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pad 5070: computer technology in administration

Prof. Michael Hawthorne
Department of Public Administration
217 BA Building
Voice: 910.521.6660
Email: michael.hawthorne@uncp.edu 
Office Hours: by appointment

Information technology is a crucial element in modern administration. As future managers and administrators, it is important for you to be knowledgeable in computer applications, theories/processes underlying information technology (IT), and IT policy. You will use computers and related technologies on an everyday basis as managers/administrators. You will also work with and likely supervise those who spend even more time working with/operating/supporting your organization’s computing technology. Therefore, you must be sufficiently knowledgeable to give realistic, coherent instructions and requests to IT professionals, even if you will not do “the work” yourself.Years ago, some suggested that the 21st Century would be characterized by a population trained in using computers, with all newly educated individuals ready to enter the Information Age workforce. As with many predictions from unknowledgeable people, this prediction was laughably inaccurate. We have many well-trained individuals with considerable knowledge and IT experience working in both public and private sector organizations, while we also have essentially computer “clueless” people working next to them. New graduates display knowledge levels ranging from computer “fluency” to computer “illiteracy.” Overall computing knowledge and experience levels have increased, without question; however, although the mean IT knowledge level within the workforce has increased, the variance is large (and growing?). This creates curious situations for managers/administrators – opportunities to exploit computer knowledgeable workers, yet constrained by other unknowledgeable workers; workers who want to integrate computing applications into organizational duties and processes, yet opposed by other workers resistant to learning new applications; and computer-phobic bosses trying to communicate computer needs and requirements to computer-loving workers. This course cannot teach you how to resolve all of these situations, but it can help prepare you to understand and exploit modern computer technology and applications, thereby allowing you to use your managerial skills learned in other courses to solve the remaining problems.This course has four principal objectives. The first is to understand, and be able to use, common microcomputer applications typically found in the workplace. Many of these applications are part of office “suites,” like Microsoft Office. The second objective is to understand the theory and processes underlying computer applications and information technology. Remember, in your role as a manager or administrator, you may not be required to perform specific computing tasks yourself, however, you will need to understand what is possible and what is not to manage those who carry out these tasks. Similarly, although you may not “pull the wires” or “configure the systems,” as a manager, you may be making decisions about applications, equipment selection, and IT architectures. Thus, learning about computer hardware, networking, and broader IT issues and strategies is important, even if you will have others doing the “real work” involved in setting up computer systems.  The third objective is to understand the range of IT policies confronting modern managers/administrators, influencing IT within organizations, reflecting issues first introduced in other public administration classes, now connected to the IT context.  The fourth objective of the course is to prepare you to continue your IT education, to develop an ability to "self-learn," allowing you to enhance your understanding and computing skills as the technology continues to evolve. Thus, we will emphasize what you are doing as much as the specific commands necessary to do something, thereby avoiding making you obsolete with the next program upgrade or version change in particular software programs.A course of this nature faces several challenges. One of the principal challenges involves the varying skills and backgrounds of students entering the course. One of our first tasks will be to assess student background and knowledge. A second challenge stems from the different specific applications that students currently use or have available to them for completing assignments. As a result, there will be no specific text for the class "computer usage" component; you will purchase a manual appropriate to the specific office application package you will be using with this class. (Naturally, if this course is providing motivation to upgrade or change the package you currently use, select a manual appropriate to the new package you will be using.) The most popular office program is Microsoft Office, Office 2003 will be our default package for examples and class discussions, and I will also help you make the transition to Office 2007. Those wishing to use another package can do so, recognizing you will be “translating” examples into your particular package. (The Word Perfect Suite, for example, is quite good, but its current owner suffers from severe corporate financial problems. Open Office is a free software suite, but as it is not widely known outside of the computer literate community, you may have less support within your organization available than you would with an alternative. However, the price may convince you to try it.)  Lastly, it is crucial to learn the “processes” behind both application software and IT issues, as the specifics change, often quickly. For example, some of you have experience with Office 2003, but it will be superseded by Office 2007 in most workplaces within the next year or so, threatening to make obsolete what we are learning if we just learn how to use Office 2003 specifically.  By focusing on process, however, we need not worry about obsolescence. Thus, when you have the opportunity to use the new version of Office, you will need to spend only a few minutes learning the new interface and program feature locations, applying what you already know, and can quickly use the program and take advantage of its new features. For IT issues generally, if we understand the processes and concepts, as the details change, we can easily “upgrade” our knowledge with little down time as IT evolves. When you learn “facts” and trivia, you have a very short shelf life.The schedule is listed below.  As an eight-week class, the course moves aggressively.  I attempt to create some "spaces" in the course between projects to give you brief rests, but the eight-week format precludes any significant downtime.  In recognition of our tight schedule, I will resist adding additional readings unless absolutely necessary based upon my assessment of student preparation and background.  I will offer some additional readings as options for those interested in greater understanding.   I want the class to be responsive to you and your needs; you should recognize the importance of improving and enhancing your computer skills and IT knowledge as part of your graduate management training.One additional component of the class will be its structure -- an on-line structure built around streaming videos.  This is an experimental structure, pushing my teaching preparation and our (and your) technology to the limit.  This structure will be successful if we follow the following conditions:

• on-line students MUST take advantage of the streaming materials made available through Blackboard, requiring both time and a high-speed Internet connection, and must make provisions for unexpected problems -- as these videos will contain a substantial amount of instruction, you will not learn the required material without viewing them, so you must have a mechanism for doing so on a regular basis;
• despite the flexibility to work on-line according to your own schedule, on-line students must stay current with the class.  If students are viewing videos as they are posted and asking questions, I will do all I can to answer the questions and use these valuable contributions to enhance the class discussion and learning opportunities.  However, I cannot divert focus from current material because a student finally decided to watch a video posted weeks earlier and now has questions.  Above all, participation in class forums should occur as we are covering the topics within the assignment forum for that topic.  For reasons I cannot fathom, some students have been led to believe you can sit out discussions for weeks, then jump in after "that train has long passed."  Obviously, we will continue some discussions beyond the brief period we devote to each topic; however, your initial contribution should NOT be weeks after that discussion began.  When I evaluate class participation, I will evaluate WHEN you contribute as much as WHAT you contribute; 
• much of learning to use computer application programs is time spent with the program, trying out commands and practicing on simple, self-generated examples.  If you can use work-related examples, you can gain even more benefit.  However, you will not learn the programs just by reading, and you must be willing to devote additional time beyond class readings for practicing with these programs.   The WORST way to learn a program is to use it for the first time when you have a deadline to complete a never-before-attempted task; in other words, the way most people learn to use programs.  In addition to devoting time to class readings, you must also plan to devote at least a few hours (preferably more) each week to exploring and practicing with the programs, in addition to work directed at specific class assignments.  Thus, this class will require several hours of video viewing per week, readings, and time to practice with the programs, in addition to several project assignments.

One note about the videos.  These were created in a previous class cycle, with a student at the taping, and was obviously influenced from time to time by particular issues raised during class forums and questions.  They are also unedited, as will be obvious from the frequent "outtakes" in our productions.  (Yes, we could feed a Blooper show for weeks...)  At some point in the future, we will begin trying to edit these videos, add some supplementary materials and more; your feedback about these will provide enormous help in learning what we need to do more/less of in these videos and how to make them more beneficial to students.  Given, however, we were a low budget "indy" film, and both Spielberg and Lucas were unavailable to direct, I think they are a good first effort.

How do you participate in a video-based online class?  Online students will participate in class discussions through Blackboard forums running concurrently with the topic schedule.  Students will be expected to stay current in these forums; for as with in-class students, course participation grades substantially reflect meaningful activity in these discussions.  

To summarize, on-line students will complete readings, and will view videos of computer demonstrations, and then discuss the material in on-line forums.  You should expect to learn much during the semester, but should also expect to expend considerable effort in the process.  In other words,  the expectation of 3-4 hours per week studying and preparing for each credit hour of class is well justified for this class; just remember to multiply that total by two, as we are compressing two weeks into one each week.  In addition, there are technical/logistical issues for a course like this, including:

• on-line students MUST be capable and willing to view class videos.  By enrolling in a class structured in this fashion, you must be able to download a significant amount of streaming video, and view it, in addition to regular Blackboard activities.  If you do not have a "high-speed" or broadband Internet connection available, you will have considerable difficulty accomplishing this objective.  With an on-line course, it becomes YOUR responsibility to ensure you can engage in the necessary on-line activities, and that you have "backup" solutions in case of a connection/computer failure.  Obviously, this does not mean a brief difficulty or outage will cause immediate failure, but a sustained problem in an eight-week class demands resolution quickly.  You are not able to avoid assignment deadlines by citing compute failures and an unwillingness to develop alternatives for completing assignments/connecting to Blackboard.  This may involve extra time at work, at a public library, or other such setting, but you will need to have some method for completing course requirements.
• on-line students are expected to be active participants in the class, independent of travel, as you would be for an on-campus class.  Obviously, short-term travel raises no problems given the asynchronous nature of on-line classes.  However, if you will have extensive travel during the class, whether frequent short-term trips, or a few "substantial" trips, it is YOUR responsibility to develop a method for remaining active in class during your travels.  Travel is a more significant issue for in-class students, as you cannot "wander off" during the semester without significant difficulties.  If you must travel frequently but cannot remain active in your online courses, you should determine whether graduate education is the right thing for you at this time.  ALL students are expected to remain active during the semester and maintain regular participation/attendance.

Class readings

We will use one text as the core for our "IT policy and management" component of the course, supplemented with readings I will announce through Blackboard (consult Assignments in Blackboard routinely).  The IT text is:White, Jay.  2007.  Managing Information in the Public Sector.     M.E. Sharpe.  ISBN 978-0-7656-1749-1.As noted, there is no good text appropriate for the applications component. Computer application manuals are software dependent, so I could “assign” a text only if everyone uses the same software, which is highly unlikely. Also as noted, I will be using Office for class example, so I can offer some suggestions for possible manuals, but they are only suggestions. Select a manual appropriate for the software you will be using during the semester!  If you find something else that looks good, that could be a good choice. For non-Office 2003 users, some of these authors did books for earlier Office versions, so searches on these authors may be fruitful.  Similarly, for Office 2007 users (and you will see demos of the new version), similar books exist, some by the same authors.  Also, some of these manuals come with “bonus” CDs with extra utilities, tools and sample files, so you may want to consider this as you search out documentation.  I am am currently using Microsoft Office XP Inside and Out by Michael Halverson and Michael Young, from Microsoft Press (ISBN 0-7356-1277-3) for Office 2003, and Special Edition Using Microsoft Office 2007 by Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard, from Que Press (ISBN 0-7897-3517-2) for Office 2007. Each offers good coverage at a level appropriate to a class like ours, although they may be a little too advanced for computing neophytes (which you will not be in a few weeks!).  I am not "pitching" these particular manuals, just offering them for as examples against which you can compare examples you find in your searching. Others I found in some searching for Office 2003 looking promising for class use include:

• Microsoft Office XP Complete from Sybex Press (0-7821-4050-5) (Cheaper than most)
• Office XP for Dummies by Greg Harvey from Hungry Minds Press (0-7645-0819-9)
  (If you can tolerate paying money to be called a dummy…)
• Special Edition Using Microsoft XP by Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard, Que Press (0-7897-2513-4)
• Microsoft Office XP Step-by-Step by Curtis Frye, et al from Microsoft Press ( 0-7356-1294-3)

Remember, if you are NOT using Office XP/2003, don’t buy one of these unless you plan to upgrade ASAP. Instead, find an appropriate book for Office 2000, Office 97, Office 2007 or whatever you will be using.Lastly, if you do not have an “Office-like” program suite available, you might consider the free or nearly free options. The WordPerfect suite is generally quite strong, offering comparable features to Office, and often far more competitively priced than Office (and is often included in new computer purchases). Open Office (from www.OpenOffice.org) is free for the download, has positive reviews, and is now in its second version, claiming greater stability. Please remember both of these will have different specific command structures from Microsoft Office, and support is trickier (especially for Open Office). For any of these, user/buyer (or downloaded) beware! For whatever option you select, I will announce the topics we will be covering on a given night. You will need to find the corresponding readings in whatever manual you select for your specific software program. If you need help with this, I will be glad to provide assistance; however, do not wait until the day before we begin the topic to figure out what would be the equivalent readings for your book! Other readings will be announced in class, with links provided or copies distributed.

Course Grade

Quizzes (up to three) – 15%Computer projects/assignments – 45%Final project – 25%Participation – 15%As in any worthwhile class, improvement will be noted and rewarded in grades. However, remember that graduate school is about more than grades. You must learn this material for your future, not just because of a grade. Decide you want to master this material, and take actions necessary to accomplish this goal. Few will worry in the future about your grades from this class, but many will worry about whether you learned what you needed to learn from this class!

Learning is a challenging, serious, and fun process. To facilitate this process and help you learn, I need you in class. In a seminar, attendance is crucial. In this eight-week class, you are allowed occasional, brief absences (a day or two) for whatever reasons you deem proper and/or necessary; you need not bring "an excuse" upon your return, as you will decide when you should and should not participate. However, note that excessive absences (from on-line participation) will be reflected in both poor performances on assignments and in participation grades.  If you treat your education as at least equal to work, attending and participating except for illness and extreme emergencies, we will have no problems. Students deciding to take vacations and/or substantial breaks during the class will have severe "difficulties" (meaning failure). You are strongly advised to use you absences wisely, as you will not be given "extra" absences when you have a "real problem" after having used up your absences for other reasons. Major health and family issues necessitating absences longer than brief time periods will be considered only with documentation, and should include consideration of dropping the course due to the absences.  Students who must travel extensively for work and yet are unable to make arrangements to participate in class during such travel should rethink their decisions regarding graduate studies.  And as noted above, participation should be timely; this does not mean you must login every day, nor does it mean you can "wander off" for two or three weeks then expect that you can "make up" the participation missed.  Projects and assignments are expected when due, and students are forewarned that late projects/assignments are both penalized in grades, and the lateness will cascade, making you fall behind on subsequent projects/assignments, and will likely result in failure.Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak directly to Disability Support Services and the instructor, as early in the semester (preferably within the first week) as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please contact Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Building, 910-521-6695.

Responsibilities

As a faculty member, I am responsible for creating the best possible class to teach you about information technology. As a student, you have responsibilities. Most of these should be common to all classes, but to avoid any confusion, a list appears below

• You must recognize the attendance rules for the class. On-line students should be willing to sign in on multiple occasions during the week to receive videos and to participate in class discussions.
• On-line students should not just "skim" through forums but should be active participants in the class discussions, and should be willing to initiate discussions.  "I agree" as your weekly posting will not be deemed adequate graduate involvement.
• You need to complete class readings on time (BEFORE the topic is discussed) if you are to understand and contribute to class discussions.
• The classroom, even the electronic one, is a place for learning and discussing. Therefore, I will penalize students engaging in disruptive behavior after an initial warning.  On-line students should act professionally and with courtesy in their interactions with other students.
• As you read and prepare for class, think about what you are reading, and what you already know; be prepared to bring questions, comments, reactions to class discussions, rather than sitting passively waiting to be told what you should know.
• Take advantage of office hours and e-mail to have questions answered, learn how to explore topics in greater depth, and to clarify assignments and requirements. The purpose of office hours is to eliminate the "didn't understand something" or “I don't know how to do this” problem that can occur in class, but that will require you to take the initiative and stop in during hours or to contact me electronically. I will do all I can to help, but you must let me know when you need help. However, remember that office hours are not intended to allow you to skip class, and then stop in to find out what we discussed while you were "busy" with other matters.
• Electronic mail and Blackboard forums are great ways to ask questions as they occur to you. I will try to check my e-mail frequently, and you should feel free to use e-mail to ask questions, pursue additional information on topics, or even to request that we spend some additional time in class on some topic. I will also maintain forums on Blackboard to encourage continued discussion about class topics.
• All assignments should be completed on time and submitted no later than the due dates; late assignments are penalized, as are assignments from people who skipped class on the days the assignments are due.  Assignments submitted more than three days past their due date, unless granted extraordinary exceptions, will NOT be graded.  You should turn in all assignments electronically through the Drop Box in Blackboard. If you do not know how to submit papers through the Drop Box, it is YOUR responsibility to learn.
• Exam dates are not "suggested" -- those are the days exams will be given. NO MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN! You must notify me before the exam and provide me with written documentation explaining the extraordinary circumstances (such as hospitalization or death in family) that justifies your absence from the exam. This does not mean a note you or your friend wrote restating your absence! All documents must be provided within one week of the scheduled exam date. Students making such a claim for a second time during a semester will be denied.
• In the event of a missed exam, if you properly notified me about the absence, you will be required to complete a research paper. I will determine the paper's topic, length, format, and due date. Failure to meet all specifications will result in a zero for the missed exam grade. If you complete the paper by the due date, I will entertain shifting some of the final grade weight assigned to the missed exam onto the other exams. The paper may serve as the grade for some of the remaining weight assigned to the missed exam. In no case will the reassigned weight equal the missed exam weight (a penalty for missing!). I will solely determine the specifics of all paper-related matters, re-weighting and assignment of grades, etc. Failure to meet any deadlines for notification or completing tasks related to these assignments will result in a zero for a grade.
• Pay attention to the Academic Honesty statement following this section. ANY violation of the code, including plagiarism in a paper, will be punished by assigning a zero for the assignment containing the plagiarism; all remaining assignments in the course will be given an automatic zero. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY CITE MATERIAL IN PAPERS, seek help on campus or consult one of the many sources available on citing material for papers. You are a college student, and have been (or should have been) taught how to write papers properly, so a plea of ignorance regarding citation rules will not allow you to escape punishment.
• View the class as an opportunity to learn, engage in stimulating analysis, and exchange ideas with other thoughtful individuals. Treating class as a chore, and treating learning as a burden, isn't nearly as cool as friends make it out to.

Class participation (and attendance) is crucial to learning. These will play a key role in grades for those on borderlines. Improvement during the semester is always given special consideration.

Academic Honesty

Student Academic Honor Code: Students have the responsibility to know and observe the UNCP Academic Honor Code. All students should review the Academic Honor Code carefully. This can be found at:

• View Academic Policies (html | PDF - requires Adobe Reader)

with particular attention to pages 65-69. Violations of the Code will be reported and pursued with extreme vigor. If you do not understand any part of the Code, it is your responsibility to seek answers to your questions and concerns.

Schedule

The class schedule builds around learning the application software. We will intersperse discussions about IT issues into these lessons, providing flexibility to allocate time as needed to meet class demands. Consult the course Blackboard site for additional IT reading assignments.  I reserve the right to add additional readings I encounter timely to our topics and to understanding trends in IT, so check back frequently for new reading assignments appearing under Class Assignments in Blackboard. Students should come to Blackboard FULLY PREPARED for both lessons on the application software and discussions about IT issues originating in the additional assigned readings. As a graduate class, students come to class having completed ALL readings, with comments, questions, etc. prepared, ready to engage in meaningful discussions. Should we experience major technical difficulties, necessitating a significant alteration in the schedule, an updated schedule will appear on Blackboard.

Week of...	Reading
Aug 18	Module 1 Applications -- Class Introduction and Intro to IT
Aug 18	Module 2 Applications -- Introduction to computer hardware and operating systems -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy -- MIS and hardware -- White, Ch. 1, 3 and TBA
Aug 25	Module 3 Applications -- Working with and across programs and computers -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy -- Interoperability -- White, Ch. 2 and TBA
Aug 25	Module 4 Applications -- Word processing -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy --  Protecting rights -- White, Ch. 9 and TBA
Sep 1	Module 5 Applications -- Word processing and web pages -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy --  Protecting IT/security -- White, Ch. 11 and TBA Project 1
Sep 1	Module 6 Applications -- Information managers – Relevant material in manual and TBA Quiz possible IT policy -- Telecom -- White, Ch. 5
Sep 8	Module 7 Applications -- Spreadsheets -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy -- The Internet -- White, Ch. 6 and TBA
Sep 8	Module 8 Applications -- Spreadsheets and databases -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy --  Databases -- White, Ch. 4 and TBA Project 2
Sep 15	Module 9 Applications -- Data bases -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy -- Development and acquisition -- White, Ch. 7,10 and TBA
Sep 15	Module 10 Applications -- Presentation software -- Relevant material in manual and TBA Quiz possible IT policy --  Public sector change -- White, Ch. 8 and TBA
Sep 22	Module 11 Applications -- Presentation software and publishing -- Relevant material in manual and TBA
Sep 22	Module 12 Applications -- Web pages -- Relevant material in manual and TBA IT policy --  IT strategy -- White, Ch. 12 Project 3
Sep 29	Final project development Readings -- TBA
Oct 6	Final quiz possible

 

Updated: Thursday, January 31, 2013

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