Instructor: Semester: Fall
2008
Office: Room: Tapley
226
Phone: Section/Class Time:
Instructor
E-mail: Office
Hours:
CIS
100 Zone web site: www.spelman.edu/~compsci/cis100
WebCT
Login Page: webct.spelman.edu
Textbook
Companion web site:
www.prenhall.com/techinaction
Course
Description
This course is designed to
give students an understanding of how a computer works its capabilities,
limitations, and applications. It includes system components, societal impact,
applications, programming concepts, and the use of software packages. This course
or its equivalent is required of all students. This course has no prerequisite.
Students will learn basic through intermediate computer concepts with an
emphasis on the personal computer and its practical use, including hardware,
application and system software, the Internet and World Wide Web,
communications, database management, e-commerce, and computers in society.
Purpose
(Rationale)
The purpose of this course is
to give students from diverse liberal arts disciplines an understanding of how
a computer works. More specifically, you will learn about the system
components, societal impact, programming concepts, applications, and various
software packages. We will study and use six different software packages that
are indicative of the type of software used on the typical computer system.
These packages include a WWW browser, a web page designer, a word processor,
presentation software, a spreadsheet, and a database application. The course
serves as the required computer literacy component of the general education
curriculum.
GOALS (OBJECTIVES)
At the end of this course,
you will be able to:
·
Understand and
state the importance of computer literacy.
·
Understand and
explain what computers are and how they work, including the fetch-execute
cycle, terminology such as ``memory'' and ``storage,'' and the ideas of
networks.
·
Understand and
explain the importance, versatility, and pervasiveness of computers.
·
Make informed and
reasonable purchases of computer hardware and software.
·
Recognize and
describe the impact that computers are having on our society and the potential
for positive and negative changes.
·
Demonstrate
proficient use of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, and MS FrontPage.
Justification for the Fourth Credit Unit
There
are three projects that require extensive research and outside class activities,
and are 40% of the final grade.
1.
Buying a Computer - The purpose of this
project is to assist the student in purchasing a computer. The student will
learn how to configure a system based on their needs and make a cost effective
decision. The student will access Internet sources and literature and will also
be required to consult a computer professional or computer store sales person.
2.
Career Project - The purpose of the
Career Project is to learn/understand what computer skills are needed/required
in their chosen profession. Students will be required to do research on three
Business Enterprises or Academic Institutions conducive to their major or
future career. The student will prepare a 3-5 page website, and be prepared to it to the class in a 2-3 minute
oral presentation.
3.
Final Comprehensive
Project
- The purpose of this project is to integrate skills from four applications;
word processor, spreadsheet, database, and web page design.
Spelman College CIS 100 Introduction to Computers, Custom Edition by Iretta Kearse, Scott Anderson, Charles Hardnett, Alfred Watkins
The publisher has temporarily posted the first two chapters on the internet for student viewing until they are able to complete the fulfillment of the custom orders currently in process.
These files are watermarked and the print function has been disabled. There is no need for a password.
Students can access these files by opening their browsers to www.prenhall.com
and selecting "Computing: Concepts" from the drop down menu of "Texts & Technology" on the right at the top. Next select View Chapters under the book Technology in Action, Complete, 4/e.
Students can save the file to their hard drive but will have difficulty trying to email or print these files.
CIS100
Introduction to Computers Lab Book by
(Available in the Computer Science Department office,
Removable Disk Storage Devices
One
128 MB (or larger)
One Zip disk (100 MB or 250
MB): to use for backing up assignments.
GRADING
There will be at lest six
in-class tests, three of which cover material in the textbook, and three which
require you to demonstrate proficiency using the application software. In
addition, there may be frequent quizzes on book and lecture material. There
will be six applications assignments, in which you use the word processing,
spreadsheet, and database software. There will be two projects Buying a
Computer and Career. Lastly, there will be one Final Lab Project or Final
Comprehensive Exam according to the published institution Final Exam Schedule.
The instructor will announce any other assignments.
The final grade for the
course will be computed based on the following categories and weights. The
student must retain ALL returned graded work in case there is any question
about grading.
|
Grading By
Assignment Weight 10% Attendance, Class Participation, Homework 25% In-class tests 25% Application Assignments 20% Projects: Buying the Computer and Career Project 20% Comprehensive Final Project or Comprehensive Final Exam |
Grade By Minimum Total Percentage A 94% A- 90% B+ 88% B 84% B- 80% C+ 78% C 74% C- 70% D+ 68% D 64% D- 60% F 0% |
COURSE POLICIES
Any acts of classroom disruption
that go beyond the normal rights of students to question and discuss with
instructors the educational process relative to subject content will not be
tolerated, in accordance with the Academic Code of Conduct described in the
Student Handbook.
Only in extreme cases are
children allowed in classroom or laboratory facilities, and then only with
approval of the instructor prior to class.
Cellular phones, pagers, CD
players, radios, and similar devices are prohibited in the classroom and
laboratory facilities. Calculators, cellular phones, personal computers,
pagers, CD players, radios, and similar devices are prohibited during
examinations and quizzes, unless specified. Reasonable laptop-size computers
may be used in lecture for the purpose of taking notes.
Examination and Quiz Policy
Six announced examinations,
and no more than five unannounced quizzes may be given. No make-up exams will
be allowed without prior arrangements being made. Make-up exams must be taken
when scheduled. No unannounced quiz make-ups. Quizzes are usually given at the
beginning of a lecture. Students who
arrive late will not be permitted to take an unannounced quiz.
·
Preparing for Assignments:
Follow the directions carefully.
It's amazing how many students lose points on assignments because they forgot
to do something. If the directions say to put your name in A1 and make it bold,
do it. Given that the grade sheets are online, you can look at it before you
turn your work in. There should be no question about the grade you receive.
Start the assignments early, sometimes you may run into something you don't
understand. If you run into it the night before it's due, you'll have no
recourse. All of your assignment submissions will be via WebCT. Don’t forget
your WebCT ID, and don’t share your password with anyone.
·
Preparing for Examinations:
Students should attend
lecture and read the chapters. At least 90% of the questions are taken directly
from the reading material and WebCT course practice and review tests. Complete
every Chapter Review and Key Terms sections at the end of the chapters on which
you are being tested.
·
In Case You Are Late or
Absent:
Assignments
will NOT be accepted more than five (5) days late. Late assignments are
penalized 25% per day.
It
is your responsibility to get the course notes, handouts, and laboratory
assignments should you miss class or be late. In nearly every case, lecture
notes will be available in the WebCT CIS100 course.
Students
are required to be present and on time for each class and are responsible for
all material covered in class whether they are present or absent. The
instructor may withdraw students with excessive unexcused absences. An excuse
from the Office of Undergraduate Studies will only be honored for absences more
than one week, and only the instructor can approve make-up assignments
regardless of the length of absence. There will be a 10-point penalty applied
to the score on all make-up tests.
To
appeal a grade, send an e-mail to your instructor's e-mail address within one
week of the grade having been received. Overdue appeals will not be considered.
Incomplete Policy
Students
will not be given an incomplete grade in the course without sound reason and documented
evidence as described in the Student Handbook. In any case, for a student to
receive an incomplete, he or she must be passing and must have completed a
significant portion of the course.
Academic Integrity (Cheating
Policy)
At Spelman College, academic
dishonesty includes but is not limited to submitting work that is not one's
own, cheating on quizzes, tests, mid-term and final examinations, and
plagiarism. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in
accordance with the policy on academic honesty in the
Students are expected to
uphold the
In addition to the rules
explicitly stated in this syllabus, students shall be governed by the rules of
Students shall be guilty
of violating the honor code if they:
1.
Represent the
work of others as their own.
2.
Use or obtain
unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
3.
Give unauthorized
assistance to other students.
4.
Modify, without
instructor approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the purpose
of obtaining additional credit.
5.
Misrepresent the
content of submitted work.
The penalty for violating the
honor code is severe. Any student violating the honor code is subject to
receive a failing grade for the course and will be reported to the Office of
Student Affairs. If a student is unclear about whether a particular situation
may constitute an honor code violation, the student should meet with the
instructor to discuss the situation.
For this class, it is
permissible to assist classmates in general discussions of computing
techniques. General advice and interaction are encouraged. Each person,
however, must develop his or her own solutions to the assigned homework and
laboratory exercises. Students may not "work together" on graded
assignments. Such collaboration constitutes cheating, unless it is a grouped
assignment. A student may not use or copy (by any means) another's work (or
portions of it) and represent it as his/her own. If you need help on an
assignment, contact your instructor or the TA, not other classmates.
Disabilities Policy
In compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this
course are entitled to “reasonable accommodations.” Please notify the
instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the
course.
Laboratory Policy
Although the homework and
laboratory assignments comprise approximately 30% of a grade, a student can
receive a final grade no greater than a D if more than five homework or
laboratory assignments are not handed in. Homework and laboratory assignments
receiving less than a 50% score are considered not turned in.
TUTOR ASSISTANCE
TAs
will be available in class on designated days and during posted tutoring hours.
You may also receive tutoring in the Learning Services office in Giles 107. TAs
and Tutor Assistants are responsible for answering your specific
homework/laboratory questions, not completing the work for you.
CONSULTANT ASSISTANCE
Consultants in the open lab
are on duty to assist you with hardware and software problems. If your computer
malfunctions or your printer is out of paper, go to the main desk and ask a
consultant for help. The consultants are not laboratory assistants and,
therefore, are not responsible for answering specific homework/laboratory
questions.
VIEWING YOUR CIS 100 GRADES
1. Click the CIS100 course
listed on your My WebCT page.
2. Click on the Student
Tools link
3. Click on the My Progress
link
It is your responsibility to check grades throughout the semester and
report grade discrepancies to your instructor.
You are expected to read each assigned
chapter prior to the lecture.
Weekly homework
assignments are due (typed and stapled) in-class immediately BEFORE lecture begins (first 10 minutes
of class) the following week.
For
example, Week 1 assignments are due at the beginning of the first Week 2
lecture. Homework assignments handed in after lecture begins are considered
late.
Make sure your name, student
ID, and chapter number appear in the upper-RIGHT corner. If an exercise has
multiple sheets, then staple them together (before class). Do not staple
different weekly homework assignments together. Disorganized homework
assignments (pages out of order, mislabeled, unreadable, etc.) will receive a
grade of zero. If there are multiple sheets to be handed in, then sequence them
according to the order you were told to print them in the exercise.
Weekly application
assignments are due via WebCT one (1) hour BEFORE
your class time on the due date.
For
example, Section 01 (
No assignments will be
accepted more than FOUR (4) working days late. Late
assignments are penalized 25% per day.
You should plan to spend
at lest six to eight hours each week on reading, homework, application
assignments, and projects.