Syllabus

PA 765 "Public Sector Information Management"
Fall, 1998
Richard LeGates HSS 137
PH (415) 338-6176 E-mail dlegates@sfsu.edu

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Course Syllabus: PA 765 Public Sector information Management

Course Format

All sessions of this course will meet in the College of BSS lab. Class time will be split roughly 35% lecture/discussion, 40% lab work, and 25% student briefings on information topics and speakers.

The first two thirds of the course will be devoted to introducing public sector information concepts and gaining applied skills in database management and website creation. During this period students will learn fundamental concepts in information management and learn to design, create, and use a database using Microsoft ACCESS and a website using Microsoft FrontPage.

During the last third of the class will work as a team reviewing and extending the material learned and applying it to joint creation of a public sector computer-based information system (CBIS). We will create a simple intranet which has both a database and web component and involves Human Resources, Information Resources, Decision Support, Accounting, Finance, MIS, and other subsystems. Each student will work on a part of this system and will be graded on their own work, but we will work as a team to design and build the system.

Required Texts

Raymond McLeon, Jr., Management Information Systems (7^th ed)

Microsoft Press, Microsoft Access ’97 Step By Step

Microsoft Press, Microsoft FrontPage ’98 Step By Step

Grading

Database Exercise 15%

Web Site Creation Exercise 15%

Information Issue Briefing 10%

Midterm Exam 20%

Intranet Project 20%

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

The primary purposes of PA 765 are: (a) to help graduate students in Public Administration and related disciplines understand how information is managed in public and nonprofit sector organizations, and (b) to familiarize students with information related issues confronting public and nonprofit sector decision makers and concepts useful in understanding them, (c) to teach students to engage more effectively in end-user computing by designing and implementing their own databases and websites using current microcomputer programs (Microsoft FrontPage ’98 and Microsoft ACCESS ’97.

Students who successfully complete PA 765 should:

Understand the nature of electronic and non-electronic information;
Understand how Public and Nonprofit Sector Organizations Use Information;
Be familiar with capabilities and limitations of current computer hardware and software used by Public and Nonprofit Sector Organizations;
Understand how to plan for use of information within a public or nonprofit sector organization;
Be able to use MicroSoft ACCESS to create and use a database;
Be able to develop a webpage using MicroSoft FrontPage;
Under stand major information subsystems within public sector organizations related to human resources, finance, accounting, decision support, and other areas and how they may be related to each other;
Understand how databases and websites may be linked to create an intranet for a public sector organization.

Aug 27 COURSE INTRODUCTION. Who are students? What do they want from this course? Course format, expectations, content, requirements, grading, and readings.

Sept 3 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS Introduction to Computer-Based Information Systems. Evolution and current status of computer based information systems (CBIS). Fundamentals of Computer Processing Types of computers. Computer architecture. Hardware. Software. SFSU and BSS Computing Systems. DATABASE SKILLS: Viewing, Entering, And Customizing Data. Data and databases. Opening a database. Entering and viewing data by using forms. Updating records. Navigating within a database. Views. Datasheet and form view. Changing the appearance of a datasheet. Adding and deleting parts of records and entire records. WEB SITE SKILLS: Planning A Website. Deternining a website’s purpose, audience, structure, and organization. Overview of viewing and managing websites using FrontPage Explorer. Editing webpages with FrontPage Editor.

Reading: McLeod Ch 1 "Introduction to the Computer-Based Information System,"

Ch 9 "Fundamentals of Computer Processing"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 1 "Viewing, Entering, and Customizing Data"

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 1 "Planning a Website"

Sept 10 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS The Virtual Office Office automation. Computer applications and software of particular interest to Public Administrators: word processing (Word), Database (ACCESS), Spreadsheet (EXCEL). Web Authoring (FrontPage), Presentation (PowerPoint), Statistical Package (SPSS), e-mail (EUDORA), Geographical Information System (ArcView), File Transfer (WINFTP). DATABASE SKILLS: Creating A Database. Maintaing Data. Creating a new database. Creating a new table. Changing a table. Adding records. Deleting records. Replacing records. Using Subforms For Data Entry. Subforms. Data validation. WEB SITE Skills Creating A Web Site Creating and naming a homepage. Building a homepage. Adding text. Inserting files. Saving websites. Adding additional pages to an existing website. Organizing files and navigating within FrontPage. Deleting webpages.

Reading: McLeod Ch 15 "The Virtual Office"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 4 pp 63 - 74 , Ch 2 "…Subforms"

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 2 "Creating a Website"

Sept 17 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS Database Management The hierarchy of data. Data management. Secondary data storage devices. Data processing. Creating and using relational databases. Data Communication. Networks. Local area networks (LANs). Inter- and Intra-nets. DATABASE SKILLS: Finding And Reporting On Information Within A Database Finding data. Sorting data. Filtering data: by selection and by form. Generating and printing reports. Creating mailing labels. WEB SITE SKILLS Connecting Web Pages Creating hyperlinks between webpages, to e-mail addresses, and within webpages. Bookmarking. Following hyperlinks. Editing and removing hyperlinks. Manipulating shared borders

Reading: McLeod Ch 10 "Database Management,"

Ch 11 "Data Communications"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 3 "Viewing Only the

Information You Need"

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 3 "Connecting Webpages"

Sept 24 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS The Systems Approach. Steps in system analysis. System Life Cycles: Planning, designing, implementing, and using information systems. DATABASE SKILLS: Keeping Data Reliable Validating data with form controls. Using combo boxes for data entry. Controlling tab order. Entering Default values. Setting required data properties . Referential integrity. Cascading updating and deleting. Lookup fields. WEB SITE SKILLS Formatting And Laying Out Web Pages Formatting text. Changing page layouts. Editing text. Arranging information. Creating lists and tables. Creating themes.

Reading: McLeod Ch 7 "The Systems Approach, "

Ch 8 "System Life Cycles Methodologies"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 5 Keeping Database Information reliable

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 4 "Formatting and laying out web pages"

Oct 1 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS Management Information Systems (MIS). Information management. Information vs. data. Public and nonprofit sector MIS in human resources, accounting, financial management, and other systems. Decision Support Systems (DSS). DATABASE SKILLLS Querying Databases Creating and saving Queries. Modifying queries. Bring data together with queries across multiple tables. Joining tables. WEB SITE SKILLS Forms. Creating forms from a template. Adding radio buttons, one-line text boxes, drop down lists, check boxes, scrolling text boxes, and push buttons. Saving form information. Web-based forms.

Reading: McLeod Ch 13 "Management Information Systems,"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 7

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 6 " Creating Forms"

Oct 8 REVIEW AND IN-LAB WORK ON DATABASE EXERCISE

Reading: No Assigned Reading

Oct 15 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS). Commonly automated human resources functions: recruiting, educating and training, data management, termination and benefit administration. HRIS subsystems: workforce planning, recruiting, workforce management, compensation, benefits, environmental reporting. Blending personnel and accounting data elements. DATABASE SKILLLS Creating forms with the MicroSoft ACCESS Form wizard. Enhancing form wizard forms. WEB SITE SKILLS Testing Websites. Verifying, fixing, and updating hyperlinks. Managing websites. Publishing websites. Importing websites.

Reading: McLeod Ch 21 "Human Resources Infomation Systems (HRIS)"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch Ch 10 "Streamlining Data Entry"
MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 10 "Testing and Publishing Your Web"

Database Exercise Due

Oct 22 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT TOPICS Information Resources Information Systems. The role of information management in organizations. Information management personnel and functions. DATABASE SKILLLS Creating a Detail Report. Customizing reports. Summarizing data. WEB SITE SKILLS. Adding Multimedia To Web Pages. Inserting and manipulating Bitmap, JPEG and GIF images. Image maps and hotspots. Possibilities (and limitations) of sound and video. REVIEW FOR MIDTERM.

Reading: McLeod Ch 22 "Information Resources Information Systems (IRIS)"

MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 11 "Customizing a Report"

MS FrontPage Step By Step Ch 5 "Adding Multimedia To Your Web"

Web Site Creation Exercise Due

Oct 29 MIDTERM EXAM. PREPARATION FOR INTRANET PROJECT.

Reading: No Assigned Reading

Nov 5 INTRANET PROJECT LAB. Designing and initial construction of student intranets.

Midterm Post mortem

Nov 12 INTRANET PROJECT LAB #2. Continuation of intranet work. INTEGRATING applications. Working with external data in Microsoft ACCESS. Connecting Word processing, Spreadsheet, Statistical Package and Presentation software files.

Reading: MS ACCESS Step By Step Ch 6 "Getting & Working With External Data.

Nov 19 INTRANET PROJECT LAB # 3. Continuation of intranet work

Reading: No Required Reading

Nov 26 THANKSGIVING NO CLASS

Dec 3 STUDENT PRESENTATIONS OF INTRANET PROJECT

Intranet Project Due

Dec 10 REVIEW FOR FINAL. PARTY.