Undergraduate Certificate in IT Project Management Essentials

This course provides a technical and organizational foundation for understanding the use and importance of information systems and information technology in today's management environment. This course covers the hardware, software, and infrastructure that support management information systems. Information and decision support systems, knowledge management and specialized information systems, database management systems, telecommunications, the Internet, Intranets, Extranets, and wireless networks will be examined. This course also covers systems development, e-commerce, and the ethical and societal impact of management information systems.

This course is a study of the planning and processes involved in an information system project. Its topics include planning, scheduling, and controlling aspects of a project during its life cycle. The use of project management techniques such as PERT (Project Evaluation and Review Technique) and Gantt charts will be examined in depth as will be other techniques of planning, scheduling and controlling projects. This course meets the topical requirements for the CompTIA Project + Certification.

This course is a study of the concepts and technology trends of Project Management. Students will explore the principles, practices, features, and functions of the Microsoft Project application. The course will be taught with a mixture of analytical methods and practical exercises. Students will create project plans, organize (estimate, budget, and schedule) tasks, perform and manage resource allocation, identify project constraints, determine a project’s critical path, create Gantt Charts and establish a project baseline using Microsoft Project. This course uses the Microsoft Official Academic Course textbook that covers a significant part of the topical domain for the Microsoft’s Certification Exam 70-632: Managing Projects with Microsoft Office Project 2007. Students must have access to Microsoft Office Project Standard 2007.

This course explores the Internet's impact on business and personal dynamics, from a managerial perspective. A review of current literature will examine such issues as: changes in workplace productivity, legal issues arising from company Internet use policies, staff morale in the face of nearly ubiquitous Internet access, institutional liability for employee conduct while on the Internet, telecommuting, and the impact of conducting personal business during work time. Non-workplace issues such as the impact of the Internet on family life, politics and the economy will also be explored.

This course examines how laws have had to change to account for the expanded realm of crimes in the digital age. Despite legislation intended to combat the problem of identity theft, it continues to be one of the most common crimes associated with the Internet. Sexual harassment complaints can now be triggered simply by an employee forwarding questionable email to fellow employees. Some regard intellectual property rights violations to be innocent flattery, while others consider them to be violations that must be stamped out by force of law. Plagiarism by students who pull content from the Internet is a growing problem. Stalkers can log into their victims lives and gain access to highly confidential medical and financial information, and even sabotage their victim's reputations. This course examines current literature on such topics.

This course is designed to provide an overview of key individual, group, and organizational issues involved in Virtual Management (technology-assisted employee management). Topics include gauging employer and employee readiness for technology-enabled communication and telecommuting; identifying appropriate job types and flexibility options; applying effective communication strategies and methods when utilizing computers and telecommunication technologies; and implementing and evaluating management procedures and policies in flexible organizations.