E D U C A T I O N

For a quick breakdown of what I have learned at the College of Information Sciences & Technology, including "what is IST?" go to my blog post called What is Information Sciences & Technology.

Here you will be able to see some of my pieces of work along with reflections of some of my classes from both Penn State and Robert Morris University. Reflecting back on my few years of college has really shown me what I actually learned. I am very thankful for the many professors that have challenged me in and out of the classroom, it really has developed me into the well-rounded person I am today. This is not a collection of all my courses.

Course descriptions of my completed courses at Robert Morris University (.pdf)

Courses Scheduled For Spring 2010:

IST 431 -The Information Environment: Survey of social environment of information technology themes: Community, sovereignty, privacy, ethics, economics, and knowledge management
From Penn State Website:

"The ways that people communicate and utilize information is being changed dramatically by new information technologies. Information and the technologies that are employed by create, organize, transger, and utilize that information in a networked environment, using such global networks as the internet or internal networks such as intranets, have become a key component of the global economy. This global environment can change the way we interact, communicate, and function on the job and in our daily lives. The new technologies also raise new economic, legal, ethical, and social issues that are of grave importance to society. IST 431 examines the overall context of the new information environment and new technical issues relating to knowledge management in the global networked environment. IST 431 is a required course in the Information, Society and Public Policy Option.

There may be some overlap of material with COMM 405, COMM 483, COMM 485, PHIL 407, PHIL 423, PHIL 433 and PL SC 460m but none of these courses cover the same material, or approach it in the same manner.

Upon completion of this course, the student will gain an appreciation of the differences between "cyberspace" and the "real" world. The student will also understand that the implementation and modern information technologies has significant social and policy implications that demand appropriate policy issues in several different contexts (globa, national, local). The student will also be able to discuss the major themes in information policy studies (e.g., community, privacy, access, economic participation, security) and be able to relate these themes to the applications of particular technologies. They will be able to describe policy frameworks and issues, as well as the ethical and social implications of these choices.

Homework assignments; Socratic dialogue; analysis and write-up of case studies; assessment of group research projects and presentations; participation in on-line discussion groups; two mid-term and one final examination (objective and essay). The precise mix of evaluation components will be determined by individual instructors; a typical weighting might be exams (60%), written assignments and papers (20%), and collaborative projects (20%)."

IST 440W - Information Sciences and Technology Integration and Problem Solving: Problem-based approach to technology integration by focussing on real-life problems faced by an organization
From Penn State Website:

"This course is the undergraduate capstone for Information Sciences and Technology majors in the Baccalaureate degree. It requires students to work collaboratively in teams of 4-6 students, with each team comprised of students from more than one option and, if possible, more than one campus. Each team is given a significant real-world problem or issue in which information technology is part of the solution. Teams will be expected to manage the project effectively and to communicate its results clearly to a variety of audiences within an organization. Major topics include: review of problem-based and case-based learning; overview of project management practices; assessment of organizational and technical issues posed by the scenario; development and testing of work plans and analysis of options; communication within the group; communication within a management environment; and presentation of results to a variety of audiences inside and outside the organization.

IST students need to understand the organizational and social contexts in which technology functions. Indeed, many technology problems are multi-dimensional--they have an economic dimension, a legal dimension, a human resources dimension, and so on. This course will require students to analyze, evaluate, and test alternative solutions and to weigh their advantages and disadvantages for the organization.

Students will be evaluated in three ways: by the effectiveness of their team's solution of the technical or organizational problem; by the quality of the students' written and oral presentations; and by the quality of their project management and internal communication. A substantial written paper will be required of each student and each time; in addition, each team will also construct a Web-site for sharing results. Other technologies will be used as required by the project.

It is expected that membership on teams of students will be drawn from the various options in the Information Sciences and Technology major. At least nine credits (including at least one IST 300-level and one IST 400-level course) in the student's option must be completed before enrollment in IST 440W. This course should be offered every fall and spring semester beginning in the fall semester 2002. It will be taught in sections of 25 and have a total enrollment of approximately 100 per semester. "

ART 101- Interactive Learning and Web-Design: Introduce students to research on-line, preparing verbal, visual and other elements for presentation of outcomes and posting them to the Internet
From Penn State Website:

"This course is constructed to introduce students to doing research on-line, preparing the verbal, visual and other elements for a presentation of their research and posting them to the Internet with special emphasis placed on the aesthetics of Web design and effective communication.

Both individual and group projects are included. It is intended to provide the skills to work collaboratively using computers and the Internet effectively, efficiently and with an awareness of the aesthetic qualities of that work. This final emphasis is particularly important since the quality of presentation is not included in most classes where Web sites are developed and they are crucial to the effective use of this medium. Aesthetic judgments by the students of their peers work is central to making comprehensive and complete evaluations of it. A central message of the course is that content and presentation cannot be separated and a primary skill to be learned is how to discover, create and refine images for use on the Web in conjunction with clear, well-organized and legible text.

The student's work will be evaluated on the basis of how well they grasped the problem, worked with others to solve it, when required, and the effectiveness of the final result."

ART 101 - Web Design: Web Design, with emphasis on designing with standards to assure accessibility and effective communication
From Penn State Website:

"ART 101 is a beginning level web design course that is concerned with the designing and creating of web sites using XHTML and recommended government standards. This emphasis is central so that the work the students do will reach the broadest audience, including people with disabilities, through the use of a broad range of software and hardware.

This course will teach students how to meet the present government standards for accessibility by the disabled and the technical and accessibility standards recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

This course will also place an emphasis on the uses of art-images to present information along with the presentation of text and typography for communication and how these elements can make projects on the web more effective.

The course will introduce topics such as: clarity of art and design, ease of use (navigability), and in creating art and graphics for web delivery (optimization).

There will also be discussion on the dynamics of networked communications, along with issues pertaining to the authoring and publishing of content and media on the internet. "

Courses Recently Completed (Fall 2009):

IST 432 - Legal and Regulatory Environment of Information Science and Technology: Legal environment of information technology, constitutional/political issues, intellectual property, management, e-commerce, privacy, access, computer contracting, cyberspace regulation.
This course is focused on information communication technology law. The topics we focued on were: U.S. and International Technology Policy, Intellectual Property, Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets, Tort Liability, Digital Media, Privacy and Contracts.

Throughout the semester we worked in groups of around five people. We researched various case briefings relating to the topics that we learned throughout the class to better develop and understanding. These proved to be very useful as they were real-world examples of IT law and how they were handled. As a group we also researched and compiled an analysis on internet crimes, including cyber-stalking and how those situations are being remedied.

For a look at our group's project, go to Cyber Harassment

IST 331 - Organization and Design of Information Systems: User and System Principles Interdisciplinary survey of topics related to the use and usability of information systems.
This course is focused on human computer interactions (HCI). Professor Ritter knows a lot about human-computer interactions and has even written a textbook on the issue of interface design. Although we learned a lot about what is being done in the field of human-computer interaction research, we did not spend much time on real-world examples and problems. This class was valuable in learning more about users of information technology and how they help design and develop new technologies that impact our society.

Throughout the semester we worked in groups of around five people. We designed and developed numerous labs which helped us better learn and understand the user and how it applies to interface design. As a group, we did a usability analysis on a web site, in this case OnwardState.com. You can see the findings of our results in the report below:

Usability Analysis on OnwardState.com(.pdf)

Completed Courses:

IST 302 - IT Project Management: Exploration and application of the basic concepts, methodologies, and tools of project management in the field of information sciences and technology
This course is focused on learning the skills, tools, and techniques to successfully manage an IT project. IT projects rarely meet scope, cost, and time goals but over the years have achieved better results with learning of new techniques, methodologies and tools. We are learning the phases of managing an IT project: Integration, Scope, Schedule, Budget, Human Resources Management, Quality Management, Communications Management, Risk Management, and implementation and closure.

Throughout the semester we worked in groups of around five people to plan, run, and implement a project pertaining to telemedicine. Our groups will be collaborating with TIAG, The Informatics Assurance Group, based out of Washington D.C., which works in the field of military medicine for the United States. We implemented the tools and techniques we learn ed throughout the semester to this project. At the end of the semester, we formally present our project plan to TIAG and IST.

A look at my group's Final Project Proposal of our MediCast system:

MediCast: FLEXIBLE AND EXTENSIBLE A/V TELEMEDICINE SOFTWARE INTEGRATION PACKAGE (.pdf)

A visual look at the power of our MediCast system (highly suggested to skim over above Project Proposal first):

MediCast Visual Presentation (requires Quicktime)

IST 301 - Information & Organizations: Overview of organizational structures and functions. Includes information processing and analytic perspectives of organizations
This course focuses on organizations, organizational structures and functions, and the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in an organizational context. We are learning the tools and techniques forumulate, identify, and and understand the effects of Information Communication Technologies in an organization.

Our group work consists on analyzing a specific organization, in which my group is breaking down the many aspects of the Electronic Arts organization.

IST 402 - Emerging Issues and Technologies: Technology in Popular Culture: Introduction to emerging issues, technology forecasting and analysis; overview of emerging issues and leading technologies in IST and how they impact information systems, users, the IT labor force and society.
This course is focused on technologies in popular culture. We took a look at technologies in movies such as Iron Man, 2001: A Space Odyssey, THX-1138, and Ghost In The Shell. In our groups, we created a podcast on tech. in popular culture and also a video for a final project. This has been a really fun and interesting class and would take it over again if I could. The two professors that teach this class never have a dull moment.

Go here to listen to my group's podcast on popularity of dystopian themes in popular culture.

Video coming once completed!

IST 240 - Introduction to Computer Languages: Introduction to the specification and application of languages and language paradigms that interact with computers
This course was focused on Object-Oriented Programming with the Java language. I really enjoyed with with Java more than working with C++, I felt it was much more interesting. The professor of this class worked in the design and development industry for years and designed the class to simulate the "real world" as much as possible. Towards the end of the semester, students were put into groups in which we would develop a project definition and create a system using Java. My group members and I decided to design and develop a car rental company situation. It was really fun working with my group members and we learned a lot from eachother.
This course has developed my programming skills and has provided with a solid foundation in Java. At the completion of this course, I was able to write and execute Java code, use the Java software program Eclipse, and properly use encapsulation and inheritance in Java.

IST 230 - Language, Logic, and Discrete Mathematics: Introduction to formal languages, mathematical logic, and discrete mathematics, with applications to information sciences and technology
Going into this course I was not sure what to expect. I was able to learn a wide range of mathematical concepts that are at the base of information sciences and technology. Our major topics taken from the syllabus were:

• Logic, sets, and strings and application to digital logic circuits, and number systems.
• Elementary number theory and methods of proofs and application to public key encryption.
• Sequences, mathematical induction, and recursive relations and application to time value of money, supply-demand relations, and technical analysis of financial time series, identifying trends and critical points.
• Counting and probability and application to probabilistic modeling.
• Graphs and trees and application to networks.

IST 220 - Networking and Telecommunications: Introduction to digital network topologies; transmission media, signal modulation, digital packet switching and routing, systems integration, communications management, and security
Networking and Telecommunications provided a nice foundation in design, development, and analysis of computer networks. Even though the class was mainly taught in the room and textbooks, we were also were able to apply what we learned in the classroom by taking a "hands on" approach in the IST Networking Lab room. It was really nice to actually work with the actual technologies than through just a book and lectures. Each week a group of students from the class would give a brief 5 minute speech on a technology selected by the professor, which was really interesting and was sort of an added bonus. My group was chosen to give a brief presentation on Amazon's Kindle and also Steganography. I was able to learn about the roles of TCP/IP protocols and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, use protocol analysis tools to explain the behavior of network protocols in capture trace files, and Identify key components of telecommunication networks and explain their role in
data communication.

I also wrote a paper on a topic I find very interesting, The Digital Divide. You can read this paper below:

The Digital Divide (.pdf)
The Digital Divide is a worldwide problem that excludes certain groups of people from the beneficial use of the information communication systems. In this report, I look at how ethnic barriers, social classes, government regimes, and developing countries affect the Digital Divide. I also take a look on possible solutons to combat the gap of the Digital Divide.

IST 210 - Organization of Data: Introduction to concept of databases including the storage, manipulation, evaluation, and display of data and related issues
This course provided me with a foundation in the use of data and databases. We used the database management system, Microsoft SQL, throughout this class. I was able to learn about designs, refinements, and implementations of databases. We also learned a little bit about the future of database technologies. Students were put into groups in which we were to design, develop, and implement a database system. My group chose to work on a online bookstore database. You can see our project in the document below, which includes our ER Diagram and implementations of SQL:

Online Bookstore Database Project (.pdf)

IST 110 - Information, People and Technology: The use, analysis and design of information systems and technologies to organize, coordinate, and inform human enterprises.
This class was taught by a wonderful professor in Dr. Santoro. He was a very interesting individual and gave a lot of life advice for us students. I looked forward to his class every day I would have it. This course provided an overview of what to expect in the IT world. IST 110 showed me many ways in which we can use technology in the world. I was able to develop develop critical skills, analytic frameworks, and some technical skills and concepts. For our group project we needed to create a video on anything that involved technology, so my group decided to do a video project on Blizzard Entertainment which you can see on YouTube.com here.

COSK2220 - Public Speaking and Persuasion (RMU)
One of the really great things about the education Robert Morris University provides is its Commucations Skills Program. This program improved my communication skills immensely.
I was somewhat nervous about going into this course. Public speaking has been known as one of the biggest fears of many people, sometimes bigger than the fear of death. I have given man speeches throughout my high school career and felt somewhat comfortable about the process. However, there is always some nervousness before giving another speech. This class taught me how to understand how to prepare and present speeches and control the nervousness that comes with speeches. This class challenged us to give about 8 different speeches throughout the semester, each subsequent speech being longer than the one before. Each week I found myself feeling more confident in my speaking ability and public speaking was not as stressful.

COSK2230 - Business Professional Communications (RMU)
This class taught me how to prepare many professional documents and present them. The memos, letters, and reports have bettered my writing skills.  I am now confident I know how to prepare business documents. It shocked me to learn the little intricate details that make a difference in business documents. At end of the semester we were placed into groups and had to come up with a business campaign and present it with documents. My group and I decided on developing and Advertising Campaign to promote Robert Morris University's E-College Program(not real).

To see a final portfolio of my work in Business Professional Communications, which includes many professional business documents click below:

Final Portfolio of Business Professional Communications (.pdf)

INFS3150 - Intro Web Development & E-Commerce Technology (RMU)
I took this class hoping to learn a little bit more about web development since it is a big interest of mine. This class further taught me about cascading style sheets, javascript, dynamic html, and how this integrates into eCommerce. Although I knew a lot before the class about web design, I picked up many little things that I used to implement on this ePortfolio.

Contact me for any more information about my courses and education.