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🎓 SITE 1101: Principles of Information Systems

The course provides a general overview of what SITE students of the ADA University will study throughout their bachelor's program. It introduces the fundamentals of information technology and computer-based systems, including hardware, software, network, database, artificial intelligence, system analysis and design, programming... The course in its current form was originally developed by Araz Yusubov and had many iterations over the years (since 2014!).

Fall 2026

Office Hours? Games! There will be (optional) weekly social activity where students will debate and play various games (charades, pictionary, etc.) for teambuilding, lecture overview, and Q&A. It should be fun! Details will be shared over the Blackboard.

Communication Rules

Students are required to consistently check the course Blackboard page for announcements. General-purpose questions useful to other students should be asked on Blackboard discussion page. For private matters, students should use email. See communication rules for further details.

Technological Requirements

Students are to use their laptops to implement the class assignments. Github account, downloaded git version control system, and IDE (VSCode or Cursor) will also be needed. Additional requirements may be provided by the instructor during the semester.

Deadline Policy

Deadlines will never be extended. When submitting, a student must consider possible internet connection issues, uploaded file size, etc. Late submissions of 1 minute until 30 minutes will receive a 10% penalty, late submissions of thirty minutes until one day will receive a 25% penalty with no claim for bonuses (if there are any), late submissions of more than one day will receive 0.

Participation & Attendance

Students are expected to review the material covered in class and come prepared. Participation will be tested with a quiz-based game. If a student is called upon and is absent they will receive a grade of 0.1 Total grade will be calculated as average of all participation points. For excused absences (i.e. illnesses, university-wide events, events related to a student’s major), a student must write an email with a document of proof to their academic advisor, who will inform the relevant instructors. Instructors will then make a decision.

Projects

The detailed instructions and grading criteria for projects will be communicated to students during the semester. Students are expected follow the instructions and submit their assignments before the deadline. In team projects, students will form a group of 4 (± 1) members. Examples of some of the high-quality projects can be found in the project's page.

Examination

There will be two exams: midterm and final. Both exams will be computer-based (unless noted otherwise) with questions of various types (e.g. multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, code/essay). More specific rules or updates will be communicated to students before the exam.2

Study Materials

The course textbook is an optional reading: Principles of Information Systems (Stair & Reynolds, 13th edition or later, can be found at ADA University library). Compact lecture notes and additional material are provided online in the course website. Further study materials will be shared with students on Blackboard throughout the semester.

  1. In case of difficulties in communication, you are encouraged to consult your academic advisor and seek psychological support. ↩

  2. You are expected to be aware of the Exam Rules and Regulations. If you have special needs or health issues, you are strongly recommended to contact the University’s Student Academic Support Services well ahead of the examination date. It is your responsibility to manage conflicts in your schedule and notify your instructors about it at least two weeks before the examination date. ↩