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|Department of Information Technology |
|ITMG371: Contemporary Internet Topics |
|Credit Hours: 3 |
|Length of Course: 8 Weeks |
|Prerequisite(s): None |

|Table of Contents |

|Instructor Information |Grading Scale |
|Course Description |Course Outline |
|Course Scope |Policies |
|Course Objectives |Academic Services |
|Course Delivery Method |Selected Bibliography |
|Course Materials |Grading Rubric |
|Evaluation Procedures | |

|Instructor Information |

Instructor:
Email:
Bio:
Table of Contents

|Course Description (Catalog) |

This course explores the Internet's impact on business and personal dynamics. A review of current literature will examine such issues as: changes in workplace productivity, legal issues arising from company Internet use policy, enterprise morale in the face of nearly ubiquitous Internet access, institutional liability for employee conduct while on the net, and the blurring of the line between "home" and "work." Since the Internet is both in the workplace and at home, family, personal, and other non-workplace issues will also be explored.
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|Course Scope |

This course explores the Internet's impact on business and personal dynamics. A review of current literature will examine such issues as: changes in workplace productivity, legal issues arising from company Internet use policy, enterprise morale in the face of nearly ubiquitous Internet access, and institutional liability for employee conduct while on the Internet, and the blurring of the line between "home" and "work." Since the Internet is both in the workplace and at home, family, personal, and other non-workplace issues will also be explored.

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|Course Objectives |

A successful student will fulfill the following learning objectives: 1. Assess various methodological challenges to conducting research on the Internet and evaluate strategies for conducting effective research online. 2. Analyze how the Internet has affected our personal lives and our relationships with others. 3. Analyze how the Internet affects sexuality in both positive and negative ways. 4. Evaluate online health information against established criteria to determine if it is reliable. 5. Evaluate several advantages of and several barriers to telemedicine. 6. Analyze the factors which contribute to the “Digital Divide,” both in the United States and the world. 7. Analyze the factors which contribute to difficulty in defining and enforcing copyright as applied to creative works on the Internet. 8. Evaluate cases involving the music industry and the Internet, and determine how copyright has been violated or protected in each case. 9. Analyze the ways in which the Internet promotes democracy and the ways in which it creates barriers to democracy. 10. Analyze the impact that the Internet has had on the way in which we fight wars. 11. Compare and contrast the positive and negative effects the Internet has had on minorities. 12. Evaluate the issues surrounding the Internet which are likely to be of continued importance in the future, as Internet technology and its role in society continues to evolve. Table of Contents
|Course Delivery Method |

This course delivered via distance learning will enable students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course materials and access to an online learning management system will be made available to each student. Online assignments are due by the last day of each week, unless specified otherwise, and include Forum questions (accomplished in groups through a threaded discussion board), assignments, and a research paper (submitted for review by the Faculty Member). Assigned faculty will support the students throughout this eight-week course.
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|Course Materials |

|Book Number |

Course Requirements: Your final grade will be based on the following course requirements and percentages:

|Course Requirement |Percent |
|1. Forum Activities |40 |
|2. Research Paper Proposal |15 |
|3. Research Paper Outline |15 |
|4. Research Paper Rough Draft |15 |
|9. Final Research Paper |15 |
|Total |100 |

Assignment Requirements

This course has a strong writing component. The goal is to organize, synthesize, and demonstrate your comprehension of core concepts investigated during this course by applying a combination of the terms, concepts, and details you have learned in a systematic way. As important as "the details" that you analyze and arrange in your writing, however, are the conclusions you draw from those details, and your predictions, responses to, and ultimate interpretation of those details.

Forum Activities:

During all 8 weeks of this course, you will participate in forum activities. Each forum activity will consist of one or more threads/topics. The assignments may involve discussion or debate. The questions are designed to allow you to apply what you have learned in the chapter to real-world scenarios or hypothetical, but realistic, situations. During week one, discussion boards posts can be made any time during the week but must be posted prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. For weeks two through eight, post your answers to the questions in each thread (with at least 350 words) prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time by Friday. Please do not be late with this post because your classmates will be relying on you to post on time to give them a post to respond to later in the week. A discussion period will then ensue from Friday through Monday. Read your classmates' posts and post at least two follow-up messages to your classmates’ posts in each thread (with at least 150 words each) prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday (of the next week). Some threads may require you to post more than two replies, so make sure you read the directions carefully. Of course, you may always post more than the required number of replies and you are encouraged to continue participating in the discussion even after you have met the minimum number of posts required. Your forum participation will be considered at the end of the semester if your grade is on the borderline. Borderline grades will only be rounded up if you have exceeded the minimum requirements on the discussion board and shown insight and critical thinking in all of your posts and replies. Your follow-up posts must contain substance and should add additional insight to your classmates’ opinions or challenge their opinions. It is never sufficient to simply say, “I agree with what you wrote” or “I really liked your post.” You must use your follow-up posts as a way to continue the discussion at a high level of discourse. Be sure to read the follow-up posts to your own posts and reply to any questions or requests for clarification, including questions posted by your professor. You will be expected to log into the classroom several times each week to participate in the class discussion. Forum postings are a large part of your grade and I will be looking for quality and depth in your postings. I will also expect you to utilize and list your references within and at the end of each post. References should be in APA citation format.

Research Paper:

The research paper will require students to submit 8-10 double-spaced, typed pages regarding a topic identified in the textbook or another topic relative to this course. The research paper rubric will be posted in the electronic classroom under the Resources Section. It is important that you follow those guidelines and site your references throughout your paper and at the end of the paper. The Research Paper Proposal is just that. You will select a topic from the content covered in the course and submit it for approval. The Research Paper Outline is an assignment that will assist you in preparing the content of your paper. The Research Paper Rough Draft is an assignment that will assist you with editing issues. Please pay attention to quotations, using proper citation and format. This assignment not only covers the content but the format to allow you to submit a quality paper. Lastly, the Final Research Paper is due at the end of week eight and should be your best writing submission.

|Course Outline |

|Week |
| |
|Topic(s) |
| |
|Learning Objective(s) |
|Reading(s) |
| |
|Assignment(s) |
| |
| |
|1 |
|Browser Basics |
|1, 2, 12 |
|Schneider Ch. 1 |
|PowerPoint Ch. 1 |
|Week 1 Discussion |
|Research Paper Proposal |
| |
|2 |
|Basic Communication on the Internet: Email & |
|Locating and Evaluating Health Care Information on the Internet |
|1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12 |
|Schneider Ch. 2 |
|PowerPoint Ch. 2 |
| |
|Week 2 Discussion |
| |
| |
|3 |
|Searching the Web |
| |
|1, 2, 10, 12 |
|Schneider Ch. 3 |
|PowerPoint Ch. 3 |
| |
|Week 3 Discussion |
|Research Paper Outline |
| |
| |
|4 |
|Information Resources on the Web |
| |
|1, 2, 7, 8, 12 |
|Schneider Ch. 4 |
|PowerPoint Ch. 4 |
| |
|Week 4 Discussion |
|Mid-Course Survey |
| |
| |
|5 |
|Evaluating Encyclopedia Resources on the Internet |
|1, 2, 12 |
| |
|Week 5 Discussion |
|Research Paper Rough Draft |
| |
| |
|6 |
|User-Generated Content on the Internet & Advances in Distance Learning |
|1, 2, 6, 12 |
|Schneider Ch. 5 |
|PowerPoint Ch. 5 |
| |
|Week 6 Discussion |
| |
| |
|7 |
|The Internet and the World Wide Web & The Future of the Semantic Web |
|1, 2, 12 |
| |
|Final Research Paper |
| |
|8 |
|Course Feedback |
|1, 2, |
| |
|Week 8 Discussion |
|End of Course Survey |
| |
| |

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|Policies |

Please see the student handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to frequently asked question about policies are listed below.

Drop/Withdrawal Policy Plagiarism Policy Extension Process and Policy

|Academic Services |

ONLINE LIBRARY RESEARCH CENTER & LEARNING RESOURCES
The Online Library Resource Center is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and Web resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Center provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies. Questions can be directed to orc@apus.edu.

• Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors’ publication, and services to search and borrow research books and articles from other libraries. • Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format. • Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription services. • Turnitin.com: Turnitin.com is a tool to improve student research skills that also detect plagiarism. Turnitin.com provides resources on developing topics and assignments that encourage and guide students in producing papers that are intellectually honest, original in thought, and clear in expression. This tool helps ensure a culture of adherence to the University's standards for intellectual honesty. Turnitin.com also reviews students' papers for matches with Internet materials and with thousands of student papers in its database, and returns an Originality Report to instructors and/or students. • Smarthinking: Students have access to 10 free hours of tutoring service per year through Smarthinking. Tutoring is available in the following subjects: math (basic math through advanced calculus), science (biology, chemistry, and physics), accounting, statistics, economics, Spanish, writing, grammar, and more. Additional information is located in the Online Research Center. From the ORC home page, click on either the “Writing Center” or “Tutoring Center” and then click “Smarthinking.” All login information is available.
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|Selected Bibliography |

Bakardjieva, M. (2005). Internet society : the internet in everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Halbert, T., & Inqulli, E. (2004). Cyberethics. Mason, OH: South-Western College.

Helewitz, J. (2003). Cyberlaw : legal principles of emerging technologies . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Table of Contents
Appendix A – Grading Rubric
All written assignments will be assessed according to this rubric.
Synthesis Paper Rubric
|CATEGORY |4 |3 |2 |1 |Multiplier |Total |
|Paragraph Construction |All paragraphs include introductory |Most paragraphs include introductory|Paragraphs included related |Paragraphing structure was not clear|X 2.5 | |
| |sentence, explanations or details, and|sentence, explanations or details, |information but were typically not |and sentences were not typically | | |
| |concluding sentence. |and concluding sentence. |constructed well. |related within the paragraphs. | | |
|Sequencing |Details are placed in a logical order |Details are sometimes logically |Some details are not in a logical or|Many details are not in a logical or|X 2.5 | |
| |and correspond to the structure |placed, but do not correspond to the|expected order, and this distracts |expected order. There is little | | |
| |presented in the introduction. |structure presented in the |the reader. |sense that the writing is organized.| | |
| | |introduction. | | | | |
|Transitions |A variety of thoughtful transitions |Transitions clearly show how ideas |Some transitions work well; but |The transitions between ideas are |X 2.5 | |
| |are used. They clearly show how ideas |are connected, but there is little |connections between other ideas are |unclear or nonexistent. | | |
| |are connected. |variety. |fuzzy. | | | |
|Supportive Research |Supporting research studies and/or |Supporting research studies and/or |Research studies and/or reports do |Research studies and/or reports are |X 2.5 | |
| |reports are research-based and |reports are not accurately reported.|not support the discussion. |limited and/or inaccurately | | |
| |accurately reported. | | |reported. | | |
|Quality of Information |Information clearly relates to the |Information clearly relates to the |Information clearly relates to the |Information has little or nothing to|X 2.5 | |
| |main topic. It includes several |main topic. It provides 1-2 |main topic. No details and/or |do with the main topic. | | |
| |supporting details and/or examples. |supporting details and/or examples. |examples are given. | | | |
|Conclusion/ |The conclusion effectively summarizes |The conclusion summarizes the paper |The conclusion partially summarizes |The conclusion is poorly |X 2.5 | |
|Recommendations |the discussion and provides at least |but provides only one recommendation|the discussion, but provides no |constructed. | | |
| |two recommendations for further |for further research. |recommendations. | | | |
| |research. | | | | | |
|Sources |All sources (information and graphics)|One source is not documented in APA |Two sources are not documented in |More than two sources are not |X 2.5 | |
|Citations |are accurately documented in APA. |format. |APA format. |documented in APA format. | | |
|References | | | | | | |
|Mechanics |No grammatical, spelling or |One grammatical, spelling or |Two grammatical, spelling, or |More than two grammatical, spelling,|X 2.5 | |
| |punctuation errors. |punctuation errors. |punctuation errors. |or punctuation errors. | | |
|Timeliness |All late submissions have a 10 point | | | |10 | |
| |(10%) deduction. | | | | | |
|Total |100 | |
|Rubric for Student Discussion Board Post |

|Synthesis of concepts |Applications of personal |Clear citations |Writing standards |Timeliness |
| |experience | | | |
|The response refers to course |The response provides personal |The response made proper reference|The writing is grammatically |The posting was “not” submitted on|
|materials and shows a clear |examples that tie in with the |to the course text or to other |correct, clear and concise. The |time. |
|understanding of main ideas and |course material being discussed. |materials that were referenced or |response is well formulated and | |
|concepts. There are no irrelevant|Reflection is evident and clearly |referred to in the discussion. |easy to read and understand. | |
|comments and the information is on|ties in with the material |Opinions were also included and |Correct terminology was used when | |
|point. Ideas are clearly and |presented. Insight was provided |were valid. |needed. | |
|properly organized. |to some concept. | | | |
|50 |10 |10 |10 |10 |

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|Rubric for Peer to Peer Response |
|Synthesis of concepts |Writing standards |Timeliness |
|The other learner’s ideas, questions, concerns were |The writing is grammatically correct, clear and |The posting was “not” submitted on time. |
|addressed. The response referenced reading or lecture |concise. The response is well formulated and easy to | |
|materials when needed. The response addressed the |read and understand. Correct terminology was used when| |
|learner’s feelings if needed. There were no irrelevant|needed. | |
|or off-point comments. The posting reflects a clear | | |
|understanding of the other learner’s ideas. | | |
|60 |20 |10 |

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