ISM 324 Syllabus — 2027 Revision

Course Information

Database Management for Information Systems · ISM 324-001 (3 credits) · The University of Akron · Undergraduate · In person · Fall 2027

• Meetings: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30–4:45 PM, CBA 176 (computer lab). Semester dates: to be set for Fall 2027.
• Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30–3:30 PM. On quiz and skill-check days, the last 20 minutes of office hours are reserved for students taking assessments with extended time.

Instructor

Liping Liu · liping@uakron.edu

• Ph.D. in Business (Artificial Intelligence), The University of Kansas
• Master in Systems Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
• Bachelor in Civil Engineering, Wuhan University
• Bachelor in Applied Mathematics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Course Description

Prerequisites: [ACCT 250 and 48 completed hours] or [admission to the College of Engineering and Polymer Science with 48 credit hours completed]. An introduction to database design and management, including data modeling, relational theory, Structured Query Language, and database applications development using database management systems. (Formerly 6500:324)

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Apply enterprise data modeling techniques and the concepts of data integrity and normal forms to design business databases.
2. Implement a database design using Oracle.
3. Perform intermediate database administration and data management using SQL.
4. Understand database concepts, database system components, and systems development processes and tools.
5. Understand NoSQL document stores in MongoDB and graph databases in Neo4j.

Required Texts and Materials

• Liping Liu, Lecture Notes on Database Management, available on ecourse.org (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 20).

Course Calendar

Quizzes are given at the start of class every Monday (weeks 2–4, 6–9, 11–14). Skill checks are given at the start of class on six Wednesdays and cover the material of the preceding week.

Assessment and Grading

About 75% of the final grade comes from work completed in class under the instructor's supervision.

Final grade = 10% (Homework) + 15% (Quizzes) + 20% (Skill checks) + 45% (Exams) + 10% (Attendance).

Description of Assessments

Homework (10%, completion)

Homework is where you learn the material; it is credited for completion, not graded for correctness. Twelve assignments are posted on ecourse.org, one per week, each with a set of 10 multiple-choice questions and hands-on exercises.

• Completion rule: an assignment counts as complete when (1) you have made at least three attempts at the MC set, and (2) every required hands-on task is submitted and finished (for example, every query written and run, every diagram drawn).
• Each complete assignment earns full credit; an incomplete one earns none. Blank, partial, or placeholder work is incomplete.
• Assignments are due at the beginning of class on Mondays, except holidays. Late work receives no credit.
• Why homework matters: every quiz and skill check is built from the homework. A skill check is typically a homework problem with different tables, names, or business rules. Students who do the homework themselves find the checks straightforward.

Quizzes (15%)

A 10-minute quiz opens each Monday class (Wednesday in week 2). Quizzes are taken on ecourse.org in the lab under supervision and cover the previous week's reading and homework. Questions are drawn at random from item pools, so neighbors receive different versions. Of the 11 quizzes, the lowest score is dropped.

Skill checks (20%)

A skill check is a short, supervised, hands-on task completed individually in 15 minutes at the start of class on six Wednesdays. Each check asks you to produce one working artifact from the preceding week: an ER diagram, a relational model, a CREATE TABLE statement, an SQL query, or a Cypher query. You work on a lab computer with only the required software (Oracle SQL Developer, Data Modeler, Neo4j, or ecourse.org) open; notes, other websites, AI tools, and phones are not allowed. Checks are graded on correctness with a short rubric. Of the six checks, the lowest score is dropped.

Exams (45%)

Two midterms and a comprehensive final exam, each worth 15%, are taken in person under the instructor's supervision.

Attendance (10%)

See the Attendance Policy below.

Course Policies

Supervised Assessment

All quizzes, skill checks, and exams are administered in person under the instructor's supervision. This is an essential requirement of the course: these assessments measure what you can do without outside help. Approved accommodations are provided in that supervised setting.

Accommodations

Students with an accommodation letter from the Office of Accessibility should share it with the instructor as early as possible; accommodations apply from the date the letter is received. Extended time is provided as follows:

• Quizzes and skill checks: you begin early, during office hours, under the instructor's supervision (for example, at 3:15 PM for double time on a 10-minute quiz), and finish about when the class does. The instructor will email you the start time for each assessment day; please confirm.
• Midterms and final exam: you take the exam in a separate session supervised by the instructor or a designated proctor, scheduled with you in advance.
• A reduced-distraction setting is provided in the instructor's office or another supervised room.

Accommodation details are confidential and are discussed only in private.

Verification of Work

Any quiz, skill check, exam, or submitted work may be verified. If a result appears inconsistent with your demonstrated performance, you may be asked to complete an equivalent assessment, or to reproduce and explain the work, in the instructor's presence, with any approved accommodations in place. A substantial discrepancy may result in the verified score replacing the original and in referral under the university's academic misconduct procedures.

AI Policy

You may use AI tools to learn: to explain concepts, check your homework, or generate practice problems. Because homework is credited for completion, there is little reason to have an AI tool do it for you; doing it yourself is how you prepare for the quizzes and skill checks. AI tools and any other outside help are not allowed during quizzes, skill checks, or exams.

Missed Assessments and Makeups

• The lowest quiz score and the lowest skill-check score are dropped to cover an absence or a bad day; there are no makeups for quizzes or skill checks.
• A documented absence that covers more than one quiz or skill check, or any exam, is handled case by case and must be raised within one week.
• Homework late for any reason receives no completion credit, except with documentation for an absence of more than one week.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is required and is 10% of the final grade, recorded on ecourse.org. The deduction is non-linear: one point for the first absence, two for the second, three for the third, and four for the fourth. Missing the equivalent of three weeks of classes results in an automatic failing grade. Under special circumstances you may attend some classes online:

• Obtain permission from the instructor at least one day before each online session.
• Follow the lecture or recording, complete all in-class exercises, take notes, and submit the notes and exercises to ecourse.org within one day as proof of attendance.
• Quizzes, skill checks, and exams cannot be taken online; a quiz or skill check missed on an online day counts as that assessment's dropped score.

Academic Misconduct and Collaboration

Academic misconduct by a student includes, but is not limited to: disruption of classes, giving or receiving unauthorized aid on quizzes, skill checks, or exams, using AI tools or unauthorized materials during them, unauthorized removal of library materials, and knowingly misrepresenting the source of academic work. Academic misconduct by an instructor includes, but is not limited to: grading by criteria other than academic performance, and repeated and willful neglect of assigned academic duties. Violations may result in grade penalties in addition to university sanctions, including increased scrutiny of future work and reduction of the overall grade.

All for-credit work must be done independently unless designated as a group project. Giving or asking for answers to such work is cheating.

Emergency Contact

If you cannot reach the instructor, contact the department chair at makarius@uakron.edu.

University Policies

What Students Need to Know

The University of Akron's policies are on the What Students Need to Know page, including the Student Code of Conduct, academic misconduct rules, ethical use of AI tools, add/drop/withdrawal and refund policies, inclusive excellence, Title IX, sexual harassment and violence policies, disability accommodations, support programs such as ZipAssist, and the first-day course materials fee.

Accessibility Services

Pursuant to University policy #3359-38-01, The University of Akron recognizes its responsibility for creating an institutional atmosphere in which students with disabilities have the opportunity to be successful. Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Accessibility at 330-972-7928 or access@uakron.edu. The office is in Simmons Hall, Room 105. After eligibility is determined, instructors receive a letter outlining the student's accommodations. In this course, approved accommodations are provided under the instructor's supervision, as described under Accommodations above.

Religious Accommodations

The University prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 3345.026, you may request to be excused from class for up to three days to participate in organized religious activities, without penalty. Requests must be made in writing during the first 14 days of the semester, give the date of each proposed absence or the alternative accommodation requested (such as an alternate exam date), and state that the absence is for religious activities. Policy: https://uakron.edu/hr/eeoaa/religious-accommodations

Software Requirements

Join the class team in MS Teams for large data and software files, and create a student account at https://www.ecourse.org, through which you submit homework, take quizzes and exams, download course materials, and track performance. After logging in, use the access code QBS08BOU3R with the "Enroll Directly" link to join ISM 324.

• Oracle SQL Developer Data Modeler: download the Windows 64-bit version with JDK from https://www.oracle.com/tools/downloads/sql-data-modeler-downloads.html and extract it to a permanent folder such as C:\Program Files\datamodeler. Details: https://www.ecourse.org/news.asp?which=5827
• Oracle SQL Developer: download the Windows 64-bit version with JDK from https://www.oracle.com/tools/downloads/sqldev-downloads.html and extract it to C:\Program Files. Details: https://www.ecourse.org/news.asp?which=5827
• (Optional) JAVA_HOME: run JavaHomeVar.bat as administrator, or set JAVA_HOME under Control Panel → System → Advanced System Settings → Environment Variables to your JDK folder (for example C:\Program Files\sqldeveloper\jdk), then restart. Details: https://www.ecourse.org/news.asp?which=5822
• MongoDB Compass: https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/compass, to use the central server at ism.uakron.edu; for your own server, see https://www.ecourse.org/news.asp?which=5020
• Neo4j: https://neo4j.com/download/

University Resources

• Academic support: registration, advising, tutoring, testing services, library access, and course materials.
• Student support: ZipAssist, career services, counseling, and other programs.
• Technical support: the IT Help Desk, technology requirements, and online orientation. For help with course content, contact the instructor; for help submitting work or logging in, contact the IT Help Desk.