Graduate Catalog: Information Sciences Courses

Core Courses
Specializations:  Corporate Communication || E-business || Instructional Technology || Health Communication || Library/Information Science

Core Courses

BUS/ COMM 509 Leadership in an Information Society and Economy (3)
This interdisciplinary course introduces students to leadership strategies and shows how to apply them in various situations, including the rapidly changing information and communications industries. Students will also be exposed to leadership theories and perspectives at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Considerable emphasis will be placed on exploring real world situations and solutions.

BUS 510 Management Role of the Information Professional (3)
An introduction to the technological, social, and economic aspects of information delivery as well as to the role of management, professional information organizations, and publications. Theories and structure of management in today’s information agencies with primary emphasis on the educational environment are stressed, including such topics as resources allocation, decision making and planning, budget administration, facilities and supervisory issues, the development of mission and program statements, and the impact of current technology on them.

BUS/COMM/HSA/LS/MED XXX Skills for Excellence
(1 credit each: 3 credits)
One-credit skill related courses offered on a rotational basis. Topics will also be scheduled periodically, on an as-needed basis, to accommodate student needs and current demands. Examples of credit courses include research frameworks, rudimentary nonlinear video editing skills, emergency communication operations, global agility strategies, communication skills, writing techniques.

COMM 501 New Communications Technology: Theory and Practice (3)
An introduction to the technological, social, political and economic aspects of information delivery as well as to the role of management, professional information organizations, and publications.

LS 502 Issues and Trends in a Cross-Disciplinary Information Environment (3)
Legal, ethical, and economic challenges in the delivery of information, particularly electronic, including the development of policies to address copyright, access, censorship, and ownership issues. Guidelines for fair use, filtering procedures, acquisition of multimedia products, and electronic books and journal, licensing, as well as implications for distance learning technologies, local area network servers, and online resource sharing are emphasized.

MED 516 E-learning Systems (3)
E-learning is the use of communication and network technologies to purposively select, design, deliver, and extend learning (i.e., education). Interdisciplinary topics include strategic intent, learning theories, levels of learning, pedagogical techniques, communication and network delivery systems (e.g., teleconferencing and video streaming) and software-based applications. Student will complete projects, including the design and deployment of prototype E-Learning systems through WebCT, Authorware, and other products.

BUS 595/COMM 595/MED 591 Internship (3)
This three-credit internship is a required component incorporating practical experiences. Settings and requirements will vary depending upon specialization.

Specialization Areas

The Corporate Communication Specialization

COMM 502 Professional Writing (3)
Examines practical writing tools and techniques appropriate for varied institutional settings and publics. The tools and techniques include an examination of desktop publishing, technical communications, and traditional as well as electronic document design. Students may also explore topics of their particular interests, ranging from technical documentation to documents designed for electronic distribution.

COMM 535 PC-Based Media Production (3)
Examines production techniques geared for a computer environment. Topics include PC-based video editing, digital compression options, graphics and audio integration, selecting the appropriate medium for a specific task, and available production outlets. The latter range from disc-based multimedia and hypermedia presentations to the Internet. Students may be required to spend additional hours outside class to complete various projects.

COMM 561 Media Management (3)
Examines administrative principles and procedures relevant for broadcast and nonbroadcast media operations. Topics include staffing issues, management styles, and how to remain competitive in a highly volatile environment.

MED 524 Instructional Design: Theory and Applications (3)
The purpose of this course is to learn about and participate in the process of designing instruction. The student will investigate and discuss key principles and the purpose of the ID process. At the end of the semester, students will develop an instructional product that solves a particular instructional problem and incorporates key principles learned in the class.

MED 554 Learning Theory (3)
The latest theories in brain research will be examined and their implications for effective integration of technology into the instructional process will be defined. A plan for creating a brain-compatible, technology-rich learning environment will be designed.

The E-business Specialization

BUS 511 E-business Strategy (3)
This capstone course focuses on identifying and highlighting issues pertaining to: (1) innovative business modules; (2) tools and techniques for analyzing value chains, networks and industries; (3) strategic choices facing managers in the new economy; (4) organizational challenges and transitions in internet commerce (5) sustaining value in cyberspace, and (6) entry into cyberspace by new and established firms. Students will explore concepts, frameworks, and experiences relevant for the strategic management of innovative e-initiatives.

BUS 512 Applications of Accounting/Financial Concepts to E-business (3)
This course presents the basic concepts of accounting and finance with an emphasis on e-business applications. Topics include constructing, reading, and interpreting the four primary financial statements, time value of money, capital budgeting, risk and return, capital structure and dividend policy, and case studies such as calculating the return on investment of an e-business system.

BUS 513 E-business Marketing (3)
This course creates a framework with which to teach students how to think about and implement Internet-based electronic marketing. The course explores the strategic and tactical marketing implications of e-business, specifically the theoretical frameworks, strategies, capabilities, and key tactics of Internet marketing. Topic areas include: Internet marketing models, online consumer behavior, e-enabled marketing mix, e-mail marketing, and B2B marketing on the Web.

BUS 514 E-business Systems Design/Analysis (3)
This course focuses on the analysis and design of fast, focused, and flexible business processes, systems, and applications with special emphasis on leveraging web-based and related technologies for enterprise transformation and productivity gains. It aims to equip students with an e-relevant domain of competencies (frameworks, concepts, approaches, methodologies and techniques) to describe, analyze, diagnose, design (or redesign) web-enabled business processes, systems, and applications.

The Instructional Technology Certification

MED 521 Integrating Technology into the Classroom (3)
This class focuses on several technologically innovative approaches to teaching and learning. The student will examine the underlying theory base for each approach and the function and role of computer-based tools that support each approach (e.g. database, listserv, concept-mapping software, etc.).

MED 522 Computing and Cooperative Learning (3)
The purpose of this course is to provide skills and knowledge of cooperative learning techniques and how they can be supported through technology. Demonstrations and hands-on experience are included.

MED 524 Instructional Design: Theory and Applications (3)
The purpose of this course is to learn about and participate in the process of designing instruction. The student will investigate and discuss key principles and the purpose of the ID process. At the end of the semester, students will develop an instructional product that solves a particular instructional problem and incorporates key principles learned in the class.

MED 554 Brain-Compatible Approach to Technology Integration (3)
The latest theories in brain research will be examined and their implications for effective integration of technology into the instructional process will be defined. A plan for creating a brain-compatible, technology-rich learning environment will be designed.

Health Communication

COMM 520 Health Communication (3)
This core course of the Health Communication track will introduce students to the field’s fundamental principles. These include an overview of health communication practices, its societal impact, the tools a practitioner can use to reach diverse audiences and alternate medical systems. Selected readings will be assigned, and students will engage in hands-on activities.

COMM 522 Leadership in Communication (3)
This course introduces the health communicator to the principles and dynamics of communication issues in leadership. It will also provide motivation for the student to view the organization from a holistic and global point of view, applying skills of facilitating, mediation, and clarification of the organization’s process message.

COMM 561 Media Management (3)
Examines administrative principles and procedures relevant for broadcast and nonbroadcast media operations. Topics include staffing issues, management styles, and how to remain competitive in a highly volatile environment.

HSA 524 Health Care System Analysis (3)
A comparative analysis of health care delivery systems and the application of systems analysis and design concepts for designing and evaluating health care delivery systems. A study of the elements of personal health services systems that encompass the various ways of delivering personal health services with regard for their evolution, governance, financial structure, organization function and structure, changing characteristics and relationships, and mechanisms for quality assessment and social accountability. A study of individual social and environmental determinants of health, disease, and disability, including the field of medical sociology.

HSA 540 Complementary Healthcare (3)
The course will focus on fundamental issues that underlie complementary health care including ethics, legal policies, reimbursement, training, and educational opportunities. Students will examine the theoretical basis of Complementary Health care, its history, its current status, and its future potential.

The Library/Information Science Specialization

LS 505 Meeting Information Needs & Services Through Instructional Collaboration (3)
Integrating information resources and technologies and information-seeking skills into the curriculum through the design of instructional strategies, lesson planning, and cooperation with administrators and classroom teachers. The development of library programs related to school curriculum, educational objectives, critical thinking, and assessment standards will be required.

LS 507 Building K-12 Multimedia Collections (3)
The processes and procedures for developing and maintaining a multi-media collection that is responsive to curricular needs and student interests. Methods and reviewing sources for the selection and evaluation of culturally diverse and developmentally appropriate materials are covered. The preparation of policy, criteria for acquisition and weeding, and literary standards are studied.

LS 509 Cataloging, Classification, and Collection Management in an Electronic Age (3)
The purpose and structure of basic organizational methods for library collections with emphasis on contemporary practices. The defining principles of Dewey Decimal Classification, the Library of Congress system, ALA filing rules and MARC cataloging, and other procedures are introduced. Basic automated systems and their administration, current trends in electronic access and collection management, choosing outsourcing of technical processing are covered.

LS 520 Practicum (3)
Practical application of library routines and procedures in a field-based internship under the supervision of a qualified school library media specialist. Open to students who are certified as teachers and wish to extend certification to include Library Science K-12. Minimum of 100 hours of fieldwork.

OR

LS 591 Librarian Internship (6)
For those with no teaching certification, 12 weeks of observation and participation in a school library program under the guidance of a certified professional librarian are required. Working relationships with students and faculty are emphasized, including reading, guidance, development of reading strategies, application of library theory, and technical skills.

Information Sciences Program (Catalog)