IS 585 - Information Technologies
Fall 2006
Instructor: Robert J. Sandusky
E-mail: sandusky at utk dot edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST, or by arrangement
Meeting Time and Location: Thursday, 6:30 - 9:10 PM ET, Communications 314
Course Catalog Description: Evolution, trends, capabilities, and
limitations of technologies applied to information capture, storage, preservation, access,
and distribution.
Objectives: IS 585 provides a broad overview of information and
communications technologies (ICTs) as well as emerging trends and techniques.
At the end of the semester, based upon your personal experiences and the class readings,
lectures and discussion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the functions of and relationships between computer system components (hardware).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the functions of and relationships between system and application software.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the functions of data communications networks, including the Internet.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the architecture and components used to support current World Wide Web-based
information systems.
- Demonstrate, though completion of the assignments and the term project, the ability to identify, evaluate,
compare and select hardware, software and network/communications components appropriate for supporting
delivery of information services and resources.
Required Materials
Textbook
Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J., & Vermaat, M.E. (2007).
Discovering Computers 2007: A Gateway to Information, Web Enhanced, Complete.
ISBN 1-4188-4370-9.
The Web site that supports the textbook is located at
http://www.scsite.com/dc2007/
and provides access to the end-of-chapter material (summary, key terms, review questions,
etc.) in an interactive format.
You may purchase this book at the University bookstore or through an online source. Be sure to check
the ISBN number and make sure it matches what's listed above. The publisher sells other, shorter versions of
this book.
Blackboard
The syllabus and other course-related information is available on the Blackboard
system Online@UT at http://online.utk.edu/.
This system provides support for
asynchronous communications for the course. You will need your NetID and password
to access the materials at Online@UT.
System and browser recommendations can be found at
http://online.utk.edu/system_req.shtml.
This page also provides links to other information about the system.
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Grades
Grades are based on assignments (30%), quizzes (30%),
class participation and attendance (15%), and the term project (25%).
Your presence and participation is vital to the success of this class: attendance and class
participation are mandatory. If an absence is unavoidable, please e-mail me
before the absence, if at all possible. Class participation includes contributing during class discussions
— sharing your thoughts and experiences about information technologies — and monitoring
and posting to the asynchronous discussion boards (located on Blackboard) each week. The quality of your
contributions is as important as the quantity of contributions. The class will take a short
break roughly halfway through each meeting, time permitting.
Read the assigned materials prior to the class for which they are assigned, and be prepared to
refer to passages or issues of interest to you during our discussions.
If you have questions about the class, look at the "Questions About Class" discussion board.
Please post your questions first to the class bulletin boards located on the Blackboard system
at http://blackboard.utk.edu/webapps/login/
unless the question is of a confidential nature (e.g., grades).
Sharing your questions is helpful because (1) other people may have the same or similar
questions and (2) you may get a faster or better response from other people in the class. I will be
reading the discussion boards almost daily.
Three quizzes will be given during the semester as posted on the course schedule. The quizzes will
assess your knowledge of information provided in the textbook and in the lectures.
The project presentation is made near the end of the term (please refer to the schedule)
and is based upon information prepared in support of your term project. The term project,
a group computer system configuration project, is described in the assignments section
of the syllabus.
Policy on late submission of assignments and projects: A
minimum of 5% will be deducted from your grade for each 24 hour period your
submission is late. Please contact me prior to any assignment or project due date
(as far in advance as possible) in order to negotiate adjustments due to an emergency.
Final grades will be assigned as follows:
| Letter |
Score (%) |
Semantics |
| A |
91-100 |
Superior performance. |
| B+ |
85-90 |
Better than satisfactory performance. |
| B |
80-84 |
Satisfactory performance. |
| C+ |
75-79 |
Less than satisfactory performance. |
| C |
70-74 |
Performance well below the standard expected of graduate students. |
| D |
60-69 |
Clearly unsatisfactory performance; cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements. |
| F |
0-59 |
Extremely unsatisfactory performance; cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements. |
| I |
N/A |
A temporary grade indicating that the student has performed satisfactorily in the course,
but, due to unforeseen circumstances, has been unable to finish all requirements. An "I"
will not be give to enable a student to do additional work to raise a deficient grade. All
incompletes must be removed within one semester, excluding the summer term. Note that
requests for incompletes are not likely to be approved for undergraduate courses. |
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Academic Integrity
University of Tennessee Policy:
"The responsibility for learning is an individual matter. Study, preparation and
presentation should involve at all times the student's own work, unless it has been
clearly specified that work is to be a team effort. Academic honesty
requires that all work presented be the student's own work, not only on
tests, but in themes, papers, homework, and class presentation. There
is a clear distinction between learning new ideas and presenting them
as facts or as answers, and presenting them as one's own ideas. It is
part of the learning process to incorporate the thoughts or ideas of
others into one's own mind and presentations with the purpose of
learning and enlarging on personal boundaries of knowledge."
(Hilltopics: Student Handbook, 2006-2007, p. 40. Available at
http://web.utk.edu/~homepage/hilltopics/HILLTOPICS2006-07.pdf)).
"The University expects that all academic work will provide an honest
reflection of the knowledge and abilities of both students and faculty.
Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication of data, providing unauthorized help,
and other acts of academic dishonesty are abhorrent to the purposes for
which the University exists. In support of its commitment to academic
integrity, the University has adopted an Honor Statement (see page 11)."
(Hilltopics: Student Handbook, 2006-2007, p. 41. Available at
http://web.utk.edu/~homepage/hilltopics/HILLTOPICS2006-07.pdf).
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Assignments
Assignment 1 – Software Evaluation
Introduction
One aspect of managing computer systems and services is the evaluation and selection of
software. In this assignment you will evaluate two free systems available on the Internet that
can be used to support the creation and management of Web content by end users. You will construct
and perform this assignment in the context of an information an use and creation setting that you
define and recommend one of the systems for use in that specific setting.
Learning Objectives
- Based upon personal interaction with two different Web-based software applications, you
will create a list of criteria for the software system evaluation and selection.
- By applying the list of criteria, you will compare and document the capabilities, features and
suitability of the two systems in the use setting you have defined.
- Based upon the documented comparison, you will recommend one of the systems and
provide a compelling justification for your selection.
Systems to Evaluate
Choose two of the following systems for your evaluation.
- iLabs
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
http://ilabs.inquiry.uiuc.edu/
"A community Inquiry Laboratory (iLab) is a place where members of a community
come together to develop shared capacity and work on common problems."
"A CIL is most importantly a concept, not a technology in the narrow sense...."
An iLabs tutorial is located at
http://ilabs.inquiry.uiuc.edu/ilab/help/documents/431/home/globstudtutoriall.doc?draft=1&file_id=6.
- "Schtuff
is a FREE Wiki service. A Wiki is a website that lets anyone easily create
and edit pages, promoting group collaboration. Schtuff Wikis are called spaces."
http://www.schtuff.com/
List of the tools available in Schtuff is located at
http://www.schtuff.com/Uses.
-
"Jotspot the application Wiki."
"Today's wikis centralize information that is typically scattered across a company in
email inboxes, shared folders and personal hard drives."
http://www.jot.com/
List of the tools available in Jotspot is located at
http://www.jot.com/uses/index.php.
-
"seedwiki: people make the web"
"like email.... online meeting software.... publishing software.... spreadsheet or a database....
web portal.... social networking sites...."
http://www.seedwiki.com/.
Software Evaluation Criteria
Here are some ideas for evaluation criteria with which to start; you may add others as you see fit.
You don't have to include all of these criteria. Your list should be customized for your defined setting.
- User Features (there will be many of these: login; create spaces; upload documents, etc.)
- Secure login
- Create new information spaces
- Upload text documents
- Categorize information
- Control layout
- Threaded discussions
- Blogging
- Support for multiple languages
- other user features....
- License Terms
- Performance
- Scalability (numbers of users; documents; posts; etc.)
- Usability/understandability given the expected user
- Affective Response
- Information Architecture
- Interface Design / Layout
- Graphic Design
- Registration / Getting Started Process
- Costs (both monetary and support/training/soft costs)
- Privacy and Security
- Other criteria....
Instructions
Your deliverable will be a report of approximately three pages, single spaced (about 1500 words)
excluding any tables and figures. (Feel free to include screen shots, for example, to illustrate particular
strengths or weaknesses.) The report should include clear comparisons of similar features in
the two systems and identify important features that are available in only one of the systems. The report
should include:
- a concise description of the setting in which you would imagine
this system being used. Sample settings might be a school or public library; a civic or community
action group; a group research project; a home-schooling family; an office workplace. Feel free to
base your setting on a situation with which you are personally familiar.
- a prioritized list of at least six distinct evaluation criteria (ranked as high; medium; low priority),
including at least six distinct items within the "User Features" criteria.
- discussion of how effectively each of the systems supports each of the criteria you have selected.
- a recommendation that includes clear evidence supporting your recommendation
Assignment 2 – Computer System Component Evaluation
Introduction
The evaluation and selection of system components is an important aspect of managing computer
systems and services. In this assignment you will evaluate products from one component category that
is being covered during this course. You may want to coordinate with your term project team members
and use this assignment as part of the research you do in support of the term project.
The two products you select should be specified down to a model number.
So, comparing AMD to Intel processors is not specific enough: pick two specific models and compare them.
Learning Objectives
- Based upon your evaluation of information about two or more different products within
a specific computer component category (e.g., motherboards, monitors, sound cards, etc.), you
will create a list of criteria for the hardware system evaluation and selection.
- By applying the list of criteria, you will compare and document the capabilities, features and
suitability of the products in the use setting you have defined.
- Based upon the documented comparison, you will recommend one of the products and
provide a compelling justification for your selection.
Computer System Component Evaluation Criteria
Here are some ideas for evaluation criteria with which to start; you may add others as you see fit.
You don't have to include all of these criteria. Your list should be customized for your defined setting.
- Product Features (there will be many of these, some of which will be category specific)
- Ease of installation
- Technical / product support
- Ease of use
- Performance
- Compatibility
- Standards compliance
- Flexibility
- other product features....
- Affective Response
- Interface Design / Layout
- Product Design
- Costs (both monetary and support/training/soft costs)
- Other criteria....
Instructions
Your deliverable, to be submitted using Blackboard's digital dropbox, will be a report of approximately
three pages, single spaced (about 1500 words) excluding any tables and figures. The report should
include clear comparisons of similar features in the products and identify important features that
are available in only one of the products. The report should include:
- a concise description of the setting in which you would imagine
this system being used. Sample settings might be a school or public library; a civic or community
action group; a group research project; a home-schooling family; an office workplace. Feel free to
base your setting on a situation with which you are personally familiar.
- a prioritized list of at least six distinct evaluation criteria (ranked as high; medium;
low priority).
- discussion of how effectively each of the products supports each of the criteria you have selected.
- a product recommendation that includes clear evidence supporting your recommendation
- references (most likely a URL) to source material for the components you evaluated
Here is a list of some of the components you might want to consider evaluating for
this assignment:
- Processors
- Motherboard
- Memory
- Hard Drives
- CD/DVD Drives
- External/Mobile Storage Devices
- Video Cards
- Sound Cards
- Network Cards
- Display Devices/Monitors
- Speakers
- Printers
- Scanners
- Tape Units (i.e., for large-scale data backups)
Send me an e-mail if you want to choose some other kind of component that you don't
see on this list.
Assignment 3 – Computer-based Training Systems Evaluation
Introduction
Information technologies continue to evolve rapidly. It may be necessary for information professionals
to acquire new or refresh existing competencies to effectively provide services. In this assignment, we
will explore one avenue for competency acquisition or renewal: online computer-based training (CBT) courses.
Learning Objectives
- Based upon selection and completion of one online computer-based training course, you will
acquire or renew competency in one area related to information technology.
- Based upon completion of one CBT course, you will reflect upon your experience with CBT
as a means for acquiring or renewing competency.
Instructions
The University of Tennessee provides the "Skillport CBT" site that contains many CBT courses.
This site is available at http://oit.utk.edu/cbt/.
You have to register, then you can log into the system.
Your deliverable, to be submitted using Blackboard's digital dropbox, will be a report of
approximately two pages, single spaced (about 1000 words) excluding any tables and figures.
The report should include:
- a concise description of the course you selected, why you selected it, how it met
a need for you, and your expectations before you took the course.
- reflection on the ways in which the content met
or failed to meet your expectations.
- reflection on the ways in which the CBT format / media
affected your experience and how you might expect CBT to factor into your future professional
experiences.
Term Project – Computer System Configuration Project
Due Date
See course schedule.
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to simulate the process of configuring a computer system
that will meet specific needs within a given budget. Students will select one type of
computer system from the list below and then choose hardware and software components for
this system. The component selection process and the final system specification will be
documented in a written report and an in-class presentation.
Project Teams
Students will normally work in self-selected teams of 3-5 members. Those seeking to
form or join a team can post messages to the appropriate discussion board of
http://online.utk.edu/. A mix of skills
and knowledge as well as compatible schedules are good attributes to keep in mind as you
form teams.
Once your team is formed, please send the team name, membership list, and the type of system
you are configuring to me via e-mail. The deadline date for team formation is given in the
course schedule.
Each team will be provided with an area within
http://online.utk.edu/ to support their project.
This area will be accessible only to members of the team, the instructor, and the GTA. You
should use this area to document your individual contributions to the collective project.
If you would like to make use of the capabilities of Centra, please let the instructor know
in advance so that preparations can be made for your meeting.
Team members have joint responsibility for the final product and all members of a team will
receive the same grade for the project. Teams are expected to negotiate the nature and extent
of individual contributions to the project themselves. All team members are expected to
contribute to the technical content of the project.
Most team members will be willing participants in the collective learning process. However,
there are challenges to working in distributed teams and you should be prepared to address
issues that arise. Tips for dealing with unproductive team members can be found in
"Coping with Hitchhikers and Couch Potatoes on Teams," by Barbara Oakley, at
http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/441.html.
Another, gentler source of ideas, "Small Group Expectations", by Pat Lawton, can be found at
http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/spring04/LIS407LEA/sgexpect.htm
Resources
In selecting components for your system, assume that you will be assembling the system
yourself rather than buying a customized system from a vendor such as Dell, IBM, etc.
Links to price comparison tools and sites featuring hardware / software reviews are
available in the External Links section of
http://online.utk.edu/. A video clip,
in RealMedia format) containing information about OEM and refurbished components is available
from http://digitalmedia.utk.edu/redir/display/r/5529.rm.
Systems
Your group will choose one of the following systems to configure:
- Small Office/Home Office (SOHO): This system will
be used to run "office" applications (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, etc.)
and accounting software. It will also be used for e-mail and general Web use. It should
include audio capabilities. The budget for this system is $1,200 not including application
software, operating system costs, rebates, taxes and shipping.
- Home/multimedia: This system will
be used to run "office" applications (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, etc.)
and accounting software. It will also be used for e-mail and general Web use. It will also
be used to digitally edit audio and video from an existing analog source. The budget for this
system is $1,400 not including application software, operating system costs, rebates, taxes and
shipping.
- Workgroup server: This system will
be used to provide file and print services to five Windows PCs connected to an existing
Ethernet LAN. You may assume that access to the Internet is available through the existing
network. The budget for this system is $2,500 not including application software, operating
system costs, rebates,
taxes and shipping.
Report
The purpose of the report is to document the component selection process as well as the
final system specification. Your report should include at least the following elements:
- Title page including:
- Project title
- Team member list
- Type of system
- Date
- One-page executive summary of your report
- System description: Describe the anticipated uses of the system, elaborating
as necessary upon the short summary description given in the previous section.
In particular, specify any assumptions you have made about the specific uses of
the system and the use of peripheral components from a previous system.
- System components: Identify each discrete component (e.g., motherboard, case,
boards, etc.) included in your system. Discuss why each has been included in your
system configuration. Discuss the factors you considered in choosing a particular
product. Explain why each factor is important and identify any interdependencies
between components. For example, the style of motherboard and the type of socket
is an important factor in determining the brand and model of processor that can
be used.
- Detailed system configuration: Give a detailed list of all hardware
components included in the system. For each component, identify the:
- Vendor
- Vendor stock/SKU number
- Sale price
- URL of the page containing this information
Provide a total system price, exclusive of operating system and application software,
rebates, taxes, and shipping charges.
- If you are recommending use of a component "bundle," (e.g., a particular motherboard
with a particular processor) to reduce the cost of the system, please discuss the
components (the motherboard and processor) separately in your report.
- Specify which operating system you are recommending, but do not include this
in the cost data.
- You may optionally list other software you would expect to acquire; do not include
this in the cost data.
- Include references, bibliography, footnotes, etc., as appropriate. Use
a consistent formatting style for this information.
The report should contain no more than 2,500 words excluding the title page,
executive summary and end matter. It should be sent to the instructor from
the Digital Drop Box, located in the Student Tools area of
http://online.utk.edu/, on or
before the due date indicated in the schedule. Before submitting your group
report, please enter the group name in the "Title" area and the file format
in the "Comments" area of the file information section of the drop box. Make
sure you press the "Send File" button to send the file to the instructor.
Acceptable file formats are:
- MS Word
- Open Office
- (X)HTML (ensure validity by using a markup validator such as
http://validator.w3.org/.
Invalid markup will not be accepted.)
Report organization, content, style and presentation will all be considered in assessing
the reports, with organization and content being more important than style and presentation.
Graded reports will be returned to you via individual drop boxes.
Your participation in this course indicates that you grant permission for your report to
be made available to other course participants via
http://online.utk.edu/. If you do not want
your work made available, please let the instructor know prior to the project due date and
make alternate submission and distribution arrangements. Student work will be removed from
the course site following the end of the semester.
Presentation
The purpose of the in-class presentation is to give an overview of your group's project,
the process you used, and your results. Prepare slides using a presentation program like
PowerPoint. You must submit your slides to the instructor from
the Digital Drop Box, located in the Student Tools area of
http://online.utk.edu/, on or
before the due date indicated in the schedule. Before submitting your group's
slides, please enter the group name in the "Title" area and the file format
in the "Comments" area of the file information section of the drop box. Make
sure you press the "Send File" button to send the file to the instructor.
Each presentation should last no more than fifteen minutes and will be followed by
a short question and answer session. Each team member should participate in the
delivery of the presentation and to the discussion session.
You should practice the delivery of your presentation prior to the presentation event.
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Accommodations
Students with Disabilities
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of the impact of a disability
or you have emergency information to share, please contact the Office of Disability
Services at 191 Hoskins Library at (865) 974-6087. The ODS coordinates reasonable
accommodations for students with documented disabilities. For more information, see
http://ods.utk.edu/.
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Communications Policy
Please post your questions first to the class bulletin boards located on the Blackboard system
at http://online.utk.edu/.
Sharing your questions is helpful because (1) other people may have the same or
similar questions and (2) you may get a faster or better response from other people in the
class. I will be reading the discussion boards almost daily.
I am almost constantly on e-mail and will respond to your questions within 48 hours. Here are
the methods you can use to get in touch with the instructor or the GTA.
Instructor: Robert J. Sandusky
E-mail: sandusky at utk dot edu
Office Phone: (865) 974-2785
Fax: (865) 974-4967
Graduate Teaching Assistant: Joshua Hogan
E-mail: jhogan7 at utk dot edu
Mailing Address:
School of Information Sciences
University of Tennessee
451 Communications Bldg.
1345 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-0341
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Schedule
August 24 (Week 1) – Welcome & Course Introduction
Due before class
- Post to the Blackboard discussion boards
Readings to complete for class
- Syllabus (this entire Web page)
- Nardi, B.A. & O'Day, V.L. (1999). Framing conversations about technology.
Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart.
First Monday, (1999) 4(5),n.p. Available at
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_5/nardi_chapter2.html.
- Sawyer, S. (2005). Social informatics: Overview, principles and opportunities.
Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,
31(4), 9-12. Available at
http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Jun-05/sawyer.html.
Accessed August 30, 2005.
- Bishop, A. P. & Bruce, B. (2005).
Community informatics: Integrating action, research and learning.
Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,
31(5), 6-10. Available at
http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Aug-05/bishopbruce.html.
Accessed August 30, 2005.
In-class activities
Additional resources
- Nardi, B.A. & O'Day, V.L. Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999.
See http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=3420
- Nardi, B.A. & Engeström, Y. (1999). A web on the wind: The structure of invisible work.
(Introduction to a special issue of CSCW).
Computer Supported Cooperative Work.
8(1-2). 1-8.
Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
August 31 (Week 2) – Introduction to Information Technologies
Readings to complete for class
In-class activities
- Lecture, discussion
- Question: How much should information professionals know about
information and communications technologies? Enough to be proficient users
and no more? Or should they know how to select, install, configure and
use ITCs?
Additional resources
- Holzmann, G. J. & Pehrson, B. (1994). The first data networks.
Scientific American,
270(1), 124-129.
September 7 (Week 3) – The Internet
Readings to complete for class
In-class activities
Additional resources
- On network neutrality:
- Abbate, Janet. Inventing the Internet. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999.
See http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=4633
- Breeding, Marshall. Reflecting on 20 years of library technology.
Computers in Libraries,
25(4), 23-25. Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
- Breeding, Marshall. Looking torward the future of library technology.
Computers in Libraries,
25(5), 39-41. Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
- Waldrop, M. Mitchell. The Dream Machine : J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.
New York: Viking, 2001.
See http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,0_014200135X,00.html
- The following list contains some resources for technical information about the Internet
and networking technologies.
- Internet governance is a complex and interesting topic all by itself. The following list
provides some links to key bodies involved in the coordination of the Internet (e.g., IP addresses
and domain name management; standards development).
- IETF: The Internet Engineering Task Force. http://www.ietf.org/.
"The IETF is the protocol engineering and development arm of the Internet.
Though it existed informally for some time, the group was formally established
by the IAB in 1986...."
See the Overview of the IETF at http://www.ietf.org/overview.html
- IAB: The Internet Architecture Board. http://www.iab.org/.
"The IAB is chartered both as a committee of the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF) and as an advisory body of the Internet Society (ISOC). Its responsibilities
include architectural oversight of IETF activities, Internet Standards Process oversight
and appeal, and the appointment of the RFC Editor. The IAB is also responsible for the
management of the IETF protocol parameter registries."
See the IAB Overview at http://www.iab.org/about/overview.html
- ISOC: The Internet Society. http://www.isoc.org/.
"The Internet Society is a non-profit, non-governmental, international, professional
membership organization. Its more than 100 organization members and over 20,000 individual
members in over 180 nations worldwide represent a veritable who's who of the Internet
community. You should be a member, too.
The work of the Internet Society focuses on four "pillars:" standards, public policy,
education and training, and membership."
- IANA: The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. http://www.iana.org/.
"Dedicated to preserving the central coordinating functions of the global Internet
for the public good."
September 14 (Week 4) – Communications and Networking
Readings to complete for class
- Chapter Nine: Communications and Networks
(Discovering Computers)
- Department of Computer Science, UT. (2006). 05. Networks and the internet.
Basics of Computer Science, Animated.
Available at http://www.cs.utk.edu/modules/.
- Breeding, M. (2005). Wireless basics. Library Technology Reports, 41(5), 13-20.
Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
- Breeding, M. (2005). Wireless network configuration and security strategies.
Library Technology Reports, 41(5), 21-30.
Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
- Breeding, M. (2005). The library wireless hotspot.
Library Technology Reports, 41(5), 31-36.
Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/.
Enter the journal name into the search box to get to the article.
In-class activities
Additional resources
- Comer, D. E. (1995). Internetworking With TCP/IP.
(Third ed.). (Vol. Volume 1: Principles, protocols, and architecture).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Tanenbaum, A. S. (1996). Computer Networks.
(Third ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR.
- Panko, R. R. (2007). Business Data Networks and Telecommunications.
(Sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
September 21 (Week 5) – End-user Applications
Readings to complete for class
In-class activities
- Lecture, discussion
- Quiz 1: Available on Blackboard from end of class 9/21 until 11:55PM ET Sunday, September 24, 2006
Additional resources
September 28 (Week 6) – The System Unit
Due before class
- Assignment 1 (submit to drop-box before 6:30 PM ET on 9/28/2006)
Readings to complete for class
- Chapter Four: The Components of the System Unit
(Discovering Computers)
- Department of Computer Science, UT. (2006). 01. Overview of computer architecture.
Basics of Computer Science, Animated.
Available at http://www.cs.utk.edu/modules/.
- Department of Computer Science, UT. (2006). 02. Binary representation of numbers.
Basics of Computer Science, Animated.
Available at http://www.cs.utk.edu/modules/.
- Do the "Learn How to Purchase and Install Memory in a Computer"
exercise on pages 228-229, steps 1-6 (all steps prior to the step 7 that
begins "Once you have determined.....") to get started thinking about
how to evaluate and think about computer hardware. Use a computer
you have administrator privileges on as your test case.
In-class activities
Additional resources
October 5 (Week 7) – Input & Output
Readings to complete for class
- Chapter Five: Input
(Discovering Computers)
- Chapter Six: Output
(Discovering Computers)
- Department of Computer Science, UT. (2006). 03. Binary representation of text.
Basics of Computer Science, Animated.
Available at http://www.cs.utk.edu/modules/.
- Department of Computer Science, UT. (2006). 04. Binary representation of images and sound.
Basics of Computer Science, Animated.
Available at http://www.cs.utk.edu/modules/.
In-class activities
Additional resources
October 12 (Week 8) – No class Thursday, October 12: Fall Break
October 19 (Week 9) – Storage
Readings to complete for class
In-class activities
- Lecture, discussion
- Quiz 2: Available on Blackboard from end of class 10/19 until 11:55PM ET Sunday, October 22, 2006
Additional resources
October 26 (Week 10) – Systems Software & Security
Due before class
- Assignment 2 (submit to drop-box before 06:30 PM ET on Thursday, 10/26/2006)
Readings to complete for class Updated! (Oct. 24, 2006)
In-class activities
Additional resources
- ubuntu: "Linux for Human Beings."
"Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating
system, freely available with both community and professional support.
It is developed by a large community...." Available at
http://www.ubuntu.com/.
This short article on ubuntu describes how it is developed.
Wilson, G. (2005).
African software gains global popularity.
BusinessinAfrica online,
Published: 12-SEP-05.
Available at:
http://www.businessinafrica.net/features/telecoms/484674.htm.
- Digital preservation:
- Systems security:
November 2 (Week 11) – Databases and Information Management
Readings to complete for class Updated! (Oct. 24, 2006)
- Chapter Ten: Database Management
(Discovering Computers)
- Rosenthal, D.S.H., Robertson, T., Lipkis, T., Reich, V. & Morabito, S.
(2005). Requirements for digital preservation systems: A bottom-up approach.
Available at:
http://www.arxiv.org/abs/cs.DL/0509018.
In-class activities
- Lecture, discussion
- In-class database design session
Additional resources
- Haigh, T. (2004). "A veritable bucket of facts": Origins of the data base management system, 1960-1980.
Paper presented at the The History and Heritage of Scientific and Technological Information Systems:
Proceedings of the 2002 Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Available at:
http://www.chemheritage.org/events/asist2002/06-haigh.pdf
- The database normalization process is described at the following sites:
November 9 (Week 12) – Information Systems Development
Due before class
- Assignment 3 (submit to digital drop-box before 6:30 PM EST on 11/9/2006)
Readings to complete for class
- Chapter Twelve: Information System Development
(Discovering Computers)
- Ewusi-Mensah, K. (1997). Critical issues in abandoned information systems.
Communications of the ACM, 40(9), 74-80.
Available at:
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/ejalpha.php?let=C&gov=1
In-class activities
Additional resources
- Scacchi, W. (2002). Understanding the requirements for developing open
source software systems.
IEE Proceedings — Software,
149(1), 24-39. Available at
http://www.lib.utk.edu/ej/ejalpha.php?let=I&gov=1.
- Martin, D., Rouncefield, M., O'Neill, J., Hartswood, M., & Randall, D. (2005).
Timing in the art of integration: "That's how the Bastille got stormed". GROUP '05:
ACM 2005 International Conference on Supporting Group Work. Sanibel Island, Florida,
November 6 - 9, 2005, 313-322.
Available at:
http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1100000/1099256/p313-martin.pdf?key1=1099256&key2=9853013611&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=5697151&CFTOKEN=84716284
November 16 (Week 13) – Program Development and Programming Languages
Readings to complete for class Updated! (Nov. 8, 2006)
In-class activities
- Lecture, discussion
- Quiz 3: Available on Blackboard from end of class 11/16 until 11:55PM ET Monday, November 20, 2006
Additional resources
November 23 (Week 14) – No class Thursday, November 23: Thanksgiving
November 30 (Week 15) – Project Presentations
In-class activities
- This is the final meeting for the course. The presentation schedule will be provided.
December 7 (Week 16) – Project Reports Due
Project reports are due by 23:59 ET (11:59 PM) on Sunday, December 10. Submit your group's report
to the digital dropbox in Blackboard.
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Updated: 20061109. Copyright 2006 Robert J. Sandusky
