not absolutely need your laptop I suggest you keep it closed.  Cell phones and tablets should be silenced and set aside except when needed (e.g. for Poll Everywhere). I reserve the right to adjust the class participation grade in response to classroom use of devices that creates a distraction for me or other students.

Academic Integrity

In this course our learning process will be highly collaborative, but be sure that individual assignments represent your own work.  When collaboration is permitted on an assignment this will be clearly indicated; otherwise you should always assume that the assignment is individual in nature. Cheating, copying the work of others, talking during exams, or any other breach of academic integrity will be pursued with the utmost seriousness.  If you are confused or stuck on an assignment, the best thing to do is to ask me or a teaching assistant for help. Actual cases of cheating are generally dealt with severely.  People have failed courses and been kicked out of school for this.  Please refer to BC’s academic integrity policy for further information:  http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/integrity.html.

Disability Services

If you are a student with a documented disability seeking reasonable accommodations in this course, please contact Kathy Duggan, (617) 552-8093, dugganka@bc.edu, at the Connors Family Learning Center regarding learning disabilities and ADHD, or Paulette Durrett, (617) 552-3470, paulette.durrett@bc.edu, in the Disability Services Office regarding all other types of disabilities, including temporary disabilities. Advance notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations.

Resources

In addition to the course website and course materials there are some other resources which you may find useful during the semester.  See Useful Resources.