Syllabus

LIS-4910 - IT Project

Course Websites: This course will be administered through Blackboard and through http://jrm4.com.

John R. Marks, IV
2027 Johnston Bldg.
jmarks@fsu.edu



THE COURSE


The course is designed to provide the student with an in-depth understanding of Project Management principles through both academic and hands-on training. Students will work in teams to manage, design, implement and evaluate an information technology project. Students are also given evaluation and guidance on improving artifacts from projects entered into their degree portfolio during this and other courses within the degree program.

During the initial weeks of class, students will learn the basics of Project Management by working on a plan for a fictitious project. Also, students will select a project to work on for the remainder of the semester, for which a "real" Project Plan must be developed and completed.

THE PROJECT


Students will work on a project (most often IT-related) for the bulk of the semester. Each student is expected to devote at least five hours a week towards completion of her project, and will complete a project plan, a project presentation, and a sponsor evaluation for the project. The professor will provide a few opportunities for projects; however, students may also choose their own project, with approval from the professor. If a student has an idea for an interesting project, e.g. a startup or web-based service, this might be a good opportunity to get it realized.

Ultimately, the STUDENT, not the professor, is responsible for getting a project before the three-week due date.

COURSE MATERIALS


No textbooks are required for purchase, but a great deal of written material will be made available via the course websites.

All students must have access to software designed to produce a project plan. Most of a project plan can be produced in any word processing software, with the notable exception of "Gantt Charts," Gantt charts can be produced with the following "Project Management" software:

ProjectLibre and GanttProject are two cross-platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows) open-source options.

Microsoft Project is available via MSDNAA for Windows users.
Merlin is an acceptable option for Mac users.

There are A BILLION others out there now, both standalone, but mostly web-based. Generally, if it produces a Gantt chart that can be saved somewhere, it should be fine for the course, but be sure to ask the professor if you have any questions.

DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTATIONS


The first major deliverable will be the fictitious project plan. It will be a unitary document based on a fictititous scenario presented by the professor, and will include the major components of any project plan.

The rest of the deliverables for the class will be related to your actual project. These will include, at the least:

A Project Plan, containing:
- Project Introduction
- Team Communication Plan
- Statement of Scope
- Goals and Objectives
- Critical Success Factors
- Specifications, Assumptions & Constraints
- Proposed Solution
- Alternative Solutions
- Work Breakdown Schedule
- Cost & Time Estimate
- Executive summary

Each project will also require a Presentation, a Sponsor Evaluation, and a Project Website.

GRADES

10% - Fictitious Plan
10% - Quizzes
65% - Project plan, including follow-up documentation and presentation
15% - attendance/participation


Attendance and Participation

Failure to be prepared when called on in class or to participate in lab activities will lower your attendance and participation grade. If you know you will miss, be late to, or need to leave early from a class or lab, a professionally written e-mail explaining your absence must be sent to me and/or the TA before the beginning of the class or lab. Official documentation (such as a doctor’s note) as to why the absence should be excused must also be provided to me as soon as possible. You are recommended to discuss sessions you missed with your classmates. Accommodations and excused absences will be granted for documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness. The College of Communication and Information takes seriously the University’s policy on attendance (http://facsenate.fsu.edu/Curriculum-Forms/Policies).

First Day Attendance Policy: University-wide policy requires all students to attend the first class meeting of all classes for which they are registered. The School of Library and Information Studies will drop students from a course they registered for if they do not attend the first class meeting. In order to enforce this policy, the instructor will take attendance at the first class meeting by distributing and collecting information cards, and will report absences to the administration of the School.

ACADEMIC HONOR POLICY:
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “be honest and truthful and...[to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://facsenate.fsu.edu/Curriculum-Forms/Policies).
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; AND (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the Student Disability Resource Center, 874 Traditions Way, 108 Student Services Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167, (850) 644-9566 (voice), (850) 644-8504 (TDD), sdrc@admin.fsu.edu or visit http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

COPYRIGHT POLICY:
Some of the materials in this course are possibly copyrighted. They are intended for use only by students registered and enrolled in this course and only for instructional activities associated with and for the duration of the course. They may not be retained in another medium or disseminated further. They are provided in compliance with the Teach Act.

FREE TUTORING FROM FSU:
On-campus tutoring and writing assistance is available for many courses at Florida State University. For more information, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services’ comprehensive list of on-campus tutoring options - seehttp://ace.fsu.edu/tutoring or contact tutor@fsu.edu. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity.

SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICY:
Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.



Backlinks: FSU Courses:LIS4910