| Instructor |
Amon Seagull |
|---|---|
| address |
Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences Nova Southeastern University 3301 College Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314 |
| amons@nova.edu | |
| voice | (954) 262-2048 |
| fax | (954) 262-3915 |
| office | Carl DeSantis Building, rm. 4149 |
| office hours | any business hours, but make an appointment first |
Email is the preferred contact method.
This is an on-campus course, meeting Wednesday nights in Room 3035 of the Carl DeSantis Building, 6:00–8:30PM. We will use WebCT as the course administration tool.
You are expected to check your NSU email account daily, and the WebCT home page and discussion page [at least] semi-weekly for announcements. See the paragraph in the GSCIS catalog, repeated below, on using NSU email accounts.
The application of database concepts to management information systems. Design objectives, methods, costs, and benefits associated with the use of a database management system. Tools and techniques for the management of large amounts of data. Database design, performance, and administration. File organization and access methods. The architectures of database systems, data models for database systems (network, hierarchical, relational, and object-oriented model), client-server database applications, distributed databases, and object-oriented databases.
Jeffrey A. Hoffer, Mary B. Prescott, and
Heikki Topi. Modern Database Management, 9th ed.,
Prentice Hall.
ISBN:0-13-600391-5
Other resources:
scis.nova.edu). Oracle
Press puts out many many books on many aspects of using and
managing an Oracle system.
You have the option of connecting to the SCIS server (via telnet or [hopefully] ssh) and accessing the Oracle 10g server that we run to support coursework. There are personal editions of Oracle (for example, the "Express Edition" that you can download and run on a Windows or some unix machines, but you are [of course] on your own as far as support for this approach. Microsoft Access is a popular desktop client for database work, but I don't believe it fully supports the range of SQL we will be using in this class. Any ANSI-compliant database server will do.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
We will cover much of the text. The reading for each week is indicated in the calendar below (which is subject to change).
| Date | Material | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Apr. 1 | Introduction | Chs. 1–2 |
| Apr. 8 | E-R Modeling | Ch. 3 |
| Apr. 15 | E-R Modeling (cont'd) | Ch. 3 (cont'd) |
| Apr. 22 | More E-R Modeling; Logical Design | Chs. 4; Beginning Ch. 5 |
| Apr. 29 | Normalization | Balance Ch. 5; Apx. B |
| May 6 | More Normalization | Apx. B; Beginning Ch. 7 |
| May 13 | SQL DML | Balance Ch. 7 |
| May 20 | More SQL DML | Ch. 8 |
| May 27 | Concurrency; Security; Recovery | Ch. 13 |
| Jun. 3 | No Class | -- |
| Jun. 10 | Course Survey; Data on the WWW | beginning Ch. 10 |
| Jun. 17 | Final Exam | — |
WebCT will be used to collect assignments, manage grades, and post annoucements. Some assignments may also be collected in class.
There will be four homework assignments and a course project. The preferred file format for assignment submissions is text, followed by PDF. However, anything readable by an MS Office application will be accepted.
There will be one examination, in the last class meeting.
Many of the problems we solve in this course have "right" answers. Generally, any "right" answer is worth the same as any other. In some cases, there may be exceptions. In other words, style counts...only if it's particularly bad.
The course average will be computed according to the following composite:
| Assignment | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Homework | 40% |
| Project | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Class Participation | 15% |
Final grades are assigned based on
the following scale.
| Grade Awarded | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | Course Percentage Required | 93.0 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 80.0 | 77.0 | 73.0 | 70.0 |
|---|
Note that a cumulative course percentage below 70% earns an ‘F’. Note further the paragraphs below from the Graduate Catalog, on incompletes and withdrawals.
Assignments are due at 5:55pm on the date due. If you find you cannot turn in an assignment on time, notify me by email before the due date. With proper notification, assignments are accepted up to five days late, with a 10% penalty. In some cases, late assignments will not be accepted.
Students must comply with the policies published in the school’s Graduate Catalog and the NSU Student Handbook, some of which are included or referenced below. The catalog is at http://www.scis.nova.edu/NSS/pdf_documents/Catalog.pdf. The handbook is at http://www.nova.edu/cwis/studentaffairs/forms/ustudenthandbook.pdf.
Standards of Academic Integrity For the university-wide policy on academic standards, see the section Code of Student Conduct and Academic Responsibility in the NSU Student Handbook. Also see the section Student Misconduct in the GSCIS catalog. Each student is responsible for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in his or her academic work. It is the policy of the school that each student must:
Submit his or her own work, not that of another person
Not falsify data or records (including admission materials and academic work)
Not engage in cheating (e.g., giving or receiving help during examinations; acquiring and/or transmitting test questions prior to an examination; or using unauthorized materials, such as notes, during an examination)
Not receive or give aid on assigned work that requires independent effort
Properly credit the words or ideas of others according to accepted standards for professional publications (see the next section Crediting the Words or Ideas of Others)
Not use or consult paper writing services, software coding services, or similar services for the purpose of obtaining assistance in the preparation of materials to be submitted for course assignments or for theses or dissertations
Not commit plagiarism (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2004) defines plagiarism as “stealing or passing off ideas or words of another as one’s own” and “the use of a created production without crediting the source.”) (see Crediting the Words or Ideas of Others below)
When using the exact words of another, quotation marks must be used for short quotations (fewer than 40 words), and block quotation style must be used for longer quotations. In either case, a proper citation must also be provided. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition, (2001, pp. 117 and 292) contains standards and examples on quotation methods.
When paraphrasing (summarizing, or rewriting) the words or ideas of another, a proper citation must be provided. (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition (2001) contains standards and examples on citation methods (pp. 207–214) and reference lists (pp. 215–281)). The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) defines paraphrase as “An expression in other words, usually fuller and clearer, of the sense of a written or spoken passage or text...Express the meaning (of a word, phrase, passage, or work) in other words, usually with the object of clarification...”. Changing word order, deleting words, or substituting synonyms is not acceptable paraphrasing—it is plagiarism, even when properly cited. Rather than make changes of this nature, the source should be quoted as written.
Assignments, exams, projects, papers, theses, dissertations, etc., must be the original work of the student. Original work may include the thoughts and words of others but such thoughts or words must be identified using quotation marks or indentation and must properly identify the source (see the previous section Crediting the Words or Ideas of Others). At all times, students are expected to comply with the school’s accepted citation practice and policy.
Work is not original when it has been submitted previously by the author or by anyone else for academic credit. Work is not original when it has been copied or partially copied from any other source, including another student, unless such copying is acknowledged by the person submitting the work for credit at the time the work is being submitted, or unless copying, sharing, or joint authorship is an express part of the assignment. Exams and tests are original work when no unauthorized aid is given, received, or used before or during the course of the examination, reexamination, and/or remediation.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English language. Grammatical errors, spelling errors, and writing that fails to express ideas clearly will affect their grades and the completion of their academic programs. The faculty will not provide remedial help concerning grammatical errors or other writing difficulties. It is the student’s responsibility to proofread and edit his or her work which, in both form and content, should be letter-perfect. Work that is not properly edited will be rejected. It is university policy that students must submit their own work, not that of another person. Consequently, they should refrain from using outside editors to redo their work.
Disabilities and ADA
NSU complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The university’s detailed policy on disabilities is contained in the NSU Student Handbook. Student requests for accommodation based on ADA will be considered on an individual basis. Students with disabilities should discuss their needs with their academic advisors before the commencement of classes if possible.
Communication by Email
Students must use their NSU email accounts when sending email to faculty and staff and must clearly identify their names and other appropriate information, e.g., course or program. When communicating with students via email, faculty and staff members will send mail only to NSU email accounts using NSU-recognized usernames. Students who forward their NSU-generated email to other email accounts do so at their own risk. GSCIS uses various course management tools that use private internal email systems. Students enrolled in courses using these tools should check both the private internal email system and NSU’s regular email system. NSU offers students web-based email access. Students are encouraged to check their NSU email account and their course management email daily.
The Temporary Grade of Incomplete (I)
The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) will be granted only in cases of extreme hardship. Students do not have a right to an incomplete, which may be granted only when there is evidence of just cause. A student desiring an incomplete must submit a written appeal to the course professor at least two weeks prior to the end of the term. In the appeal, the student must: (1) provide a rationale; (2) demonstrate that he/she has been making a sincere effort to complete the assignments during the term; and (3) explain how all the possibilities to complete the assignments on time have been exhausted. Should the course professor agree, an incomplete contract will be prepared by the student and signed by both student and professor. The incomplete contract must contain a description of the work to be completed and a timetable. The completion period should be the shortest possible. In no case may the completion date extend beyond 30 days from the last day of the term for master’s courses or beyond 60 days from the last day of the term for doctoral courses. The incomplete contract will accompany the submission of the professor’s final grade roster to the program office. The program office will monitor each incomplete contract. If a change-of-grade form is not submitted by the scheduled completion date, the grade will be changed automatically from I to F. No student may graduate with an I on his or her record.
Grade Policy Regarding Withdrawals
Course withdrawal requests must be submitted to the program office in writing by the student. Requests for withdrawal must be received by the program office by the calendar midpoint of the course (see dates in the academic calendar in the catalog and program brochures or websites). Withdrawals sent by email must be sent from the student’s assigned NSU email account. Requests for withdrawal received after 11:59 p.m. EST on the withdrawal deadline date will not be accepted. Failure to attend class or participate in course activities will not automatically drop or withdraw a student from the class or the university. Students who have not withdrawn by the withdrawal deadline will receive letter grades that reflect their performance in the course. When a withdrawal request is approved, the transcript will show a grade of W (Withdrawn) for the course. Students with four withdrawals will be dismissed from the program. Depending on the date of withdrawal, the student may be eligible for a partial refund (see the appropriate catalog section Refund Policy Regarding Withdrawals).
Acceptable Use of Computing Resources
Students must comply with the university’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Computing Resources (see NSU Student Handbook).
Academic Progress, Grade Requirements, and Academic Standing
Students must be familiar with the school’s policies which are contained in its catalog.
Student Research Involving Human Subjects
Students must be familiar with the university’s policy (see paragraph in catalog).