INFO 246-14
Information Technology Tools and Applications – Advanced Topic: XML
Fall 2021 Syllabus

Amelia L Mowry
E-mail
Other contact information: amelimow@umich.edu
Office location: online
Office Hours: by appointment

Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning August 19 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

This course will introduce Extensible Markup Language or XML. We will discuss the importance of XML in the storage, transportation, and use of data, with particular focus on its use in libraries and other cultural heritage organizations. Students will learn to create and validate XML, to transform it for new uses, and to extract data from it. By the end of the course, students will understand the importance of XML for discovery and data management, and they will have a strong foundation for future work and learning.

Course Requirements

Assignments

This is a technology course, and I strongly believe that the only way to learn a technology is to use it a lot. There will be small assignments due most weeks. The majority of these assignments will be working directly with XML and its related technologies. There will be occasional quizzes for key concepts.  

Course Calendar

*Subject to change with fair notice

Grading

• Points for the course will be distributed as follows:
  • 90% - assignments and quizzes
  • 10% - comprehensive final exam
• The weeks in this course run from Thursday to Wednesday. All assignments are due by 11:59 PST on Wednesday.
• Work may be submitted for half-credit up to one week late.

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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 246 has no prequisite requirements.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to analyze XML for well-formedness and validity.
2. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to understand the structure and functioning of XML.
3. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to describe the importance of XML in the discovery, storage, and use of data in libraries and other organizations.
4. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to extract data from XML.
5. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to understand how XML is used to transport and display data.
6. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to transform XML.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)

INFO 246 supports the following core competencies:

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Textbooks

Required Textbooks:

• Fawcett, J., Quin, L. R. E., & Ayres, D. (2012). Beginning XML (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Available through Amazon: 1118162137

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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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