TECH 4220 s16 v1.0

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Course Syllabus
Instructor
Dr. Cori Zuppo, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, GPHR
The College of Technology
Department of Visual Communication & Technology Education
Email: czuppo@bgsu.edu
Office hours: TBD or by appointment
Course Description
TECH 4220, Information Policy Analysis, has been designed to facilitate the
development of an understanding of current and pending federal and state legislation
that impacts the manner in which information (audio, video, and text-based) is
disseminated; exploring the political, cultural, economic, and social aspects of these
policies as they pertain to information technology.
Required Course Text
None. A curation of the most recent materials regarding relevant topics will be
provided each week within the learning management system (Canvas).
Overview
During this course we will look at how information technology (IT) policy is developed
and implemented as it relates to global, national, regional, state and local
“All you have to do is write one true sentence Write the truest sentence that
you know.”
~Ernest Hemingway

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considerations. Specifically, we will explore the effects and issues of emerging
technologies on organizations, teams and individuals.
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Apply a critical perspective to examine various types of policies that govern IT.
2. Identify and analyze the broad influences which contribute to the highly dynamic
state of IT policy.
3. Explain the ways in which emerging technologies impact IT policy development,
formation, and revision.
4. Understand the scope of Internet governance, including the many levels of
societal change that can generally stabilize or destabilize IT policy.
5. Analyze the components of robust IT policies and evaluate existing examples of
various types and applications of policies.
6. Understand the span of factors that shape IT policy in response to the changing
needs of society, organizations, groups, and individuals.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of how to apply training and development best
practices to achieve understanding, application and compliance of IT policy.
8. Identify strategies to facilitate adoption, acceptance and implementation of IT
policies regarding existing and emerging technologies.
9. Consider human behavioral dimensions, values, ethics, morals and
individual/collective experiences within the context of technology and policy
development.
10.Evaluate intentional and unintentional IT policy consequences on the societal,
organizational, group, and individual levels.
11.Gain experience in applying methods and tools to construct and refine effective
IT policy using appropriate language.
Instructional Philosophy
All course activities and interactions are designed to facilitate application of relevant
theory and best practices in simulations that reflect the current state of the industry.
Students will analyze, problem solve and make decisions to demonstrate learning and
newly gleaned competencies. Risk taking and open discussion of new ideas will bridge

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the gap between knowing about topics and being able to use/design/apply tools and
methods. The latter represents primary course outcomes.
The course represents a safe environment for students to explore ideas and learn by
application of newly developing skill sets. The instructor represents a facilitator for
individual and collective success.
Course Delivery
Course delivery will be entirely online through Canvas (i.e., BGSU’s learning
management system). Communication will occur through the Canvas Inbox and via
online discussion forums. Canvas will contain relevant and timely resources,
documents, detailed assignment descriptions, communication tools and metrics for
measuring performance. External URLs and tools may be used at the discretion of the
instructor and in line with privacy requirements (i.e., FERPA).
Performance Expectations
Students are expected to participate in online interactions to create a collaborative
learning community. Students will be expected log into the course at least three
separate days per week and participate in discussions as outlined in the discussion
rubric. Assignments must be completed on or before due dates.
Course Announcements and Notifications
Announcements will be very important for keeping your work on track - make sure that
you have opted to receive announcements immediately or daily in the Notification
Preferences inside of Canvas.
Relevant tutorials:
• Update Your Canvas Network Profile
• Update Your Notification Preferences

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Course Outline
Week 1 Introduction to Policy
Week 2 International and National IT Policy
Week 3 Industry and Organizational IT Policy
Week 4 Individual IT Policy
Week 5 IT Policy Implications
Week 6 IT Policy Development Tools
Week 7 Training & Development for IT Policy
Week 8 Applied IT Policy Development
Graded Course Activities
The instructor reserves the right to amend graded activities and/or course topics as necessary.

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Grading Scale (using %)
A = 92 -100
B = 82 – 91
C = 72 – 81
D = 62 – 71
F = less than 62
External Support Links
Library Guide: http://libguides.bgsu.edu/LDT
Writers Lab: For assistance with written work contact the writer's lab writers@bgsu.edu
Organization of the Course
On the front page (Home page) and side navigation of the course, you will see the
following:
∗ Discussions: access to course discussion questions
∗ FAQ: a discussion thread for student Q&A
∗ Guides: link to the Student Canvas guide
∗ Support: link to BGSU’s Technology Support
∗ People: class participants
∗ Grades: access to student grades
∗ Assignments: a listing of all course assignments, including due dates, module
location, and grading value
∗ Supplements: any additional links or items of interest relating to the course
∗ Library: a link to BGSU’s library
∗ Announcements or Latest News: Welcome and periodic messages from your
professor
∗ Syllabus: your syllabus which includes PDF and .docx versions in line with
instructional design best practices
You will also see links to the Home page, weekly course modules, the list of
assignments and the course syllabus.
The course is designed using week by week modules, and students should progress
through each module by using the Next and Previous buttons located in the lower left
and right corners of each module component. Students are strongly cautioned against

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clicking only on the Assignments links and skipping important materials contained in
the module.
Computer access vs. mobile access
Canvas user interfaces vary across platforms and has been taken into consideration
concerning the design of the course. When using a computer, students are encouraged
to click on the module icon links on the Home page, while mobile users should clink on
the text links below the icons to access modules. Mobile users can utilize the weekly
task lists to navigate the contents of that week’s module.
Submitting Assignments
Students are encouraged to compose and save discussion posts as Microsoft Word (or
other) documents. When submitting a written assignment for grading, please include
your last name, first initial and the assignment title at the top of all of your documents,
unless otherwise instructed. File names should be clearly discernable and should also
contain your last name, first initial, along with whatever else has been requested in the
assignment description. If you do not follow the naming conventions for submitted
files, your work will be returned to you [ungraded] for correction.
APA 6th
edition style will be followed for all written assignments as well as within
discussion posts, including proper formatting of in-text citations and references.
• Spacing: double, no extra space before or after paragraphs
• Margins: 1” for all sides
• Preferred font: 12-pt Time New Roman
• Color of font: Black
• Page numbers: upper right-hand corner
• Paragraph indentation: Indent 5-7 spaces or ½”
• Heading formats/styles: strict APA 6th
edition
• File name format: Last name, first initial, assignment info (as prescribed in
assignment description)
Assignment Deadlines
Generally, assignments are due at 11:59 p.m., (Eastern time) on the date indicated.
Students should be careful to set their time zones and are responsible for keep track of
any relevant time zone differences. Late assignments may be penalized by a deduction

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of 5% of the total grade, per day, for each day the assignment is late unless advance
arrangements have been made with the instructor. Clear exceptions apply for active
military duty, and other types of catastrophic life events. In these cases, direct
communication with the instructor is required.
Class Meetings
Occasionally the professor will have non-mandatory online chat sessions or hangouts.
While these meetings are not required, they will help students interact and dig deeper
into the material and course requirements. More information will be contained in
relevant announcements.
Midterm Contact with Professor
At the course midpoint, students will be required to meet with the professor either in
virtual format or by phone. This required contact is intended to provide students a one-
to-one opportunity to check in with the professor and ask for clarification or additional
information. The professor will also have the opportunity to gauge individual student
progress through the interaction. Details will be outlined in relevant announcements.
Feedback
For each assignment, the professor will provide clear and abundant feedback to assist
the student in developing course competencies. Feedback may be in written, audio or
video formats.
Student feedback will be utilized throughout the course in the form of surveys and
other comments. Specifically, a checklist and feedback survey will be contained in the
Course Introduction Module, as well as a mid-course survey contained in the
appropriate course module. Student evaluations of the course and the instructor may
appear in Canvas during the last week or so of the course. Students are encouraged to
communicate regularly with the instructor to ensure clarity and a positive working
relationship.
Codes of Conduct and Academic Honesty Policy
The instructor and students in this course will adhere to the University’s general Codes
of Conduct defined in the BGSU Student Handbook. The Code of Academic Conduct

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(Academic Honesty Policy) requires that students do not engage in academic
dishonesty. For details, refer to:
• BGSU Student Handbook (http://bgsu.edu/downloads/sa/file15768.pdf)
• The Academic Charter, B.II.H (http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/facsenate/page471.html)
• Student Discipline Programs (http://bgsu.edu/offices/sa/studentdiscipline/index.html)
Canvas Network has a Code of Conduct that outlines specific conditions of use
including guidelines for content and interactions. During our time together, we may
discuss some sensitive topics. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. It is assumed that all
participants in this course will be professional and respectful in all course interactions.
Canvas Accessibility Statement
Canvas provides a user experience that is easy, simple, and intuitive. Special
attention has been paid to making Canvas screen-readable. The Rich Content
Editor encourages users to create accessible content pages (i.e. text formatting is
accomplished using styles). Canvas is designed to allow limited customization of
colors and schemes to be accessible to all users. The National Federation of the
Blind granted Canvas (Links to an external site.) the Gold Level Web Certification in
2010. Find more information by visiting the Canvas Voluntary Product Accessibility
Template (VPAT) (Links to an external site.).
Disability Policy
Per University policy, if a student has a documented disability and requires
accommodations to obtain equal access in the course, s/he must contact the Office of
Disability Services for Students, 413 South Hall, 419-372-8495
(http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/disability/) to verify their eligibility for
accommodations. The Office of Disability Services for Students will then contact the
instructor to advise them of the need for accommodation(s). It is helpful to advise your
instructor at the beginning of the semester and make your accommodation need(s)
known, however, students should have previously contacted the Office of Disability
Services for Students.

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Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to make every reasonable effort allowing students to
observe their religious holidays without academic penalty. In such cases, it is the
obligation of the student to provide the instructor with reasonable notice of the dates
of religious holidays on which he or she will be absent. Absence from classes or
examinations for religious reasons does not relieve the student of responsibility for
completing required work missed. Following the necessary notification, the student
should consult with the instructor to determine what appropriate alternative
opportunity will be provided, allowing the student to fully complete his or her
academic responsibilities. (As stated in The Academic Charter, B-II.G-4.b at:
(http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/bgsu/file919.pdf).
Student Veteran-Friendly Campus
BGSU educators recognize student veterans’ rights when entering and exiting the
university system. If you are a student veteran, please communicate with your instructor
so reasonable accommodations can be made for absence when drilling or being called
to active duty (See http://www.bgsu.edu/veteran/ for more information).
University Closure
In most cases, the University will not close for winter conditions unless the Wood
County Sheriff’s Department declares a Level 3 emergency.1
Information about
University-wide closures is communicated by the Office of Marketing and
Communications, which will notify the University Fact Line, local FM & AM radio
stations and the four Toledo television stations (see Weather Policy for lists). For
changes in individual class meetings, please refer to the class Blackboard site for
postings by the instructor.
1
A Handbook of Commonly Shared Employment Policies for BGSU Faculty, Administrative and
Classified Staff, “Severe Weather Closing Policy and Procedures,”
http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/execvp/file8135.pdf

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Online course delivery exception
Online courses, unless otherwise stated, generally will not be affected by national
holidays and/or University campus closures due to the asynchronous nature of course
delivery. Any exceptions, such as technical problems, will be announced, and further
instructions will be given at that time.