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Syllabus
TEXT BOOKs:
"Exploring
MS Office 2007 3rd Edition " by R.T. Grauer,
Pearson Prentice Hall, ISBN-13: 978-0-13-506250-0
"GO! with Microsoft Windows XP Getting Started:, by S. Gaskin,et. all, Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0132318393
RECOMMENDED TEXT BOOKs:
"Introductory Technology in Action 8th Edition", by A. Evans, K. Martin, and M. Poatsy, Prentice Hall, ISBN 0-13-139158-5
INSTRUCTOR: Dr.
Grewe
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment M 1-2pm, T 12pm-12:30pm, Th 12pm-12:30pm, Via phone, internet by appointment.
DESCRIPTION: See Catalog: Computers, their
use and place in modern society. Computer organization and hardware,
computer software. Introduction to use of the computer, operating
system commands, word processing, database management, other applications,
and computer programming. Internet and its use. Ethical and societal
issues.
OUTCOMES: Below are some of the outcomes
of this course:
- Learn about Computers & their use
- Computer Organization and Architecture
- Introduction to Computer Network & Internet & Web
- Hands-on experiences with various Computer Applications including: Office XP, MS Word, Excell, and Powerpoint.
RESOURCES: Our classroom has the MS Office applicaitons and other applications installed on it. The library and other open computer labs may also have this same software. You must bring your book to class with you to do projects!!!! YOU MUST ALSO bring your USB stick
COMPUTERS, SKILLS AND PRE-REQUISITES: The
students will be asked to work on projects that require computer
access outside of class time. See catalog for pre-requisites include
Prerequisite: Satisfaction of the Entry Level Math (ELM) requirement.
No prior computer experience necessary; course recomcomputers and how
to use them. All Projects either turned in AS DIRECTED mended for
students of any major who want to learn about ON THE
project statement. This typically includes both print as well
as electronically. You must h\ave your name, the date, and course
name at the top of the first page. Staple multiple pages and make
sure your work is neat and legible. The campus BlackBoard system
will be used.
GENERAL GUIDELINES: Projects either turned
in AS DIRECTED ON THE project statement. This typically includes
demonstration and may include both print as well as electronically. On anything you turn in you must have your name,
the date, and course name at the top of the first page. SEE LATE
POLICY BELOW. Staple multiple pages and make sure your work is
neat and legible. You will
be expected to maintain a high degree of responsibility and preparedness
includingreading material beyond what is covered in the lectures
and participating actively in class discussions. I will be available
during office hours if you have any questions or concerns. Please
try to visit to me during office hours.
Assessments will be in-class. These assessments
schedule is published on blackboard. If an assessment is given as a take-home assessment it will be open-book but, you are to do the work on your own. If an assessment is given in class, you will be allowed to have three 8.5"x11" cribsheets (pieces of paper you can
write on both sides any notes you want).
STORAGE: You will be creating documents in class that may/will extend beyond the space on a floppy disk. It is recommended that you purchase either a USB storage device (memory stick, key fob) or a zip disk.
GRADING: The assignment of a grade is based
on the following (tentative) formula: 50% Projects, 45% Assessment(s)
and 5% Class Participation. Note this formula is for guidance
only. The instructor is to use her best judgment in assigning
final course grades. Attendance may be taken at random and used
towards class participation. Assessments will be online and in-class.
ACCOMODATIONS: If you need disability-related
accommodations in this class, please email, call, or visit me.
The Student Disability Resource Center(SDRC) is the campus office
responsible for verifying that students have disability-related
needs for academic accommodations, and for planning appropriate
accommodations in cooperation with the students themselves and
their instructors. The Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC)
is located in Library Complex 2400 and can be reached by phone
at (510)-885-3868. The Contra Costa SDRC can be reached by phone
at (925) 602-6716.
LATE POLICY: Projects are due as announced
in class. No late work will be accepted except for a documented
illness. As this course is project-based, you
must keep up with the work and this policy will be strictly
adhered to. Students may take part in the evaluations of others
in addition to instructor evaluations.
COURSE LEARNING MODULES: Each week you will
be going through different modules in the
outline of our web-based materials. For each numbered module
you will find materials including on-line lecture materials, reading
assignments, links to online resources, exercises to be completed,
as well as related projects. Projects ofcourse will utilize information
learned in earlier modules but, are placed in a module indicating
that at the completion of this module you will have the skills
to complete the project. Exercises are important as they can help
you complete a project. Sometimes exercises have solutions and
at other times, they do not.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
For the classes Q&A Discussion Board, to post your projects,
take assessments, get announcements, get fellow students email
addresses, check your current scores, you MUST REGULARLY log onto
our blackboard website.
On the left hand side of the blackboard site is our course menu
where you find the links to this website as well as the discussion
board, projects drop box, announcements, email, and tools.
DISCISSION BOARD: Our class's Blackboard
Discussion Board Q&A is where we post our questions
from the class. Here is where you ask questions and interact with
me and other students. You are to post your questions here unless
they are of a personal nature. I check the online discussion at
least two times every week. If you can answer someone else's questions
before I can, please do so. We'll all learn from one another.
COMMUNICATION: I may use blackboard announcements to notify
you of some new information. Whenever I post an announcement,
it appears at the top of the page as well as on your blackboard
site. I may instead email your horizon address information. You must regularly check your campus email as well as the class's blackboard account and our website.
EMAIL: The blackboard email area is where you go to find
my address or the horizon address of others in the course. For
class related questions, you can post first to the discussion
board.
SCORES: The blackboard tools area is where you will find
your grades.
1.Class participation in exercises and group discussions.
What does attendance mean in an half-online class? Hybrid, like ours half-online courses are
designed to be convenient for today's students who, as you well
know, have complicated lives with complicated demands upon their
time. I have primarily set up the course so that you will be going through lecture and reading materials by your self online and using your book. The one time we meet in person is mostly dedicated to lab work. See more on this below.
2. Reading Class Materials. As with other
courses, you should expect to spend some time reading, discussing, posting work, etc. This part of the course is something that you need to do for that week before you come to class, this will be done as part of the "online" portion of the course. On the outline I have given you the dates each material and reading must be completed by and highlighted it in orange. As you may notice, you need to complete the materials before you can effectively work in class on the projects.
3. In Class Meetings. The half of the class we meet in person will generally consist of the following elements:
- Questions and Answers and Announcements - this is your opportunity to ask questions you read about before comming to class.
- Assesssment - on ONLY SOME in-person classes - we will have scheduled assessments which are like quizes. See blackboard for current schedule.
- Lab Time - this is where we will spend the bulk of our time together. You will work on projects assigned for that week. It is CRITICAL YOU BRING YOUR USB fob as you need to save your work and take it with you home if you were not able to finish your work. Project work is in general to be demonstrated to your instructor during this time. See project page for details on what I want you to show me. YOU MUST BRING YOUR BOOK with you to each in person class as all of the project instructions are in the book.
4. Good Communication Skills. Participation in an online
course is written participation. One of the strengths of online
education is its potential to improve our writing skills. Your
audience will be other students in the class, and our method of
communication requires thought and clarity. We'll all make occasional
errors, but our common goal should be to express ourselves clearly,
thoughtfully, and accurately.
Your posts should:
- respond to the week's module topics
- reflect your careful reading of the current weeks moudles
- raise relevant questions for the other class participants
- be respectful and responsive to the ideas of others f
- be clearly written and free of grammatical or spelling errors
g
- range in length from 100-200 words. These are recommended
rather than required lengths. If you can make a substantive
contribution with fewer words, do so. If you need more words
to develop your ideas, feel free to use them.
- The Discussion Board Q&A is the place to post your general
and technical questions about the class. I check the online
discussion at least every other day. If you can answer someone
else's questions before I can, please do so. We'll all learn
from one another.
- The Discussion Board Q&A is also the place where we'll
discuss issues regarding online learning, make announcements
about events relevant to the class, and seek any advice from
me or other classmates. Sorry we can't serve snacks or coffee,
but we can exchange interesting information and have lively
discussions!
4. Project Work. You will be doing a series of projects
in the class. You will sometimes have the option to work alone
or in small groups as noted on each individual project.
5. Meeting Virtual or Face-to-Face. Finally, although
online courses offer us a wonderful, convenient opportunity for
learning, one of their drawbacks for me is the absence of face-to-face
interaction. Thus, whenever possible, I encourage you to meet
with the other members of your small group. If travel to campus
is not possible, these meetings might take place on the telephone
or in a private email. I also recommend that you schedule an appointment
to meet with me. Another great alternative is Microsoft NetMeeting,
a free online video-conferencing tool that is easy to use and
is pre-installed on many newer Microsoft Platforms.
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