CIS 146 • Microcomputer Applications

Jefferson State Community College • Shelby-Hoover Campus • Spring 2016

Instructor Information: Mr. Tommy Battles
Office Health Sciences Building Room 427
Office Hours See Weekly Schedule
E-mail tbattles (at mark) @jeffersonstate.edu

Catalog Course Description This course is an introduction to the most common microcomputer software applications. These software packages should include typical features of applications, such as word processing, spreadsheets, database management, and presentation software. Upon completion, students will be able to utilize selected features of these packages.

Prerequisite None (keyboarding skills recommended). However, students who are extremely uncomfortable or unfamiliar with computers should consider enrolling in an introductory keyboarding or computer navigation class, both of which are offered by the Office Administration (OAD) department at Jefferson State. Students wanting a deeper understanding of computer concepts along with basic coverage of application software should consider taking CIS 130 (Introduction to Information Systems).

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.

Microsoft Office 2013: Introductory by Misty E. Vermaat (SAM 2013 is not used in this section of CIS 146). ISBN-10: 1-285-16602-7 (softcover), 1-285-16605-1 (softcover spiral-bound), or 1-285-16603-5 (hardcover spiral-bound). ISBN-13: 978-1-285-16602-5 (softcover), 978-1-285-16605-6 (softcover spiral-bound), or 978-1-285-16603-2 (hardcover spiral-bound).

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 four programs from Microsoft Office 2013 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access) in the Windows 7 environment (the figures in the textbook use Windows 8 instead). This software is installed in your CIS 146 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 and Access 2013 are available through this program; Word, PowerPoint, 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, 2010, or 2016 for Windows; 2008, 2011, or 2016 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 This course will deal with general terminology of computers and specific application areas as well as the tools provided in Microsoft Office 2013 for each area. Assignments and examinations may emphasize concepts and / or the ability to accomplish specific tasks with an application. Some class meetings will be devoted to demonstration of the tools used to complete assignments; others will allow students to work individually on assignments.

Schedule The following is a tentative schedule of lectures (see the calendar for other dates, including deadlines):

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

Item Number / Points Total Pts.
Windows 2 @ 10 pts. each 20
Classwork 10 @ 15 pts. each 150
Homework 10 @ 30 pts. each 300
Exams 5 @ 150 pts. each, 1 drop 600
Total Points 1000+

Assignments The first two assignments will focus on computer terminology and the elements of Windows 7. 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 chapter 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 The first examination will require knowledge of computer terminology and the ability to complete tasks in Windows 7; questions may be multiple-choice, true / false, and / or matching. The other examinations will focus on specific programs in Microsoft Office and the ability to generate documents according to specific instructions. 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).

These are the tentative examination dates:

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 with classwork assignments 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. Following along as another student completes a homework assignment is prohibited.

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, visors, headphones, and earbuds 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.