Course Syllabus

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Fall, 2017

SPEA-V 516 – Section 25091

Public Management Information Systems

Online Course - Course Syllabus

1. Instructor - Jerry Schulz, 4237 S. Lenox St., Milwaukee, WI, 53207

         (414) 747-5626 (home office), (414) 828-5320 (mobile), schulzj@iupui.edu

       I have no set office hours; please feel free to call or e-mail, although you can make an appointment if you wish. Note that I am not on campus in Indianapolis.

2. Course Number and Title - SPEA-V 516 - Public Management Information Systems

         Public Management Information Systems focuses on the application of information systems concepts and tools to challenges and opportunities in the public sector. Topics covered include current trends in information systems; managerial use of information systems; hardware, software, and telecommunications; systems development processes and practices; and strategic and policy issues in information systems

         This is an online course offered through the Canvas system at https://canvas.iu.edu/lms-prd/app, where material on the use of Canvas is also available. Students who have previously used Oncourse should hopefully find the transition to Canvas fairly straightforward.

         The section number is 25091.

3. Dates of Course and Kickoff – Week of August 21 through the Week of December 4, 2017 (fifteen weeks), with Final Exam Week starting December 11. There is no class the week of October 16 for fall break. A take-home final exam is due on December 16, at the end of the Final Exam Week. The exam will be posted no later than December 4.
4. Required Books and Readings

• CIO Leadership for Cities and Counties - Emerging Trends and Practices: Second Edition, Shark, Allan R., et. al., Public Technology Institute, 2016

• The Responsive City: Engaging Communities Through Data-Smart Governance, Goldsmith, Stephen and Crawford, Susan, Jossey-Bass, 2014

• Fundamentals of Technology Project Management, 2nd Edition, Garton, Colleen, MC Press, 2012Some readings are also taken from Surviving and Thriving in the Fast-Changing Technology World, which is a draft of a yet-to-be-published e-book. A copy of this book is posted in the Course-wide folder of the Files section of Canvas.
• Also, there are some supplemental readings, as identified in item 10 below. These will be posted on the Canvas website for each week.
• Note that some of the readings posted on Canvas are drawn from Information Technology in Local Government: A Practical Guide for Managers, originally published by the International City and County Managers Association (ICMA). The chapters posted on Canvas reflect updates from the original text.

5.      Course Learning Outcomes

The course has these nine learning objectives for students. Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

• Become aware of the general management challenges that the use of information technology presents for governments and nonprofits and be able to develop appropriate policies that address these challenges.
• Be aware of trends affecting the use of technology in government and nonprofits.
• Be aware of options for the organization of technology units within government and for the contracting of technology services.
• Appreciate how the use of electronic communication technology can transform governments and nonprofits and be able to help institutions engage citizens and their customers and provide improved service.
• Be able to apply best practices to the management of computer hardware, software, networking, and other technologies in government and nonprofits.
• Be able to apply best practices for implementing and integrating data systems in government and nonprofit settings.
• Acquire the basic skills for managing an information technology project and be able to develop a task plan for a technology project.
• Appreciate how information technology can be used for strategic as well as operational advantage and be able to identify truly strategic uses of technology, and be able to develop a strategic plan for technology use for an organization.
• Be able to distinguish the unique characteristics of information technology use for local government, state governments, the federal government, and non-profit organizations.        

6.  IUPUI Policies

There are a number of campus-wide policies governing the conduct of courses at IUPUI. These can be found at http://registrar.iupui.edu/course_policies.html. Each student is responsible for understanding and following all policies.

7.      Assignments

The course has a number of assignments, each of which has point values toward the final grade. There is at least a small assignment for almost every week:

• Complete weekly readings as indicated.
• Review the weekly PowerPoint slide shows located in Canvas. There are two versions, a traditional PowerPoint slide show and a separate version of the PowerPoint using iSpring software to provide an audio narration.
• Participate in each of 15 class discussions in the Canvas discussion forums. There will typically be three separate topics each week. For each week make at least two posts, including an initial post to one of the topics in which you present your own position on the issue and make reference to a reading and/or personal experience that you have had, and then at least one response to any of the topics replying to a classmate’s post; your response can provide an opinion or additional information. Your best 12 posts and responses of the 15 weeks will be graded, with 30 points for the initial posting and 20 for the response for a total of 50 points each week (600 points).
• Locate a news article or journal article reporting on an implementation of technology in the public sector or nonprofits. Post a link to the article along with a 300 word statement for Week 1 beginning on August 21. In your statement describe the impact that you feel this technology will have on the agency involved and give your opinion as to whether this impact will be operational or truly strategic or give your opinion on whether this technology has the potential to be disruptive. Also give some thoughts on what you feel will be some obstacles to the realization of the benefits of the technology (100 points).
• Identify a web site or any other sort of electronic communication initiative of a federal, state, or local government or nonprofit organization, including your own, and for Week 2 beginning on August 28 post an analysis of at least 300 words, describing the initiative and explaining why or why not you feel the initiative is effective (100 points). You may wish to use the four criteria of usability, content, services, and citizen participation outlined in Holzer’s article.
• Identify a case in which a government or nonprofit organization, including your own, is employing mobile devices. For Week 3 beginning on September 5 develop an analysis of this initiative; describe the initiative, identify challenges involved with the use of these devices, outline the benefits that the government or nonprofit expects to achieve through the use of these devices, and then assess whether these benefits are being achieved. (100 points).
• Identify a current telecommunications project at the state or municipal level, which could be either in development or completed, and for the Week 4 beginning on September 11 develop an analysis of at least 300 words on what you feel the benefits of the project are or will be (150 points). You also have the option of creatively identifying a project involving a nonprofit.
• After reading the article on “The City's Computers Are an Incompatible Muddle…,” post a statement of at least 300 words for Week 5 beginning on September 18, outlining a program with at least three best practices measures you feel that a local government or nonprofit in a similar predicament (it doesn’t have to be San Diego then or now) should take to improve the effectiveness of its technology (100 points).
• Consider how the activities of purchasing and contract administration in the public or nonprofit sector are more challenging or at least different for technology goods or services than for other types of goods and for Week 6 beginning on September 25 develop an analysis of 300 words on this topic (100 points).
• Identify a case in which a government or nonprofit organization, including your own, is taking advantage of a cloud computing service, which could be for productivity software (e.g., Google Apps), a data service, or other application. For Week 7 beginning on October 2 develop an analysis of at least 450 words of this service; describe the initiative, outline the advantages to the government or nonprofit of using this technology versus conventional hosted technology, and assess whether others might enjoy similar benefits. (100 points).

• Research a case (possibly from our readings) on the implementation of a data system, and for Week 8 beginning on October 9 provide an analysis of at least 300 words on the costs and benefits of this system (100 points).
• Identify a current initiative involving collaboration among governments and/or nonprofits in the use of technology in the public safety arena (e.g., 9-1-1 dispatch, radio interoperability, etc.) or another area in government or nonprofits, and for Week 9 beginning on October 23 post a statement of at least 300 words explaining why you do or do not feel that this initiative is good public policy (100 points).
• Identify a real or hypothetical problem in a public sector or nonprofit organization, including your own, being solved through the use of technology, ideally one involving strategic issues. Provide some background on the project, and then draw on the material on project management presented in the course to develop four project planning documents for the project; these documents are a list of the project stakeholders, the project scope statement, the project task plan and the project budget. Submit these documents for Week 12 beginning on November 13 (250 points).
• Consider the current technology use of your government or nonprofit, the city or village in which you live, or another government or nonprofit in the area, and develop an analysis of at least 600 words for Week 14 beginning on November 27 on three strategic planning directions that you feel the government should adopt (200 points).
• Submit a take-home final exam on or before midnight on Friday, December 15. The exam will consist of eleven essay questions, the best ten of which will be graded (500 points). Each of the answers for the exam should be at least 150 words in length but not more than 300 words. The final exam will be posted two weeks before the exam due date.

8.      Assessment and Grading

Below is a summary of the contribution of each assignment to the final grade:

In the later weeks of the course there is not an assignment each week, but each assignment is for a greater number of points, since these assignments require more research and effort. More information on grading will be provided with each assignment.

Assignment	Week Due	Points	Percent
Participation in Discussion Forums (12 are Graded)		600	24%
Statement on Strategic versus Tactical	1	100	4%
Analysis of a Web Site	2	100	4%
Analysis of the Impact of Mobile Devices	3	100	6%
Analysis of a Telecommunications Initiative	4	150	4%
Statement on Best Practices	5	100	4%
Analysis of Purchasing and Contracting	6	100	4%
Analysis on the Impact of Cloud Computing	7	100	4%
Costs and Benefits of a Data System Implementation	8	100	6%
Statement on Collaboration in Public Safety	9	100	4%
Project Task Plan	12	250	8%
Analysis on Strategic Planning Directions	14	200	8%
Take-Home Final Exam	16	500	20%
		2,500	100%

 The total points from the assignments will be translated into final grades in this way:

Letter	From Points	To Points	From %	To %	GPA Points
A	2,375	2,500	95%	100%	4.0
A-	2,300	2,374	92%	95%	3.7
B+	2,250	2,299	90%	92%	3.3
B	2,200	2,249	88%	90%	3.0
B-	2,100	2,199	84%	88%	2.7
C+	2,000	2,099	80%	84%	2.3
C	1,950	1,999	78%	80%	2.0
C-	1,900	1,949	76%	78%	1.7
D+	1,850	1,899	74%	76%	1.3
D	1,800	1,849	72%	74%	1.0
D-	1,750	1,799	70%	72%	0.7
F	0	1749	0%	70%	0.0

 

For each student to get the full benefit of the assignments it is important that they be done on time. Assignments should be posted no later than midnight on the Monday after the course week ends (e.g., Monday, August 28 for week starting August 21) except Tuesday, September 5 for the Labor Day weekend.

9. Use of Canvas

This course is an online course which uses IUPUI’s Canvas online learning technology. We will use Canvas in several ways:

• We will post all of our assignments and readings for the week in the Modules area on Canvas. We will also post a weekly kickoff letter in Announcements.
• We will use the forums in the Canvas Discussions area for weekly online discussions.
• Students will post all completed assignments to Canvas.
• Please be sure to consult me if you are having any problems or concerns with the online aspects of the course. Use of Canvas assumes you regularly check your IUPUI e-mail account (e.g., smithj@IUPUI.edu).
• All resources and discussions for each week in Canvas will be posted no later than Sunday at midnight, and the week begins.
• You may be somewhat apprehensive if you have not yet used the Canvas technology, but Canvas provides a variety of training and help functions, including a Quick Start guide which can be accessed at http://guides.instructure.com/m/8470.

10.  Course Schedule of Topics, Modules and Readings, and Assignments

Topic		Slideshows and Readings	Assignments
Week 1 - Starting 8/21/17
Getting Started - Introductions, Course Requirements, etc.
The Evolution of Information Technology and Current Trends		Week 1 Slideshow – “The Technology Challenge”	Statement on Governments or Nonprofits as Digital Enterprises.
		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, “Introduction,”
The Technology Challenge in Public Administration and Nonprofits		Creese, J., “The Digital Shift and the Digital Delusion; Why Digital Leadership Is Mostly Not About IT” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 4)
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 1
		Raths, D., “Disruptive Technology that Could Transform Government Citizen Relationships”
Strategic Use of IT in Government		Pardo, T., Service New Brunswick
Week 2 - Starting 8/28/17
Electronic Government and Citizen Engagement		Week 2 Slideshow – “Electronic Government”	Analysis of an Electronic Communication Initiative, using Criteria Outlined in Chapter 16 of CIO Leadership
		Schulz, J., Engaging Your Citizens Using Social Media (ICMA InFocus Report)
		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, Ch. 1 and 2
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 2
		Camarillo, N., “Social Media Considerations for the Chief Information Officer” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 16)
		Holzer, M., et. al., “Measuring the Performance of E-Governance” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 22)
		Black, A., Public Pathways: A Guide to Online Engagement Tools for Local Governments
		Raths, D., “The Big Redesign - What's Next for Government Websites” and “2016 Best of Web,” Government Technology
Week 3 - Starting 9/5/17
Technology Devices and Productivity Software		Week 3 Slideshow - "Technology Hardware and Software"	Analysis of the Impact of Mobile Devices
		Schulz, J., Ch. 7, "Technology Devices and Hardware"
		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, Ch. 3, "How Should We Respond to the Public's Use of Mobile Devices?" and Ch. 4, "How Should Governments Provide Their Employees with Mobile Devices?"
		Cresswell, A., et. al., Does Mobility Make a Difference?
		Schulz, J., Ch. 8, "Employee Productivity Software"
		Jacobs, S., “How E-Mail Killer Slack Will Change the Future of Work”
		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, Ch. 10, "Is It Time to Move to Services Such as Google Apps or Microsoft Office 360?"
		Wood, C., Government Technology, "Texas Moves More Than 100,000 State Workers to Microsoft Cloud "
Week 4 - Starting 9/11/17
Computer Networking and Related Technology		Week 4 Slideshow – “Networking and Telecommunications”	Analysis of a Telecommuni-cations Initiative
		Schulz, J., Ch. 9, "Networking and Telecommunications "
Government Role in Telecommunications		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, Ch. 5, “What Should Local Governments be Doing to Provide Internet Access?”
		Wood, C., Government Technology, “Can Cities Wait Until 2084 for Google Fiber?”
		Wood, C., Government Technology, “Muni Broadband Goes Mainstream”
		Executive Office of the President, Community-Based Broadband Solutions
		Barrett, R., “Schools Lend Out Mobile Hotspots to Get All Students Online”
		Corasaniti, N., “In New York, Bringing Broadband to Everyone by 2018”
		Schulz, J., “Broadband Access: Local Government Roles”
		Hernon, M., “The Strategic Imperative of Broadband” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 28)
Week 5 - Starting 9/18/17
Organizing and Contracting for Information Technology Use		Week 5 Slideshow – “Organizing for Technology Support”	Statement on Best Practices for a Local Government
		Schulz, J., Ch. 3., “Organizing and Contracting for Technology Services”
		Shark, A., “CIO Leadership for Cities and Counties—An Evolving Role” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 1)
		Miller, M., and Hilderbrand, D., “Four Points to Ponder for IT Governance” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 3)
		McKinney, R., “IT Consolidation: Tearing Down the Silos” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 20)
		Rujan, A., “Information Technology Governance” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 21)
		Wood, C., “Philly's IT Reorganization Receives Barbs and Praise”
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 5
		Andersson, H., and Tuddenham, P., Reinventing IT to Support Digitization
Managing Technology Service		Schulz, J., Ch. 6., "Providing Service for Technology Customers"
		Balint, K., San Diego Union-Tribune, “The City's Computers Are an Incompatible Muddle”
Week 6 - Starting 9/25/17
Technology Purchasing and Contract Management		Week 6 Slideshow - “Purchasing Technology Hardware, Software, and Services”	Analysis of Technology Purchasing and Contracting
		Schulz, J., Ch. 5, “Purchasing Technology Hardware, Software, and Services”
		Gross, G., Computerworld, “Kickbacks on Federal IT Contracts Widespread"
		Walters, J., Governing, “Risky Business”
		Shark, A., “Digital Ethics—Navigating the Gray Zone” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 10)
		Bertolini, P., and Regan, R., “Government Helping Government” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 12)
The Technology Workforce		Towns, S., Governing, “Government Needs to Rethink How They Attract IT Talent”
		Samson-Rickert, K., and Smith, J., “Workforce Strategies—Find, Hire, and Keep Talent” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 27)
Week 7 - Starting 10/2/17
Managing Data Systems and Analytics		Week 7 Slideshow – “Managing Data Systems”	Analysis on the Impact of Cloud Computing
		Schulz, J., Ch. 11, “Managing Data Systems”
		Schulz, J., Surviving and Thriving, Ch. 6, “What Should Local Governments Be Doing with Big Data and Analytics?,” Ch. 7, “How Can Governments Comply with the Challenge of Open Data?,” Ch. 8, “Exactly What Is Cloud Computing?,” Ch. 9, “What Are the Advantages of Moving Data Systems to Cloud Services?”
		Shueh, J., Government Technology, “Big Data Could Bring Governments Big Benefits”
		No Author, Governing, “Meeting the Challenge”
		Heaton, B., “New York City Fights Fire with Data”
		Howle Tufts, S., and Leigh Weiss, M., “Cloudy with a Chance of Savings” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 15)
		Negrin, R., et. al., “Making Data Work for Local Governments” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 23)
		Roy, A., “Becoming Data-Driven” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 24)
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 4, 6
Week 8 - Starting 10/9/17
Financial and Enterprise Resources Planning Systems		Week 8 Slideshow – “ERP and Financial Systems”	Costs and Benefits of a Data System Implementation
		Schulz, J., Ch. 12, “ERP and Financial Systems”
		Eiler, S., “Public Enterprise Resource Planning—Getting It Right” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 17)
		Johnson, M., “Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 18)
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 3
		Perlman, E., Governing, “The ERPworks"
		Brown, J., “Hawaii Rethinks SURF Strategy.”
		Vander Veen, C., Government Technology, “Portland, Oregon’s Citywide ERP Shows They Don't Come Easy”
Week Starting 10/17/17 - Mid-semester Break, No Class
Week 9 - Starting 10/23/17
Criminal Justice and Public Safety Systems	Week 9 Slideshow – “Criminal Justice and Public Safety”			Statement on Collaboration in Public Safety
	Schulz, J., Ch. 14, “Justice and Public Safety Systems”
	Dussault, R., Government Technology, “Jack Maple: Betting on Intelligence”
	Hughes, J., Government Technology, “California’s JusticeMobile Redefines Police Work in the Field”
	Brown, J., “Kansas Latest to Implement Statewide Next-Gen 9-1-1”
	Somers, S., “Implementing ICT in the Public Safety Domain” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 30)
	Schulz, J., “Collaborative Communications Center”
Security	Pfeiffer, M., “Managing Technology Risks through Technological Proficiency Guidance” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 7)
	Romness, P., “Enabling Cybersecurity Solutions for Network Infrastructure” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 8)
	Lohrmann, D., “How CIOs Can Protect Data While Enabling Innovation” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 9)
Week 10 - Starting 10/30/17
Project Management	Week 10 Slideshow - "Planning and Management of Technology Projects"			(See Week 12.)
	Garton, C., Fundamentals of Technology Project Management, Ch. 1., "The Principles of Project Management," Ch. 2., "Project Lifecycle, Methodologies, and Standards," Appendix A - "Case Study," Appendix B - "Project Success"
	Boyer, D., Government Finance Review, “Going Live!"
	Lewis, R., The Sacramento Bee, “State Court Deal Nears $2 Billion”
	Thibodeau, P., Computerworld, "Healthcare Website 'Didn't Have a Chance in Hell'" (Plus Additional Clippings)
Week 11 - Starting 11/6/17
Land-Related Systems, Public Works and Utilities, Transportation, and Geographic Information Systems	Week 11 Slideshow, "Land-Related Systems and GIS"			(See Week 12.)
	Schulz, J., Ch. 13, "Land-Related Systems and GIS"
	Florenza, Patrick, et. al., The Mapping Revolution: Incorporating Geographic Information Systems in Government
	Shueh, J., “Palo Alto, Calif., Expedites Permit and Inspection Process through Apps”
	Leidner, A., “A CIO Perspective on Integrating GIS into IT” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 13)
Week 12 - Starting 11/13/17
Strategic Technology Planning		Week 12 Slideshow, "Strategic Technology Planning"	Project Planning Documents
		Schulz, J., Ch. 2, "Strategic Technology Planning"
		Raumer, R., Government Finance Review, “Strategic Technology Planning"
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 8
		Stern, S., “Change Management—Models and Approaches” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 14)
		Pulidindi, J., and DuPuis, N., “Why Broadband Matters for Cities” (In CIO Leadership Ch. 29)
		State of Wisconsin Strategic Plan 2014
		City of Virginia Beach Communications and IT Strategic Plan
Week 13 - Starting 11/20/17
Special Technology Issues at the State and Federal Level		Week 13 Slideshow, "IT Use in Federal and State Government"	(See Week 14.)
		Kundra, V., Twenty Five Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal IT
		Pardo, T., Creating Enhanced Enterprise Information Technology Governance for New York State
		Veasey, N., TIME, "Obama’s Trauma Team"
		Perlman, E., Governing, “Four Paths to IT Consolidation”
Week 14 - Starting 11/27/17
Technology Issues in Non-Profits		Week 14 Slideshow, "IT Use in Nonprofit Organizations"	Analysis on Strategic Planning Directions
		Andrei, K., et. al., A Consumers Guide to Case Management Systems
		Geller, S., The Nonprofit Technology Gap—Myth or Reality?
Technology in Education and the Digital Divide		Ripley, A., “College Is Dead—Long Live College”
		Brennman, R., “Betting Big on Personalized Learning”
		Kang, C. “Bridging a Digital Divide That Leaves Schoolchildren Behind”
		Webly, K., “Reboot the School”
Week 15 - Starting 12/4/17
Additional Data Systems, Collaboration, and Wrap-up		Week 15 Slideshow, "Additional Government Data Systems"	(Start final exam.)
		Schulz, J., Ch. 15, "Some Additional Local Government Data Systems"
		Goldsmith, S., and Crawford, S., The Responsive City, Ch. 7
		Newcombe, T., Government Technology, “New York City Integrates Social Services to Better Serve Citizens”
Final Exam Week - Starting 12/11/17
Take-Home Final Exam		A take-home final exam is due by midnight on December 15, at the end of the Final Exam Week. The exam will be posted no later than December 4.	Final Exam

 

9/10/17 – v. 4

See also a PDF of the complete Syllabus document in Files>>Coursewide Files.