| Instructor: Mr. Tommy Battles | |
|---|---|
| Availability | See Weekly Schedule |
| tbattles (at mark) @jeffersonstate.edu | |
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.
Required Materials The textbook for this course 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, third edition, by Katherine T. Pinard, Robin M. Romer, and Deborah Morley. ISBN-10: 1-305-86287-2; ISBN-13: 978-1-305-86287-6.
Please consult with your instructor should you wish to buy a variation on the textbook other than those listed above. Your instructor strongly recommends that you purchase or rent a printed copy of the textbook rather than the digital version unless you have a tablet or second display to be able to view the textbook and complete the assignments at the same time. Previous editions of this textbook contain different assignments and will not be usable with this course.
If you plan to work on assignments on a public computer (on campus or elsewhere), use a USB flash drive to save your work; it can be a new flash drive dedicated to the course, or it can be one you have had for several years that contains files for other purposes. Do not share your flash drive with another student under any circumstance.
Software This course focuses on using Microsoft Windows 10 (the figures in the textbook may differ from the current version) and three programs from Microsoft Office 2016 (PowerPoint, Word, and Excel). If you are allowed to access one of the computer laboratories on campus, either Office 2016 or Office 2019 should be installed there; differences between these versions should be minor. Jefferson State students have access to install Office 365 (including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) on multiple computers and devices: after signing into myJSCC, click the link for Office 365 under Unread Messages; log in using your full Jefferson State e-mail address; in the upper-right corner, click your user icon (which may consist of your initials); click the link for My Account; and locate and click the Install Office button. Note that your access to Office 365 continues only as long as you are actively enrolled.
You may be able to complete the majority of the instructions using another recent version of Microsoft Office (2007, 2010, or 2013 for Windows; 2008 or 2011 for Mac), but you may need to use a computer with Office 2016 or Office 2019 to earn full credit for each assignment. The Mac version of Office should have almost all of the features as shown in the Windows version; some features may appear in different locations. The iOS and Android / Chromebook versions of Office, as well as Office on the Web, are less likely to contain the features needed to successfully complete the assignments. Students are discouraged from attempting these assignments using earlier versions of Microsoft Office or any other office application suite.
Students enrolled in CIS courses at Jefferson State may obtain additional Microsoft software titles free-of-charge through Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (formerly DreamSpark or Microsoft Imagine), although this software is intended primarily for CIS majors.
Your instructor may require you to use LockDown Browser to access examinations. This browser is available for Windows 7 or higher, macOS 10.10 or higher, and iPads running iOS 10.0 or higher; it is not compatible with phones, Chromebooks, or tablets other than iPads. If you do not have access to a compatible device on which you can install this browser, please e-mail your instructor as soon as possible. Your instructor does not plan to require you to use a webcam for proctoring.
Course Content The course will be divided between conceptual information on computers in general and practical work with specific applications. Materials posted on Blackboard will assist students in understanding fundamental ideas and completing tasks with applications. Assignments and examinations may emphasize concepts and / or the ability to accomplish specific tasks with an application. The three main application areas are as follows:
Schedule The following is a tentative schedule of the availability of materials and / or assignments (see the Tentative Calendar and the Announcements tool for other dates, including deadlines):
Grades Refer to the following table for the contribution of each course item to your grade.
| Item | Number / % each | Total & |
|---|---|---|
| Exams | 5 @ 25% each, 1 drop | 100% |
| Item | Number / % each | Total % |
|---|---|---|
| Quiz | 1 @ 3.75% | 3.75% |
| Discussions | 7 @ 2.50% each (2 bonus) | 12.50% |
| Classwork | 10 @ 3.75% each (1 bonus) | 33.75% |
| Homework | 8 @ 6.25% each | 50.00% |
| Non-Exam Total | 100.00% | |
See the syllabus addendum for details on how your final grade is determined.
Quiz Attendance verification for all Internet courses requires the completion of a graded activity. For this course, you will need to complete a brief quiz answering questions regarding information in the syllabus, addendum, calendar, and / or initial lecture materials. You may attempt this quiz multiple times to improve your score, but you must make at least one attempt by Thursday, August 27, at 9:59 p.m. Failure to attempt the quiz by the deadline will likely cause you to be dropped from the course.
Discussions 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 receive full credit as long as your response adequately addresses the topic.
Classwork Assignments Each of the application-oriented chapters includes an assignment with extensive figures and descriptions to demonstrate how to use features of Windows and / or Office applications to create and / or modify files. In a campus-based section of the course, your instructor would go through these assignments with the class; for this Internet section, your instructor will be available via e-mail at set times to respond to questions as you complete the assignments on your own.
Homework Assignments After eight of the classwork assignments, your instructor will assign one of several assignments at the end of the chapter to reinforce the material covered in the classwork assignment. The instructions for these assignments are more abbreviated than the classwork instructions, so you may need to return to classwork instructions earlier in the chapter to review the details of specific tasks.
General Guidelines Some assignments require the use of existing files; these will be provided via links on each assignment's page on Blackboard. You may not use another student's file to continue work on an assignment. Your instructor will provide additional instructions on Blackboard detailing any differences between what the textbook requests and what he requires (e.g., sections or steps to skip).
Your grades on these assignments will be based on how closely you follow the instructions, with more important instructions weighted more heavily than those that are trivial.
Discussions, classwork assignments, and homework assignments are due at 9:59 p.m. on the date of the deadline. Any submission after this deadline will be accepted for half credit per the policy in the syllabus addendum.
Examinations Two of the five examinations test your knowledge of computer terminology, history, and general functionality; the other examinations will focus on how to perform tasks with one of the three applications. Questions may be multiple-choice, true / false, and / or matching. Unless otherwise specified, examinations are closed-book and closed-note; as mentioned earlier, your instructor may also require you to use LockDown Browser.
These are the tentative examination availability dates (note that all five examinations have a limit of fifty minutes from the time you begin):
Your lowest examination score will be dropped. 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. The following activities are violations of the Academic Honesty Code for this course:
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.
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.