Information Systems

Code:

L.EGI029

Acronym:

SI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Informatics

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Industrial Engineering and Management
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Industrial Engineering and Management

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L.EGI	122	Syllabus	3	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Prepare students for designing information systems appropriate to user needs and objectives of organizations, considering the short, medium and long term. So they should be able to prepare conceptual models of information, in particular classes of objects and relational models, develop conceptual models of user interaction, apply software engineering methodology, and use relational database management systems.

Learning outcomes and competences

Students should be able to
(i) analyze a problem of information management,
(ii) propose and test a conceptual model,
(iii) build and test a prototype database and user interfaces, including searches and reports.

This prototype can be for personal use, but it is not suitable for groups of people. Students learn to negotiate the development of robust enterprise systems.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Algebra.

Basic enterprise Management concepts.

Basic personal computing skills.

 

Program

1. DESIGN OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Introduction to the processes of analysis and modelling of systems and organisations; Introduction to the design of an information system.

2. USER INTERFACE MODELING: Introduction; Introduction to specification and prototyping tools; Recommendations, principles and rules for interface design; Main models of interface: menus, forms, dialogue boxes and direct manipulation; Problems with user interaction modelling.

3. CONCEPTUAL MODELING OF CLASSES: static modelling of classes of objects (UML); classes, attributes and methods; associations and simple aggregations; generalisations and inheritance; Mapping between class model and relational model.

4. DATABASE DESIGN: Introduction to DBMS - Database Management Systems; SQL language; RelacionalAlgebra and Calculus; Database normalisation.

5. CONCLUSIONS AND REFERENCES.

Mandatory literature

C. J. Date; An introduction to database systems. ISBN: 0-201-19215-2 (vol.1)
José Luís Moura Borges, Teresa Galvão Dias, João Falcão e Cunha; Modelação de Dados em UML, FCA - Editora de informática, 2015. ISBN: 978-972-722-812-6

Complementary Bibliography

Feliz Gouveia; Fundamentos de Bases de Dados, FCA - Editora de Informátiva, 2014. ISBN: 978-972-722-799-0
Michael Blaha, William Premerlani; Object-oriented modeling and design for database applications. ISBN: 0-13-123829-9

Teaching methods and learning activities

This course is based on the following complementary activities that involve lecturing, learning, and associated assessment of acquired knowledge and competences:

A1. THEORETICAL NOTIONS: The theoretical concepts taught during theoretical classes should be learnt by study activities and conceptualisation. The classes dedicated to Conceptual Modeling of Classes require prior study of the indicated materials.

A2. THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL CASES: Students should study test cases and solutions presented by lecturers in classes, and practice with new problems.

A3. DBMS TOOL: After the presentation of the software tool (MS Access) students should autonomously use and explore it.

A4. INFORMATION SYSTEM PROTOTYPE: Students have to design and develop an IS prototype. This project will be supervised by the lecturers during classes. Note: Student groups will be composed based on a questionnaire with behavioural questions aiming at creating homogenous groups.

Software

Microsoft Access
visual paradigm
SQLite

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	40,00
Teste	10,00
Trabalho laboratorial	40,00
Participação presencial	10,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	20,00
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	16,00
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Trabalho de investigação	10,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

To obtain attendance, a student must fulfill attendance requirements and achieve a positive grade in the distributed assessment, namely in the assignments (P3 component).

It is considered that the student fulfills the attendance to a curricular unit if, being regularly enrolled, they do not exceed the number of absences corresponding to 25% of the theoretical-practical classes.

 

Calculation formula of final grade

The final grade will be calculated based on the scores obtained in the attendance and participation in theoretical classes (10% weight), the Access mini-test (10% weight), the group project (40% weight), the exam (40% weight).

P1 Attendance and participation in theoretical classes: 10% 

P2 Access mini-test: 10%

P3 Group assignment

P3.1 Report: 15%

P3.2 Assignment: 20%

P3.3- Assignment presentation: 5%

P4. Final Exam : 40% (Note: A minimum mark of 6.5 out of 20 is required in this component for successful completion of this course.

For those students whose project classification (P3) exceeds the exam classification (P4) by more than 5 marks, for the computation of the final mark it will be considered as the project classification P3=P4+5.

Each group makes a 10 minute presentation. The lecturers may choose which student will make the presentation and may ask questions to each group member individually (this allows a distinct evaluation of each group member in this evaluation component).

At the end of the group project assignment, each student has to assess each of his group colleagues using a cross evaluation system.
This cross-evaluation may change the individual mark of a student in the group project negatively or positively as follows: [-2, -1, 0, 1] (when compared to the global group mark before cross-evaluation).

Students who do not answer the survey used to set the profile for the creation of the projects groups within the prescribed deadline will have a penalty of up to 25% on the group work mark.

Students who do not perform the cross-evaluation within the prescribed deadline will have a penalty of 25% on the group work mark and the corresponding cross-evaluation will be filled with the default value.

At the redit exam season the group project will keep the same weight of the final mark.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable.

Internship work/project

Not applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students with a special status (working students, military students and athletes) can either choose between the assessment rules above mentioned or substitute the components P1, P2, and P3 for a written exam and a practical individual computer exam, which will take place on a date scheduled by the Professor. This exam will be based on the design of a prototype.

This exam will last 5 hours.

Classification improvement

Students may improve their marks in the P1, P2 or P3 components in the following academic year.

The group project mark done in a previous academic year will be considered only if the cross-evaluation by the rest of the group is over 2.5 values in 5.

Observations

The members of the groups will be selected by the lecturers. This selection will be based on a questionnaire, which will work as way of defining each students’ profile in a group. Each member of the group will have the chance to assess the performance of the peer members, by a system of crossed assessment.

Students who were not approved in previous editions may request that one of the assessment components successfully completed in the previous year be considered.

Students must earn a minimum grade of 10 out of 20 both on the report and on the assignment, for component P3 to be taken into account in a future assessment.

In addition, a grade of an assignment done in previous years can only be taken into account if on crossed assessment within the group, the student earn more than 2.5 votes out of 5.

The grade of previous years’ assignments will be calculated based on a simple proportionality rule (for example, if a student achieved a grade of 16 out of 20 on P3 and if in the current year he/she achieves a grade of 8 out of 20, it will be calculated as follows: (16/20)x8=6,4.

All written examinations are closed book exercises. The most important formulas will be provided to students if required. It will also be taken into the account in the assessment the presentation, correctness and quality of the Portuguese or English language used.

Contact with students will be made by the e-mail available in SIGARRA.