Syllabus

(Revised May 28, 2002)

Cyberlife, MISM 3325

6 – 10:10 p.m., Room 101

Instructor:  Tommy J. Thompson

 

Division of Business Syllabi

 

A.           Catalog Description

This class examines the Internet by introducing students to some its major components: e-mail, FTP, and the World Wide Web.  Students are required to create their own web sites, search the World Wide Web to find information on Internet issues, and understand the ramifications of the Internet on their personal and professional lives.  Prerequisite: COSC 1300, or MISM 3311, or MISM 3303.

 

B.           Textbooks

The Internet, 3rd Edition, by Gary P. Schneider and Jessica Evans, Course Technology, Thomson Learning, Boston, Massachusetts, Ó2002.

 

C.     Course Outline

The class will consist of lecture, discussion, and exercises in class.  The student will be expected to devote sufficient time outside the classroom to read the assigned text, prepare and submit all required assignments in a timely manner, and to prepare a web page meeting all requirements which will include learning and practicing the source code statements of hypertext markup language.

 

D.           Requirements for Undergraduate Credit

The final course grade will be determined using a 1,000 point grading system.  There is no rounding up or down in this grading system.  Grades are not rounded.  For example, 899.99 points equates to a B.  The value for each graded segment is listed below.

Quiz (1)

  25 pt.

A = 900 - 1000

Oral Presentation (1)

  25 pt.

B = 800 - 899

Research web report

250 pt.

C = 700 - 799

Create/publish Web pages

250 pt.

D = 600 - 699

Mid-term Exam

200 pt.

F = below 600

Final Exam

250 pt.

 

 

The quiz will be done in class.  It will be on the class web site for that one class period only.  There will be no make-up if you miss the quiz.  Since due dates are considered the last possible date for submission, no work submitted after the published due date will be accepted for grade.  Students may submit assignments as soon as they are completed.

 

E.      Methods for Assessing Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will have developed an understanding of the uses, development, implementation and management of various web sites for both personal and business use.  The student will understand how a business can achieve a competitive advantage through the proper use and understanding of the World Wide Web and the effective use of electronic mail.

 

Student progress will be measured by administering tests, a web research paper, and a web assignment to be published on the World Wide Web.

 

During this course, students are expected to attend all classes and to be on time.  Students are responsible for all assignments and lecture material including material missed during any absences.  Students are expected to makeup any missed work due an absence or tardiness.  If you are absent on the evening of a test, the make-up test must be taken in the main office.  To take a missed test, schedule a time through the main office (826-7595).   Unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor, tests not taken by the next scheduled class meeting will receive a grade of zero.  Making prior arrangements doe not mean just leaving a phone voice mail message.  The lab is open for use 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Students must vacant the lab no later than 5 p.m. so as not to interfere with the evening computer classes.  Students may not assume that an assignment has been submitted by merely typing it or loading it onto a lab computer.  Work conflicts, family emergencies, military TDY, and sudden changes in your scheduled work hours are not considered an excuse for failure to submit your assignments on time. 

 

Attendance will be taken via the Internet starting the second week of class.  Submission of your attendance using the form provided on the class web site is considered a part of the grading process.  Therefore, failure to send your attendance from a lab computer may not only result in you being counted as absent, but can have a negative impact on your course grade as well.  This is a class on using the Internet; it is not a class that you take via the Internet.  You are expected to attend all class meetings.  Any student who misses 25 percent or more of the regularly scheduled class meetings will receive de of F in this course.  The university attendance policy can be found on page 77 of the 2001-2002 academic catalog.  If you do not have a catalog, you may obtain one through the main office.  The attendance policy was also part of your new student orientation, which you were required to take.  To summarize, the attendance policy states that any student who misses 25 percent (three classes for the San Antonio Campus) or more of a term will receive a grade of F.  The university has a very liberal drop policy, especially for military TDY and medical exigency reasons.  These policies can be found on page 35-36 of the academic catalog.  Since the semesters are only eleven weeks in duration, the university does not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences.  Three late arrivals, early departures, or combination of the two may be counted as an absence.

 

F.      Supplementary Materials

The software available for your use on the lab computers includes Netscape Communicator, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Microsoft WordÒ.  Personal software may not be loaded onto the lab computers.  You may want to obtain a floppy disk to provide for mobility of your work from lab to home etc.  I recommend that if you plan to work on the web page design from home that you use Netscape Communicator 4.6 or later version.  You may download it free of charge as a student directly from Netscape.  Microsoft’s FrontPage software may not be used in this class.

 

All written assignments will be evaluated according to The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition, ã2001, by the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.  Copies of this manual are available in the university bookstore for purchase and on a temporary loan basis.

 

You may find it helpful to obtain a copy of Special Edition Using HTML 4, Sixth Edition, by Molly E. Holzschlag, Que Corporation, Macmillan Computer Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana, Ó2000.  This book serves as a reference manual for learning how to program a web site.  If you plan to do web design work I would definitely recommend you purchase this book.  Also its companion book, Special Edition Using JavaScript, Second Edition, by Andrew Wooldridge and Mike Morgan, Que Corporation, Macmillan Computer Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana, Ó1997, will be very useful as a reference tool.

 

Additional research resources are available through the university’s web site at http://www.sa.wbu.edu.  The web site for the class is http://satx.wbu.edu/Tommy.Thompson/mism3325, which will be activated when the semester starts.

 

G.     Method of Instruction

The course will consist of eleven classes, each class meeting one night a week for four hours.  Each class will consist of a lecture followed by lab time.  Students will be required to take a quiz, two tests, prepare one web research paper, and one web page design that will be published on the World Wide Web.

 

H.     Bibliography

The university provides students with a handout listing available research facilities and libraries in the San Antonio area.  The San Antonio Center provides access to the Internet through the lab computers.  You may connect to the Harrington Library Facilities through the Internet.  Refer to the attached sheet for additional resources.  You may also want to copy the URL addresses for the research facilities listed on our web site for use at home or the office.

        

I.       Schedule of Assignments

         See the attached schedule for a weekly listing of assignments and tests.

 

         My office hours are by appointment Monday through Friday.  Call 826-7595 ext. 225 to arrange an appointment. 

         You may leave a voice mail message for me after normal office hours.  My e-mail address is
t-thom@wbu.edu. 

 

J.       Provision for Handicapped Students

It is university policy that no otherwise qualified disabled person be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the University. Any student, who because of a disabling condition may require some special arrangement to meet course requirements, should contact the instructor on the first day of class to make the necessary accommodations.

 

K.     Supplemental Instructions

The web research paper will be evaluated in accordance with the guidelines established in the APA Manual.  The following additional instructions are provided for clarity.  Papers must be typed. Papers must be double-spaced.  Papers must be left justified.  Papers must contain a title page listing your name, class number, day your class meets, and the topic of your paper; a written narrative not to exceed two pages addressing your favorite search engine and why you consider it your favorite, the body of the paper consisting of the twenty-five (one-page) printouts from your web research; a reference list indicating all complete web addresses you used in your assembled paper, and lastly a printout of the grade sheet for your research project from the class web site (available on the class web site).  Your paper must be assembled in the sequence listed: title page, written narrative, 25 printouts in the order listed, reference list, and the grade sheet.  Refer to your class web site for the correct method to cite a web reference.  Prepare your reference list in the sequence given for each assignment rather than alphabetical order.  Pay particular attention to how you cite your references.  The URL you list must be complete.  Each reference must show the complete URL to include the exact web page you are referencing, not just the primary domain.  If you merely refer to the URL printed on your web page printouts they most likely will be incomplete, since they often truncate the URL for space.  If you cannot type the URL as written on the location line of your browser and reach the web site, then it is probably incorrectly written.  The same attention should be paid to typos on your part.  Papers must be stapled in the upper left corner (no folders or binders etc.).  A heavy-duty stapler is available in the office, if needed.  The assembled paper must contain at least twenty-five references from the Internet, each corresponding to an attached printed web page.  Do not submit the assembled paper until it is completely finished.  Submit only the one page of the reference that contains the required research item, photo, or topic, even if the web page you referenced prints as multiple pages.  Using an ink pen, write your name on each page and number each page consecutively top to bottom starting with the title page on top as # or # pages (example: Tom Thompson, 1 of 30 pages).  Place this identification on the bottom of each page.

 

Your web page design must contain a minimum of three separate pages, with link to each page; either a frameset and at least two frames or a JavaScript; a table; a graphic image; a form; and it must be correctly published in the directory established for you on the web server.  The grade sheet used is available on the class web site.


Class meeting and examination schedule.

(Refer to Appendices A, B, C, D and F in the back of your text for assistance in creating a web page.)

 

Week 1 – May 30

Lecture covers chapter 1.   Introduction to the worldwide web, http, TCP/IP, domains, URL, topologies, web browsers, history of the Internet, and how it all works together.  Assignment of projects and paper.  

Week 2 – June 6

Lecture covers chapter 2, and addresses connecting to the Internet, types of service, ADSL, ISDN, TELNET, ftp.  Students will be issued his or her user ID and password for accessing the server this evening.

Week 3 – June 13

Lecture covers chapter 3, and addresses E-mail and communicating via the Internet.  Students will compose, send, receive, reply, and forward e-mail messages, and learns how to use the address book. Students will also learn about bookmarks or favorites.  Students must have decided on the theme for their web site design by this evening.

Week 4 – June 20

Lecture covers chapter 4, and addresses the use of search engines, web browsers, HTML, URL, and discussion on copyrights and the web.

Week 5 – June 27

Lecture covers chapters 5 and 6, and addresses HTML coding and the creation of the student's web page.  It also covers browsers, URL, security, forms, and safeguarding of information on the web.  Students will also learn the difference between Intranet and Internet.  A quiz (25 pt. of final grade) will be given via the web site this evening.  There is no make-up for a missed quiz.

Week 6 – July 4  (Class will not meet, but the mid-term exam is scheduled via the web starting this
         evening.)

Beginning with this evening, the Mid-term exam (200 pt. of final grade) covering everything addressed in weeks one through five will be available on the class web site.  It will remain on the class web page until the following class meeting.  The test must be answered, submitted, and graded through the class web site. 

Week 7 – July 11

All mid-term exams must be submitted by the beginning of this class period.  Lecture covers chapter 7. Lecture addresses HTML programming, use of databases, JavaScript’s, client side scripts, server side scripts, and background designs and colors. Student lab time to work on web research paper and web page design.

Week 8 – July 18

Lecture covers chapter 8.  Lecture will cover creation of framesets and frames.  Student lab time to work on web research paper and web page design.

Week 9 – July 25

Short lecture covers chapter 9, Advanced web design.  Student lab time to work on web research paper and web page design.  Your web research paper is due by the end of this class period (250 pt. of final grade).  No extensions will be granted, even if you are absent.

Week 10 – August 1

Short lecture covers chapter 10, E-Commerce.  Students will present a short oral presentation (25 pt. of final grade) to the class addressing their web site, to include the subject or theme, reason for choosing that theme, any difficulties encountered and techniques used to overcome those problems, and any other pertinent information you wish to share with the class concerning your project.  Last date to publish your web page design and receive a grade (250 pt. of final grade).  No extensions will be granted, even if you are absent.  Your user ID and password will be deleted from the server at the end of this class period.

Week 11 – August 8

Comprehensive in class written final exam (250 pt. of final grade) covering everything addressed during the class from week one through the end of the course.  Make up final exams will be given for medical emergencies and unscheduled military deployments if you make arrangements with the instructor.  Incomplete grades will not be given except for medical emergencies.

 

Final exam and course grades will be e-mailed to you at the e-mail address you provided me through the class web site.  If you do not choose to provide an e-mail address to me, you will receive your official grade approximately three weeks into the following term.  No grades will be given out over the phone or via the mail.  If you do not have a personal e-mail address you may establish one through any number of services such as Hotmail.


Web research paper special instructions.

 

You are planning to take a vacation, and you have decided to use the Internet to assist you in planning your trip.  You are considering four locations for your vacation, the East Coast of the United States, the West Coast of the United States, Italy, or a vacation in pursuit of your hobby -- studying volcanoes.  Select one of the four trips mentioned.  Using the list provided for each trip, find each of the listed items through the Internet.  Refer to paragraph K of the syllabus for detailed instructions concerning your paper.

 

East Coast of the United States Vacation

 

1.       Determine the airline fare from San Antonio to Washington D.C.

2.       You want to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to see the Spirit of St. Louis.  Print out a photo of the plane.

3.       You want to visit the nation's capitol and want a photo of it.

4.       You want a photo of the Washington Monument.

5.       You are interested in history, and would like to see the Letter of Resignation signed by President Richard M. Nixon.  You want a photo of the letter in National Archives.

6.       You would like a photo of the Jefferson Memorial.

7.       You want a photo of the Speaker of the House.

8.       You want to obtain a rental car while on your trip.  Printout the rates of a rental car to be picked up in Washington D.C. and dropped off in New York City

9.       You plan to visit Arlington National Cemetery and want a photo of Iwo Jima Memorial.

10.    While at the cemetery, you would like a photo of the Eternal Flame marking President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite.

11.    To get to New York City, you need a road map.  Print out a map from Washington DC to New York City.

12.    You want to travel to New York City.  While driving up I-95, you plan to stop in Philadelphia and see the Liberty Bell.  You want a photo of the bell.

13.    In New York City, you want a photo of the famous Empire State Building.

14.    You want to attend a Broadway play.  Print an advertisement of a current play.

15.    You are interested in bridges, and would like a photo of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

16.    You plan a short day excursion up the Hudson River to the United States Military Academy at West Point, and want a photo of the Cadet Chapel.

17.    On your trip up the Hudson River, you visit Tarrytown, New York and see first hand the area used in the story Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Printout information on the area of Tarrytown.

18.    Back in the city, you plan to visit the Statue of Liberty and would like tour information, fees, and hours of operation.

19.    You want to visit Coney Island and ride the famous Cyclone.  Printout a photo of the Cyclone.

20.    A trip to New York City has to include a visit to Central Park.  However you are interested in the history of the park.  Printout the history of the park.

21.    Through 25   Select five additional web sites in either New York City, Washington DC or within twenty-five miles of that vicinity.  Include a photo, a history note, or the exhibit fees and hours.


Volcano Journey

 

1.       You have decided to use a rental car for the first portion of your journey.  This first leg will take you from San Antonio to New Mexico, to Arizona, to Oregon, to Washington, to Alaska.  Printout the rental car fees for such a trip using unlimited mileage.  Choose any rental agency you would like.

2.       You would also like to printout a map of the route to take from San Antonio to New Mexico and on to Arizona.

3.       First stop, the Capulin volcano in New Mexico.  You would like a printout of the history of the volcano.

4.       Next is Sunset crater near Flagstaff, Arizona.  You would like a photo of the Bonito Lava flow.

5.       It is on to Oregon where you would like to have a map of the Axial Volcano.

6.       You would like USGS new hazard assessment for Crater Lake Oregon.

7.       Next you go to Mt. St. Helens.  You want a photo of the May 18, 1980 eruption.

8.       While in that part of the United States, you would to like to eat dinner in the famous Hobo Inn located around Mount Rainier.  You need the phone number to the Hobo Inn.

9.       You decide to drive to Alaska and visit Mt. Akutan.  You would like a text printout of the volcanic activity from 1790 to present.

10.    Next you decide to fly to Hawaii.  Determine the airfare from Alaska to Hawaii.

11.    In Hawaii you want a history of the eruptions of Kilauea.

12.    Leaving Hawaii, you go to the Philippines.  You want to review first hand the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.  You would a photo of the June 12, 1991 eruption.

13.    While in the Philippines you decide to visit the Taal Volcano, but you need a map of the location of the volcano.

14.    You decide to take some time out to do some much-needed research in Philippines.  You visit the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City.  You would like a printout of the university's home page.

15.    You take a trip to the Lampung Province in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatera Island, and visit the Krakatau Volcano.  You would like a photo of the Krakatau Monument at Teluk Betung.

16.    It is on to Mexico City and Mt. Popocatepetl.  You would like a photo of the volcano and a listing of the September 23, 1998 activity.

17.    You take a short flight to the West Indies and visit Montserrat.  You would especially like a photo of the pyroclastic flows.

18.    Next you fly to Sicily, where you visit Mount Etna.  You would a photo of the August 1997 eruption.

19.    You are off to Greece to visit the Santo Volcano, Fira Santorini, Greece.  You want to use a particular travel agency to see the volcano and therefore need the phone number of the Santo Volcano Travel Agency.

20.    Next you are off to Russia to visit the Bezymianny Volcano in Kamchatka.  However, you want a printout of the conversion rate of the Rouble (or Ruble, depending on which dictionary you use) to the US dollar.

21.    Through 25. Select five additional web sites within twenty-five miles of any location visited.  Include a photo, a history note, or the exhibit fees and hours.


Italian Vacation

 

1.       Determine the airfare from New York City to Rome, Italy.

2.       Since you will have to use Italian Lira, you want to check on the conversion rate to the US dollar.

3.       While in Rome, you want to see the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus.  You want a photo of the tomb.

4.       You want to visit the Vatican and see the Sistine Chapel.  You want a photo of the ceiling.

5.       You have heard of the Trevi Fountain and would like a photo of it.

6.       You plan on seeing the Roman Colosseo (coliseum) and the Roman forum and would like a photo of either of these places or both together.

7.       You have heard of Michelangelo's First Pietà in Saint Peter's Basilica.  You would like a photo of the sculpture. (There were four pieta altogether, so don't get confused.  One is in Rome, one in Milan, and two in Florence).

8.       You take a weekend excursion to visit the ruins of Pompeii, and want a photo of the streets of Pompeii.

9.       While in the area, you visit the Island of Capri, and want the phone number and address of the Quisisana and Grand Hotel.

10.    While in the area, you visit Sicily, and would like an article on the town of Marsala, Sicily.

11.    You return through Rome and head up the coast to Pisa.  You would like a photo of the leaning tower (the bell tower) of Pisa.

12.    Next you go to Florence and visit the famed Uffizi Museum.  You want to view a photo of Michelangelo's the "Holy Family".

13.    You want to visit The Santa Croce Church and would like a photo of the church.

14.    Just outside Florence, you take in the ancient city of San Gimignano, the city of towers.  You would like a photo of the city.

15.    Next you head north to Venice, where you plan to visit St. Mark's Square and would like a photo of the square.

16.    You have heard stories about the Bridge of Sighs, and you want a photo of the bridge.

17.    You also want to visit the Island of Burano and see lace being made.  You would like of photo of art of lace making on Burano.

18.    A visit to Venice would not be complete without a gondola ride.  You certainly want a photo of this.

19.    Leaving Venice, you decide to visit Verona and you want a photo of the balcony where Juliet stood as Romeo spoke to her.

20.    You continue on to Milan, where you take in Leonardo da Vinci's, "The Last Supper".  You want a photo of the fresco.

21.    through 25.  You select five additional web sites in Rome, Sicily, Venice, Florence, Milan, or within twenty-five miles of those vicinities.  Include a photo, a history note, or the exhibit fees and hours.

 


West Coast of the United States Vacation

 

1.       Determine the airfare for a trip from San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles, California; and returning from San Francisco, California to San Antonio, Texas.

2.       Determine the rental car rates for one-week, with a pickup in Los Angeles and a drop-off in San Francisco.

3.       Printout a map that includes Los Angeles, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, and Monterey.

4.       You start by flying to Los Angeles.  You visit the RMS Queen Mary and would like photo of the ship.

5.       Next you take a short trip and visit San Juan Capistrano, and want a web page that addresses the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano.

6.       You visit Disneyland, and want a page listing the Indiana Jones attraction.

7.       Next you drive to Los Angeles, and visit the famous corner of Hollywood and Vine.  You want a photo of the intersection of those two streets.

8.       Not far away, you visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  You want a photo of the first movie star placing a star on the walk in 1960.

9.       Next you drive to Death Valley, and want the telephone number and address of the Death Valley National Park.

10.    You head to Yosemite National Park, and want a photo of either El Capitan or Bridal Vail Falls.

11.    Next you head for San Francisco.  No trip to that city would be complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge.  You want the statistics of the bridge.

12.    Interested in history, you want a photo of the 1906 earthquake that destroyed much of San Francisco.

13.    You also want a photo of a cable car in San Francisco.

14.    You take a cable car to the end of the line at Fisherman’s Wharf to feast on some Boudin’s Sourdough Bread.  You want the address.

15.    You want a photo of the lighthouse on Alcatraz Island.

16.    Next you take a short excursion south to Monterey, California.  You want a photo of the Pebble Beach golf course.

17.    In Monterey you visit the site of Cannery-Row, and you want a printout of the history.

18.    You visit the seashore and want a photo of the Sea Otters at Monterey.

19.    Next you want information on the frog-jumping contest at the Calaveras County Fair.

20.    You plan to end your vacation by taking a short trip north along the coastal highway to get a photo of the giant trees in the Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.

21.    through 25.  You select five additional web sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Death Valley, Monterey, or within twenty-five miles of those vicinities.  Include a photo, a history note, or the exhibit fees and hours.

 

 


INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

 

Students are encouraged to use the Internet’s search tools to improve information gathering and provide a broader array of up-to-date sources.  The World Wide Web is a section of the Internet that offers easy access to text, graphics, and other multimedia resources.  Some of the major search engines are:

 

Altavista (http://www.altavista.digital.com)

Argus (http://www.clearinghouse.net)

DejaNews (http://www.dejanews.com)

Excite (http://www.excite.com)

HotBot (http://www.hotbot.com)

Infoseek (http://www.infoseek.com)

Lycos (http://www.lycos.com)

Magellan (http://www.mckinley.com)

MetaCrawler (http://www.metacrawler.com)

Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com)

Webcrawler (http://www.webcrawler.com)

Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.com)