Syllabus for CS 111

Fall 2004

 

CS111 Section 50 ALL Online

Instructor: Michael Cassens

Office: TBA

Office Hours: By Appt

University Phone: TBA

Cell: 370-1684

Office: 549-0616

e-mail: michael@silverleaf-consulting.com

URL: http://umonline.umt.edu

 

Overview:

 

This class is designed to give you a good general understanding of computer functions as well as the software that you will undoubtedly interact with.  We will study the hardware components so that you will be able to feel confident when purchasing a new computer either from an online dealer such as Dell or Gateway or in a local store such as Best Buy or Circuit City.  Additionally, we will cover the basics of Microsoft Word XP and Microsoft Excel XP.  The goal is that you will feel comfortable using these applications so that when you leave this course and take other courses such as CS 171 and CS 172, you will not find these completely foreign.  Since the main focus of the course is to learn about computer interaction, we will not cover Word nor Excel explicitly in class, but rather you will get ample exposure and practice with them in your lab work.

 

Attendance:

 

Since this is an online class, I try to be as flexible as possible.  For sake of consistency however, I will post all lectures for the week on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Friday will be set up for labs.  I will post labs on Friday and will give a due date.  I typically put announcements out for new labs, homework, and exams.  Additionally, since we have no real class time, I will require that you participate in the discussion board to express your opinions, share and learn with your other classmates.

 

Grading:

 

Homework and Labs 50%

Weekly Discussion Board 10%

2 Exams 10% for each test

Final Exam 20% Scheduled Date: Usually I will post it for the first three days of finals week

 

All Assignments will be sent to michael@silverleaf-consulting.com

Your subject must be CS 111 Assignment # (e.g CS 111 Assignment 1)

 

Grading Scale

 

100-90 A         79-70 C           59-and beyond F

89-80 B           69-60 D

 

P/NP – pass/no pass, 70 or greater is passing determined by Computer Science Department policy, which is a C or better.

 

Late Assignments:

  • Late assignments will not be accepted. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Requirements

  • Required Texts:

-          MICROSOFT OFFICE XP WINDOWS XP ED INTRODUCTORY COURSE ONE

-          DISCOVERING COMPUTERS 2004 BRIEF

  • There are not pre-requisites for this course
  • It is highly suggested that you use Microsoft Word 2000/XP or Microsoft Excel 2000/XP because it is not guaranteed that we will be able to grade your labs if you use Microsoft Works

-         All labs have Microsoft Office 2000, XP or 2003 installed

 

  • You must enter a general comment to the discussion board and a response to someone else’s comment each week to receive full credit.

 

Suggestions:

  • Even though this is an online course, it would be beneficial to read and ask as many questions as you can.
  • Feel free to set up an appointment if you need help. I am here to help you understand and do well.

 

Collaboration:

  • I encourage you all to work together through problems, but copying and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating, I will give you an F for the course.

-         Please refer to the Student Conduct Code in how this will be dealt with: http://www.umt.edu/studentaffairs/sccAcademicConduct.htm

-          

Incompletes:

 

“Incomplete for the course is not an option to be exercised at the discretion of students. In all cases it is given at the discretion of the instructor….” Some guidelines for receiving an incomplete are listed in the catalog which include having a passing grade up to three weeks before the end of the semester and being in attendance. “Negligence and indifference are not acceptable reasons.” Also note that there may be financial aid implications.

 

Disabilities:

           

Students with disabilities should notify the instructor at the beginning of the course. Disabilities should be “certified” by DSS.

 

Class Etiquette:

  • Be respectful of your fellow classmates.
  • Interrupt me anytime if you have a question.

 

Additional Considerations:

Thanksgiving Nov 25, 2004

Christmas      Dec 25, 2004

Tentative Schedule:

 

Week 1: Syllabus, Chapter 1 terminology, lab 1

Week 2: Chapter 2 Internet and World Wide Web

Week 3: History

Week 4: Review and Exam 1 Sept 22, 2004

Week 5: Chapter 3 – Software

Week 6: Chapter 4 – System Components

Week 7: Chapter 5 – Input

Week 8: Chapter 6 – Output

Week 9: Review and Exam 2 Oct 27

Week 10: Chapter 7 - Storage

Week 11: Chapter 8 - Operating Systems

Week 12:  Viruses, Popup Ads, Protection, Automatic Updates, Phishing

Week 13: Thanksgiving

Week 14: Specialty Applications

Week 15: Web Quest

Week 16: Final