Greetings

Hello IFSM-304 Students,

Welcome to "Ethics in the Information Age". This is a critical course in your development as a information systems professional, student and, dare I say, citizen. I am here to guide you.

Another UM term is underway and I am happy that you have chosen to spend the next four months with me - well part of them anyway. My name to all my students and colleagues is Phil. It is my pleasure to help you through IFSM-304 this Fall Term. We need to get to know each other better before we start so I have gone first and shared something of myself with you if you follow the link above.

We will be using several key tools in this course. Our texts of course are central to our exploration. Johnson's Computer Ethics (CE) makes us think deeply about this subject. Kallman and Grillo's Ethical Decision Making and IT (EDM) provides you with a useful method of analysis for individual cases. We will use it extensively. Our second tool is the course modules posted on WebTycho. The modules are keyed to an earlier edition of EDM but the main ideas are still valid. Importantly, they focus on ethical analysis. Another tool will be the Internet itself. What better way to learn about ethics in our profession than in the midst of a medium that both enhances and threatens each of us - our skills, abilities and possibilities.

The next four tools are sources of information about ethics in the information age. The first of those is accessed via WebTycho - the UMUC databases. If you have never used them, you are in for a treat. The next source is present on the newsstands every day - newspapers and magazines. Then we have sources on the airwaves - radio and TV commentaries, documentaries, specialist science and technology, business and general news reports. Last but not least is your local public, organizational or private library, which I discuss below. Use them all.

I need you to put a brief bio sketch highlighting your relevant background for this course on WebTycho (in the class conference area identified for this purpose) within the first two days of the start of the course, please. Also, please tell us why you are taking this course and just as importantly, what it is that the other students and I can help you achieve this term. I also want you to post your special concerns about your preparation for taking this course and state your desires for areas we should emphasize over the next four months.

Your next assignment is to read the course syllabus, where I set the stage for the course, and various supplemental Guidance and handouts on my web site. I have posted a link to my site in our WebTycho virtual classroom, but you have one here as well. Please read through this information. If you have Web Wacker software (a web site download utility program) and use it carefully, you can download that part of my site related to this course and keep it on your own system. Alternatively, you can use the site download feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Also, you can save of copy of any individual page you wish (Use IFSM-304 Index Page as your starting page. See your MSIE help menu as needed.)

We will spend much of this first week confirming our skill with the WebTycho method, getting to know new colleagues and establishing a routine. During this week, I also want you to survey your local library and activity holdings to determine how much help they might be to you in this course. If you have a social responsibility function in your organization, you may find that it has some reference material you can probably get access to. I know this is an Internet course, and designed for people in isolated places as well as populated ones, but I have found that there are many untapped resources lurking under our noses - and I like to have you do some snooping early in the term so you know where they might be - if they exist.

You will control the content and conduct of our exchanges, for I will concentrate first and perhaps principally on those concepts you ask me to cover. I will also ask you to comment on certain topics relevant to our subject during the course.

I also want you to review and comment on the proposed evaluation criteria (and weightings) for this course as shown on our WebTycho syllabus. If you have a "better idea", propose alternative criteria or weightings. But keep in mind that I have selected specific evaluation tools and assigned them relative weights based on my experience in this and other courses. The tools are there to help you measure your progress in learning key concepts and skills in this course. They have not been selected to make it easier for you to make an "A". So, removing all evaluation tools, for example, is not an option. The final examination and continual, active participation are particularly important. But, with that in mind, if you have comments and suggestions, propose alternatives during the first week in the conference set up for that purpose.

It is your responsibility to get each assignment to me on time. Start early. Complete major assignments a week or two in advance so you have a chance to critically review them for content and quality of ideas. If you just hit the cutoff date early in the course, you have an excellent chance of being late on subsequent assignments. Keep a copy of each assignment. If you cannot meet a deadline, please e-mail, fax or call me for an extension prior to the due date. The course is sequenced and timed reasonably as it is, and you can expect that if you are late on an assignment, you will just make it harder for yourself to complete the next portion of the course successfully.

Perhaps no assignment is more important than looking for one article or web site a week to share with the class. This can be an article or site on ethics or an example of good or poor practice that you critique. Make sure that you comment on the lessons you learned from reviewing the site or article. Reflect on the insights gained into the application of ethics in this information age. Don't forget - look at the sites and articles nominated by others and add your own comments to their discussion.

I have a flexible personal schedule and work out of my home. See the contact details on this web site for how and when to get in touch with me.

I am frequently out for short periods (that sometimes become longer than I intended), so if your concern is urgent and I am not in, leave a message on my voice mail (hold on for at least seven rings) or fax me your question. Of course, watch out for my email response to you and continue trying to reach me directly by phone. If your email goes down temporarily, use a friend's account to email me or fax to keep in touch.

If you have a particular worry about your course of study or find yourself in difficult circumstances, contact me right now instead of waiting. (Naturally, should something come up later in the course, get in touch with me at that time.) I want to deal with your concerns now so we can get on with the task at hand - which I view as helping you learn as much as you want to learn.

Please email me your primary and any alternate email address, supporting UM center, your telephone and, if available, fax number.

Should you be unable to check your email and WebTycho at least once every 48 hours and respond to questions within that same period, please notify me.

Finally, ask for help from me sooner rather than later, while there is still time for such help to make a difference. Whether it is difficulty with the study material, finding adequate time or surroundings for your study, personal emergencies - whatever - I am truly here to help you succeed.

I look forward to hearing from you concerning questions asked and points raised above. We shall have an exciting and fruitful term with your help.

Yours Faithfully,

Phil

PS. To help you visualize the organization of this site, I have provided a Locator Page.