Instructor:
Jeremy Shafer (jeremy@temple.edu)
Physical Office: 209D Speakman Hall
Phone: (215) 204-6432
Profile: http://community.mis.temple.edu/jshafer
Office Hours:
- 9:30 am – 10:30 am Monday through Friday
- Office hours are in effect 1/16/2024 through 4/29/2024
- Other times by appointment
- Be sure to use Canvas messaging when emailing the instructor
Class Locations and Time:
Section 1: 12:30pm – 1:50pm, Tuesday and Thursday, In Person, A602
Section 1 on the web: https://community.mis.temple.edu/mis3502sec003spring2024
Section 3: 1:00pm to 2:20pm, Monday and Wednesday, In Person, A602
Section 3 on the web: https://community.mis.temple.edu/mis3502sec003spring2024
Prerequisites:
MIS2402 (or MIS3501). MIS3406 (or MIS2501).
Course Description:
Use concepts of application integration to develop data driven software applications. Design the system architecture for an n-tier application. Learn how to integrate existing applications to produce new capabilities. Identify the technical and process issues of integrating a new application into the existing application structure. Relate software components such as middleware (specifically, a REST API) to the overall information architecture and apply software components to create client and server-based applications.
Course Objectives:
● Describe, experiment with, and use widely recognized standards for client/server and mobile application architectures.
● Describe and implement APIs that comply with a widely recognized standard (e.g. the RESTful standard) using a server-side programming language (e.g. JavaScript/Node.js)
● Demonstrate understanding of exceptions to the RESTful standard made by leading technology providers (possible examples: Google Maps, PayPal, Amazon Poly, Chat GPT)
● Develop one or more API services hosted in the cloud
● Use a combination of front-end and back-end technologies to create an application that addresses a business problem.
How This Course Will Be Taught:
Two synchronous, “in person” class sessions will be held each week.
All quizzes will be conducted in class. Quizzes are intended primarily to assess student’s recall of the lecture material.
All exams will be conducted in class. See the class schedule for information about exam dates.
Textbook and Materials:
There is no textbook for this course. Reading and viewing of free resources on the internet will be assigned throughout the semester.
Students will be expected to use LinkedIn Learning to watch the video “Learning SQL Programming” with Scott Simpson. Other videos (recorded by the instructor) will be assigned.
Students are expected to own a personal laptop with working audio/visual capability for web conferencing. See: https://www.fox.temple.edu/current-students/laptop-policy/
Limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or insufficient Wifi-access, should submit a request outlining their needs using the Student Emergency Aid Fund form. The University will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access.
Evaluation and Grading:
Items
|
Item |
% |
|
Exam 1 |
20% |
|
Exam 2 |
20% |
|
Quizzes (10) |
10% |
|
Project 1 |
5% |
|
Project 2 |
5% |
|
Project 3 – Independent |
10% |
|
Project 4 – Buddy |
10% |
|
Project 5 – Buddy |
20% |
Scale
|
Percentage |
Letter Grade |
Percentage |
Letter Grade |
|
94 – 100 |
A |
73 – 76 |
C |
|
90 – 93 |
A- |
70 – 72 |
C- |
|
87 – 89 |
B+ |
67 – 69 |
D+ |
|
83 – 86 |
B |
63 – 66 |
D |
|
80 – 82 |
B- |
60 – 62 |
D- |
|
77 – 79 |
C+ |
Below 60 |
F |
Students who fail to earn the required MIS PRO points will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation! See the MIS Department PRO Points Requirement section of this document for details.
Grades are always communicated to the student as percentage score (i.e. on a scale of 0% to 100%)
Once a grade is communicated electronically students have a 1-week window of time in which they may approach the instructor during office hours and question the grade received. Grade adjustments will not be considered after this window has closed. Of course, during the last week of the semester, study days, and finals week, the 1-week window may shorten. Grade adjustments will not be considered 48 hours after the last day of final exams.
Exams and Quizzes:
There will be ten quizzes and two exams during the semester. The dates of these are documented in the class schedule. There will be no impromptu (‘pop’) quizzes or exams.
Exams will be administered in class. Exams are closed book , closed notes, and given online (using Canvas), during class . Each exam will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. Students will be expected to write portions of code without assistance, to read/interpret short segments of code, and to explain their approach to solving problems.
Quizzes are time-restricted, closed book assessments given online (using Canvas), during class. Students are allowed to use hand-written notes on a single 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper (front and back). Quizzes are used to reinforce and evaluate student comprehension of assigned viewing. For the quizzes, students are expected to recall basic command syntax, write short portions of code without assistance, and demonstrate their understanding of the technical terminology used in the class. Students will turn in their notes to the instructor along with their paper quizzes.
Your instructor will assign seats for exams and quizzes. Students must use the computers in the classroom to take their exams and quizzes.
A full review of the quizzes will be conducted during the regular synchronous class meetings.
Any collusion among students to save or share quiz and exam materials will result in disciplinary action.
Students are to complete each quiz in 20 minutes or less.
Make-up exams/quizzes will not be given. Exceptions are reserved for documented hospitalization or other extreme circumstances. If an exception is made, students may find the content of the make-up exam or quiz to be more difficult than the original. It is, therefore, to the student’s advantage to take the exam or quiz along with the rest of the class.
Projects:
Students will complete five projects throughout the semester. The projects vary in complexity, and to the extent that students are expected to work independently. But despite these differences, all projects share the following similar characteristics.
Completing the projects, as an individual, is the best way to prepare for the exams. Students are expected to submit their own work. Students are expected to work independently on their projects or (in project 5 only) with their instructor-assigned project buddy.
Projects typically include the instructions to “upload your work” and then to provide answers to questions. Multiple server systems may be involved in the student’s solution. Students must follow the project submission instructions completely to receive credit for their work (e.g. students must perform the upload and deliver provide responses to the instructor’s questions).
All projects are graded on a 100 point scale. If a project is turned in on or before its due date, it is on time. Projects turned in later are automatically assigned a 20 point penalty, no matter what the reason. Assignments may not be turned in more than three days late. These assignments get a grade of zero.
Because the submission of the project involves multiple steps, and (often) multiple systems, students are strongly encouraged to check their work carefully before and after they turn it in. Ensuring that your solution is up and running is part of turning in your project properly!
Each project will have its own rubric that details the point value of that project’s objectives/features.
Project solutions will not be provided by the instructor. However, some assignment solutions may be reviewed in class, and/or presented via video.
Project 1 – JavaScript Game:
In this project students are guided by the instructor through the creation of a simple, interactive, JavaScript game. Students who follow along with the instructor, keep pace with the class, and correct their own mistakes as they go, will receive a passing grade on this project. To receive full credit for project 1, students will be challenged to add a personalized element to the game on their own without instructor assistance.
Project 2 – Guided Project:
In this project students are guided by the instructor through the creation of a simple application with business value. Students who follow along with the instructor, keep pace with the class, and correct their own mistakes as they go, can expect to receive full credit on this project. All students will be working on the same guided project.
Project 3 – Independent Project:
In this project students are expected to use general instructions and resources provided by the instructor to independently work through the creation of a simple game.
Project 4 – Independent Project:
In this project students are expected to use general instructions and resources provided by the instructor to independently work through the creation of a simple application with business value. Students will not be given specific, step-by-step instructions. Students are expected to correct their own mistakes as they go. All students will be working on the same independent project. Students will be evaluated on the extent to which their solution conforms to the expected solution.
Project 5 – Buddy Project:
In this project students are expected work with a peer to create a project that is unique and distinct from all other projects in past semesters or the current semester. This is the only project where students are expected to work with a project buddy. The partner project grade will be based on the solution’s functionality, sophistication, innovation, and appearance. While each final partner project grade is determined by the instructor, partner projects will be reviewed / commented on by your peers.
Usually, project buddies receive the same grade, but that is not a guarantee. The instructor reserves the right to adjust the project grade of individual students in cases where the contributions to the project are inequitable. To assist and inform the instructor in these matters, students will be asked to evaluate their project partner at the end of the semester.
Participation:
Constructive conversation in the classroom is important. When called on, respond to the instructor’s questions thoughtfully.
It is important to come to class prepared. Students who do not come to class with assigned setup work completed will not be accommodated in class.
Students should do more than type/copy the instructor’s code verbatim. In many cases students should be able to type ahead, anticipating the next lines of code that the instructor will type. Students should take time to indent their code properly and students will also find it advantageous to add their own comments to their code.
Cold-calling:
The instructor will use the class roster to “cold call” students. This ensures that every student has a chance to participate. This practice is intended to promote student participation. Students are expected to provide thoughtful answers.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:
Please see the following:
http://bulletin.temple.edu/undergraduate/about-temple-university/student-responsibilities/
It is important to do your own work, and to not present the work of others as if it were your own. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class.
In this course, you will develop critical thinking and coding skills by working on projects. Doing this work independently is an important part of the learning process. Consequently, unless otherwise directed by your instructor, students may not use ChatGPT, AI, or any other tool that generates code to complete any part of your assignments.
Students are expected to solve the assignments and activities using the limited subset of programming features and elements that are presented in the course material. Students should not look for pre-written solutions elsewhere, AI generated or otherwise. Students are expected to construct their own solutions using the programming features and elements provided.
Students who are not constructing their own solutions as outlined above are engaging in a form of academic dishonesty.
Sharing your work with another student via One-Drive or any other file sharing technology is prohibited. Unless otherwise directed by your instructor, students are not to share their work with other students.
Likewise, any attempt to deliberately interfere with the technology used in this class (e.g. the class servers), or to electronically impersonate a student other than yourself, or to knowingly share your credentials with another student for the purpose of sharing your work, will also be treated as a case of academic dishonesty. All students involved in such events or activities will be penalized.
Penalties for such actions range from a failing grade in the entire course to expulsion from the program. Instances of cheating and plagiarism are very likely to be reported to the University Disciplinary Committee.
Disability Disclosure Statement:
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a documented disability, including special accommodations for access to technology resources and electronic instructional materials required for the course, should contact the instructor privately to discuss the specific situation by the end of the second week of classes or as soon as practical. Students should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS) at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to learn more about the available resources. The instructor will work with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities.
Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities:
The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02
Class recordings:
Class meetings will be recorded. Class recordings will be made available to the Temple community at the instructors first opportunity. Any student who is not comfortable with this and/or has any related privacy concerns should contact the instructor.
Any recordings permitted in this class can only be used for the student’s personal educational use. Students are not permitted to copy, publish, or redistribute audio or video recordings of any portion of the class session to individuals who are not students in the course or academic program without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded. Distribution without permission may be a violation of educational privacy law, known as FERPA as well as certain copyright laws. Any recordings made by the instructor or university of this course are the property of Temple University.
MIS Department PRO Points Requirement:
The MIS Department has instituted a PRO points (professional achievement points) requirement for all MIS majors. This class is a checkpoint to ensure that students are focused on this requirement and on track to earn their 1,000 points by graduation. Students in MIS3502 must earn a minimum of 700 points by the end of the semester. Students who fail to earn the required points will receive an “Incomplete” for this course regardless of performance on exams or class participation.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If a student fails to earn the minimum number of PRO points within one year from the end of the semester or does not notify their instructor that they have earned the minimum number of points, then their “Incomplete” will be changed to an “F” automatically. The grade of “F” will then be the student’s permanent grade .
Students are STRONGLY encouraged to, at a minimum, do the following to earn points:
1. Create an e-Portfolio and have it listed with the department.
2. Become an active member of AIS and participate in professional development activities.
3. Attend the IT Awards Reception (spring semester only).
4. Participate in the Data Analytics Challenge (fall semester only) and the MIS Department’s Career Fair.
5. Volunteer your time for department-sponsored events.
6. Discuss opportunities to earn MIS PRO points for projects with your MIS instructors. Note that students may not request course/project related PRO points more than one year after the end of the semester.
Finally, here are two excellent resources that describe why the MIS professional achievement points are important to you.
1. http://community.mis.temple.edu/professionalachievement
2. http://community.mis.temple.edu/store
Getting Help:
Students who wish to contact the instructor should use the Canvas messaging feature to communicate with the instructor. Students who do this can expect to receive a response from the instructor by the end of the next business day.
Honors Project:
Students who are participating in Temple’s honors program are eligible to engage in an additional class project. Students must earn a grade of B+ or better for the honors project to count towards the requirements of the Temple honors program. Similarly, honors students must earn a B+ or better in the course in order to meet the requirements of the honors program.
Students interested in this option should contact the instructor.