Keith R. Nelms, PhD, PE

Where I am coming from...

I was born at a very early age in the small southwest Georgia town of Sylvester. My mother's name is "Billie" and my father's name is "Bob" -- I have often wondered how close I came... (think about it). Sylvester is one of several southern towns with a legitimate statistical claim of being "The Peanut Capital of the World." It is also the home of Georgia's first "Freenet."

I earned (and I do mean earned) my undergraduate degree in industrial engineering (co-operative plan) at Georgia Tech. After a couple of years as an information systems consultant with a management consulting firm (working out of Atlanta, Princeton, and New York City), I returned to my alma mater to earn a masters degree in industrial engineering. Upon completing the masters, I worked as a consultant with Georgia Tech's Industrial Extension Service for five years. The following eight years I worked for a state agency in downtown Atlanta where I developed databases, wrote code, and managed the information systems and graphic arts staff. Along the way, I passed the Professional Engineer exam (hence the "PE" after my name) and completed a doctorate in instructional technology at Georgia State University. I occasionally take on consulting projects under the "Knowledge by Design" moniker.

...and where I am going

Personal Interests

It seems like a long time since I have had "free time" to pursue personal interests. However, best I remember, I am interested in:

• Music. I played tuba in school. Finding that to be an in appropriate instrument with which to pursue women, I also learned to play guitar. I've always enjoyed guitar-based singer-songwriter style music (James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, etc.) and occasionally make attempts at songwriting.
• Photography. During college, I worked part-time with the Baptist Home Mission Board in Atlanta in the media production department where I created slide/sound and video presentations. I have always enjoyed photography... now that digital photography makes it less expensive, I hope to do more.
• Astronomy, Cosmology, Physics. I have always been fascinated with these scientific disciplines. Hope to have time in coming years to catch-up on string theory, branes, and looking at the stars.
• Homebuilding. Well, this is not really a long-term interest, but my family and I are in the process of designing and building a house in Tallulah Falls. I am spending way too much time watching HGTV and reading Fine Homebuilding.

Academic Interests

Obviously, I am interested in various aspects of computers and information technology. My interests focus on application of technology to address problems, rather than in technology itself (the engineering-orientation dies hard). In particular, I enjoy database development. I also have a keen interest in the management of technology since I frequently see this done very badly.

I am also interested in cognition, metacognition, and self-directed learning -- especially in information technology environments. These interests were the basis of my doctoral studies and my dissertation (shoot me before I get started...).

Why Piedmont?

It was an accident... really. In May 1998, another doctoral student called my attention to an ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for a tenure track position in computer information systems at Piedmont College. "This sounds like it was written for you," he said. I really didn't take it all that seriously (thinking the College would want someone in his/her late 20's willing to work for peanuts) but figured it was close and they'd probably invite me up for an interview. Nothing would come of this, I thought, but it would be good practice.

Long story short... Piedmont was really wanting someone with real-world experience (all the School of Business Administration faculty have extensive work experience) and made me a better offer than I expected (large peanuts). The rest is history.

Courses

This semester, I am teaching the following courses:

CIS (ART) 213. Web Development in HTML and XML

This course will introduce the HTML and XML mark-up languages that are the foundation of the World Wide Web. Students will learn to design and develop webpages and websites using a variety of web authoring and graphic tools. Sound webpages and website design principles will be introduced and emphasized.

CIS 331. Computer Programming

Study of computing systems manipulation using a current programming language. Includes input/output techniques, program processing control, file processing and database interfacing.

CIS 401. Management Information Systems and e-Business

This course introduces business students to the complexities of the business computing environment and should help students understand: common applications for computers in business, common problems in managing information technology in business, “e-business” and how it relates to traditional management information systems. In addition to enduring MIS concepts, the course will devote considerable time to current issues in MIS.

MBA 605. Management Information Systems

This course provides M.B.A. students with a framework for understanding and managing the information systems component of the business environment. Fundamental technologies (hardware, software, networking, database systems, etc.) are explained along with insights into how these technologies support the enterprise. The principles for managing the organization’s information systems resources are presented. The strategic role of information technology and e-business are discussed. Students will become familiar with information systems professional literature, web-based resources and current issues in this fast-changing field.