Weber State University   

Information Systems & Technologies

Results of Assessment

2006-2007 (submitted 10/02/07)

Introduction Through the accreditation process, the Department of Information Systems & Technologies identified six objectives which support the IS&T students, faculty and staff. Briefly stated they are: Graduate job-ready students with broad business knowledge, strong technical skills, modern development practices, and professional interpersonal communication skills. Maintain the currency and relevance of our programs through annual review of our curriculum and course content, communicating regularly with our business advisory council (BAC), and conducting periodic surveys of our graduates. Be proactive in advising our majors early and regularly. Broaden the appeal of our program by strengthening tracks within the major that focus on specific aspects of information systems. Enroll and retain majors. Provide an atmosphere to support a vital, active faculty. Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Recent Graduate Highlight (December 2006) "After graduating from the IST program at WSU, I went to work for Iomega Corporation in Roy. There was still so much to learn about the technologies I would be using and how the company used information to run the business. I was really surprised at how much I needed to know about general business functions, like sales, finance and operations. I am thankful I had the business courses from the IST degree to help prepare me for what I needed to know and learn in my new career. I spend most of my days developing new tools and reports that are used by various business users. I primarily use C# and ASP.NET in Application Development, but I write a lot of Oracle PL/SQL, use a reporting tool called Business Objects, and a data transformation tool called Data Integrator. People with experience with these tools are very marketable and highly paid." - Aaron C. Judd   Learning Outcomes Heretofore, assessment has largely been feedback from surveys or focus group sessions with the IST Business Advisory Council, alumni and graduating seniors. The sessions have usually been facilitated by Brian Davis, professor of Business Administration of the GSBE. Dr. Davis assists IST faculty in developing questions and topics prior to the sessions. Curriculum and course content changes have been based on feedback from these groups, as well as a review of the IS 2002–Final Report of the Undergraduate Information Systems Model Curriculum.  This last year focus groups suggested students wanted more hands-on experience along with the current content, especially in beginning courses http://programs.weber.edu/nwreview/Self-Study/Business%20&%20Economics/IST_Self.htm In the spring of 2001, and again in the fall of 2007 the IST department selected outcomes for the degree. A matrix of outcomes and classes/professors was created.  Professors were asked to indicate the degree to which an outcome was addressed in each course they taught. In some cases, the course had been taught by more than one professor. If all agreed, a single outcome level was noted. If the professors did not agree, each level was noted in the order of their initials appearing above the course. As a result of doing this exercise, it became apparent that the curriculum overall needed to be revised and this assessment did not go any further. ASSESSMENT Information Systems & Technologies (IST) “Outcomes Data Results 2006-07 Goals: Graduates will be placed in positions befitting their education and with competitive salaries. Annual employment survey of IST graduates for 2006 indicates salaries were excellent in a strong job market. Department faculty were generally pleased with the result, though a stronger result was desired. Department faculty will continue to monitor placement data and seek advice of their Business Advisory Council (BAC) for placement strategies.  Majors will understand traditional business fields and be able to apply information technologies to those fields. IST majors placed in 34th percentile on ETS examination which tests traditional fields of business.  Although this is up from the 27th percentile in 2002, Department faculty were not pleased with the results. Department faculty will continue to monitor ETS data and try to determine factors causing the poor results. Students should complete their degree plan in a timely and efficient manner.  On average, IST majors had completed over 170 semester hours at the time of graduation. Department faculty now require all majors to be advised annually.  Graduation candidates are required to complete a graduation evaluation prior to registration for capstone course. Department faculty will continue to monitor the advisement process and total hours completed by graduates at time of graduation.” Department faculty will also investigate other conditions contributing to excessive hours completed.  Students choosing the System Development concentration will attain depth of understanding in at least one programming language. Feedback from BAC indicates that employers prefer depth in programming languages rather than breadth. A newly organized BAC was organized in 2007, with the first meeting scheduled for January 2008. James Brown from L-3 Communications is the chairperson. The chairperson of the BAC invites outstanding members of the industry to be on the BAC, calls meetings (scheduled for three per year), sets the agenda, and conducts the meetings. A member of the IST faculty is on the BAC, as well as a current, or past student majoring in IST. Department faculty currently has three software development courses and requires graduates to have two programming languages. Department faculty will perform survey of Wasatch front businesses and review surveys performed by other entities to confirm BAC feedback. Students choosing the Information Security concentration will attain depth of understanding of information security issues and technical skills to ensure that security. Feedback from BAC indicates that information security will become a differentiating quality for successful businesses and demand for information security will increase for some time. Department faculty developed the Information Security concentration. The majority of IST students are choosing the Information Security concentration. Department faculty will assess effectiveness of program through survey of businesses employing IST graduates with this concentration. All 2006-2007 had jobs in the IST field upon graduation. Most were already working in the IST field while attending WSU. During their senior year, only one student was not working in the IST field. That student, Stephen Murphy, was offered an internship arranged with the IST Department and L-3 Communications of Salt Lake City. Upon graduation this student was offered and accepted full-time employment with L-3. Information Systems Technologies Competencies and Course Matrix for IST Area +     indicates that this is not an existing competency but is proposed -      indicates that this is an existing competency that should be dropped or moved ●      Bullet indicates that this is an existing competency Course Title Competency / Mastery Level Computer Software IST 1100 Wired Society ●         How are contemporary social institutions, political structures, economics, and personal relations being affected by computers and networks ●         Globalization, outsourcing, and the role of technology ●         The role and influence of science fiction on our wired society ●         Possible future developments ●         Web browsers ●         Web search IST 2010 Business Computer Skills ●         Intermediate/advanced Excel ●         Beginning Access ●         Sound/sane/informed computing ●   MS Office 2007 Suite Software ●   Creating, editing, and formatting worksheets ●   Applying charts and other graphics to worksheet data ●   Creating databases ●   Creating forms, reports and queries for databases IST 2015 Introduction to Information Systems & Technologies ●         Overview of WSU IST Curriculum ●         General knowledge of IST fields of work ●         Overview of  Business computer efficiency, computer programming, database management, networking, web development, information security, and systems development ●         Introduction to software development, hardware, operating systems, network management, project planning, and career paths. ●   HTML ●   DreamWeaver ●   WEP encryption cracking software ●   WireShark IST 2110 Software Development I ●         Introduction to the fundamentals of software construction using contemporary programming language ●         General knowledge of program syntaxes, basic programming constructs, data representation, programming flow control, and problem solving logic Understand and use object concepts such as class, method, inheritance, etc. ●         Create, save, compile, modify, and run a Java application or applet ●         Use GUI and the event model ●         Handle exceptions or errors through program specification ●         Student will design, program and debug business applications.. ●         Student will design, program and debug several business applications ●         Java ●         Create, save, compile, modify, and run a Java application or program ●         Use data within a program ●         Create and use methods, classes and objects ●         Understand and use advanced object concepts such as blocks, scope, and static variables ●         Include decision and looping structures inside programs ●         Manipulate characters and strings ●         Declare, initialize, and use arrays ●         Understand and use applets ●         Understand and apply basic concepts of inheritance ●         Use layout managers and the event model ●         Handle exceptions or errors through program specification ●         Create and access data files IST 2410 Information Systems Architecture ●         Thorough grounding in computer hardware and operating system software, peripheral devices and contemporary information system architecture, including its structure, theory, and applications ●         Operating Systems including Windows, Command line, Apple, Linux, and Unix IST 2720 Data Structures & Algorithms ●         Introduction to the basics of specifying abstract data types, control structures and modularization, and using them to design programs. ●         Commonly used data structures and algorithms are studied ●         Emphasis in choosing data structures and algorithms appropriate for solving given business models.   IST 3110 Information Technology for Business ●         Gives hands-on experience with information technology tools useful for academic and professional activities ●   Word ●   Excel ●   Access ●   HTML IST 3210 Database Design & Implementation ●         Comprehensive coverage of business database systems. ●         Design, implement, and manage databases ●         Learn both GUI and SQL ●         Gain experience using an enterprise level, multi-user database. ●         SQL Language ●         T-SQL ●         Stored Procedures and Triggers ●         XML ●         MS Access ●         SQL Server IST 3610 Networks & Data Communications I ●         Coverage of LAN technology and operation ●         Emphasis in design and configuration issues ●         Design topics cover various aspects of internetworking devices, bridges and gates, backbones, gateways and WAN connectivity ●         Installation of a network operating system ●         Hardening a server ●         Creating user accounts ●         Managing the network ●         Connecting devices ●         Monitoring of the network ●         Windows Server 2003-08 ●         Novell NetWare ●         Linux ●         Unix IST 3620 Networks & Data Communications II ●         Intensive hands-on course ●         Configure, troubleshoot and support reliable TCP/IP internetworks ●         Essentials of an internetwork, including routing, configuring the DNS ●         Setting up and managing a web server ●         Configuring a firewall and IDS ●         Standards-based e-mail ●         Students will participate in configuring clients, redesigning networks and troubleshooting routing ●         Ethereal ●         Etherpeek ●         WireShark ●         Security Audit Software ●         Anti-Virus Software ●         Firewall Software ●         Routing Software ●         Subnetting Software IST 3700 E-Business Technologies & Web Development ●         Knowledge of technologies needed in planning, implementing and supporting web-hosted applications and on-line commerce ●         E-business application languages ●         Control the appearance of a Web site ●         Use XHTML/CSS to design and create a Web site ●         Add dynamic content to Web pages using ASP, JavaScript, and DHTML ●         DreamWeaver ●         XHTML ●         CSS ●         DHTML ●         JavaScript ●         ASP IST 3710 Global Issues in Information Technology ●         Understand technology issues that transcend country borders ●         Topics include: global perspectives on coordination and control, cultural dimensions, and geo-political considerations of global information technology applications. ●         Analyze technology choices that face a global organization ●         Participate in IT implementations that meet various international standards ●         Utilize global resources for gathering information and staying current in IT ●         Be sensitive to software behaviors and various cultural reactions ●         Participate in debates on social, technical and legislative issues impacting IT ●         Develop independent learning skills ●         HTML ●         XML IST 3720 Software Development II ●   Course builds on the software development skills learned in Software Development I ●   Build advanced GUIs and event handling ●   Understand and use Generics and Collections ●   Create, execute, and use Multi-threading ●   Handle databases by using JDBCI ●         Java ●         Java Editor (e.g. TextPad, JGrasp, Eclipse, etc.) ●         Use single- or multi-dimensional arrays to store date in and retrieve data from lists and tables of values ●         Build basic GUIs and handle events generated by user interactions with GUIs ●         Write and use recursive methods ●         Search and sort arrays using various search and sort algorithms ●         Form and use linked data structures ●         Create generic methods that perform identical tasks on arguments of different types ●         Use collection framework algorithms to manipulate collections ●         Manipulate various multimedia sliders, menus, pop-up menus, and windows ●         Create, execute and use threading ●         Access databases by using the JDBC API of package java.sql ●         Use print formatting and format output with class Formatter IST 3730 Systems Analysis & Design ●         Knowledge and skills to design and implement computer-based systems to solve business problems ●         Feasibility studies ●         Requirement analysis ●         System design and development ●         Implementation and testing ●         Students will be able to use appropriate methodologies and tools including object-oriented modeling and the use of computer-aided software engineering ●         Project Management Software ●         Visio IST 3750 Electronic Business Communications ●         Knowledge of best practices in designing or developing electronic presentations, meetings, and collaborations ●         Familiarizes students technologies that foster effective communications in virtual situation ●         PowerPoint ●         One Note ●         NetMeeting ●         Other Collaborative Software IST 4600 Information Security I ●         Information Security ●         Encryption ●         Firewalls and Other Security tools ●         Information Security Standards ●         Disaster Recovery ●         Malware ●         Computer Forensics ●         Examines the technical, operational, and organizational issues of securing information systems ●         Firewalls ●         Antivirus software ●         Trojan horses and other malware ●         Intrusion Detection Systems ●         Encryption technologies ●         Network sniffers ●         Other hacking tools IST 4700 Information Security II ●         Builds and reinforces concepts and technologies learned in IST 4600 ●         Performing Information Security audits ●         Learn basic Linux skills ●         Firewalls ●         Antivirus software ●         Trojan horses and other malware ●         Intrusion Detection Systems ●         Encryption technologies ●         Network sniffers ●         Other hacking tools ●         Linux IST 4710 Enterprise Software Development ●         Creation and integration of enterprise applications using object-oriented programming and distributed object technology ●         Topics include:  design issues for enterprise system development, application architectures, and integrating legacy data and applications with new enterprise systems ●         Students will use state-of-the-art practices to develop and implement enterprise systems ●         Java ●         Java Editor (e.g. TextPad, JGrasp, Eclipse, etc.) ●         DreamWeaver ●         Students will use state- of-the-art practices to develop and implement systems IST 4720   Emerging Information Technologies ●         Students will learn how to conduct an environmental scan toward evaluating and implementing new information technologies.   IST 4730 Senior Practicum:  Project Management & Systems Development ●         Capstone course for all IST majors ●         Provides hands-on and problem solving experience in all areas of IT including:  systems analysis, design, systems implementation, network design, software development, and database design. ●         Creation of a project for a significant computer-based system ●         Focuses on working with actual business problems as represented in a major case study. Presentation Software MS-Project Visio Other Software Dependent on the Projects IST 480X Individual Projects ●         Dependent on Project Dependent on Project IST 489X Cooperative Work Experience ●         Dependent on Project Dependent on Project IST 6800 Directed Studies ●         Further studies in Information Assurance by reading and analyzing current books in the field Dependent on the specific study

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