Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Dr. Wendy L. Hassett
Email: directly through the mail icon on
our WebCT course homepage or wendy.hassett@utdallas.edu
The topics presented in this course are essential knowledge for contemporary public
managers and will be presented in the context of real-world application.
Required Texts:
G. David Garson 2003. Public Information Technology: Policy and Management Issues. Hershey,
PA: Idea Group. ISBN: 1-59140-060-0
Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene 2001. Powering Up: How Public Managers Can Take
Control of Information Technology. Washington, DC: CQ Press. ISBN: 1-56802-575-0
Course Requirements
Portfolio- Each student should build his/her portfolio in conjunction with the weekly class
assignments and readings. The portfolio will have a three-fold purpose: (1.) upon completion, it
can serve as a reference for future research; (2.) it can serve as a handy source of information
covered in this course as you move into various roles in the public sector; and (3.) during the
course, it will assist you in thinking through and assimilating the readings as a precursor to your
weekly Threaded Discussion postings explained in the next section. Each week, each student
should make the following postings to his/her portfolio:
1.) Reading Summaries: Each component of the weekly reading assignment should be
cited and summarized. (It is not necessary to summarize each paragraph of the
reading.) This summary should consist of just a few paragraphs and should include a
short description of the key points and the author’s major argument(s).
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Threaded Discussions- Learning, like almost everything, is more enjoyable when it is a shared
experience. Threaded discussions are a way to provide a way for us to share this learning
experience together.
The threaded discussions work this way: A discussion question is posted for each week that it is
due. During the Threaded Discussion weeks, you are expected to participate in the discussions
that occur there. The active and consistent involvement of each student is expected throughout
the semester. Each student should make one “main” posting addressing the weekly
question AND have at least one other posting demonstrating they are engaged in the
discussion as it occurs. Weekly postings can begin as early as Monday morning and continue
until midnight on Sunday. If a posting is made within ten minutes after the deadline, there will be a
one point deduction for each minute after midnight. Postings made after 12:10 am will be given a
grade of 0. It is crucial that each student stays up to date on the readings in order to get his/her
posting completed on time. I will post some final comments and thoughts after all students have
submitted their comments.
Each student’s participation grade will be a function of her/his contribution to the threaded
discussion. Each student is expected to participate in all of the threaded discussions.
The first threaded discussion posting during Week 1 does not count as one of your
graded postings. A discussion question is posted for each week that threaded discussion is
due.
When posting a response, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
1. For all discussion threads, students should be careful to respond to all aspects of the
original question(s). There are two formats we will use: general discussions and posts.
• For general DISCUSSION, do not pretend you are in a vacuum. Acknowledge and
react to what others have already said. Students are encouraged to support or
take issue with points raised by other students.
• For DISCUSSION POSTS, students are encouraged to read other posts, but
should compose an answer independent of what others have said. Do not rely on
what others have said for your answer.
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3. Quality of the posting is more important than quantity. Two to four paragraphs should
be sufficient to get your point across. The posting should include a descriptive and
appropriate phrase in the “Subject” field. This will help to organize the discussion.
4. You are expected to be involved in the discussion throughout the week. You should
visit the discussion several times each week to keep up with the discussion taking
place. Making one post is not adequate to receive full credit. Each student should
make one “main” posting addressing the weekly question AND have at least one other
posting demonstrating they are engaged in the discussion as it occurs. A helpful
hint: If someone makes reference to your contribution or takes issue with something
you have stated, you will want to respond before the time has elapsed for the week.
If you do not respond, it is obvious that you are not checking back on the threaded
discussion as it develops.
5. Since the threaded discussions are our class discussions, the same rules apply as in
class. In general, these include the following: become engaged in class discussion, be
honest, don’t posture, be respectful, and don’t ramble. In addition, each participant is
expected to employ all conventions of good English composition, including, but not
limited to capitalization, grammar, spelling, punctuation, format, and referencing.
7. Do not get in a habit of waiting until the end of the discussion to make your posting.
Each student will be expected to make some “early in the week” postings. Grades will
be reflective of when the posts are made.
In grading your weekly threaded discussion contribution, I will look for three (3) things:
• Input that addresses all items well will receive an evaluation of 90 or above (A).
• Input that addresses all items marginally or addresses only two of the three items will
receive an evaluation between 80 and 89 (B).
• Input that addresses the items inadequately or addresses only one of the items will
receive an evaluation of 79 or below (C/D/F).
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Case Study – The purpose of the case study is to expose each student to a real case of
information systems and to apply the issues discussed in the course to an actual organization. The
organization can be a sub-group (such as a department or division) of a larger organization.
For this assignment, each student will prepare a detailed case study of how a public organization
has dealt with some issue or problem with respect to information technology. A public
organization is required. Programs or schools of educational institutions are also acceptable.
Ideas for cases can be found in technology magazines, newspaper articles, or public sector
publications. Students are encouraged to employ open-ended and/or semi-structured interviews
(telephone or e-mail correspondence with key participants is acceptable), as well as documents
and other information to present a detailed case study that informs readers. Interviews should be
properly cited. Literature on IT in public affairs including course readings, as well as other
sources, should be used. The final product should be a 2,000 – 5,000 word report.
The topic of the case study should fall within one of the following broad categories:
• the process of new technology being implemented in an organization (e.g., using
point-of-sale technology in the food stamp program administered by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture)
• how a major IT system (e.g., financial software, GIS system, etc.) played a key role
in the development of a significant public policy at the local or state level (e.g., the
introduction of automated cameras at intersections to enforce the running of red
lights)
1) Introduction: Describe the organization and the IT project. What is the nature of
the project? Why was it undertaken? How is it new or innovative to the
organization? Be sure to explain all concepts and terminology clearly so an
observer from outside the organization would have no problem understanding the
discussion.
of the IT project on the organization. Did it achieve all that was hoped for?
(Interviews and/or newspaper articles will be particularly helpful here.)
5) Analysis: Analyze the case in light of current research. This section should
reference academic literature including our course readings, outside readings, and
interviews (if conducted.) Internal documents from the organization, if available,
are strongly suggested.
6) Lessons Learned: Discuss what lessons you learned from studying the case including
the problems the organization encountered. If you went back in time and were charged with
heading up the project, what would you have done differently? What would you have done
the same? How did the case relate to the material in this course?
This assignment has three stages. Each stage is required to receive full credit for this deliverable.
Stage One: The Proposal. Send your case proposal to me during Week 4.
Include in the proposal (a) a title, (b) a 2-3 paragraph abstract/summary identifying
and describing your chosen public organization or organizational unit as well its
associated IT-related topic, (c) a brief tentative bibliography consisting of at least
10 sources, (d) identification of which one of the three categories described above
you chose to explore, and (e) a brief discussion of how the project fits the chosen
category.
Stage Two: The Draft. During Week 12, you will circulate a draft of your report
to two class members for their review and comment. In Week 13, you will send
your critiques of the drafts you receive for those authors to use; use WebCT
private mail to send your critiques directly to the authors. You do not need to
copy me on your critiques, but please let me know if you do not receive your two
critiques on your work. This process will give you the opportunity to
professionally critique the work of others and to revise your work based on
suggestions of your colleagues (a time-honored technique used in the peer-
review process of academic journals). In addition, it will expose you to two
interesting case studies in this subject.
Stage Three: The Report. During Week 15, e-mail your final report to me via
WebCT mail. Please do not send me an attachment. Simply copy the
body of the text into a mail message sent via WebCT. Be sure to include the
title, your name, the abstract, and the list of references.
The criteria used to judge case studies will heavily depend on the following:
• The extent and comprehensiveness of your research including the literature review. (It
should be clear that you spent a great deal of effort on this paper.)
• The extent to which you synthesize the research and offer insights into the case.
• The logical organization, quality of the writing, and overall presentation of the case.
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To submit this deliverable, post your work in the appropriate learning module.
Part 2: E-mail Dr. Hassett a 1200-2000 word essay analyzing the technological issue
that will be released via the website only during the week it is due. This analysis will
request that students examine an emerging technology in a policy context. This
deliverable should be pasted into an e-mail message sent directly to Dr. Hassett through
WebCT.
Instructor Availability
You can contact me in a number of ways:
§ E-mail is likely our best method of communication. Please use WebCT to contact
me. I will generally respond to e-mail within 48 hours.
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Assignments:
• Test your e-mail linkage by sending me a test message through the
WebCT “Mail” feature.
• Begin reading assignments for Week 2 so that you will be able to
post the Week 2 Threaded Discussion beginning Monday.
Barrett and Greene – pp. 15-28 & review Glossary: pp. 228-232.
Garson – Chapter IV: The Realities of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
Ellen Perlman 2002. “High Tech, Low Tech” pp. 76-80. In Governing: Issues
and Applications from the Front Lines of Government, Alan Ehrenhalt (ed.)
Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Threaded discussion: Share with the class one point from this week’s
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readings that stood out to you. Your comments should focus on the importance
of information technology to public organizations and public leaders.
Garson – Chapter XIII: World Wide Web Site Design and Use in Public
Management
Rob Gurwitt 2002. “Behind the Portal” pp. 64-68. In Governing: Issues
and Applications from the Front Lines of Government, Alan Ehrenhalt (ed.)
Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Recommended:
Threaded discussion: This week, we will divide the class in half, with
each group addressing a different side of e-government. Relying heavily
on the readings for this week…
• Those students whose last name begins with A-L should select and
discuss in some depth one benefit of e-government for public
organizations.
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• Those students whose last name begins with M-Z should select and
discuss in some depth one challenge of e-government for public
organizations.
(Choose an issue that has not already been addressed by a colleague.)
Recommended:
Case Study Proposal: This week, send me your Case Study Proposal.
Be sure to review the details of this submission in this Syllabus prior to
submitting it.
M. Jae Moon and Eric W. Welch 2005. “Same Bed, Different Dreams?”
Review of Public Personnel Administration 25(3): 243-264.
9 SPRING BREAK
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10 IT Staffing
G. Zhiyong Lan, Lera Riley, and N. Joseph Cayer 2005. “How Can Local
Government Become an Employer of Choice for Technical
Professionals?” Review of Public Personnel Administration 25(3): 225-
242.
GAO Report
(Find this reading on our course website under the “Week 10” icon)
No Threaded Discussion This Week – use your time wisely
Scott Neal, 2005. “What about those Blogs?” Public Management 87(5):
18-21.
Case Study Draft. Send the draft of your Case Study to the two students
whose last names follow yours alphabetically. Be sure to use the WebCT
private mail to send your case study directly to these individuals.
No Threaded Discussion This Week – Use this week of class to work
on the following:
1. Read your counterparts’ draft case studies
2. Begin composing the critiques of your counterparts’ case studies that
will be sent back to them next week
3. Revise your case study based on the feedback you receive
Case Study Critique. Send your critiques directly to the authors of the
case studies you received; use the WebCT private mail to send your
critiques directly to the authors. Do not copy me on your critiques, but
please let me know if you do not receive your two critiques on your work by
midnight on Sunday.
No Threaded Discussion This Week – use your time wisely
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14 Conclusion
FINAL PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION DUE - Copy and paste the text of your
Portfolio into a mail message sent to Dr. Hassett via WebCT.
Relying heavily on the readings this semester, make a posting and discuss
among your sub-group…
Those students whose last name begins with A-H should discuss
Factors contributing to the success of information systems
to inform policy
Those students whose last name begins with I-P should discuss
Chief limitations and danger areas of information systems to
inform policy
Those students whose last name begins with Q-Z should discuss
How the "environment" of public sector agencies influences
information systems
Case Study Report. Paste the text of your final Case Study report into an
e-mail message to Dr. Hassett via WebCT. Please refer to the Case
Study section of this syllabus for other submission details.