MIS 310 Master Syllabus

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MIS 310: Database Management Systems Master Syllabus

Course Instructor:
Office Number:
Office Hours:
Email:
Course Meeting Times:
Required Course Materials: 

  • Required Textbooks: None
  • Required Software/Hardware: 
    • All ISOM Students are required to bring their own laptops to every class
      • Please ensure your laptop has sufficient power before you come to class
      • You must have a working webcam due to possible online exams
      • Recommend at least 256GB storage space and 8GB RAM

    • Microsoft Visio

    • Microsoft SQL Server 2014

    • Respondus Lockdown Browser

Course Website: 

Course Description

Introduces design, implementation, and querying relational databases with a focus on business requirements. Theoretical database concepts are accompanied with hands-on experience. Assignments include requirements analysis, design and implementation of a substantial business database application.

Course Objectives

  • Describe the components of a database management system

  • Introduce the relational model and define key relational database terms.

  • Apply the Structured Query Language (SQL).

  • Model relational databases using Microsoft Visio.

  • Design and implement practical databases using Microsoft SQL Server

Course Grading, Examinations, and Grades Composition

Students must be officially registered in this course to receive a grade. It is the sole responsibility of the student to verify their own registration status. Specifically, you will not receive a grade if your name does not appear on the official class list. Registration related questions should be directed to either the Office of Student Services at School of Business or the Registrar’s Office. Grading for the course will be based on total points earned by the end of the course. Final course letter grade assignments will be as follows:

Grading Scale    
A+ >=97 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D 60-69
A 93-97 B 80-86 C 70-76 F <60
A- 90-92 B- 80-82        

Grade Breakdown

Percent

ERD & SQL Lab Assignments

15%

Knowledge Check Assignments

35%

Midterm Exam

20%

Final Exam – Technical Portion

20%

Final Exam – Multiple Choice Portion

10%

Total

100%

ERD & SQL Lab Assignments (15%)

There will be one ERD and three SQL assignments that will be done in class to help build your skills in designing databases, creating tables, and querying databases. The lectures denote these assignments as optional, however, as of Spring 2025, these assignments are required and Graded. The Video Lectures walk you through how the answers are derived, so the assignment submission will be graded as Participation.

Knowledge Check Assignments (35%)

Based off of your classwork and homework. Multiple choice, closed book / Lockdown Browser, and timed (30mins for ERD & 60mins for SQL). You can take these quizzes as many times as you desire, but only the last attempt will be taken into the grade book

Midterm Exam (20%)

The midterm exam is closed book, and will consists of about 40 questions. It will be delivered through Lockdown Browser during the designated time. Students will have 90 mins to complete the Exam.

Technical Exam (20%)

The technical exam is closed book, and will consist of a scenario. Students will be required to understand the requirements of the scenario, create an ERD, implement the ERD using SQL, and query the database. It will be delivered through Blackboard Lockdown Browser during the designated time. Students will have 120 mins to complete the Technical Exam.

Final Exam (10%)

The final exam is closed book, and will consist of about 40 questions. It will be delivered through Lockdown Browser during the designated time. Students will have 90 mins to complete the Exam.

Schedule

NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to adjust the schedule.

Week/Date

Course Content

Assignment Due

Week 1
1/22

Course Introduction
Database Fundamentals

Download the Following:

1 - MS Visio 2016/2019

2 - MS SQL Server 2014

3 - Respondus Lockdown Browser

Week 2
1/27 and 1/29

Database Administration

Week 3
2/3 and 2/5

Relational Databases

Week 4
2/10 and 2/12

Entity Relationship Modeling & Diagram

ERD Lab Assignment due 2/23
ERD Knowledge Check due 2/23

Week 5
2/17 and 2/19

Week 6
2/24 and 2/26

Database Normalization

 

Week 7
3/3

Midterm Exam* (Lectures 1 – 5)

Opens at 6AM | Closes at 11:59PM | 90mins max

Closed Book & Lockdown Browser with Webcam**

Spring Break: 3/10 – 3/16

Week 8

3/17 and 3/19

SQL 1
Creating and Populating Tables

SQL Lab Assignment #1 due 3/30
SQL Knowledge Check #1 due 3/30

Week 9

3/24 and 3/26

Week 10

3/31 and 4/2

SQL 2
Single Table Querying

SQL Lab Assignment #2 due 4/13
SQL Knowledge Check#2 due 4/13

Week 11

4/7 & 4/9

Week 12

4/14 & 4/16

SQL 3
Multiple Table Querying

SQL Lab Assignment #3 due 4/27
SQL Knowledge Check #3 due 4/27

Week 13

4/21 & 4/23

Week 14

4/28

Technical Exam* (ERD & SQL 1 – 3)
Opens at 6AM | Closes at 11:59PM | 120mins max
Closed Book & Lockdown Browser with Webcam**

Week 15

5/8

Final Exam* (Cumulative)
Opens at 6AM | Closes at 11:59PM | 90mins max
Closed Book & Lockdown Browser with Webcam**

*Exam will force you out at 11:59PM Eastern Time (ET). For Example, if you start your exam at 11PM ET, you will then only have 59mins to complete the exam. So if you want the full 90mins for the exam, you need to begin the exam no later than 10:29PM ET! Blackboard’s Exam timer will not reflect the remaining exam time accurately after the 10:29PM ET start time, and you proceed at your own risk. Technical Exam is 120mins, so you should begin no later than 9:59PM ET.

**Webcam is required to be active for students to take the exam. At a minimum, the webcam should show the student’s shoulders and entire face for the entire duration of the exam. Any violation of this, could result in the student being reported to the Office of Academic Integrity.

Instructor Policies

  • Communications with the Instructor: I prefer email to [@gmu.edu], and will respond within 2 business days. If you do not hear a response from me within that timeframe, please resend your email. All emails should have in the subject line: Course Number, Section, and title of the question. Please use your George Mason University email to communicate with me.

  • Office Hours: My office hours are by appointment, so please send me an email, with a suggested time and I’ll confirm if I’m free.

  • Attendance: This is your responsibility. If you miss lectures, then you will miss valuable content. If you miss a quiz or exam, you cannot make it up, and will take a zero for the task. If you have an emergency and cannot make the class, please email me beforehand, and be prepared to have proof of your emergency.

  • Late Assignments: I do not accept late assignments, because all assignments are turned in electronically and their due dates are listed here in the syllabus. Excused late assignments require proof and notification ahead of time.

  • Corrupt/Wrong Assignment Submissions: It is your job as the student to ensure that you submit the correct assignment / readable assignment for me to grade. If I cannot read the assignment for any reason or you submit the wrong assignment, you will get an automatic zero.

  • Cheating & Plagiarism: This will not be tolerated and will result in you receiving a zero for the assignment / exam. Furthermore, the ISOM Chair and School of Business Dean may be involved when cheating & plagiarism is suspected or caught.

  • Electronics: You are welcome to bring in your electronics to use, but if it becomes a distraction to me, or the people around you, you will be asked to turn them off.

Costello Policies

Academic Integrity and Honor Code

The Honor Code is an integral part of university life. Students are responsible, therefore, for understanding the code’s provisions. In the spirit of the code, a student’s word is a declaration of good faith acceptable as truth in all academic matters. Cheating and attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing of academic work and related materials constitute Honor Code violations. To maintain an academic community according to these standards, students and faculty must report all alleged violations to the Honor Committee. Any student who has knowledge of, but does not report, a violation may be accused of lying under the Honor Code. When in doubt (of any kind), please ask the instructor for guidance and clarification.

School of Business Recommendations for Honor Code Violations
Approved November 2021

UG-Freshman Students
Type of Violation Sanction

Plagiarism

  1. Failure to cite/attribute sources
  2. Representing someone else's work as the student's own (e.g., copying and pasting)

A 10% reduction in the final course grade; referral to the Writing Center; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion

An F in the class; referral to the Writing Center; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion

Cheating

  1. On a minor assignment (e.g., homework, quizzes)
  2. Cheating on a major assignment or exam, submitting course work from another course as original work

A 10% reduction in the final course grade; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion

An F in the class; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion
Lying (e.g., providing fraudulent excuse documents, falsifying data) An F in the class; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion
Egregious Violation (e.g., stealing an exam; submitting coursework from another class as original work across multiple courses; lying to an employer about academic performance, false identification or posing as another, in person or online) An F in the class; relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion; and at least one semester suspension

School of Business Recommendations for Honor Code Violations
Approved November 2021

UG-Non Freshman Students (including transfer students)
Type of Violation Sanction

Plagiarism

  1. Failure to cite/attribute sources
  2. Representing someone else's work as the student's own (e.g., copying and pasting)
 An F in the class; referral to the Writing Center; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion

Cheating

  1. On a minor assignment (e.g., homework, quizzes)
  2. Cheating on a major assignment or exam, submitting course work from another course as original work

An F in the class; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion

An F in the class; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion; and at least one semester suspension
Lying (e.g., providing fraudulent excuse documents, falsifying data) An F in the class; and relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion; and at least one semester suspension
Egregious Violation (e.g., stealing an exam; submitting coursework from another class as original work across multiple courses; lying to an employer about academic performance, false identification or posing as another, in person or online) An F in the class; relevant Academic Integrity seminar/training completion; and at least one semester suspension

Notes:

1. The School of Business reserves the right to initiate termination proceedings for any student found guilty of an Honor Code violation by the Office of Academic Integrity.

2. The Office of Academic Integrity may increase these sanctions (up to and including expulsion from the university) for repeated offenses.

Undergraduate School of Business Policies

Graduate School of Business Policies

Disability Accommodations

If you are a student with a disability and you require academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (703) 993-2474 at the beginning of the semester. All academic accommodations due to disability must be arranged through the ODS and should be made during the first two weeks of the semester.

Campus Notifications

Students are encouraged to subscribe to the Mason Alert system to receive notifications of campus emergencies, closings, and other situations that could affect class activities. Each classroom has a poster explaining actions to be taken in different types of crisis. Further information on emergency procedures is available at the Campus Emergency Response Team Web site. In the event of an emergency, students are encouraged to dial 911.

Other Resources

Mason provides many useful resources for students. The following resources may be particularly useful:

  • The Writing Center

  • The Academic Advising Center

  • The University Libraries

  • Counseling and Psychological Services

  • Student Support & Advocacy Center (ssac.gmu.edu)

  • University Career Services

  • Learning Services (learningservices.gmu.edu)

    • Learning How to Learn

    • Note Taking During Class

    • Reading Strategies

    • Motivation & Goal Setting

    • Exam Strategies

    • Memory Strategies

    • Focus & Sleep Better

    • And More!

See the George Mason University Student Resources webpage for a complete listing of George Mason resources for students.

Important Dates

Academic Calendar

COVID-19 Additional Statement

“All students taking courses with a face-to-face component are required to take Safe Return to Campus Training prior to visiting campus. Training is available in Canvas. Students are required to follow the university’s public health and safety precautions and procedures outlined on the university Safe Return to Campus webpage. Similarly, all students in face to face and hybrid courses must also complete the Mason COVID Health Check daily, seven days a week. The COVID Health Check system uses a color code system and students will receive either a Green, Yellow, or Red email response. Only students who receive a “green” notification are permitted to attend courses with a face-to-face component. If you suspect that you are sick or have been directed to self-isolate, please quarantine or get testing. Faculty are allowed to ask you to show them that you have received a Green email and are thereby permitted to be in class.”

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