CIS 115
COMPUTER LITERACY
SYLLABUS
Term: Fall, 2006
Instructor: Kurt Jordan
Office: 514
Office Phone: 473-4290
E-mail: kjordan@ccsj.edu
Office Hours:
To be arranged and by appointment
Course Time: Asynchronous – arranged as needed
Course Description: The course introduces the student to computer and information systems. Topics covered will include computer hardware, software and the Internet. Microsoft Office will be used to introduce students to the fundamentals of word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Outcomes
After completion of this course, you will be able to:
· Identify the major components of a computer and describe their purpose and functions
· Use a personal computer and its Graphical User Interface (GUI) effectively
· Perform common file management tasks on a computer
· Use word processing software at a basic-level
· Use presentation graphics software at a basic-level
· Use spreadsheet software at a basic-level
Describe the Internet and the World Wide Web
· Use a WWW browser at a basic level
· Use the Internet effectively as a source of information
Create, send, and retrieve electronic mail
Textbooks:
Microsoft Windows XP: Introductory Concepts and Techniques, Shelly, Cashman, and Forsythe, Course Technology, Cambridge, MA, 2002. (ISBN 0-7895-6418-1)
Microsoft Office 2003: Essential Concepts and Techniques, Shelly, Cashman, and Vermaat, Course Technology, Boston, MA, 2004. (ISBN: 0-619-20021-9)
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6: Introductory Concepts and Techniques, Shelly, Cashman, and Forsythe, Course Technology, Cambridge, MA, 2002. (ISBN: 0-7895-6515-3)
Learning Strategies:
The course material is presented through a combination of self-study, readings, and student-paced software demonstrations. You will develop software proficiency through the completion of self-paced laboratory exercises and through supplemental homework assignments and projects as required. Each week’s concepts will be presented in the form of textbook material, supplemental readings provided by the instructor, and hands-on exercises that reinforce the concepts. You should expect to turn in about one assignment per week.
Although there is no regularly scheduled class meeting, on-line office hours will be available through the Blackboard Electronic Classroom facilities. Days and times of the sessions will be arranged so that the majority of students in the class can attend. Attendance at these is optional. Logs will be generated of the classroom sessions and made available for viewing by all students in this course. Feel free to use these sessions to ask questions. Of course, you may also use electronic mail to ask questions.
Research Paper
You will research and write one paper for this course. You may select a topic from the following list or select your own topic with the instructor's approval. The paper is to be prepared using these requirements:
o Only 1 Internet reference (Web page) will be accepted. Try looking at current magazines or journals for material. Most libraries have current computing magazine subscriptions.
Suggested paper topics:
Be sure to cite your references. Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and may be submitted for checks on plagiarism.
Assessment:
Final grades are computed using the weights shown below:
Class Exercises/Homework Assignments/paper 40%
Exams/Quizes 60%
Class Policy for assignments, exams, etc.
The official class policy is that there are NO MAKE-UP EXAMS unless arrangements have been made with the instructor prior to the exam.
Most due dates for assignment, papers, etc. will be Sunday evening at 11.59 pm the week they are assigned.
You are expected to submit your own work. 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 may be given a zero grade for that particular assignment or activity, or an F for the course, at the instructor’s discretion.
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 Schedule
Week 1 Introduction to Course, Computer hardware components
Week 2 Computer software and file structures
Week 3 Windows XP Project 1, Research Topics selected by now
Week 4 Windows XP Project 2
Week 5 Exam - Computer hardware/software, Windows XP projects 1 and 2
Week 6 Windows XP Project 3
Week 7 Windows XP Project 3
Week 8 Internet Explorer Project 1
Week 9 Internet Explorer Project 2
Week 10 Internet Explorer Project 3 (Only up to page 171)
Week 11 Exam - Windows XP project 3, Internet Explorer
Week 12 Microsoft Word 2003 - project 1
Week 13 Excel 2003 - project 1
Week 14 PowerPoint 2003 - project 1, Research Paper due
Week 15 Exam Office 2003
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.
Statement of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is defined as the act of appropriating (copying) the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages from that composition, and passing the material off as one's own creation. This definition is expanded to include paraphrasing of another author’s materials. If a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor may give an F for the assignment or for the entire course and/or may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review, at the instructor's discretion. 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. Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and may be submitted for checks on plagiarism.