21:120 Computing Foundations
Fall 2006
3 Credits,
Tuesdays: 5:30 pm - 8:15 pm
214 Blank Honors Center: Map showing location
Professor Padmini Srinivasan
(1) Efraim Turban, Ephraim McLean and James Wetherbe. Information Technology for Management, Second Edition.
This is available for free from books24x7 - accessible through the U.Iowa subscription.
We will read a few chapters from this book.
(2) Lawrence Sanders. Data Modeling. Some copies are available at IMU. Since this is out of print you will need to get the book yourself. I know that copies are available on Amazon.com.
(3) David Chappell and J. Harvey Trimble Jr. A Visual Introduction to SQL. Available at IMU.
(4) Douglas E. Comer. The Internet Book: everything you need to know about computer networking
and how the Internet works. 4th edition, Prentice
Hall, 2000. Available at IMU.
(5) Kroenke and Dolan, Database Processing: fundamentals, design, implementation. 1988. (Ch on e-reserve).
(6) Michael D. Cooper. Design of Library Automation Systems. 1996, Wiley. (Ch on e-reserve)
Note: For electronic reserves go to this link.
Students must have ready access to a computer connected to the Internet that has a browser such as netscape.
Additional readings will be provided via this web site.
Students will also need a reliable networked machine to take exams over the
Web. Modem based connections are too slow. Connections that drop frequently will not work.
You will need to be assured of continuous, high speed connection for two hours to
take the exams.
Students will need accounts on mingo, the SLIS server.
This is the machine on which you will do your SQL assignments.
Please contact Brian Finley for a mingo account if you do not already have one.
Mingo is a UNIX machine.
Therefore students will need
to know basic commands in unix such as ssh, scp, ls etc.
Some help sheets have been provided.
Students will also
need to know how to build basic html pages and how to load them on mingo.
It is the student's responsibility to learn
the necessary UNIX commands, basic html commands, become comfortable in connecting to mingo and working
with it etc. "Minimal" if any class time
will be devoted to this. It is strongly recommended that students learn these
skills early in the semester - well before the SQL assignments are given.
Modern library and information services rely on automated systems.
Some systems such as the library catalog in a college or university library
are purchased from vendors such as Dynix, VTLS and Ex Libris. Others
are built just in time by one or more individuals to satisfy simpler information needs.
This course will explore the foundations of automated systems in
libraries and information services. In particular we will study the design
of relational database systems and see how these may be used to support
a variety of applications including inverted file systems that are typical
in text retrieval systems.
This course will also orient students to key concepts related to
protocols and services on the Internet.
Students are expected to participate in class discussions, and complete
all class assignments on time. Class assignments are due at the beginning
of the specified class period.
Students are expected to do their assignments and exams on their own - unless
explicitly permitted by the professor. Cheating/plagiarism will result, at least for the
assignment in question and possibly for the full course, in a score of zero.
If you are in doubt whether you can do something, ask me.
email: my email address is in this link
Office: 3067 Main Library (335-5708)
Office Hours: Wed, Thurs 2:30 - 4:30 pm and by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Mary Francis, her email address is in this link
Class Web Forum
Welcome to our course homepage!
Contents
Assignments
Books
Additional Requirements
Special Considerations
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require seating
modifications or testing accommodations or accommodations of other class
requirements, so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my
office hours.
Course Description
Evaluation Points
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Assignments | 40% |
| Midterm, (any 2 hr segment between Sunday November 5, 7:00 pm and Monday November 6, 9:00 p.m. (open notes)) |
30% |
| Final Exam, (any 2 hr segment between Sunday December 10, 7:00 pm and Monday December 11, 9:00 p.m. (open notes)) |
30% |
August 22, 2006. Introduction to Information Systems
August 29, 2006. Organizations and Information Systems
September 5, 2006. Introduction to databases and E-R models
September 12, 2006. Entity Relationship Model
September 19, 2006. Entity Relationship Model continued
September 26, 2006. Relational Databases
October 3, 2006. Relational Model: Cardinalities etc.
October 10, 2006: Normalisation
Nov 5 - 6 Midterm
Nov 7 - No class - at ASIST.
November 14, 2006: E-R, Relational Model, SQL wrapup.
November 28, 2006: Internet (Discussion of Comer Text)