TEXT/MATERIALS : Stallings, W., & Case, T. (2013). Business Data Communications: Infrastructure, Networking and Security (7th ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN: 978-0-13-302389-3.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Examine how business utilizes telecommunications networks and information systems architecture.

Analyze the design and uses of information technology infrastructure.

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of competing solutions.

Examine the knowledge needed to design and implement a comprehensive information system for an organization.

Illustrate and discuss current advances in IT infrastructure.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

According to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, attendance begins for all students on the first day of class. This includes students who register "late".

The University attendance policy will be followed. The policy states that a student who has missed the equivalent of one week (1) of class periods for any reason receives a warning. Any student who misses equivalent of two weeks of class periods (2) for any reason is automatically withdrawn administratively (WA) from the class and is calculated in the grade point average (GPA) as if it were an F.

Attendance for online classes is figured the same way as the face-to-face classes, using missed assignment due dates as absences. For a graduate term class, which is 8 weeks in length, if a student misses 1 week of assignment due dates, a warning will be sent. Any student who misses 2 assignment due dates will be automatically withdrawn from the class with a grade of WA.

Please see the Student Handbook for a complete explanation of the university policy. There are no excused or unexcused absences according to the policy.

APPEALS POLICY

To appeal a grade on an assignment you must send an e-mail to your instructor's e-mail address using your official CU student e-mail within five days of the grade having been posted. Overdue appeals will not be considered.

INCOMPLETE POLICY

Students will not be given an incomplete grade in the course without sound reason and documented evidence. In any case, for a student to receive an incomplete he or she must be passing and must have completed a significant portion of the course (at least 70% of the work).

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

Students are expected to be academically honest. This is not only a matter of academic integrity, but of Christian principle. Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit.

The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student's submitted assignment must be the student's own work. A student is guilty of dishonesty when he/she:

1. Represents the work of others as his/her own.

2. Shares his work with another for the purpose of enabling the other student to submit the work as his/her own.

3. Uses or obtains unauthorized assistance in any academic work.

4. Gives unauthorized assistance to other students.

5. Modifies, without instructor approval, an exam, paper, record, or report for obtaining additional credit.

6. Misrepresents the content of submitted work.

For this class, it is permissible to assist classmates in general discussions of topics. General advice and interaction are encouraged. Each person, however, must develop his or her own solutions to the assigned projects, assignments, and tasks.

A student may not use or copy (by any means) another's work (or portions of it) and represent it as his/her own. If this occurs all concerned parties will receive a grade of zero on the assignment. If you need help on an assignment, contact your instructor.

DISABILITIES POLICY

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to "reasonable accommodations." Please notify the instructor during the first week of class. If you have a documented disability, you must provide the instructor with the paper from Disability Services.

Campbellsville University is committed to reasonable accommodations for students who have documented physical and learning disabilities, as well as medical and emotional conditions.

If you have a documented disability or condition of this nature, you may be eligible for disability services. Documentation must be from a licensed professional and current in terms of assessment. Please contact the Coordinator of Disability Services at 270-789-5192 to inquire about services.

RESEARCH PAPER

Select a topic from the following list on which you would like to conduct an in-depth investigation:

Information systems infrastructure: evolution and trends

Strategic importance of cloud computing in business organizations

Big data and its business impacts

Managerial issues of a networked organization

Emerging enterprise network applications

Mobile computing and its business implications

Note: The above topics are also the basis of the discussion questions. You may use up to three resources found by yourself or your peers as resources for the paper.

Research paper basics:

8-10 pages in length

APA formatted

Minimum six (6) sources - at least two (2) from peer reviewed journals

Include an abstract, introduction, and conclusion

See rubric for more detailed grading criteria

Submitted through Turnitin - must be original work - similarity score of 30 or less to be graded

Some good questions to ask yourself before turning in your research paper:

Is the paper of optimal length?

Is the paper well organized?

Is the paper clear and concise?

Is the title appropriate?

Does the abstract summarize well?

Are individual ideas assimilated well?

Are wording, punctuation, etc. correct?

Is the paper well motivated?

Is interesting problem/issue addressed?

Is knowledge of the area demonstrated?

Have all key reference been cited?

Are conclusions valid and appropriate?