Information Systems : 12 Credits

Overview
To understand the benefits of technology requires familiarity with network systems, platforms, and data structures. My coursework in Information and Software Engineering provided the practical knowledge required to be able to use technology, while remaining mindful of its limitations.

INFS 590: Program Design and Data Structures
To make the most of technology, organizations need to have the freedom to choose among a variety of products without being tied to proprietary platforms and programs. One of the earliest enablers of technology interoperability was the Java programming language. With only a rudimentary programming background, learning Java was rather a daunting task. Unlike older languages like Cobol or Basic, Java is extremely flexible, with multiple means of achieving a desired result. To ease the pain, I joined the Sun New to Java developers' listserv for free tips and techniques, although no two programmers provided the same answer to a single question. Nevertheless, I survived this basic introduction to Java and now have a newfound respect for those whose greatest pleasure is punching out hundreds of lines of code a day just because they can.Top

INFS 612: Data Communication and Distribution Process
The heart of an organization's infrastructure is its network. Concepts such as packet switching, transfer rate, and performance under load became real when I had to design and program two Web servers: One server without security and one with security. The need for server security was particularly real given the news stories about hackers and denial-of-service attacks on retail Web sites like Amazon.com. But what I learned most from this course was that the design of content - including instructional content - must take into account server capacity and network bandwidth. What good is exciting multimedia courseware that slows server speed to a crawl or brings down the network on a regular basis? Anyone incorporating technology into instruction needs to have some knowledge of the impact of the electronic content on server performance. Top

INFS 622: Information Systems Analysis and Design
The old adage about experience being the greatest teacher is certainly true when it comes to building information systems. Until I actually had to design and build an information system, I had know real understanding of the scope and complexity of such projects. To get a real taste of what is involved in integrating diverse systems, the project I chose for this course was to take existing off-the-shelf technology and construct a medical information system for relatives and friends of home-bound, semi-ambulatory patients which I named Constant Companion. Although this may seem a far cry from my focus of instructional and administrative technology convergence, the process used to design and develop this system is the same process that is (should be) used when integrating instructional and administrative systems at an institutions. I had to assess the specific needs, identify the personas using the system, articulate user expectations, then translate all of these into a series of technical requirements and system specifications, including contingencies and risks. In addition to experiencing what it takes to build systems, I also learned that it is not always a question of build versus buy, but that a combination of both can create a system that satisfies an institution's needs and still provide the benefits of vendor support services. That's a solid lesson for those who state that the only way to integrate technology into instruction is to build everything from scratch. Top

INFS 640: Introduction to E-Commerce
Once upon a time, e-commerce described how business transactions were conducted over the Internet in a business-to-consumer (B2C) model like Amazon.com or a business-to-business (B2B) model like eSteel.com. As Internet technology became more pervasive and institutions of higher education began adopting e-commerce to collect tuition and other fees from students and vendors, that e-commerce infrastructure was used across the entire enterprise. Even course management systems (CMS) and educational portals have e-commerce engines that allow students to pay for course materials and other learning aids without ever logging out of the course environment. The subsequent controversy over shared music files on campus networks further demonstrates the spread of e-commerce beyond the borders of business. In other words, e-commerce is an outcome of the convergence of technologies. Consistent with my focus on the synergy between academic and administrative technologies, I co-authored a paper and presentation on the impact of digital media in e-commerce on the evolving e-learning industry as an example of that synergy. The Top