School of Public Policy 597T - ST-InfoTech/Public & Nonprofit

This course is designed for professional degree students in SPP's masters programs or other relevant campus programs (e.g., Environmental Conservation) and focuses on the role of information technology (IT) in public and nonprofit settings. The course provides hands-on skill-building in: (1) analyzing information flow in organizational processes (sometime called "Systems Analysis"); and (2) data management techniques such as advanced functions in spreadsheets (Excel) and design and development of relational database management systems (MS Access). Participants will also get a brief introduction to Geographic Information Systems and will learn about approaches toward managing social media. In addition to these hands-on skills, approximately one-third of the class will be devoted to discussions on key IT themes in today's workplace, including: cybersecurity, issues around software procurement (e.g., open standards, open source, cloud-based software as a service), disinformation in social media, and the future of machine learning and artificial intelligence as it relates to public administration.

The class closes with a "mini-conference" where students will present semester-long research or implementation project on an IT topic of their choice.