11/9/2003 ISECON 2003 Shaun-inn Wu 1

Designing a Prerequisite Coursefor a Computer Information Systems Program

in a Computer Science Curriculum

Shaun-inn Wu

Computer Science Department

California State University San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 92069 E-mail: shauninn@csusm.edu

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Environment

• Currently, we have BS and MS degree programs in Computer Science.

• Our Computer Information Systems program is scheduled to start in 2005.

• Our business school does not have Management Information Systems program.

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Curriculum Goals

• Follow the curriculum recommendations such as IS’97 and IS 2002.

• Learn from existing similar curricula at other institutions

• Utilize as many existing Computer Science courses as possible

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Rationale for Our Course

• This course is a small step in our curriculum design.

• IS’97.P0 and IS’97.2 were merged into IS2002.P0.

• They assumed students had elementary exposure to a suite of software tools (word processing, spreadsheet, databases, database retrieval, presentation graphics, statistics, electronic mail.)

• Our course will cover the above topics and start building students’ programming skills.

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IS’97.P0 SCOPE

• IS’97.P0 – Knowledge Work Software Tool Kit

• IS’97 assumes as a prerequisite elementary exposure to a suite of software tools useful for knowledge workers (spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, database retrieval, statistics, word processing, and Internet and electronic mail). Although identified as a course, this material can be delivered as self study modules, as modules associated with other courses using the software, or as a full course.

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IS’97.P0 TOPICS

• IS’97.P0 – Knowledge Work Software Tool Kit

• Word processing, E-mail, Internet tools, spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, external database retrieval, introduction to statistical software.

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IS’97.2 SCOPE

• IS’97.2 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: IS’97.P0)

• This course enables students to improve their skills as knowledge workers through effective and efficient use of packaged software. It covers both individual and group work. The emphasis is on productivity concepts and how to achieve them through functions and features in computer software. Design and development of solutions focus on small systems.

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IS’97.2 TOPICS

• IS’97.2 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: IS’97.P0)

• End user systems versus organization systems; analysis of knowledge work and its requirements; knowledge work productivity concepts; software functionality to support personal and group productivity; organization and management of software and data; accessing organization data, accessing external data; selecting a computer solution; developing a macro program by doing; designing and implementing a user interface; developing a solution using database software; refining and extending individual and group information management activities.

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IS 2002.P0 CATALOG

• IS 2002.P0 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: elementary knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Web browsing)

• Students with minimal skills will learn to enhance their personal productivity and problem solving skills by applying information technologies to problem situations and by designing and using small information systems for individuals and groups.

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IS 2002.P0 SCOPE

• IS 2002.P0 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: elementary knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Web browsing)

• This prerequisite course enables students to improve their skills as knowledge workers. The emphasis is on personal productivity concepts using functions and features in computer software such as spreadsheets, databases, presentation graphics, and Web authoring. Although identified as a course, this material can be delivered as self-study modules, as modules associated with other courses using the software, or as a full course.

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IS 2002.P0 TOPICS

• IS 2002.P0 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: elementary knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Web browsing)

• Knowledge work productivity concepts; advanced software functionality to support personal and group productivity such as templates and macros; reuse rather than build from scratch; organization and management of data (sorting, filtering) via spreadsheets and database tools; accessing organizational and external data; information search strategies; tool use optimization and personalization; professional document design; Web page design and publishing; effective presentation design and delivery.

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IS 2002.P0 DISCUSSION

• IS 2002.P0 – Personal Productivity with IS Technology (Prerequisite: elementary knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Web browsing)

• Students who have prerequisite end-user knowledge work skills will have an opportunity to extend their basic problem solving skills by undertaking, completing, and using a sequence of more extensive “personal systems.” The course has both a theoretical problem solving component and an equivalent component of structured supervised laboratory experience. The knowledge work tool set as well as local and wide area network telecommunications are the context for the problem domain.

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Course Goals

• Basic concepts of computer hardware and software, network, ethics, and societal issues

• Software applications useful for knowledge workers such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, and Internet browsing

• Beginning programming experience

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Current GE Course

• We cover problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and programming using Pascal as a computer science course fulfilling upper-division general education requirement in science and mathematics.

• We cover computer hardware, software, networks, ethics, and societal Issues

• Applications include word processing, spreadsheets, database management systems.

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Proposed Prerequisite Course

• It can be a prerequisite course to IS 2002.P0 and hence the whole IS curriculum.

• We use Java instead of Pascal as the programming tool for problem solving.

• We will try it out as a GE course for a few times before adopting it as the prerequisite course for our IS program.

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Course Tentative Schedule

Class Subject

lecture Introduction

video lecture Giant Brain

lab Microsoft PowerPoint Session 1

lecture Computer Hardware

lab Microsoft Excel Session 1

lecture Computer Software

lab Microsoft Excel Session 2

lecture Algorithmic Thinking, Problem Solving

lab Microsoft Excel Session 3

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Course Tentative Schedule

Class Subject

lecture Transition Into Java

lab Your First Java Program

lecture Conditions And Choices in Java

lab Playing A Note

lecture Repeating Similar Actions in Java

lab Keyboard Music

exam Midterm Exam

video lecture Inventing The Future

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Course Tentative Schedule

Class Subject

lecture Tracing And Debugging Your Programs in Java

lab Flying Balloon

lecture Handling Data Of The Same Type in Java

lab Alisa

video lecture The Paperback Computers

lab Microsoft Excel Session 4

video lecture The Thinking Machine

lab Microsoft Access Session 1

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Course Tentative Schedule

Class Subject

video lecture The World At Your Fingertips

lab Microsoft Access Session 2

video lecture Computer Networks

lab Build your own web page and use email

lecture Computer Ethics And Societal Issues

lab Microsoft Access Session 3

exam Final Exam

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Beginning Java Programming

• We cover the necessary concepts before each lab.

• In each lab, we start with working Java application or applet programs.

• Students are to modify them after they understand how these programs work.

• The programs involve text input and output as well as audio and video effects.

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Programming Re-enforcement

• We require a term project solving a real-world problem with the programming implementation of the solution.

• Students usually work in groups.

• Some examples include simple games, K-3 teaching software, etc.

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Discussion

• This course covers the topics left out from the merge of IS’97.P0 and IS’97.2 into IS 2002.P0.

• If used as a prerequisite course to IS 2002.P0, we may consider reducing coverage of applications and increasing problem solving and programming.

• Our course builds beginning programming skills, which we believe is important to the success of our IS program.

• We will analyze the different pedagogical effects between when it is offered as a GE course and the prerequisite course to our CIS program.

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THANK YOU!

Shaun-inn Wu

Department of Computer Science

California State University San Marcos

http://www.csusm.edu/public/shauninn

shauninn@csusm.edu

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