CIS 130 • Introduction to Information Systems

Jefferson State Community College • Shelby-Hoover Campus • Fall 2014

Catalog Course Description This course is an introduction to computers that reviews computer hardware and software concepts such as equipment, operations, communications, programming and their past, present and future impact on society. Topics include computer hardware, various types of computer software, communication technologies and program development using computers to execute software packages and/or to write simple programs. Upon completion, students should be able to describe and use the major components of selected computer software and hardware.

Prerequisite None.

Textbook This textbook is required. If you cannot purchase the textbook within a reasonable amount of time from the beginning of the semester, you will not succeed in the course. Bring the textbook to each class meeting, as you will work on assignments from the textbook during most class meetings. In-class textbook sharing is prohibited.

CMPTR, 2nd Edition, by Katherine T. Pinard and Robin M. Romer. ISBN-10: 1-285-09619-3; ISBN-13: 978-1-285-09619-3.

Please consult with your instructor should you wish to buy a variation on the textbook other than those listed above. Previous editions of this textbook contain different assignments and cannot be used with this course.

Software This course focuses on using Microsoft Windows 7 (the figures in the textbook use Windows 8 instead) and three programs from Microsoft Office 2013 (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel). This software is installed in your CIS 130 classroom as well as the open computer laboratory (room 451). Students enrolled in CIS courses at Jefferson State may obtain some Microsoft software titles free-of-charge through DreamSpark; be looking for an e-mail message in your Pipeline account with your login information. For this course, Windows 7 is available through this program; PowerPoint, Word, and Excel are not. A four-year subscription to Office 365 (including Office 2013) is available at a discounted price for currently-enrolled students.

You may be able to complete the majority of the instructions using another recent version of Microsoft Office (2007 or 2010 for Windows, 2008 or 2011 for Mac), but you may need to use a computer with Office 2013 to earn full credit for each assignment. Students are discouraged from attempting these assignments using earlier versions of Microsoft Office or any other office application suite.

Course Content The course will be divided between conceptual information on computers in general and practical work with specific applications. The three main application areas are as follows:

• Presentations: Inserting and formatting text and images on slides with various layouts.
• Word Processing: Creating and formatting text documents for various purposes.
• Spreadsheets: Grid-based documents used to organize and manipulate data.

Grades Refer to the following table for the contributions of each course item to your grade.

Assignments As you learn about computer concepts in several of the early chapters, you will reply to discussion board topics with your own perspective on various facets of hardware, software, and the Internet; you will also complete two assignments that deal with the basics of file management and the Microsoft Office interface. The remaining assignments will require you to use a program from Microsoft Office to complete exercises from the textbook and / or instructions posted on Blackboard. The assignments from each of these later chapters will include a Classwork assignment that your instructor will complete with you in class, as well as a Homework assignment that reinforces the tools used in the Classwork assignment. Some assignments require the use of existing files; these will be provided via links on each assignment's page on Blackboard. You cannot use another student's file to continue work on an assignment.

Your grades on these assignments will be based on how closely you follow the instructions, with more important instructions weighted more highly than those that are trivial. Although you are encouraged to complete every assignment, the total points for the semester add up to more than 1000 points, so there are bonus points built into the schedule. No late assignment submissions are accepted.

Examinations Two of the five examinations test your knowledge of computer terminology, history, and general functionality with multiple-choice, true / false, and / or matching questions. The other three examinations focus more on your ability to complete specific tasks with one of the three applications; you may be required to create a document from scratch, or you may be given a "draft" document to modify in specific ways. Unless otherwise specified, examinations are closed-book and closed-note; you may not use your USB flash drive during an examination, and you must use a laboratory computer (not your personal laptop).

You will be allowed to drop your lowest examination score. If you miss an examination, that will be your dropped score. If you miss more than one examination, you must contact your instructor to determine if, and how, you will be able to recover the points for the other missed examination(s).

Academic Honesty Students are expected to complete their own work regardless of circumstances. All assignments are individual exercises, not group work. Do not share your assignment-related files with any other student, and do not obtain any other student's files, whether on campus, on a home computer, or via electronic means! During lectures, you are allowed to assist your classmates by pointing to relevant information on the display or in the textbook, but you are not allowed to take control of a classmate's mouse or keyboard.

Under no circumstances should you post any portion of your solution to any assignment, even in progress, on a public discussion board, forum, or newsgroup. Making such information available on the Internet will be considered academic misconduct.

During an examination, all hats, caps, and visors must be removed unless required for ADA accommodations; additionally, no portable electronic devices (cell phones, media players, etc.) may be used unless required for ADA accommodations.

Your instructor will follow the procedures outlined in the Academic Honesty Code section of the Catalog and Student Handbook should he perceive a violation of the Code. Unless there is evidence that the violation was not due to any action on the part of a specific student, each student involved in the violation will be penalized.