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MET CS-504 Green Information Technology

Syllabus

Location: Fuller Building

808 Commonwealth Ave
Room: AAR

Day and Time: Tuesdays 6 9 pm

David Shirley ([email protected])

Computer Science Department

Metropolitan College
Boston University

1. Course Overview
1.1 Description from Course Catalog

CS-504 Green Information Technology (Green IT)

This course empowers students to reduce the energy use, waste, and other environmental impacts
of IT systems while reducing life cycle costs, thereby improving competitive advantage.
Students learn how to measure computer power usage, minimize power usage, procure
sustainable hardware, design green data centers, recycle computer equipment, configure
computers to minimize power, use virtualization to reduce the number of servers, and other green
technologies. Students also learn how to make green IT an integral part of organizational culture
and planning, to foster long term sustainable information technology. The course is executed
through a combination of lectures, guest lectures, field trips, assignments, labs, case studies, and
a term project.
Syllabus CS-504 Green Information Technology

1.2 Introduction

These days, it seems like everyone wants to go green. But its not just a fad; there are
many great reasons why it is in our collective best interests to conserve, to be kinder to Mother
Earth, and to make the most of what this amazing universe provides us. Its become quite clear
that all we create and all we consume can deeply affect our lives, now and in the future. 1 This
Green Information Technology course is about looking through your sustainability lens and
determining the right IT solutions that not only make sense for the environment (planet), but also
for the rest of the triple bottom line2, profits, and people.

2. Basic Information
2.1 Schedule
Classroom: Fuller PC Labs
Day and Times: Tuesdays 6-9pm

2.2 Instructor:

David Shirley
Mr. Shirley is an adjunct faculty member of Boston University's MET College, and has been
teaching and developing courses for the past ten years. He has been teaching graduate level
courses in Project Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Environmental Issues. He
has more than 30 years of management experience in the areas of construction, the environment,
and telecommunications. Mr. Shirley accepted and early retirement in 2001 from a major
telecommunications company where he held the position of Project and Program Management
Director. As well as an educator and course developer, Mr. Shirley is a consultant and trainer in
the fields of sustainability and project management, co-authoring a book, Green Project
Management, winner of the 2011 David I Cleland Award for Excellence in Project Management
Literature, (CRC Press @2010) and authoring Managing Projects in Healthcare (CRC Press
@2011).

Contact: [email protected] Virtual Office Office hours as needed.

(207) 363-5492 (before 9pm)

1
Velete, et al, Green IT, McGraw Hill, 2008, pg. xxi.
2
The phrase was first coined by John Elkington is his 1998 book, Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of
21st Century Business.

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3. Text & Materials

3.1 Required Texts

Green IT Reduce Your Information Systems Environmental

Impact While Adding to the Bottom Line
First Edition
by Toby J. Velete, Anthony T. Velete, Robert Elsenpeter
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Copyright Year: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-07-159923-8
Pages: 307

The Greening of IT How Companies Can Make a Difference for

the Environment
by John Lamb
Publisher: IBM Press
Copyright Year: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-13-715083-0

3.2 MS Word and MS Power Point

These products will be used throughout the course and students are required to use them.
Alternatives such as OpenOffice are acceptable, but the student bears the responsibility for
completing the work.

3.3 Required Instrument

An electricity monitoring instrument will be required for this class. P3 International P4400
Kill-A-Watt Electricity Usage Monitor is recommended as it is fully functional and is relatively

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inexpensive. However, any instrument that can measure electrical consumption, display volts,
amps, and wattage within 0.2% accuracy, and is designed for use with AC 115-volt appliances is
acceptable. You will need to obtain this instrument and become familiar with its operation
prior to the start of class.

3.4 Recommended Text

Green Project Management

by Richard Maltzman and David Shirley

Publisher: CRC Press a Taylor and Francis Company
Copyright Year: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4398-3001-7
Pages: 272

Foundation of Green IT

by Marty Poniatowski
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright Year: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-13-704375-0
Pages: 320

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3.5 Blackboard 8
This course will use a Blackboard 8 site. Students are required to have a BU ID and
password to log in. If you do not have a BU ID yet, note that this takes some time so be sure to
start this process well before class starts. The site is:

http://blackboard.bu.edu/

4. Course Learning Objectives

4.1 Course Goals and Objectives

This course empowers students to reduce the energy use, waste, and other environmental impacts
of Information Technology (IT) systems while reducing life cycle costs, thereby improving
competitive advantage. Students learn how to measure computer power usage, minimize power
usage, procure sustainable hardware, design green data centers, recycle computer equipment,
configure computers to minimize power, use virtualization to reduce the number of servers, and
other green technologies.
Students will:
Assess enterprise-wide and personal computing and computing related energy
consumption.
Acquire expertise for improving the energy efficiency of personal computers by reducing
the power consumption requirements.
Choose the best sustainable hardware for their applications.
Evaluate the regulatory and governance issues surrounding IT.
Recognize the necessity for long-term sustainability in IT.
Formulate plans for reducing IT heating and cooling requirements.
Execute a virtualization plan.

In pursuing these objectives, the course will:

Use textbooks, lectures, and cases
Conduct guest lectures and field trips
Require a term project as well as assignment and labs.

4.2 Course Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

Explain why Green IT is important to the enterprise over all and the bottom line
specifically
Conduct basic equipment usage audits
Perform virtualization and cloud computing fundamentals
Improve the energy efficiency of their personal computing environment as well as the
enterprise-wide computing environment

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4.3 Course Expectations and Delivery Mode

The course will be executed by means of a sequence of lectures, guest lectures, classroom
discussions, field trips, assignments, case studies, quizzes, a comprehensive examination, and a
term project.

Every student will be expected to contribute every week. There is a semester-long Term Project.
Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the key features of the course, as
well as the practical application of tools and techniques.

4.4 Schedule

a) Class Schedule
CS-504 Schedule

Date Readings Topic

Velete: Chapter 1 (all)
The Importance of Green Information
Week 1 Lamb: Chapter 1 (all)
Technologies
1/17/12 Chapter 2 (15-30)
Velete: Chapter 2 (all)
Week 2 Lamb: Chapter 3 (all) Governance and Regulatory Issues
1/24/12 Chapter 4 (all)
Velete: Chapter 3 (all)
Week 3
Lamb: Chapter 2 (30-37) Minimizing Power Usage
1/31/12
Chapter 7: (109-115)

Velete: Chapter 4 (63-75)

Week 4 Cooling
Lamb: Chapter 8 (all)
2/7/12

Velete: Chapter 5 (all) Business Process Reengineering for

Week 5
Lamb: Chapter 3 (all) Sustainability
2/14/12

2/21/12 NO CLASS

Week 6
Velete: Chapter 6 (all)
2/28/12 Going Paperless

Week 7
Velete: Chapter 7 (all) Recycling
3/6/12

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SPRING BREAK NO CLASSES

Week 8
3/20/12 Velete: Chapter 8 (all) Sustainable Hardware

Week 9 Velete: Chapter 9 (all)

Technology Company Case Studies
3/27/12 Lamb: Chapter 11 (all)

Velete: Chapter 10 (all)

Week 10
Lamb: Chapter 10 (all) University and Other Case Studies
4/3/12
Chapter 11 (all)

Week 11 Velete: Chapter 11 (all)

Data Center Design and Redesign
4/10/12 Lamb: Chapter 7 (115-121)

Week 12 Velete: Chapter 12 (all)

Virtualization
4/17/12 Lamb: Chapter 6 (all)

Week 13 Velete: Chapter 13 (all) Managing Your Green IT

4/24/12 Transformation

Velete: Chapter 14 (all)

Week 14
Lamb: Chapter 12 (all) The Future: Staying Green
5/1/12
Appendix A

FINAL EXAM

4.5 Assignments

1. Term Project

The objective of the Term Project is for each student to gain substantial experience with some
topic in the broad area of green IT. Some examples of a term project to consider are:
develop a comprehensive long-term sustainability plan
a detailed analysis of the cooling system of an IT facilities
develop a virtualization plan and analysis of the benefits of the plan

However, the subject of the Term Project is up to the individual as long as the project focuses on
the intersection of Information Technology and sustainability.

The Term Project should follow the APA or similar format. For an example you can go to:

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http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Week 2 you will be required to submit, via the Digital Drop Box, the conceptual idea of your project.

Week 3 you will be required to submit, via Digital Drop Box, your project plan that should include, at a
minimum, your purpose and objectives, assumptions, and a schedule of milestones that will ultimately
product the final deliverable, your project.

One short class presentation beginning Week 13 will be required of each student.

2. Research Assignments

The object of the Research Assignments (RA) is for the student to investigate various topics
and prepare a summary of findings and recommendations for improvements. You will be
required to post them in the appropriate Blackboard Forum area, and also be prepared to
discuss your findings in class.

CS-504 Homework Assignment Schedule

*See Class Schedule for Reading Assignments

Due Date Assignment

1. Research an organizations IT sustainability. (RA)

2. Throughout the semester you will be using your electrical
usage monitor to measure electrical usage of different IT
related devices. You will be required to keep a journal of
Week 1 those measurements which will be turned in to the instructor
1/17/12 in Week12. In Week 1 gather some baseline information on
the peak power usage of your personal computer(s) and
peripherals. For extra credit find a laser printer and
measure its power usage
1. Research an organizations IT and sustainability
governance. (RA)
2. Prepare and submit your Term Projects conceptual
Week 2
proposal.
1/24/12
3. Start measuring the different electrical output states of your
computer(s) and peripherals, e.g. during standby mode.
1. Research an organizations IT power usage and identify
ways to reduce it. (RA)
Week 3 2. Submit Term Project plan including deliverables
1/31/12 3. Continue finding creative ways to measure power output of
your computer(s) and peripherals e.g. pull battery on laptop
and measure charging requirements.

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1. Research the sustainability of an organizations IT cooling.

Week 4
(RA)
2/7/12

1. Research and identify business process changes that will

Week 5
improve the IT sustainability of an organization. (RA)
2/14/12

2/21/12 NO CLASS

Week 6
1. Research the sustainability of paper use in an organization.
2/28/12
(RA)

1. Research an organizations and your local municipalitys

Week 7
recycling efforts. Particularly focus on the way they handle
3/6/12
e-waste (RA)
SPRING BREAK NO CLASSES
1. Research your organizations EPEAT, RoHS and
Week 8
EnergyStar policy and status. (RA)
3/20/12
2. Lab: Use one of the EPEAT or EnergyStar tools to evaluate
the sustainability of one or more computer systems.
1. Using the readings as a guideline, research an
Week 9 organizations IT sustainability plan and summarize it along
3/27/12 with your recommendations on how to improve it. It can be
2-3 pages long. Paper Due
Week 10
1. Analyze another organizations IT sustainability.
4/3/12
1. Develop a more sustainable design an organizations data
Week 11
centers. Submit your proposal with justifications and it can
4/10/12
3-4 pages long. Paper Due
Week 12 1. Research a virtualization solution either Microsofts solution,
4/17/12 VMwares solution or other solution. (RA)
Week 13 1. Term project are due.
4/24/12 2. Term project presentations.
Week 14
1. Term project presentations.
5/1/12

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4.6 Course Grading

Assignment Percentage
Class Contribution 5
Term Project 20
Presentation 5
Assignments/Labs 20
Quizzes 25
Final 25
Total Points 100

While there is no fixed absolute number of grades in any one level it is important to note that
high grades reflect an excellence in the understanding of class material and organization of
thought. In addition, an important aspect of any class is the shared thoughts and insights of the
class members. Grades will also reflect an individuals contributions to the class.

4.7 Homework, Exams, Quizzes and Discussions

Assignments are due as noted on the attached Homework Assignment Schedule. All
assignments are to be handed in on the date indicated, using the requirements indicated with the
assignment. No email submission.

Late assignments will be penalized. Please keep within stated page limits.

There will be a closed book short quiz at the end of each class that will cover the material
presented during that class.

There will be a comprehensive final exam during the scheduled examination time during exam
week.

Part E: Policies

5. Requirements, Policies and Standards

5.1 Attendance
Attendance at all classes is mandatory. Attendance will be taken early on in the class. In
accordance with the department policy, any student missing more than 2 classes will be
considered to have withdrawn. Students arriving late will be considered to have missed the class.

5.2 Homework
Homework will be assigned per the schedule. Some assignments will be graded. Proper
attribution is required for sources.

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5.2.1 Timely Presentation of Materials Due

All assignments (papers, homework, etc.) have due dates. These are the LAST DATES that
stated material is due. I maintain the right to refuse, or downgrade, any materials presented after
due dates. This is not a subject for discussion.

Student should organize their time and work so as to turn in the assignment before the due date.
To be absolutely clear, this means that the work will be accepted anytime up to that date but not
after. Students should develop a schedule so that the work is built around their personal needs
and obligations. Students should allow for contingencies and plan to hand in their work well
before the last minute. That way, should some unforeseen problem arise, the timely presentation
of work is not in jeopardy.

5.2.2 Discussion Expectations

Each student should be prepared to discuss the assigned topic in class.

5.2.3 Student Preparation

Minimal preparation is reading the material, and being able to summarize what it is about,
what the major issues are, and some recommendations.

Superior preparation involves being able to (i) summarize the situation or problem presented
by the case; (ii) recommend a solution to the discussed problem; (iii) support your
recommendation with data, relevant details, and analyses; and (iv) discuss innovative solutions,
or why obvious solutions might be discounted.

5.3.4 Requests For Extensions

The General position is that make up extensions are not given. There is no guarantee that a make
up will be permitted, and any request needs to be in writing and a written verification of the
incident will be expected. Sometimes, unfortunate situations occur that make fulfilling
requirements impossible and, as such, requests for extensions will be evaluated on a case-by-case
basis.

This is not to penalize any individual student but to attempt to assure that there is a level playing
field and the total class feels confident that no one has a unique advantage.

If, for any reason, you are unable to meet any assignment deadline, a student should contact the
instructor immediately, and preferably in advance. All assignments must be completed.

5.3.2 Off-Syllabus Work

Students are encouraged to consider issues that are beyond those defined in the syllabus to
include in their research papers, class discussions, and term projects within the intersection of
information systems and sustainability.

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6. Academic Conduct Policy

The academic conduct policy is summarized below. For the full text of the academic conduct
code, please go to:

http://www.bu.edu/met/metropolitan_college_people/student/resources/conduct/code.html

Any Plagiarism will be dealt with according to the Academic Conduct Code of
Metropolitan College.

Boston University makes available to all faculty the plagiarism tool Turnitin.com. The site
contains millions of papers from around the world. When a paper is submitted to Turnitin.com, it
is analyzed and compared to other work. Turnitin.com reports if any parts of the paper are copied
from other sources without proper attribution. Specifically, TurnItIn.com will detect plagiarism.

6.1 A Definition of Plagiarism

The academic counterpart of the bank embezzler and of the manufacturer who mislabels
products is the plagiarist: the student or scholar who leads readers to believe that what they are
reading is the original work of the writer when it is not. If it could be assumed that the distinction
between plagiarism and honest use of sources is perfectly clear in everyone's mind, there would
be no need for the explanation that follows; merely the warning with which this definition
concludes would be enough. But it is apparent that sometimes people of goodwill draw the
suspicion of guilt upon themselves (and, indeed, are guilty) simply because they are not aware of
the illegitimacy of certain kinds of "borrowing" and of the procedures for correct identification
of materials other than those gained through independent research and reflection."

"The spectrum is a wide one. At one end there is a word-for-word copying of another's writing
without enclosing the copied passage in quotation marks and identifying it in a footnote, both of
which are necessary. (This includes, of course, the copying of all or any part of another student's
paper.) It hardly seems possible that anyone of college age or more could do that without clear
intent to deceive. At the other end there is the almost casual slipping in of a particularly apt term
which one has come across in reading and which so aptly expresses one's opinion that one is
tempted to make it personal property.

Between these poles there are degrees and degrees, but they may be roughly placed in two
groups. Close to outright and blatant deceit-but more the result, perhaps, of laziness than of bad
intent-is the patching together of random jottings made in the course of reading, generally
without careful identification of their source, and then woven into the text, so that the result is a
mosaic of other people's ideas and words, the writer's sole contribution being the cement to hold
the pieces together. Indicative of more effort and, for that reason, somewhat closer to honest,
though still dishonest, is the paraphrase, and abbreviated (and often skillfully prepared)
restatement of someone else's analysis or conclusion, without acknowledgment that another
person's text has been the basis for the recapitulation."

The above paragraphs are from H. Martin and R. Ohmann, The Logic and Rhetoric of Exposition,
Revised Edition. Copyright 1963, Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

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6.2 Academic Conduct Code

I. Philosophy of Discipline
The objective of Metropolitan College in enforcing academic rules is to promote the kind of
community atmosphere in which learning can best take place. This atmosphere can be
maintained only so long as every student believes that his or her academic competence is being
judged fairly and that he or she will not be put at a disadvantage because of the dishonesty of
someone else. Penalties imposed should be carefully determined so as to be no more or no less
than required to maintain the desired atmosphere. In defining violation of this code the intent is
to protect the integrity of the educational process.

II. Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is conduct by which a student misrepresents his or her academic
accomplishments or impedes other students' chances of being judged fairly for their academic
work. Knowingly allowing others to represent your work as theirs is as serious an offense as
submitting another's work as your own.

III. Violations of this Code

Violations of this code comprise attempts to be dishonest or deceptive in the performance of

academic work in or out of the classroom, alterations of academic records, alterations of official
data on paper or electronic resumes, or unauthorized collaboration with another student or
students. Violations include, but are not limited to:

1. Cheating on examination. Any attempt by a student to alter his or her performance on

an examination in violation of that examinations stated or commonly understood ground
rules.
2. Plagiarism. Representing the work of another as ones own. Plagiarism includes but is
not limited to the following: copying the answers of another student on an examination,
copying or restating the work or ideas of another person or persons in any oral or written
work (printed or electronic) without citing the appropriate source, and collaborating with
someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution.
Plagiarism can consist of acts of commission-appropriating the words or ideas of another-
or omission failing to acknowledge/document/credit the source or creator of words or
ideas (see below for a detailed definition of plagiarism). It also includes colluding with
someone else in an academic endeavor without acknowledging his or her contribution,
using audio or video footage that comes from another source (including work done by
another student) without permission and acknowledgement of that source.
3. Misrepresentation or falsification of data presented for surveys, experiments, reports,
etc., which includes but is not limited to: citing authors that do not exist; citing interviews
that never took place, or field work that was not completed.
4. Theft of an examination. Stealing or otherwise discovering and/or making known to
others the contents of an examination that has not yet been administered.
5. Unauthorized communication during examinations. Any unauthorized communication
may be considered prima facie evidence of cheating.

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6. Knowingly allowing another student to represent your work as his or her own. This
includes providing a copy of your paper or laboratory report to another student without
the explicit permission of the instructor(s).
7. Forgery, alteration, or knowing misuse of graded examinations, quizzes, grade lists,
or official records of documents, including but not limited to transcripts from any
institution, letters of recommendation, degree certificates, examinations, quizzes, or other
work after submission.
8. Theft or destruction of examinations or papers after submission.
9. Submitting the same work in more than one course without the consent of instructors.
10. Altering or destroying another students work or records, altering records of any
kind, removing materials from libraries or offices without consent, or in any way
interfering with the work of others so as to impede their academic performance.
11. Violation of the rules governing teamwork. Unless the instructor of a course otherwise
specifically provides instructions to the contrary, the following rules apply to teamwork:
1. No team member shall intentionally restrict or inhibit another team members access to
team meetings, team work-in-progress, or other team activities without the express
authorization of the instructor. 2. All team members shall be held responsible for the
content of all teamwork submitted for evaluation as if each team member had
individually submitted the entire work product of their team as their own work.
12. Failure to sit in a specifically assigned seat during examinations.
13. Conduct in a professional field assignment that violates the policies and regulations
of the host school or agency.
14. Conduct in violation of public law occurring outside the University that directly
affects the academic and professional status of the student, after civil authorities
have imposed sanctions.
15. Attempting improperly to influence the award of any credit, grade, or honor.
16. Intentionally making false statements to the Academic Conduct Committee or
intentionally presenting false information to the Committee.
17. Failure to comply with the sanctions imposed under the authority of this code.

When an alleged Infraction occurs in a School/College other than the one in which the
student is enrolled, the initial determination of misconduct will be made by the Academic
Conduct Committee of the school/college where the alleged infraction occurred, while
assessment of penalty will come from the students school/college of enrollment, based upon
recommendation of the Dean and Committee from the school/college where the infraction
took place.

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