INFM 205-10
Informatics Project Management
Spring 2020 Syllabus

S. Gaffney
E-mail
Office: office location
Phone: contact phone with area code
Office Hours:
Virtual office hours. Telephone and in-person advising by appointment


Syllabus Links
Textbooks
CLOs
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Prerequisites
Resources
Canvas Login and Tutorials
iSchool eBookstore
 

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning March 9 at 6 am PT.

This two-unit course runs from March 9 to May 11. The class will be available on Canvas on March 9. Grades will not be posted until the end of the semester.

You will be enrolled in the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

Introduces essential strategies and techniques for project management. Topics include: management styles, institutional constraints, project life cycles, stakeholder management, scope definition, risk assessment, project planning tools, and team management.

Assignments and Course Calendar

Module Topics  Due Dates
1

Modern Project Management

Textbook Chapter 1

 

Discussion Question 1

Due March 15

2

Organizational Structure and Strategy

Textbook Chapters 2 and 3

 

Discussion Question 2

Due March 22

3

Defining the Project

Textbook Chapter 4

Exercise 1

Due March 29

4

Developing a Project Plan

Textbook Chapters 5 and 6

Discussion Question 3

Due April 12

5

Managing Risk and Resources

Textbook Chapters 7, 8 and 9

 

Discussion Question 4

Due April 19

6

Being an Effective Project Manager

Textbook Chapters 10 and 11

Project Management Software

Due April 26

7

Managing and Controlling

Textbook Chapter 13

Exercise 2

Due May 3

8

Project Closure

Textbook Chapters 14 and 16

Semester Research Project

Due May 1 

Assignments

Discussions (supports CLOs 1-5; 40 points)

There will be four discussion questions over the course of the term. Students will write a well-organized, thoughtful response of approximately 250 words responding to the assigned question. Students are also expected to respond to at least one oth student's post. 

Exercises (supports CLOs 1-5;60 points)

Exercises will cover the topics discussed in the book at the end of each chapter and will allow the student to demonstrae mastery of the concepts and techniques learned.

Project Management Software (supports CLOs 3,4; 25 points)

There are a number of computerized PM tools available. Some are free while others have a cost associated. Research available software applications related to project management. Select two and write a five-page comparative description of the software. Areas to consider:

  • Ease of use
  • Options
  • Vendor reputation
  • Compatibility with other software
  • Price
  • Would you purchase this to use on a project?
  • Anything else that you think is important

Semester Research Project (supports CLOs 1-5;50 points)

Students will research and write a 10 - 12 page research paper on a topic of interest related to Project management. This project will allow the student to explore an area of interest in depth.

Grading Information

Grading will be based on a total accumulation of possible 100 points, distributed as follows:

Deliverable Points
Discussion Questions 40 points
Exercises 60 points
Project Management Software 25 points
Semester Project 50 points

Course Workload Expectations

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Course Prerequisites

Graduate Standing or Instructor Consent

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Identify project management roles and environment.
  2. Describe the project life cycle.
  3. Use major project management techniques including traditional, agile, and extreme.
  4. Control and evaluate project management approaches effectively to achieve better outcomes strategically.
  5. Demonstrate the "soft" skills that are useful as a project leader and team member.

SLOs and PLOs

This course supports Informatics SLO 2: Evaluate and apply project management techniques and approaches (traditional, agile, and extreme) effectively to achieve successful outcomes, both as project leader and team member.

SLO 2 supports the following Informatics Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

  • PLO 1 Apply technology informatics skills to solve specific industry data and information management problems, with a focus on usability and designing for users.
  • PLO 3 Demonstrate strong understanding of security and ethics issues related to informatics, user interface, and inter-professional application of informatics in specific fields by designing and implementing appropriate information assurance and ethics and privacy solutions.
  • PLO 5 Work collaboratively in teams and use project management practices effectively to solve user-centric information and data problems.

Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

  • Larson, E., & Gray, C. (2017). Project management: The managerial process (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Available through Amazon: 1259666093arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Recommended Textbooks:

  • Project Management Institute (2017). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute. Available through Amazon: 1628251840arrow gif indicating link outside sjsu domain

Grading Scale

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

97 to 100 A
94 to 96 A minus
91 to 93 B plus
88 to 90 B
85 to 87 B minus
82 to 84 C plus
79 to 81 C
76 to 78 C minus
73 to 75 D plus
70 to 72 D
67 to 69 D minus
Below 67 F

 

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

  • C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
  • B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
    For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  • A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

University Policies

Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.

In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.

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