Syllabus - CSCI 427 - Systems Integration

Basic Information

• Section: D1
• Semester: Spring 2021
• Meetings: MW 2:00-2:50 in Microsoft Teams (synchronous online course: no physical classroom)
• Hard Deadline for All Work: Friday, May 7th, 2021 at 5:00 PM EDT
• Prerequisites: C or better in CSCI 270 and CSCI 316
• Credit Hours: 3
• Course Purpose: Senior capstone for the B.S. Information Technology degree
• Intended Audience: Information Technology majors (required course)

Instructor Information

Dr. Mike Murphy

Please see the About Me page for contact information, and check my Schedule for office hours information.

Catalog Description

Introduction to, and practice of, designing and integrating, large-scale information processing systems, with a focus on selecting and implementing hardware and software systems to develop an appropriate IT solution. Topics include systems provisioning, software integration, hardware management, availability, scalability, and disaster recovery capability. Students will design an integrated information system to implement a solution to a case study problem.

Course Objectives and Tentative List of Major Topics

1. Introduce system integration from the perspective of an organization.
2. Define system lifecycles and architectures.
3. Discuss requirements gathering, including functional and non-functional requirements.
4. Introduce use cases, architectural views, and architectural frameworks.
5. Explain IT acquisition and sourcing.
6. Discuss testing, quality assurance, integration methods, governance models, and operational domains.
7. Describe backup and recovery design and procedures.
8. Practice teamwork skills in a group project setting.
9. Practice problem-solving skills by understanding a case study problem, designing a solution, and planning an implementation.
10. Practice communication skills.

Course Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Translate user requirements into information technology requirements
2. Analyze requirements and design an appropriate information architecture and corresponding implementation plan
3. Implement an information technology infrastructure using current technologies, standards, and best practices, as a member of an implementation team
4. Integrate an information architecture into an existing system at the software, hardware, and user levels

ABET Assessment

This course measures the following Performance Indicators:

• 1.1 - Define requirements and/or specifications for a computing problem.
• 1.2 - Analyze a complex problem by breaking it down into smaller components.
• 2.1 - Design a solution to meet requirements.
• 2.2 - Implement a solution to meet requirements.
• 2.3 - Evaluate a solution against requirements.
• 5.1 - Contributes relevant information to the team.
• 5.2 - Participates in group activities according to expectations.
• IT 6.1 - Analyze user needs to determine requirements of a computer-based system.
• IT 6.2 - Create appropriate IT-based solutions based upon user needs.
• IT 6.3 - Select systems appropriate for different user and environment requirements.
• IT 6.4 - Apply system administration techniques.
• IT 6.5 - Integrate multiple hardware and software components in a single system.

Texts and Materials

• No textbook is required for this course.
• Readings, reference materials, tutorials, and videos will be assigned, requiring Internet access.

Grade Categories

Grades will be broken into different categories and weighted as follows:

The Group Project Milestones will comprise pieces of a report that describes how the resulting system will be implemented. This component will be a single grade for the entire group.

The Group Project Team Participation and Group Project Presentation items will be graded individually.

Additional Policies and Information

The following policies and documents are incorporated into this syllabus by reference:

• My Common Course Policies
• My Online Learning Expectations
• Contingency Plan
• First Week Checklist
• Student Services Guide

Disclaimer

Portions of this course may deal with issues related to cost analysis, laws, and ethics. The instructor of this course is not a lawyer, accountant, or financial advisor, and no portion of this class constitutes legal or financial advice. This syllabus and schedule are tentative and subject to change with notice to the student during the semester. If a portion of this syllabus is found to be non-compliant with University policies or applicable laws, the remainder of this syllabus will remain effective.