INFO 204
Information Professions
Fall 2020 Syllabus

Dr. Maria Otero-Boisvert
E-mail

Phone: 630-865-5195
Office Hours:
Virtual office hours by appointment. Always available via email.

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning August 19, 2021, at 6 am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one-unit or two-unit class that starts on a different day. In that case, the class will open on the first day that the class meets.

You will be enrolled in the Canvas site automatically.

Course Description

As they respond to the information needs of clients and communities, information organizations face complex and exciting challenges. This course will help prepare students to take on these challenges by providing them with an understanding of the organizations and environments in which information professionals work, traditional and emerging professional roles, and core management and leadership theories. This knowledge will help students understand the similarities and differences amongst information organizations, explore different specializations and career paths, apply professional values to ethical decision-making, and to develop core management and leadership skills. This course prepares students to be active participants in their professional communities and networks and to become collaborative professionals ready to take on management and leadership roles.

Note: iSchool requires that students earn a B in this 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 the following semester. 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.

Course Requirements

Complete INFO 203 Online Learning: Tools and Strategies for Success. This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools used in the iSchool program, including Collaborate.  For more information, see INFO 203 Online Learning.

Writing Requirement
If the instructor finds that a student's writing is unacceptable, the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that he or she is attending sessions.

Weekly Schedule and Activities

(This course runs weekly modules. Each module opens on a Wednesday and closes on the following Wednesday. The weekly discussions follow the same schedule plus a two day "grace" period before a discussion closes for comments. All assignment due dates will be on the Wednesday indicated in the syllabus by midnight PT.)

Assessments

Discussions
Students will perform ten weekly discussions relating to course topics. (Course Learning Outcomes: #1, #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #9)

Interview with a Library Leader: Towards a Leadership Philosophy
Students will identify a library leader with whom to conduct an interview. Throughout the interview as well as their reading, students will begin to develop a leadership philosophy. A five to eight-page, double-spaced report on the interview will be uploaded to Canvas. They will also be shared on the week 4 discussion board. Discussion and analysis will be supported by readings from the professional literature (a minimum of three articles). (Course Learning Outcomes: #2, #6, #9)

Organizational Analysis
Working together in small groups, students will create an organizational analysis for an information organization of their choice. The assignment consists of five parts. First, each team will create Group Ground Rules for working together. Second, each team will conduct an environmental scan and SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) of their chosen information organization. Teams will then use this information to draft vision, mission and value statements for the organization. Third, based on the second part of the project, the group will articulate strategic directions for the information organization. Fourth, the team will present its strategic plan and associated planning documents to their classmates. Fifth, students peer review team member's individual contributions and performance. (Course Learning Outcomes: #2, #3, #4, #6, #7,, #8)

Professional Synthesis
In a culminating synthesis, students will reflect and respond to the major themes of INFO 204. Students will utilize an alternate format (e.g. website, wiki, podcast, video, Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) to produce and present their culminating assignment. (Course Learning Outcomes: #1, #6, #9)

Grading

Other Relevant Information:

Student Responsibilities

As a student, you are expected to read and carefully consider all of the readings, participate fully in all activities and discussions during the class duration, as well as turning in assignments by the designated due date.

Due dates are non-negotiable. If the instructor needs to change a due date, you will be notified as soon as possible. Procrastination should be avoided. Plan ahead. Any student requesting a hardship extension will be asked to submit their work-to-date.

If you do not understand the assignments, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor. If you are having difficulty, please notify the instructor early so that we can address the issues before your final grade is set. You must complete all assignments in order to pass the course.

Late Assignments

The instructor has the right to not accept late assignments or to add significant grade penalties for unexcused late submissions. If you foresee any difficulty in completing your assignment on time, you need to contact the instructor at least 48 hours before the due date to request an extension. Only one extension per student per semester will be considered. If granted an extension, your assignment grade may be reduced by 10%.

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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

INFO 204 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Describe the similarities and differences between various information organizations and professional roles from historical, current, and future perspectives.
2. Recognize the roles and activities of managers in information organizations.
3. Explain strategic planning processes and skills.
4. Identify and choose appropriate assessment tools for evaluating organizational effectiveness.
5. Synthesize (including reviewing, using and properly citing) the professional and research management and leadership literature.
6. Demonstrate leadership abilities through collaborative teamwork.
7. Analyze and assess their own and others leadership abilities through self-reflection and peer review.
8. Apply management theories and principles, professional values, and ethical frameworks to organizational issues and decision-making using scenarios and case studies.
9. Create and deliver high quality reports, presentations and organizational documents that communicate to internal and external stakeholders organizational values, missions, and priorities.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 204 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Hirsh, S. (Ed.) (2018). Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. Available as free eBook through King Library

Recommended Textbooks:

• Disher, W. (Ed.). (2021) Library management problems today: Case studies. Rowman & Littlefield. Available as free eBook through King Library

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Grading Scale

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

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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