CSC 125 / U09
Introduction to Computing
Section 1W1 - ONLINE ONLY 



Dr. Andrew Pounds, 


Office: 		 Rm. 332 Willett Science Center, (478) 301-5627 


e-mail: 		 pounds_aj@mercer.edu 


IM: 		 DrPounds 


Home Phone: 		  (478) 750-9251 (No calls after 8 PM EST) 


Office Hours: 		 Chat sessions arranged upon request.


CSC 125 is the introductory course to computing systems with emphasis on the central processing unit, memory, input and output devices, data communications, operating systems, computer software, programming concepts, and the impact of computers on society. Students will learn to use popular software packages for word processing, spreadsheets, data base systems, organization, and presentation. Students will also be exposed to the most basic concepts of programming in a high level computing language.

While no prior computing experience is required, students in CSC 125 are expected to read at the college level and also demonstrate math competency.

Upon completion of this course, a student will demonstrate competence in each of the following areas:

  1. Describe the hardware components of a computer system and be able to explain the role of each component in the integrated computer system,
  2. Describe the components of a computer network and explain how each piece functions in connecting one to other computers on the network and to the Internet and WWW,
  3. Use the WWW in a sophisticated manner to conduct research on a given topic,
  4. Use the Windows XP or Vista operating system,
  5. Use Office 2007 application software for word processing, spreadsheets, database systems, and WWW page generation.
  6. Use Office 2007 application software to carry out common tasks in academic and business environments. This includes, but is not limited to, research papers, graphing, and financial calculations.
  7. Understand the very basic function and purpose of a high level programming language through the use of instructional tools used to teach object oriented programming. 


Class Meeting Times and Locations 


Lecture: 		 None.   


Chat: 		 Time arranged with other classmates and professor.   





Course Materials 


Grauer,  Exploring Office 2007: Volume 1, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. 

MyITLab access key, (purchased with textbook or independently)1

Office 2007 (Including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access).  Availableat a discount through Mercer University 


A computer running the capable of running the above programs (MyITLab will not work with MacOS or Linux) 


An Internet connection 





Course Structure

Since this is an online course, you are ultimately responsible for learning the material in a timely manner yourself. The good news is that the course tools have been chosen to greatly enhance your abilities to pick up the material without the instructor having to intervene. My major role in this process is to build the learning environment where you have the best chance for success. There are four required deliverables for the course. You must complete
  1. The MyITLab Online Exams
  2. BlackBoard Capstone Assignments
  3. The Projects
  4. The Online Final Exam
There is A LOT of material to be covered in this class - and it will seem very daunting at first to think that you are going to complete all of this on your own. However, you will quickly find that some of the assignments and exercises will take you less than fifteen minutes. Others, however, might take hours. Because I think each of you is the best manager of your time, I want to make things flexible. For that reason, I will open just about everything at the beginning of the semester so you can start completing assignments, training, and exams. To help you stay on track, I will post weekly due dates for the capstone assignments and the MyITLab work. While the online exams will be graded immediately, the capstone exercises and projects have to be graded by me. Once we pass the due date, I will grade the assignments submitted to me and update the BlackBoard gradebook.

Don't get behind. This course moves VERY fast and there is a lot of material to cover in our five weeks together.

Capstone assignments will be submitted via the BlackBoard dropbox. You will also find the directions for the assignment and any needed files at the dropbox. Assignments will be graded on completeness and correctness using the following scale: 3 - perfect, 2 - minor errors or omissions, 1 - major errors of omissions, 0 - not submitted. Late assignments will receive a grade of zero.

In addition, three projects will be submitted for grading. More information about the project will be given later. 


Grading 



MyITLab Based Exams
30%



Submitted Capstone Assignments
30%



Projects
30%



Final Exam
10%



 
 



Total Possible
100% pts







 		 The following grading scale is assured but may be slightly lowered based on test results. 

A 		 $\geq$90%

B 		 $\geq$80%

C 		 $\geq$70%

D 		 $\geq$60%

F 		 $<$60% pts

I have been instructed by the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts to inform online students that there will be no incomplete final grades awarded in an online course. At the end of the term students will receive grades based on the work submitted. 


General Information

Honor Code: All students in CSC 125 are expected to adhere to the Mercer University Honor Code. Any suspected violations will be reported to the Honor Council for further investigation.

Many students have difficulty in determining how to apply the Mercer honor code to an online course. A few general guidelines should help you in deciding whether you are violating the honor code or not.

  1. You are allowed to receive help on your capstone exercises from other students, provided the purpose of the help is to help you understand your own work better, not to do your work.

  2. You are NOT allowed to use copies of work submitted by other students, or copies of documents from published sources unless otherwise noted.

  3. You MAY NOT collaborate on or discuss the online exams in any way.

Any violation of the above policies will be treated as academic dishonesty and a violation of the Mercer Honor Code.

Attendance: Every syllabus is supposed to state the professors attendance policy. Hmm. I don't have an attendance policy for my online course. You will be expected, however, to participate an any pre-arranged chat sessions. Missing more than one chat session will result in a 5% reduction of the final grade. If you know that you are going to miss a chat session, contact me and let me know.

Online Quizzes: The due date for each deliverable is clearly marked in the this syllabus, in MyITLab, or on the BlackBoard calendar. With the exception of the pre-test and the final, you are allowed to repeat an online multiple choice quiz up to 10 times. If you repeat a quiz, your best score will be recorded. Once the exam availability time expires, you will no longer be able to access it - even if you only took it once, or never took it.

Partial Credit: No partial credit is available on the online quizzes.

E-mail: All e-mail will be sent through normal internet e-mail protocols. With the exception of specific announcements related to either the BlackBoard or MyITLab interface, these computer interfaces will not be used for general class announcements.

E-mail Listserve: I maintain an e-mail listserve which I use use copiously to send information to the class and which you can use to communicate with each other. To sign up for the listserve and to learn how to send information to it, please go to: http://theochem.mercer.edu/mailman/listinfo/csc125.

Web Site: A Website for the course will be maintained at http://theochem.mercer.edu/csc125. In addition, the BlackBoard site as well as te MyITLab site will be maintained and students will be expected to access them to retrieve information about assignments and to submit assignments.

Re-grading Policy: If a student suspects that an error was made in the grading of a submitted work, they should contact me for re-grading with the understanding that the entire work will be re-graded and not only the portion in question.

MyITLab Reset Policy: If a hardware or software error occurs during the completion of an online MyITLab exam, you may ask me to reset it so you can take the entire exam over again. You will be limited to 10 reset requests over the course of the term.

Posting of Grades: Grades will be periodically posted to BlackBoard.

American Disability Act: ``Students with a documented disability must inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting. The instructor will refer you to the Student Support Services office for consultation regarding evaluation, documentation of your disability, and a recommendation as to the accommodation, if any, to be provided. Students must provide instructors with an accommodation form from Student Support Services listing reasonable accommodation to sign and return to Student Support Services. The Student Support Services office is located on the 3rd floor of the Conned Student Center. If you do NOT consult with the instructor and follow up at the Student Support Services office during the first two weeks of classes, as provided above, you will thereby waive any claim to a disability and the right to any accommodation pertaining thereto.''

Electronic Submission of Materials: ``Students bear sole responsibility for ensuring that papers or assignments submitted electronically to a professor are received in a timely manner and in the electronic format(s) specified by the professor. Students are therefore obliged to have their e-mail client issue a receipt verifying that the document has been received. Students are also strongly advised to retain a copy of the dated submission on a separate disk. Faculty members are encouraged, but not required, to acknowledge receipt of the assignment.''

Tentative Class Schedule

Week of Topic
May 26 Complete Getting Started with MyITLab
  Take MyITLab Pre-Test
  Install Alice 2.2 on Home Computer
  Start Project 1 - Alice
  Start Word 2007 1-4
May 31 Complete Word 2007 1-4 (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 3)
  Start Excel 2007 1-4
  Start Project 2 - Condo Computer Design Document
June 7 Complete Excel 2007 1-4 (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 10)
  Complete Project 1 - Alice (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 12)
  Start Access 2007 1-4
June 14 Start Project 3 - Drug Database
  Complete Access 2007 1-4 (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 17)
  Start PowerPoint 2007
June 21 Complete Project 2 - Design Document (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 23)
  Complete PowerPoint 2007 1-4 (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 24)
  Complete Project 3 - Drug Database (Due 11:59 pm EDT, June 25)
  FINAL EXAM (June 26)

Final Notes: I am often asked how to best cover the material in this class. While you can do things in any order, I do recommend covering topics sequentially. In other words, don't attempt Excel 3 before you complete Excel 2 - do them in order. You can, however do the major topics an any order you want. For example - you could do Access before you do Excel - or you could even do them at the same time.

Now, as far as ``learning'' a topic, the preferred method is to

  1. Read through the chapter and try and pick up the major pieces
  2. Complete the MyITLab training for the chapter
  3. Complete the MyITLab Exams for the chapter
  4. Review what you missed on the multiple choice exam and take it a second time to improve your score
  5. Complete the assigned capstone exercise in BlackBoard

You will be required to take a MyITLab Pre-Test (which will not count toward your grade but which will unlock the remaining exams) and final Post-Test will be your final exam for the course.

Please review the information on the BlackBoard site or the class website for further information on MyITLab.

About this document ...

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Footnotes

... independently)1
Do not try to buy these off of Ebay, half.com, or any other discount source - they are locked to a specific person, class, and school and will be useless if ``used''. You can buy the book used, and then try and buy the key separately, or buy the bundle, including key and textbook, through the Mercer bookstore at what appears to be a ``bargain''.

Andrew J. Pounds 2009-05-24