COURSE MAP - Boston University
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Course Syllabus and Schedule Fall 09
MET TM 648 INTRODUCTION TO ECOMMERCE
BOSTON CAMPUS - HYBRID
DR. KIP BECKER (bu.edu/goglobal)
Please read the complete syllabus as you are responsible for all dates, assignments and issues covered.
KIP BECKER
Dr. Kip Becker is an Associate Professor and the Chairman of the Department of Administrative Sciences. He has published over thirty articles and book chapters both nationally and internationally in the areas of international management, Electronic Commerce, strategy, marketing and global service sector issues. He is on the Board of the International Management Development Association and the Editor of the Journal of Transnational Management. He is on the editorial review boards of: Advances in Competitiveness Research. Scientific Journal of Administrative. Strategic Outsourcing, The Journal of Teaching in International Business, The Journal of Transition Management and the Journal of Business and Information Technology. He has owned a waterfront restaurant and is president of Northwind Management International which conducts management training and consulting with companies, governments and associations worldwide. Prior to entering academe' Dr. Becker's experience included positions with: TDX systems of Cable and Wireless Ltd. in marketing, the U.S. Department of Justice, a special task force in the Regan administration and as a U.S. army helicopter pilot during Viet Nam and Desert Storm. He holds a second degree black belt in TKO Karate. For a complete resume with publications see: bu.edu/GoGlobal
Hybrid Format
The hybrid format is designed to combine the flexibility and technology features of on line education with the personal instruction advantages of the classroom. The class will meet in the classroom, computer lab and will have on line sessions. We will have 6.5 class sessions, 3 online sessions and 4.5 lab sessions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The objective of the course can be summed up quickly as helping you to appreciate the rapid growth associated with internet enabled business as well as some of the difficulties. It is my objective to introduce you to the general issues, technical (security, WEB and Internet systems, payment mechanisms, etc) and non-technical (strategy, marketing, business development, etc.). In addition I will want you to become acquainted with some development tools. One such tool is the Blogger which is a general communications tool. Blogger is being used by teenagers and private publishers to discuss everything from a teen’s favorite record to comments by private individuals (and now companies) concerning your company. Politicians, TV anchors and firms have underestimated the power of the Blog. Several have been very sorry for this underestimation. Blogs are easy and kind of fun. They are a rapidly growing national and international communications medium and something you should understand.
Throughout the course the student is introduced to the Ecommerce environment relating to B2B, B2C as well as B2G. We will also briefly discuss the controversial, and rapidly growing, area of P2P. In pursuing these objectives, the course will employ the following:
1. On line Lectures reviewing text information in a valued added manner with enhanced discussions of chapter topics
2. Present Ecommerce related simulations to assist in the better understanding of specific Ecommerce issues.
3. Development of a Blog
4. Interaction in discussion groups to communicate about on-going text, lecture and discussion questions.
5. Development of a draft ecommerce website (for profit or not for profit) with explanations of the design, purpose, audience and interactions.
6. Readings from text, cases and recent information sources
In an effort to:
1. Combine theory and practice
2. Combine the strategic with the tactical
3. Use relevant concepts to analyze and assess complex Internet enabled business situations.
4. Gain an understanding of the different areas of the company that are affected by internet enabled technologies.
COURSE MATERIALS:
I am very much aware of the climbing cost of text so have attempted to reduce your costs by reducing the number of books we will use and offering online digital text and options in ordering.
The material for the textbook and cases is provided below and the University Bookstore has the text and cases. I do want to point out a caution should you decide to order a used text online. I have found that ordering times can greatly vary if you are not ordering directly from source. In some cases students have not received text or they have been too late to be of use. Be careful if you select to go to other sources for your text that you are sure that you will receive it in sufficient time for the course. You must have the book the first day of class as we start off with a lengthy reading assignment the first week. No excuses! There is some merit to checking with the sender as to when you will receive the book if time is short.
E-commerce: Business,Technology,Society 2009, Be sure you have 5th Edition E-Commerce 2009, 5/E
Kenneth Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver, Azimuth Interactive
ISBN-10: 0136007112
ISBN-13: 9780136007111 Publisher: Prentice Hall Copyright: 2009
FOR THOSE WHO PREFER A DIGITAL BOOK YOU CAN ORDER ONE DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER IN TWO FORMATS
NOTE: eTextbook $87.50 (180 day subscription)
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Compare Online & Downloadable
CASES: (COURSE PACKAGE FROM BU BOOKSTORE)
NOTE: You MUST have this material by the beginning of the course as # 1 is required reading for the first weeks.)
1. Blogging: A new play in your marketing game plan (bh 281/0007-6813)
2. Connecting the real and the virtual world: Sony BMG’s market entry into second life (507-138-1)
3. Air France (KEL 319)
4. How eBay got outbid: Initial Failure and Market Re-entry in Japan (309-077-1)
5. A plan to Invent the Marketing We Need Today (management review reprint summer 2008 v 49.n4 reprint #494111) NOTE: this case is in the BU Library and not in the course package..
Instructions to locate and read this article: Go to Enter the Journal name (MIT Sloan Management Review) and click the Search button. A list of providers will result on the page. Choose a provider (the first one, ABI/Inform Global offers complete text and is easy to use). Login with your username and Kerberos when prompted, and then select the issue you are looking for, (Summer 2008, Vol., 49, Iss. 4). Use the search function to find the article within the issue.
COURSE GRADING:
Your final grade will be based upon the following:
Note: some weeks have two discussions or assignments and in those cases they will be averaged to provide one discussion or assignment grade for the week.
1. In Class/On-Line: interaction & discussions 15%
2. Weekly Assignments 20 %
3. Functional Specifications Site Project 10 %
4. Web Project 15%
5. Midterm Exam 20%
6. Comprehensive Exam 20 %
TOTAL 100%
GRADING PROCESS:
While there is no fixed absolute number of grades in any one level, it is important to note that high grades reflect an excellence in the understanding of class material and organization of thought. In addition, as an important aspect of any class, whether on line or in a classroom, is the shared thoughts and insights of the class members grades will also reflect an individual’s contributions to the class. I will follow the Boston University, Metropolitan College, recommendations concerning grading standards. As such, A and A- grades are awarded for superior class work. I have no specific grading distribution other than to respect the college’s A level distinction and to award grades based on merit. Please note that the Department does not allow extra work to be used to change a course grade. This is considered “off syllabus” and not fair to the others in the class. Please do not ask for off syllabus work as you will be referred to this section of the syllabus.
Class Participation
You are asked to keep up on a weekly basis. The essence of this course is learning a set of ideas and knowing how they apply in international business situations. Mastering the material requires you to assess, think, and form judgments, so high quality on line participation is essential. High-quality participation includes substantive contribution to case discussions, insights into topics we are discussing, questions regarding relevant topics, and on-line interactions with others. There is not much time to accomplish quite a bit so it is essential that you do not fall behind. Please see timely presentation section regarding assignments and due dates. I would recommend that you attempt to keep ahead to provide some individual flexibility in case a problem arises during the course.
Please note that I expect you to participate in the weekly class when noted, online. Remember that online discussions should be like classroom discussions. That is to say they should be a discourse and on going throughout the week. Often students ask, “When should I post my discussion to the board?” The answer to that is you should be active throughout the week and post early to stimulate discussion and several additional times to respond to others. If everyone waited until the end of the week or Saturday, there certainly would not be much of a discussion. There would be a list of single postings. It would also not be possible to give much thought to other’s contributions. This would leave the discussion board without much enthusiasm or interactive spirit. I truly want you to be part of the Boston University community and the community of my classroom. I look forward to reading your postings and learning from them. I know that the other students do as well.
On Informed Contributions:
Informed discussion is not to be confused with opinion. Each student came into the class with an opinion on lots of things. I have rarely found a member of a class not to have opinions on most everything. Some are even strong opinions. Some of the opinions are founded in fact and some are treated as fact but are really judgments that have been formulated by association with printed or verbal inputs coming from newspapers, magazines, family and friends. Understanding what you believe is one important aspect of maturity. Understanding what others believe, and why they believe it, is equally (if not more) important and may be what education is really all about.
Weekly Discussions in the classroom and online Are Graded In The Following Manner
Discussion Grading Rubric
|Score |Description for Scoring Each Week’s Discussions |
| | |
| |Actively responding to another student’s initial submission means entering at least one response to another student’s initial submission. |
| |Short responses such as ‘I agree’, will not be counted as a response. You must provide the rationale on why you agree or disagree with |
| |another student’s initial submission. |
|A |Exceptional Participation – Met all of these conditions: |
| |Submitted own initial contribution for each discussion topic, |
| |Actively responded to several other students in week’s discussions for each topic of the week and did so in an engaging and frequent |
| |manner. |
| | |
| |Exceptional quality of comments – Exceptional level of discussion which brings value to the discussion while building on others insights. |
| |It is a highly valued added discussion which brings in new insights, material and many citations with references. Of particular importance |
| |was that participation was early enough to have been read by the class and provoked others to explore the topic further. Author has |
| |explored the comments of many others and made contributions to their postings. There have been made several Exceptional level contributions|
| |during the week and student is the top 15% of the class for the week. (A level work). This level may be divided into A and A-. |
|B+ |High level Participation – Met all these conditions: |
| |Submitted own initial contribution for each discussion topic, |
| |Actively responded to several other students in week’s discussions for each topic of the week and did so in an engaging and frequent |
| |manner. |
| | |
| |High quality of comments – Student explored others comments and built on others insights. The contributions are outstanding and represent a|
| |highly valued added discussion which brings in new insights, material and references. Author builds on discussions of others and has many |
| |several high level contributions during the week. |
|B |Average Participation – Met all of these conditions: |
| |Submitted own initial contribution for each discussion topic, |
| |Actively responded to a few other students in week’s discussions for each topic of the week. Tended to respond toward the end of the period|
| |so that it was more difficult for others to respond to the comments. |
| | |
| |Average quality of comments – Author has been quite active in discussions during week and made many valuable contributions building on and |
| |enhancing other’s comments by providing contributions which include references and citations to works of others on the topic. These |
| |outstanding contributions would be considered to be in the top 70 to 80% of the class discussions for the week. |
|B- |Low Level Participation – Met all these conditions: |
| |Submitted own initial contribution for each discussion topic but was not engaged in others submissions. |
| |Limited responses to other students in week’s discussions for each topic of the week. Would be considered to be generally below the average|
| |contributions of the class. |
| |Tends to be opinion rather than new material of a value added nature |
| | |
| |Low quality of comments– Author has been active in discussions during week and made some valuable contributions building on and enhancing |
| |other’s comments by providing contributions which include references and citations to works of others on the topic. |
|C- |Minimal Participation |
| |Submitted own initial contribution for each discussion topic |
| |and either of the following: |
| |Did not respond to another student’s submissions |
| |and/or Low quality of comments |
| | |
| |Minimal quality of comments – Author has been in the discussion during the week but tends to repeat others or make opinion related |
| |statements. Quite below Average postings. |
|F |Inadequate Participation |
| |No participation or participation without contribution or recognition of others and would be considered failing level work. |
| | |
| |Minimal quality of comments – Author is not active and postings would be considered to be of a person nature and do not contribute to the |
| |knowledge of the course. Postings are well below average as they restate or provide personal opinions. |
ASSIGNMENTS:
You will have weekly assignments that will require you to answer specific questions, do practical assignments or discuss more fully specific aspects of the material that is being submitted that week. Please be sure to be complete in your answers but to the point as well. We are looking for informed responses not just opinions in assignments so back your work with references and data when appropriate and provide an informed discussion.
Timely Presentation of Materials Due
Please Note: All work requests from me or facilitators (Tests, assignments, paper etc.) have due dates. These are the LAST DATES that stated material is due. This means that it is a good idea to personally target dates before that date as your personal completion date to avoid difficulties. Please consider this a fact and not a subject for discussion. Dates are often viewed by students as the date to turn in an assignment. I view assignment due dates as the LAST DATE in which to turn in an assignment. With this warning please note that I am not inclined to accept late work and if late work should be accepted it will only be done only after considerable weighting of rationale and with penalty.
Exams : There will be a Mid Term and a Comprehensive Final exam. These exams will cover information from lectures, discussions, videos, cases and readings. Each exam is closed book/closed notes and (please note) closed on line material. The course overall and the exams will be structured to promote and reward learning, thinking and understanding. This will require memorization of important issues and terms as well as the ability to discuss concepts in an informed manner. The test will contain both true/false, fill in blanks and Short Answer responses.
Please note that you certainly need to take notes in class if you expect to do well on the exam Be organized, take notes and study as the semester progresses (not the few days before an exam) and you will do well. Do not and it is difficult for me to envision you will. Think ahead and be prepared as there are no “off syllabus” ways to raise a grade. Such accommodations are unfair to others in a class whom would not have the same opportunity.
On Memorization: I would expect you to represent what you have learned from this course well (as well as representing me well) in the future. Since I would not expect you to carry notes or the text once you complete the course it is paramount that you either tattoo on your body, or impress in your mind, important concepts in order to speak, and act, intelligently once we have parted. As tattoos are awkward to refer to and often not viewed positively by most business cultures that leave me not many alternatives other than requesting you put to memorization important material. Many students tend to commiserate with each other claiming they will only forget. I can only respond that I will admit that I have forgotten a lot of what I learned. I will also acknowledge I remember everything of what I have not learned.
REQUESTS FOR MAKE UP EXAMINATIONS OR LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
I strongly advise you to avoid requesting a make-up exam as it is a disservice to others in the class who have organized their schedules to assure the timely presentation of materials and examinations. Requests for a make-up exam (see above) are rarely acceptable and are handled on a case-by-case basis. Since written or presented material can be (and should be) done in advance there would be no situation that I can think of that would allow this material to be late. Please consider the dates for assignments to be the last date that this material can be presented and not the day that it is to be presented. This will help you to make deadlines should unfortunate situations arise at the last minute.
I recognize that, infrequently, devastating situations arise that could make it essential to miss the exam. Any request to make up the examination must relate to a fairly catastrophic event which made fulfilling the requirement impossible. Such requests will be reviewed, by me, on an individual basis and verification of the incident will be expected to be submitted at the time of any such request. I hope that you will understand that I do not do this to penalize any individual student but to attempt to assure that there is a level playing field and the total class feels confident that no one has a unique or unfair advantage.
Academic Conduct and Intellectual Honesty –
I expect students in my class to act according to the academic codes of Boston University and Metropolitan College. I consider submitting work that is not your own on any assignment or test in this course to be a serious issue and would take the necessary actions should this be suspected.
As such, you are expected to do your own work in any aspect of this course. Please note that in fairness to me, and your classmates, as you are doing assignments and taking exams that you recognize you are to do your own work. I also consider it to be inappropriate for any student to do another’s website or assist during exams. In cases of copying another’s work unreferenced, accepting or giving help on exams and assignments both students (the one giving and the one receiving assistance) will receive a zero for the work with the possibility of the case being forwarded to the Metropolitan Student Conduct Committee.
It is a simple thing to reference work. Remember – this does not mean that you can cut a section from another work. It means that you can reference ideas that are not yours
One of the most common difficulties that students have with the course is not developing a plan of action for the course that will assure that required work is completed on time. This normally results in poorly done work or incomplete assignments. Begin NOW to plan your time over the session so you start readings and projects soon enough to allow sufficient time to do a well prepared job.
This course will strictly follow the Code of Academic Conduct of Boston University. Please keep this in mind. Academic conduct promoting the desired educational environment of the College involves behavior which refrains from cheating on exams, plagiarism, misrepresentation or falsification of data, theft or destruction of examinations or papers, or alteration, forgery, or knowing misuse of academic records or documents or other similar behavior. The internet has made plagiarism even easier, and be aware that simply copying text from the Internet is a bona fide form of plagiarism that could result in dismissal from Boston University. This applies in any course at Boston University.
WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
ECOMMERCE TM 648
Fall 2009, Course Calendar and Assignments
WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENTS
|CLASSROOM |ONLINE |SHA COMPUTER LAB |
|SEPT 8 |SEP 22 |SEPT 15 |
|SEPT 29 |OCT 13 |OCT 6 |
|OCT 27 |NOV 24 |OCT 20 |
|NOV 3 | |NOV 10 |
|NOV 17 (808 Computer lab) | |DEC 1 |
|DEC 8 | | |
WEEK 1 – September 8
INTRODUCTION TO HYBRID STRUCTURE, USE OF VISTA AND FRAMEWORK FOR E-COMMERCE
Course requirements, overview of course and topics to be covered as well as assignments and expectations.
Introduction to Ecommerce
Discussion of Hybrid
Online expectations and Vista demonstration and Lab exercises for introduction to hybrid, vista, on line discussions/ emails etc. Student interaction with Vista – emails, discussion, assignments
(note no www in address)
Examples of postings in vista for communications, discussions & assignment posting. When Assignments are due, discussions on line expectations and Grading
Chapter reading: Preface to text
You MUST have a BU login, password and email to take this class. You can establish an account through . You can forward your BU email to another address using the simple forwarding instructions found at that pcsc address. If you do not have these I would suggest that you accomplish this prior to the first class meeting. The university service to establish this will be open through the night of our first class to assist you in setting up your login etc but it is frequently quite busy during the first week of classes.
WEEK 2 – September 15 (Computer Lab)
BLOGS FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
Text: Chapter 1 The Revolution is just beginning
On Line Reading:
• Online reading: World of Blogs
CASE : Blogging: A new play in your marketing game plan (bh 281/0007-6813)
LAB SESSION Lecture on Blogs and Individual Development of Personal Blog and design of Blog
PROJECT: Development of a personal WEB BLOG
• NOTE: See assignments for full description
BLOG ASSIGNMENT Dates: BLOGS: posted to Blogger and the addresses to your blog posted to the course Vista Site by September 19 (noon). Students review class member blogs and post Blogs comment to the discussion blog site by Thursday, September 25 by 12 noon.
You will post your blog address AS A HYPERLINK in the “PERSONAL BLOG POSTING SITE”. PLEASE post as a hyperlink using the HTML and LINK features of the site. If you do not do this your classmates will have to cut and paste rather than clicking on a link to get to your blog. Trust me, this will not be pleasing. We need to get the blog up Saturday September 19 so I and your fellow classmates can get to know you.
ONLINE Assignment: Assignments section of syllabus and Online assignment for further details
WEEK 3 September 22 (On Line)
FRAMEWORK FOR E-COMMERCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Chapter reading:
• Text Chapter 3. The Internet and world wide web: E-commerce infrastructure
Discussion of “Invention” of the Internet, reasons for its development, individuals involved, evolution and the infrastructure structure.
Payments and Internet Payment Security
On Line Readings:
• Fundamentals of Ecommerce
• History of the Internet
Assignment: Chapter questions – See assignments section
Online Discussion: Internet Security Discussion Question
WEEK 4: September 29 (Classroom)
SECURITY AND PAYMENTS,
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AND BRANDING
Text Chapters
• Text Chapter 5. Online security and payment systems
• Chapter 6 and Chapter 7
On line readings:
Developing Communication and Branding
Online Assignment: Brand Name and the Internet DUE Oct 6th
Online Discussion. Brand Name
WEEK 5–October 6 (COMPUTER LAB)
Reading Text
Chapter 4 Building an Ecommerce Web site
TOPICS: Begin WEB design instruction: Learn about file structure, design of a site, posting, construct a home page and post that home page to the department website.
Bring a flash drive to class to store your in class assignment
ONLINE Assignment: Brand Name
ONLINE DISCUSSION: webdesign considerations
WEEK 6 (OnLine)
OCTOBER 13
NOTE: October 13 substitute Monday class for Tuesday
There is an ONLINE ASSIGNMENT:
Online Reading
• Web design issues
• Writing Design Specifications
o Functional Specification Documents: A tutorial for creation and process” by Allen W. Smith
o Simple eCommerce store Functional Specification by Andreas Huttenrauch
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: online functional design- begin you functional design project – DUE November 3rd
Brand assignment due
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Web Design Considerations
WEEK 7 – October 20
(Computer Lab)
WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT
Have Web group organized for this class ( 1 to 5 people in a group)
Online Reading
PRINT OUT THE SPECIFICATION ONLINE MATERIALS AND BRING TO CLASS
• Web design Instruction Continued
• Writing Design Specifications Review of online readings:
o Functional Specification Documents: A tutorial for creation and process” by Allen W. Smith
o Simple eCommerce store Functional Specification by Andreas Huttenrauch
PROJECTS: (see due dates)
• 1. Prepare a functional design specifications (due November 3rd)
You will design a functional design specifications document as your assignment for this week.
Note in grading it is assigned different points than other assignments.
2. Development of a WEB Site (Due Dece,ber 9th)
We will discuss the functional design elements and get started with webdesign.
• You MUST bring a flash drive to save work to class. You may work from you personal computer if you desire.
WEEK 8 – October 27 (Classroom)
MARKET OPORTUNITY, METRICS AND BUSINESS MODELS
Text Reading:
Chapter 2. E-commerce business models
On Line readings:
• Market Opportunity Analysis
• Metrics
Case: Air France(KEL 319)
Use of metrics and value clusters to determine customer profiles and business strategy
Website consumer interface and design elements / archetypes
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: AirFrance questions DUE today
WEEK 9 – November 3 (808 computer room)
Midterm Exam: please review syllabus for format and content information
ASSIGNMENT DUE:
Writing Design Specifications –DUE Today
WEEK 10 – November 10 (Computer Lab)
WEBSITE DESIGN CONTINUED
Bring your design specifications to class to help you with your site development
WEEK 11 – November 17 (808 Computer lab 2nd floor)
SOCIAL NETWORKS, BUSINESS MODELS AND STRATEGY FORMULATION
Text Reading:
Chapter 11. Social networks, auctions, and portals
CASE: A plan to Invent the Marketing We Need TodayReview: Internal and external strategy development
Social networking and strategy formulation (myspace, second life etc)
WEEK 12 November 24 (On Line)
STRATEGY FORMULATION
Online Readings:
• Business Strategy
Case readings:
• Connecting the real and the virtual world: Sony BMG’s market entry into second life ( 507-138-1)
Assignment: complete the assignment on line for the week and participate in the discussion on line. Discussion question: Second Life
• You are to go to Second Life establish an account and seek out different locations and experiences. I want you to get an understanding of SL from a social networking perspective.
• Go to the Go to the new Sony Social Site ( or station.
• and complete the assignment regarding social sites d as well as other major brands(facebook, linkedin etc.) to see what they are doing to promote their products and services.
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Social Marketing and
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: networks : social networks and Sony Case
WEEK 13 – December 1 (Computer lab and Online)
PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AND LEGAL ISSUES
ON LINE CLASS ROLE OF GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL INTERNET ISSUES
Text Reading
Chapter 8 Ethical, social and political issues in E-commerce
CASE: How eBay got outbid: Initial Failure and Market Re-entry in Japan (309-077-1)
OnLine Readings:
• The role of Government and International Issues
• Regulation of the Internet
Discussion of how the internet has been affected and has shaped Public Policy
The internet and the digital divide and the the developing role of legal issues
We will meet in Computer Lab and second half of class devoted to Presentation of Web Projects
Post websites to the web sites prior to class and CHECK well in advance
Complete group grading form (downloadable)
Complete Web Project strategy and execution form (downloadable)
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT: How ebay got outbid case assignment
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Role of government and International Internet Issues
WEEK 14 – December 8
• Comprehensive Examination There will be a comprehensive final exam. The exam will cover information from lectures, discussions, videos, cases and readings. The exam is closed book/closed notes. The course overall and the exams will be structured to promote and reward learning, thinking and understanding. This will require memorization of important issues and terms as well as the ability to discuss concepts in an informed manner. The test will contain both true/false, fill in blanks and very short written responses (no more than paragraph length).
• Note that access to on line material for the weeks will not be available during the testing period. Please be sure to have taken notes on any online materials that you may need to study from during the exam week.
ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS
BLOG ASSIGNMENT
This week you will design a simple personal blog site (a one-page blog) on which you will introduce yourself to your classmates. The purpose of the assignment is to introduce you to the world of blogging. Once you have created your personal site you will understand how simple and thus how elegant a blog site can be—and you will begin to appreciate how powerful they can be as well.
This blog experience is a good introduction to simple web design, which we will then build on as we later work on the web site project. By experimenting with fonts, colors, pictures and formats you will begin to think about many of the complex issues that we will deal with later in the course.
For this assignment, you should design your blog with an eye to introducing yourself to your group. You may take down your blog after the first week if you desire to do so for privacy reasons. While you do not need to post anything of a personal nature on the blog, if you feel it is preferable, you may design a company-related blog instead of one about yourself. (If privacy is a concern for you, I might suggest that you Google yourself and search , etc. You will, no doubt, find that whatever you might put up for this assignment is less than a person with an hour and $20 to spend could find out about you. For ten dollars I can most likely find out how much you paid for your house!) If you prefer to do a company blog site instead of a personal one that is fine.
What I want you to get from this exercise is what a blog is (you could ask a 12-year-old on the street, but this is better for you and saves embarrassment), how they are used, and what their business implications might be. To really "get it" you need to set up a blog and start interacting with the world. You can set one up with your kids—they most likely already have a blog or a Facebook page. The goal of exposing you to the blogging community is not so much to have you to make a personal blog as to set up an assignment that is fun and interesting as you learn the concepts of blogging. Your blog will provide an interesting format for you to introduce yourself to the class—if you wish can provide pictures of your dog or of your kids, so we can get to know you better. Once you have done that you will appreciate how easy it is to blog, and how easy it is to affect a company's image or product status. Your blog will be graded as part of your discussion grade for the week by the facilitator.
You will find a tutorial video on how to use Blogger linked below. I would also note that the "help" section of Blogger itself is very good, and will answer most questions in a clear manner. There are lots of downloads on YouTube about how to do things, so if you run into a problem you might want to check there as well.
Blog Assignment
You are to create a blog using Blogger. Why Blogger? Well first it is free, and you have used up all your money buying books. Second it is easy and I am sure you will like that since we only have a very few days to absorb blogs and move on. If you prefer to use another blog development tool that is fine but you are on your own if you do so, as we may not know the tool and be able to help you if you get into trouble. I do not want you to use Facebook because, while it is very good for personal information, it is not a viable tool to use to tell your story about a product or company you like or do not like to the general public. Blogs are better at that.
Blogger is found at and it is pretty straightforward. Kids are amazed that even adults can do it! If you think I'm kidding, just ask one. You can get a digital address and post a blogger site to a more formal web site, but why? We are going explore web sites later.
In order to complete this assignment:
1. View the tutorial video to help you get started in signing up and using Blogger.
2. Download and open the attached Assignment 1 direction sheet, assignment_makingYourOwnBlog.doc, found below. This sheet has detailed information on the blog assignment objectives and instructions.
3. Post your blog site at .
o Post your site as an active link in the Discussion topic "Posting of Blogs and Comments," found in Week 1. This will allow others in your group to go directly to your blog without having to cut and paste in a browser.
o You will view each of your classmates' blogs first to learn more about who is in your group. This will also help you to think critically about what a good blog is and learn to recognize blogs that could use improvement.
o The blog will be considered as part of the week's discussion grade by your facilitator who will review your blog, all the comments provided, and provide individual feedback.
o Review the blogs of classmates and get to know them better. Try to leave a personal note on each site.
o Provide a comment on something you liked about the blog and something that might be improved (and how). Remember you are NOT evaluating the blog. You are simply trying to provide helpful insights.
o By exploring different blogs, I want you to have an opportunity to really think about what you like and do not like in blog presentations from a more personal perspective.
You are to design a personal BLOG site to introduce yourself to your group. What I want you to get from this exercise is what a BLOG is, how they are used and the business implications of BLOGS. To really “get it” you need to set up a blog and start interacting with the world. This exercise will assist the rest of the class in getting to know you and give you the skills to develop a corporation Blog site that you will incorporate into your website project latter in the course..
Blogger is found at and it is pretty much straight forward. Kids are amazed at how even adults can do it! Think I kidding just ask one. You can get a digital address and post a Blogger site to a more formal web but why? That is really what web sites are all about and that is what we are going to do next. For a more formal Blogger discussion as well as the full requirements for your personal blog assignment you can go to the appropriate blog week for information.
You are to design a simple personal BLOG site (one page blog) to introduce yourself to your group. You may take down your blog after the first week if you desire for personal reasons. While you do not need to post anything of a personal nature on the blog if you feel it is better for you not to do this you may design a company related blog.. If this is a concern I might suggest that you goggle yourself and search white pages etc. You will, no doubt, find that whatever you might put up is less than what a person with an hour to spend and $20 could find out about you. For ten dollars, I can most likely find out how much you paid for your house! If you prefer to do a company blog site instead of a personal one, that is fine and be certain that no one will ever ask why.
What I want you to get from this exercise is what a BLOG is (you could ask a 12 year old on the street but his is better for you and saves embarrassment), how they are used and the business implications of BLOGS. To really “get it” you need to set up a Blog and start interacting with the world. You can set one up with your kids (They most likely already have one or a facebook page, sorry). My intent to exposure you to the Blogging community is not so much for you to make a personal Blog but to set up an assignment that is fun and interesting as you learn the concepts of Blogging. It will provide an interesting format for you to introduce yourself to the class and if you wish can provide pictures of your dog, kids so we can get to know you better. Once you have done that you will appreciate how easy it is to Blog and how easy it is to affect a company’s image or product status. The Blog will be graded as part of the discussion grade for the week by the facilitator.
You will find instructions on how to use Blogger in your class materials. I would also note that the “help” section of Blogger itself is very good and will answer most questions in a clear manner. It is interesting that there are lots of down loads on U Tube about how to do things so if you run into a problem you might want to check there as well.
Blog Assignment
1. You are to create a BLOG using BLOGER. Why Blogger? Well first it is free and you have used up all your money buying books. Well first it is free and you have used up all your money buying books. Second it is easy and I am sure you will like that since we only have a very few days to absorb BLOGS and move on. Another reason to use a standard application is that I and others in the class can help you if you run into trouble and that by everyone using the same application it is easier to compare sites and discuss pros and cons. I do not want you to use facebook because while this is very good for personal information it is not a viable tool to use to tell your story about a product or company you like or do not like to the general public. Blogs are better at that. A truly progressive company wise in the ways of internet awareness might wish to have a website, a blog, a social network action site (such as secondlife as well as a descriptive social network site such as facebook. Each would be designed for a different reason and reach the specific intended audience in a different manner.
2. Blogger is found at and it is pretty much straight forward. Kids are amazed at how even adults can do it! Think I kidding just ask one. You can get a digital address and post a blogger site to a more formal web but why? That is really what web sites are all about and that is what we are going explore later.
3. I would like you to:
a) Review the Blogs of members in their section and get to know your section mates better. Try to leave a personal note on their site.
b) Provide a comment on something you liked about the blog and something that might be improved (and how). Remember you are NOT evaluating the blog. You are simply trying to provide helpful insights.
c) By exploring different Blogs I want you to have an opportunity to really think about what you like and do not like in Blog presentations from a more personal perspective.
WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT
The first step in your site development is to design the functional specifications for the site. This is a written description of what the purpose of the site is and a set of “plans” for the site’s look and free. Once this is accomplished the site can begin. Each group or individual will provide a functional design for their site following the instructions located in the course web site and will build a professional grade web site as a team project. To assure that each member understands the elements of web design each individual will provide specific content to the functional design specifications and will construct three web pages to turn in as their individual contribution to the team project. Each students grade will be a combination of (1) Their 3 personal pages , (2) the team’s web project grade and (3) the individual’s contribution to the team project.
Teams can be one person up to five people. I do not like to have teams greater than 5 members as I find team members get lost on larger size projects of this nature. Remember that each team member is responsible for three personal pages. Not all individual pages need to be part of the team website for larger teams, however, the three pages must be posted in the student’s personal “individual” folder on the website. You will receive material relating to expectations, site development and posting to the web of your site after the first web development lecture.
Functional Design Assignment
A company has hired you to undertake the design of their site; you will prepare a functional design document for the proposed web site. You determine the company that has hired you and its function. It can be a commercial ecommerce site or an informational site (normally would be for a not-for-profit organization). I would like you to choose a company or a not-for-profit organization that reflects your interests in order to make this a personally meaningful assignment. In past courses, I have had individuals plan a site for a new business they are considering, create a new site for an existing company that had a site which did not reflect the company’s mission, or undertake a site for a not-for-profit organization, such as an animal shelter or support group.
You will provide a Functional Specifications (FS) document that covers the needs of the project to create the site. Your FS should include designs for four pages of the site, while the written material should discuss your whole site. You should provide drafts and/or drawings of the home page and three additional pages. These three pages need not be the first pages if the site is to contain more than four pages; instead the three pages should be selected to demonstrate your overall understanding of FS documents and provide an mix of page types (home page, information pages, shopping cart pages, etc.). The assignment should reflect the readings of the week about functional design, and should demonstrate that you have a clear grasp of site construction issues and ultimate design characteristics.
Your FS document should describe the company, its needs and the purpose of the site. It should then provide written documentation and drafts or drawings with detail for each of the four pages you have chosen to show. We will want to see that the document provides the detail needed by a software designer in order to design the site and the detail needed for the ultimate site user to understand the purpose and actions to undertake on each page. After reading the document a reader should understand what the company is attempting to accomplish and how the consumer/viewer will interact with the site in order to accomplish that. In addition, the document should include issues relating to the "back office" applications, such as security issues, database/matrix design, cookie management and shopping cart needs.
A. Project Overview
This will introduce your site proposal to the team and set up the objectives. Among the items that should be included in the overview would be:
1. Company information
2. Goal of the site
3. Team members (bios, roles)
4. Description of the organization's information culture (attitudes towards information, information sharing, information load, information politics, information norms)
5. Examination of how the physical setting affects information access and use
6. Definition of the primary audience and whether there are potential secondary users
7. Understandable demographics of the audience (age, sex, location if regional)
8. Psychographics (metrics, like behaviors or psychological aspects of consumers)
9. Discussion of the platform on which the site may be viewed (PC, netbook, phone, etc.)
10. Primary use of the product or service
11. Explanation of the role of the company’s current resources (e.g., librarians, records managers, information systems staff) in providing information for the site
12. Database needs of the site
13. Security needs of both the firm and consumer, including:
• A brief review of what types of content, pictures, links, etc., are planned, to provide an overview image of the site.
• A discussion of whether to use cookies. Why would you or wouldn't you? The specific purpose for the cookies needs to be defined, as well as what data will be collected about the viewer. You should also cover how you intend to deal with personal security issues relating to this data.
B. Visual & Functional Details
• Design the Site map
• Written material and drawings of screens
• Pictures of any pop-ups that accompany pages
• Provide locations and rationale for links which demonstrate how screens are connected
• The site map should depict each of the site paths and how they are linked
• Identify sets of major users and their information preferences
• Review the work-related tasks and problems, including problem dimensions and information needs
• Wireframe
• Each screen element needs needs to have a technology overview which describes the software product needed for design. You should also describe what platforms the viewers will need to open (audio, video, text, links, scrollbars, or static or interactive graphics).
• Show each of the user actions and, in cases where user can enter wrong information, what the consequence of this would be.
• Give parameters. This is the artistic aspect of the site, and would include the color scheme, dimensions, layout information, and time to open, if music, videos, pictures, or flash, etc., are used.
• Drafts of screens
• You should provide drawings of screens which provide a visual depiction of what each page will look like. This is important as it will quickly become clear when you draft screens if their "look and feel" is appropriate, and whether their ease of use, navigation features and usefulness to the consumer will accomplish the intended task.
|Helpful drawing suggestions: You can create design drawings for this assignment using the drawing capabilities of any software program that you |
|have access to, including Microsoft Word. Other options include drawing programs such as Inspiration (free 30 day trial at |
|) or Visio (more complicated), etc. Please note that the idea of this assignment is not to make you learn a new |
|software program, so there is no need to do so. You just need to include the drawings as part of your functional design document. |
|Another option for including your drawings is to hand-draw and then scan them (if you have access to a scanner), creating a JPEG image, and then |
|inserting the image(s) into your Word document. Scanning tips and ideas can be found in a special Discussion area of Vista, "Scanning Ideas" (one|
|discussion thread for PC users and one for Mac users.) You can share your own tips or ask questions in those discussion threads. |
Evaluation Criteria
The web site design will be evaluated according to the extent that it achieves the elements necessary for a successful functional specifications document. In addition to the items discussed above, reviewers will be considering:
1. How well does the FS document describe the company, its goals, and the purpose of the site? How well could the FS be used to provide a web site designer with a road map for site construction?
2. Site structure is logical, clear, and well aligned with the information environment of the organization.
3. Page designs facilitate information access and navigation.
• Functional features or applications effectively support major sets of users, their information tasks and behaviors.
• You have broken your project down into modules (e.g., multiple choice game engine, video, etc.)
• You have included a diagram of the technical structure of your project.
• The steps that are needed to develop your software are well laid out (e.g., get video, develop quiz template, implement navigation system, etc.)
4. Functional features or applications effectively support the purpose of the site and are logical in their flow, design and application.
5. You have thought about any special considerations that will have to be made to have a successful project.
6. You have included the plans for implementation and anticipated any challenges that should be expected.
According to Tim Ryan in "The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 2" () there are several commons mistakes to look out for when creating a design document:
|Note: Though the thoughts below were originally written for a team project in a game-building environment, they are equally applicable to your |
|project. |
1. Insufficient details: The descriptions need to be specific enough to convey intent and function. Avoid using vague terms unless you follow up with specifics.
2. Patronizing material: You wouldn't give a chef a recipe that told him how to make a marinara sauce, so you don’t tell artists how to manage their 256 color palette or programmers how to define a particular data structure. Just list the facts important to the vision. Not only does it waste their time (and annoy them), but it wastes the writers' time. Such details are more appropriate for the technical specification anyway, which is written by the programmers.
3. Ambiguous or contradictory material: Watch for this. It clouds the vision, creates misunderstandings, and invalidates the functional specification.
4. The Design Document from Hell: Nothing stupid, nothing ambiguous, nothing lacking – it just is too damn much. Try to keep a mental total of how long the design is going to take to implement when fleshing out the specification. Cut extraneous, non-essential features and save them for the sequel; or be prepared to argue the merits of keeping the features and extending the ship date.
5. Getting too personal with the design: You are not your work. Your personal boundaries should not include the design. As I have stressed throughout this document, game design is a collaborative process. While you want people to take ownership and responsibility for their work, the functional specification should have joint ownership. This keeps people from feeling isolated and more a part of the process, and it makes the documents feel less like marching orders and more like a plan. The team members are also much more likely to read something that they helped put together. Criticism is then aimed at the design not the documenters who put is all together; thus making the team more comfortable and productive in offering their criticism.
6. Wandering vision: This may happen as you write the functional spec. Even with a good concept document and proposal championing the vision, there's still some room for interpretation. Creative folks have a wandering imagination and may be influenced strongly by whatever game they may be playing at the moment.
Grading:
• This assignment will be 10% of your grade for the class.
• 'A' work will clearly address the structure defined above, be well organized, and well written.
• 'B' work will describe the project but may not be very thorough. Technical specifications that are somewhat confusing or not particularly well written will receive B's.
• 'C' work would be incomplete or of poor quality.
• 'D' work would be less than acceptable.
• 'F' work is work that is not handed in.
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