SYLLABUS FOR APPLICATIONS
IN SPREADSHEETS: EXCEL
Term: Spring, 2004-2005
(042) (January 10 - April 23, 2005)
Course Number: CIS 252a
Instructor: Mr. Darren Henderson
Office
Phone: (219) 473-4346
E-mail: dhenderson@ccsj.edu
Office
Hours: Monday
12:00
p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday 3:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m.
Instructor
Background:
Darren Henderson earned a
B. S. in Engineering from Purdue University Calumet and a M. S. in Electrical
Engineering from Purdue University with a specialty in Communications and
Signal Processing. His undergraduate
curriculum was characterized by a strong emphasis in mathematics and physics
including courses in Advanced Calculus, Partial Differential Equations, Complex
Analysis, Advanced Analysis, Electromagnetic Field Theory, Optics, and Quantum
Mechanics. As his undergraduate senior
design team project, Darren worked on a prototype for a home security and
convenience system that provided a speech synthesis capability. His task was to write the assembly language
software for the Motorola HC11 microcontroller and to work with the Texas
Instruments speech synthesis chip.
Darren’s graduate coursework included courses in Digital Communications,
Digital Signal Processing, Image Processing, Computer Networks, and Estimation
Theory.
Darren joined the
Computer Information Systems Program at Calumet College of St. Joseph in
1995. He regularly teaches the courses
C Programming I and II, Hardware and Software Concepts, and Data Communications
and Networking Theory. In addition to
his teaching activities, Darren has worked for CCSJ's Computer Services Department. He used his engineering background and
skills to help lay the groundwork for the school's existing computer network
and services. He was responsible for
initially creating the faculty and staff e-mail accounts and for making the
school's computers (faculty, staff, and 4th floor computer labs)
Internet accessible. His duties
involved Unix/Linux and Windows NT System Administration and TCP/IP Network
Administration in support of DNS, DHCP, WWW, and e-mail services. He was also responsible for implementing an
early firewall to protect the school's Univers database system from
unauthorized access. He currently is
working on ways of integrating the Blackboard 5 e-learning environment into his
courses at CCSJ.
Before
his tenure at CCSJ, Darren was an adjunct instructor in the Electronics
Technology Department at Ivy Tech State College in Valparaiso. He taught a multitude of courses including:
Circuits I and II, Solid State I and II, Digital Principals, Digital
Applications, and Electricity for HVAC.
His current research interests
are in C++ programming, software engineering for Internet applications, and
network security.
Course
Time: Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Room 418
Course
Description: This course is a thorough treatment of spreadsheet
concepts in a business context. Students
will use the various features of Microsoft Excel for practical business
applications including budgeting, charting, loan amortization, and data
analysis.
Learning
Outcomes/ Competencies:
Students in this
course will:
·
demonstrate the effective use of formulas
and built-in functions in spreadsheets.
·
understand the differences between absolute
and relative cell addressing.
·
build various types of charts (e.g. pie,
line, bar) to graphically display spreadsheet data.
·
employ the various methods (e.g. goal
seeking, data tables) in Excel to perform “what-if” analysis.
·
use Excel’s database capabilities.
·
use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
programming and macros for automation.
·
import data into Excel
·
create PivotTables and PivotCharts to
represent and analyze data
Textbook:
Microsoft
Excel 2003: Comprehensive Concepts and Techniques,
Shelly and Cashman, Course Technology, Boston, MA, 2004. (ISBN 0-619-20034-0)
Learning
Strategies:
The course material is
presented through a combination of lecture and instructor-led software
demonstrations. Students develop
software proficiency through collaborative learning laboratory experiences and
through the completion of hands-on assignments and projects.
Assessment:
The student’s
grade is computed using the weights shown below:
Class Exercises/Homework 40%
Midterm
Exam 30%
Final Exam 30%
------
100%
Class
Policy for Assignments/Exams:
Homework problems will be assigned throughout the
duration of the term. Homework will be collected generally two weeks from the date assigned. Students are required to submit homework in both hardcopy and electronic form. Late
homework is subject to an automatic
deduction to be determined by the
instructor. All LATE Homework
received after 12 p.m. (NOON) on April 14, 2005 (i.e. Week #14)
will NOT be considered for credit and will result in an assigned score of zero.
Students are expected to submit their own
independently created solutions to any and all exams, class exercises, and
homework assignments. Therefore, the
sharing of computer solution files and/or the misrepresentation of someone
else’s work as your own is prohibited.
Any student found violating this policy will be given a zero grade
for that particular assignment or activity.
Repeated violators of this policy are subject to further consequences
including receiving a failing grade for the course.
The official class policy is that there is NO MAKE-UP EXAMS, however in
recognition of the occasional personal and/or family emergency that may
occur during the semester, a make-up exam may
be granted provided all
the following conditions are met:
1)
The
instructor is notified of the make-up exam request by the student on or before the
scheduled exam date.
2)
A
suitable alternate time convenient to the instructor can be arranged.
3)
The
missed scheduled exam must be made-up within
one-week of the scheduled exam date.
The granting of make-up exams is NOT an entitlement
but is a courtesy granted to the student by the instructor. If this courtesy is abused by a particular
student or the class as a whole, then the privilege may be revoked.
A missed midterm or final exam will be
assigned a score of zero.
Exams may consist of up to two separate parts or
components. Part I (if present) will
cover general concepts and terminology and will be administered closed book and closed notes. Part II will be a “hands-on” or
“computer-based” portion which will be administered open book and open notes.
The function of the homework assignments and
class/laboratory exercises is that they serve as exam preparation. The function of the exams is to confirm that
the student has achieved the required level of proficiency.
Grading
Scale:
A: 93-100 A-: 90-92 B+: 87-89 B: 83-86 B-:
80-82 C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72 D+: 67-69
D: 63-66 D-: 60-62
F: 59 & below
Class
Policy on Attendance/Class Exercises:
Attendance will be taken for administrative
purposes. Although class attendance
does NOT account for a percentage of
the assigned semester grade, it is vital that students attend the class
sessions on a regular basis in order to be informed of any important class
announcements, any deviations from the course outline below, and of any
supplemental material presented.
However, class/lab attendance and participation is
used as a factor in deciding borderline cases.
(if applicable)
Periodically throughout the term, class exercises
may be given during the class session to reinforce the course concepts
and material. The class exercises are
intended as a formative learning experience for the student and are to be
completed and reviewed by the instructor in-class. Therefore, frequent absences may result in the student
failing to receive credit for the class exercise component of the course.
Class
Policy on Electronic Devices:
As a matter of courtesy to the instructor and to
fellow students, cell phones, beepers, pagers, etc. are generally NOT to be
answered in class and should be switched off BEFORE class begins. If it is absolutely necessary to receive a
call during the class period, then the device should be placed in a “vibrate”
mode and the student should answer the call outside the classroom so as to
minimize disruptions to the learning environment.
|
WEEK
1 |
1/13/2005 |
Syllabus/Course
Policies Project 1 (Creating a Worksheet and an Embedded Chart) Project 2 (Formulas, Functions, Formatting, and Web
Queries) |
|
WEEK
2 |
1/20 |
Blackboard 6 Introduction/Accounts/Digital
Dropbox Project 3 (What-If
Analysis, Charting, and Working with Large Worksheets) |
|
WEEK
3 |
1/27 |
Project 4 (Financial
Functions, Data Tables, Amortization Schedules, and Hyperlinks) |
|
WEEK
4 |
2/03 |
CLASS EXERCISE/OPEN SESSION |
|
WEEK
5 |
2/10 |
Midterm
Exam Review |
|
WEEK
6 |
2/17 |
Midterm
Exam |
|
WEEK
7 |
2/24 |
Project 5 (Creating,
Sorting, and Querying a List) |
|
WEEK
8 |
3/03 |
Project 6 (Creating
Templates and Working with Multiple Worksheets and Workbooks) |
|
WEEK
9 |
3/10 |
CLASS EXERCISE/OPEN SESSION |
|
WEEK
10 |
3/17 |
Project 7 (Using Macros and Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA) with Excel) |
|
WEEK
11 |
3/24 |
Project 9 (Importing Data, Working with XML,
PivotCharts, PivotTables, and Trendlines) |
|
WEEK
12 |
3/31 |
CLASS EXERCISE/OPEN SESSION |
|
WEEK
13 |
4/07 |
NO CLASS – Easter Recess |
|
WEEK
14 |
4/14 |
Final
Exam Review |
|
WEEK
15 |
4/21 |
Final
Exam |
Class
Participation:
See "Class Policy on Attendance" above
Center
for Academic Excellence:
Tutoring
assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. The Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) has
experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who
are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do
better. Regular weekly tutoring
sessions are likely to improve your grade.
In addition to the face-to-face tutoring offered by the Center, online
tutoring is available for students whose schedules do not permit them to meet
with a tutor in person. Call the Center
for Academic Excellence at (219) 473-4287, to schedule a tutoring appointment
or for additional information about how to access online tutoring assistance.
Academic
Alerts:
In order to
assist students to successfully persist towards course completion, Calumet
College of St. Joseph asks instructors to give a written evaluation in the form
of an Academic Alert at the end of the 5th and 10th weeks
of the semester (Fall and Spring) for any students performing below “C” average
work. The current practice is to have
the instructor hand-deliver the alert to the student if possible otherwise the
alert is forwarded to the CCSJ Academic Advising office where it is then
delivered to the student via the U.S Postal Service. The intent of the academic alert system is to notify the student
of substandard performance so that they may take steps to rectify the situation
(e.g. tutoring through the Center for Academic Excellence) However, students should realize that NOT
receiving an Academic Alert on week #5 or week #10 is NOT a guarantee of NOT
receiving a grade below a “C” for the semester since a student’s assigned
semester grade depends on the student’s performance during all 15 weeks of the
semester.
Statement
of Plagiarism:
If an instructor or other Calumet College of St.
Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in
another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may
elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any
form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for
judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses
student grievances.
Please note:
Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and
may be submitted for checks on plagiarism from the Internet/Electronic
sources/Databases.
Citation
Guidelines:
Calumet College
of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular
discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.). All of these guidelines are available in the
Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of
sources, including electronic media.
School Closing Information:
Internet:
http://www.ccsj.edu
http://www.EmergencyClosings.com
Facility:
Calumet College of St. Joseph
Phone:
219.473.4770
Radio:
WAKE
– 1500 AM
WGN - 720 AM
WIJE
– 105.5 FM
WLS
– 890 AM
WZVN
– 107.1 FM
WBBM
NEWS RADIO 78
TV Channels:
2,
5, 7, 9 (WGN), 32 (WFLD)
Withdrawal
from Classes Policy:
After the last
day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw
from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty
member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the
withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. The Registrar must receive written
request for withdrawal by the last day of classes prior to the final
examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to
the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to
make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is
forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or
deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive
notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate
why the withdrawal is disallowed.
An official
withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript.
Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an
"F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).