Solution Manual For
Information Technology an Introduction for Today's Digital World 3rd Edition Richard Fox
Chapters 1-13
Chapter 1
Learning objectives
define the different uses of the term IT
o Make sure you cover the three uses of IT as introduced in section 1.1.
explain the types of and roles of components of a computer system
o We will elaborate on the components of the computer in chapters 2 & 3 and
software in chapters 6 and 7 but here, make sure students know the basic concepts
of hardware (specifically the CPU, memory and I/O devices) and software. Make
sure students understand that people have roles in a computer system.
describe and differentiate between types of IT careers
o Make sure students know the differences between system and network
administration and understand that database administrator and webserver
administrator are also IT jobs. Make sure students understand that software
developer is distinct from these others and that web developer and webserver
administrator differ.
describe the skill set required to succeed in the field of IT
o Test students over parts of table 1.4 as well as the soft skills (table 1.12).
Lecture notes
1. Introduction
A. See how many of your students are on their phones before class starts. Ask them what
life would be like without smart phones, without Internet access. Ask them what
technology makes smart phones possible (microprocessor).
B. Talk about some of the statistics presented in this section (% of households with
computers versus smart phones, % of Internet users); which of these surprises the
students (if any).
C. Go over table 1.1 and ask the students which of these IT devices or components they
have experience with (all will have experience with computers and applications
software, ask what operating systems they have used, see how many have IoT devices
and have worked with network hardware or network protocols).
2. Defining IT
Ask students to define IT before you start this material. Ask them to list careers that use
IT. Ask them to differentiate careers that use IT versus IT careers.
A. Cover how computers are (or have been) used in various fields (see table 1.2).
B. Explain computer systems with emphasis on the IPOS cycle and the components used
in each part of the cycle.
C. Show table 1.3 and differentiate between the types of computers. Outside of mobile
devices and PCs, see if your students have had any experience with any of the other
types.
, 3. Computer Systems
A. Introduce the idea behind high-level language instructions, assembly language
instructions and machine instructions and that the CPU only executes machine
instructions. Ask students if they have programmed and if so, in what language(s).
From figure 1.4, see how much students can get from the assembly code versus the C
instruction.
B. Introduce main memory and cache memory; storage on disk/solid state drive.
4. Careers in IT
A. Spend a majority of your coverage of this chapter on this section, going over each of
the career types. If possible, have students discuss their experience in each of the
roles or their opinions on what each type of career would be like. Talk about career
opportunities.
B. From table 1.4, see what types of knowledge the students already have. Ask a student
to select a career and go through the types of tasks that the career would involve to
see if any surprise the student.
C. Talk about certifications. Do the students have any? Are the students planning on
obtaining any? Which ones do they already know about?
D. If time permits, find some specific IT job ads and show them to the students.
5. A Career in IT
A. Lead a discussion on types of self-learning and see what students use to learn (most
will probably talk about websites rather than journals and books).
B. As time permits, go over some of the ethical conundrums in section 1.5.2.
C. Differentiate IT skills and soft skills. If possible, have students discuss which skills
they know, which they think they will learn as an IT student, and which they will
obtain through experience.
6. IT Predictions: if time permits, pick out some of the wilder predictions and talk about
what the person must have been thinking at the time and why the prediction turned out to
be so inaccurate.
Answers to chapter review questions
1. Does the US have the largest percentage of households with computers? No, South Korea
has a greater percentage
2. Which platform is used more frequently to access the Internet, desktop computers, laptop
computers or smart phones? Smart phones
3. Define a computer. Make sure your definition is broad enough to include mobile
devices. Device that runs programs using a processor and some form of memory
4. What is IoT? Give an example of an IoT device. Internet of Things which are devices that
have processors, run programs and communicate to each other (although not necessarily
over the Internet), examples include Amazon echo, fitbits, Apple watches, other health
monitoring devices, smart locks, smart cars, etc
5. Are applications and programs the same thing? Yes
6. Of solid-state drives, hard disk drives and magnetic tape storage, which is the most
common form used in servers? Hard disk drive
7. Of the computer types listed in table 1.3, which do normal computer users use? Desktops,
laptops, mobile devices (smart phones, tablets), possibly a workstation
8. How does a computer system differ from a computer? The computer system is the
, computer plus the software plus the user, the computer is just the hardware itself
9. Which programming language type do we tend to use most often today, machine
language, assembly language or a high-level language? High-level languages
10. Assume you work in an organization that has a full IT staff. For each of the following
problems, who would you go to in order to resolve the problem, a system administrator, a
network administrator, a computer security specialist, a software developer, etc.?
a. You are having problems printing. System administrator
b. Your computer will not boot properly. System administrator
c. A piece of software specifically written in-house has bugs. Software developer
d. You find dead links on one of your organization‟s webpages. Web developer
e. You cannot access the company‟s database. System administrator or possible the
computer security specialist if they are in charge of accounts
11. Of the careers described in section 1.4, which involve at least some amount of
programming? All except database administrator (unless you consider SQL to be
programming, some people do), network administrator and possibly webserver
administrator
12. How does a web developer differ from a webserver administrator? The web developer
creates web pages used to make up a website, the webserver administrator is responsible
for the operation of the webserver itself which will host the website and thus the web pages
13. What are certifications and why might they be valuable? They are credentials earned by
studying some area of IT and passing an exam that shows an area of expertise; they are
means of furthering your career.
14. List five activities of a life-long learner. See table 1.6.
15. What IT careers are most likely to require being on call? System administrator, network
administrator, webserver administrator and computer security specialist.
16. Of the soft skills listed in table 1.12, which do you already feel like you have? Make a
list. Answers will vary.
Discussion questions with points to concentrate on
1. What is hardware? Provide some examples. How does software differ? Students should
discuss various pieces of hardware and have an understanding that a program does not
exist in a tangible form.
2. Provide your own definitions for IT: as a career and as a collection of computer
systems. Answers will vary but the career definition should include the idea of creating
and/or troubleshooting some aspect of computer systems, and the latter definition should
enumerate components of a computer system.
3. How is IT used in each of the following fields?
a. Education so many possible answers including using software to create documents to
share (e.g., power point notes), using the Internet to disseminate (perhaps through a
Canvas or Blackboard style tool), using the Internet for research, etc
b. Law enforcement and first responders (e.g., firemen, paramedics) data sharing,
databases, networking
c. Music sequencing and programming, sound generation, digital recording and editing,
etc
d. Public relations and marketing graphic design
4. What is the memory hierarchy? Describe the different forms of memory used in the
, hierarchy. Using different memory technologies that vary in cost, size and speed in an
attempt to keep what is needed most in the fastest areas of memory; forms are registers,
cache memory, main memory (DRAM), virtual memory and storage
5. What occurs in each of the IPOS cycle stages for each of these types of
applications? Students should think about each of these applications and break them into
the input, the processing, the output and the storage, as an example, here is the answer
for part a
a. a payroll program input: employee information and number of hours worked,
processing: computing employee gross pay, taxes, deductions, fees, net pay, output:
output the results perhaps onto checks, storage: storage the results
b. a one-person adventure game
c. a web browser
6. Select one of the types of IT careers listed in section 1.4 and describe the types of
knowledge a person in that field will need to know and what types of tasks they would
have to fulfill. Answers left up to the instructor
7. Look up the word troubleshooting. Now, use that definition to describe how it applies to
a person in any IT field. Various definitions: process of problem solving, trace and
correct faults in a mechanical or electronic system, or solve serious problems for an
organization, within IT it means to solve issues with the IT infrastructure or debug
programs
8. Visit the BLS website (using the link given below) to examine the projected growth of
various career fields. Aside from IT fields, what are some of the others? Does that match
your own thoughts on the most in-demand careers? Explain.
https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm no
right or wrong answers here but make sure the students have studied the careers and
their growth
9. From the list of soft skills in section 1.5, which do you already have and how did you
come about them? Select some that you don‟t have and discuss how you might be able to
obtain those. Answers will vary
10. Why does an IT specialist need to be a life-long learner? Provide examples of changes
in IT in the last 3-5 years that a student who graduated in 2015 may be unaware of if the
student had not kept up with technology changes. IT changes so quickly that anyone in
the field needs to not only be able to learn new things but learn on their own and enjoy
it or they will dislike the career; two examples of recent changes are the sudden
explosive of generative AI available to help many of the IT careers and the shift to smart
phone usage for the web and cloud access
11. Why is it important to be ethical as a member of the IT staff? Students should demonstrate
their understanding of what ethics is and the data/information IT staff will have access to
12. What is ACM? Research the organization and describe what career fields the
organization represents. The Association for Computing Machinery is an organization
primarily focused on computer science (the career and its education)
13. Of the ethical questions posed in section 1.5.2, which do you feel comfortable
answering? Are there any you are unsure of? Have a conversation with others about two
or three of these questions. Answers will vary but make sure students have read them
and understand the concerns
14. One responsibility for being on call is being “nearby”. Is this needed in IT since you can
Information Technology an Introduction for Today's Digital World 3rd Edition Richard Fox
Chapters 1-13
Chapter 1
Learning objectives
define the different uses of the term IT
o Make sure you cover the three uses of IT as introduced in section 1.1.
explain the types of and roles of components of a computer system
o We will elaborate on the components of the computer in chapters 2 & 3 and
software in chapters 6 and 7 but here, make sure students know the basic concepts
of hardware (specifically the CPU, memory and I/O devices) and software. Make
sure students understand that people have roles in a computer system.
describe and differentiate between types of IT careers
o Make sure students know the differences between system and network
administration and understand that database administrator and webserver
administrator are also IT jobs. Make sure students understand that software
developer is distinct from these others and that web developer and webserver
administrator differ.
describe the skill set required to succeed in the field of IT
o Test students over parts of table 1.4 as well as the soft skills (table 1.12).
Lecture notes
1. Introduction
A. See how many of your students are on their phones before class starts. Ask them what
life would be like without smart phones, without Internet access. Ask them what
technology makes smart phones possible (microprocessor).
B. Talk about some of the statistics presented in this section (% of households with
computers versus smart phones, % of Internet users); which of these surprises the
students (if any).
C. Go over table 1.1 and ask the students which of these IT devices or components they
have experience with (all will have experience with computers and applications
software, ask what operating systems they have used, see how many have IoT devices
and have worked with network hardware or network protocols).
2. Defining IT
Ask students to define IT before you start this material. Ask them to list careers that use
IT. Ask them to differentiate careers that use IT versus IT careers.
A. Cover how computers are (or have been) used in various fields (see table 1.2).
B. Explain computer systems with emphasis on the IPOS cycle and the components used
in each part of the cycle.
C. Show table 1.3 and differentiate between the types of computers. Outside of mobile
devices and PCs, see if your students have had any experience with any of the other
types.
, 3. Computer Systems
A. Introduce the idea behind high-level language instructions, assembly language
instructions and machine instructions and that the CPU only executes machine
instructions. Ask students if they have programmed and if so, in what language(s).
From figure 1.4, see how much students can get from the assembly code versus the C
instruction.
B. Introduce main memory and cache memory; storage on disk/solid state drive.
4. Careers in IT
A. Spend a majority of your coverage of this chapter on this section, going over each of
the career types. If possible, have students discuss their experience in each of the
roles or their opinions on what each type of career would be like. Talk about career
opportunities.
B. From table 1.4, see what types of knowledge the students already have. Ask a student
to select a career and go through the types of tasks that the career would involve to
see if any surprise the student.
C. Talk about certifications. Do the students have any? Are the students planning on
obtaining any? Which ones do they already know about?
D. If time permits, find some specific IT job ads and show them to the students.
5. A Career in IT
A. Lead a discussion on types of self-learning and see what students use to learn (most
will probably talk about websites rather than journals and books).
B. As time permits, go over some of the ethical conundrums in section 1.5.2.
C. Differentiate IT skills and soft skills. If possible, have students discuss which skills
they know, which they think they will learn as an IT student, and which they will
obtain through experience.
6. IT Predictions: if time permits, pick out some of the wilder predictions and talk about
what the person must have been thinking at the time and why the prediction turned out to
be so inaccurate.
Answers to chapter review questions
1. Does the US have the largest percentage of households with computers? No, South Korea
has a greater percentage
2. Which platform is used more frequently to access the Internet, desktop computers, laptop
computers or smart phones? Smart phones
3. Define a computer. Make sure your definition is broad enough to include mobile
devices. Device that runs programs using a processor and some form of memory
4. What is IoT? Give an example of an IoT device. Internet of Things which are devices that
have processors, run programs and communicate to each other (although not necessarily
over the Internet), examples include Amazon echo, fitbits, Apple watches, other health
monitoring devices, smart locks, smart cars, etc
5. Are applications and programs the same thing? Yes
6. Of solid-state drives, hard disk drives and magnetic tape storage, which is the most
common form used in servers? Hard disk drive
7. Of the computer types listed in table 1.3, which do normal computer users use? Desktops,
laptops, mobile devices (smart phones, tablets), possibly a workstation
8. How does a computer system differ from a computer? The computer system is the
, computer plus the software plus the user, the computer is just the hardware itself
9. Which programming language type do we tend to use most often today, machine
language, assembly language or a high-level language? High-level languages
10. Assume you work in an organization that has a full IT staff. For each of the following
problems, who would you go to in order to resolve the problem, a system administrator, a
network administrator, a computer security specialist, a software developer, etc.?
a. You are having problems printing. System administrator
b. Your computer will not boot properly. System administrator
c. A piece of software specifically written in-house has bugs. Software developer
d. You find dead links on one of your organization‟s webpages. Web developer
e. You cannot access the company‟s database. System administrator or possible the
computer security specialist if they are in charge of accounts
11. Of the careers described in section 1.4, which involve at least some amount of
programming? All except database administrator (unless you consider SQL to be
programming, some people do), network administrator and possibly webserver
administrator
12. How does a web developer differ from a webserver administrator? The web developer
creates web pages used to make up a website, the webserver administrator is responsible
for the operation of the webserver itself which will host the website and thus the web pages
13. What are certifications and why might they be valuable? They are credentials earned by
studying some area of IT and passing an exam that shows an area of expertise; they are
means of furthering your career.
14. List five activities of a life-long learner. See table 1.6.
15. What IT careers are most likely to require being on call? System administrator, network
administrator, webserver administrator and computer security specialist.
16. Of the soft skills listed in table 1.12, which do you already feel like you have? Make a
list. Answers will vary.
Discussion questions with points to concentrate on
1. What is hardware? Provide some examples. How does software differ? Students should
discuss various pieces of hardware and have an understanding that a program does not
exist in a tangible form.
2. Provide your own definitions for IT: as a career and as a collection of computer
systems. Answers will vary but the career definition should include the idea of creating
and/or troubleshooting some aspect of computer systems, and the latter definition should
enumerate components of a computer system.
3. How is IT used in each of the following fields?
a. Education so many possible answers including using software to create documents to
share (e.g., power point notes), using the Internet to disseminate (perhaps through a
Canvas or Blackboard style tool), using the Internet for research, etc
b. Law enforcement and first responders (e.g., firemen, paramedics) data sharing,
databases, networking
c. Music sequencing and programming, sound generation, digital recording and editing,
etc
d. Public relations and marketing graphic design
4. What is the memory hierarchy? Describe the different forms of memory used in the
, hierarchy. Using different memory technologies that vary in cost, size and speed in an
attempt to keep what is needed most in the fastest areas of memory; forms are registers,
cache memory, main memory (DRAM), virtual memory and storage
5. What occurs in each of the IPOS cycle stages for each of these types of
applications? Students should think about each of these applications and break them into
the input, the processing, the output and the storage, as an example, here is the answer
for part a
a. a payroll program input: employee information and number of hours worked,
processing: computing employee gross pay, taxes, deductions, fees, net pay, output:
output the results perhaps onto checks, storage: storage the results
b. a one-person adventure game
c. a web browser
6. Select one of the types of IT careers listed in section 1.4 and describe the types of
knowledge a person in that field will need to know and what types of tasks they would
have to fulfill. Answers left up to the instructor
7. Look up the word troubleshooting. Now, use that definition to describe how it applies to
a person in any IT field. Various definitions: process of problem solving, trace and
correct faults in a mechanical or electronic system, or solve serious problems for an
organization, within IT it means to solve issues with the IT infrastructure or debug
programs
8. Visit the BLS website (using the link given below) to examine the projected growth of
various career fields. Aside from IT fields, what are some of the others? Does that match
your own thoughts on the most in-demand careers? Explain.
https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm no
right or wrong answers here but make sure the students have studied the careers and
their growth
9. From the list of soft skills in section 1.5, which do you already have and how did you
come about them? Select some that you don‟t have and discuss how you might be able to
obtain those. Answers will vary
10. Why does an IT specialist need to be a life-long learner? Provide examples of changes
in IT in the last 3-5 years that a student who graduated in 2015 may be unaware of if the
student had not kept up with technology changes. IT changes so quickly that anyone in
the field needs to not only be able to learn new things but learn on their own and enjoy
it or they will dislike the career; two examples of recent changes are the sudden
explosive of generative AI available to help many of the IT careers and the shift to smart
phone usage for the web and cloud access
11. Why is it important to be ethical as a member of the IT staff? Students should demonstrate
their understanding of what ethics is and the data/information IT staff will have access to
12. What is ACM? Research the organization and describe what career fields the
organization represents. The Association for Computing Machinery is an organization
primarily focused on computer science (the career and its education)
13. Of the ethical questions posed in section 1.5.2, which do you feel comfortable
answering? Are there any you are unsure of? Have a conversation with others about two
or three of these questions. Answers will vary but make sure students have read them
and understand the concerns
14. One responsibility for being on call is being “nearby”. Is this needed in IT since you can
