IT101E: Fundamentals of Computer Technology
Course Syllabus
Spring 2004, Internet-Based Delivery
|
Instructor |
: Brian M. Morgan |
|
Office |
: Prichard Hall
212 |
|
Phone Number |
: (304) 696-6469 |
|
Fax Number |
: (304) 696-6533 |
|
Office Hours |
: Office times by appointment only |
|
E-Mail |
Students must contact the instructor upon
registration for the course to establish contact information. At such time the instructor will obtain the
student’s e-mail address for course communication purposes.
Course Description:
IT101E is 3-semester credit hours. It is
a web-based introductory course to the Fundamentals of Computer Technology
offered by the Division of Information Technology in the Community and
Course
Objectives:
Upon completion of this
course, the student will be able to do the following
Course Completion Timetable:
The course is available to both part-time and full-time students. Students must complete all course assignments and exams by
midnight, May 7, 2004. Contained in this syllabus are a list of topics
to be covered and suggested completion dates for homework assignments
and exams.
Past
experience shows that students, who worked and completed the labs and
assignments according to the suggested timeline have shown better performance
on the midterm and final exams. Therefore, students are expected and strongly
encouraged to work the labs and complete the assignments following the
suggested timeline.
Pre/co-requisites:
This course has no academic prerequisites. It is available to all students
including those who are seeking a college degree, auditing students, and to
anyone who is interested in advancing his/her computer skills and competency.
As
an Internet-based course, students must have minimal computing skills,
including regular access to a sufficient computer system (please see the
requirements at http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/support/hardwaresoftware.asp), and the ability to
process (receive/send) e-mail and browse the World Wide Web.
Exams:
Midterm:
The Midterm exam must be taken after the completion of
assignment #2. The exam is timed, and the student must request the exam from
the instructor via email.
Final:
You can either take the exam from your own computer, or the instructor
will offer the final exam on the
Midterm and Final Exam
Requirements:
To take either exam, you must contact the instructor, Brian Morgan, and request to take
an exam on a certain date at a certain time. Before making the request to take the
exam, you will need to ensure that you have logged in to http://samxp.course.com and associated your
SamXP access code with the course titled IT101E-Spring2004-BrianMorgan. Your
SamXP code can be found in your textbook packet, and the
Topics and Methodology:
The following outline delineates the suggested course completion timeline with
topics to be addressed during the course.
Please note this is a highly suggested timeline to follow.
|
Topics (suggested completion
date) |
First
Class Access (January 12):
1. Familiarize
yourself with the Course’s Milestones (see dates contained in this topics list) 2. Read and
study how to use the WebCT tools used in the course (private mail, bulletin
board, assignments, students tools, course content) from the link on the
homepage of the course. |
Windows
XP and the Internet (January 13 – January 20):
Getting Started with Windows XPGetting Started with Internet Explorer (optional) |
Word 2002 (XP) (January 21 – February
7):
Getting Started with Word 2002 |
|
Assignment #1 (February 8 – February 9): Covers
Word |
Excel 2002 (XP) (February 10 – February 27):Getting Started with Excel 2002
|
Assignment #2 (February 28 – March 1): Covers Excel
|
Integrating
Word and Excel (February 2 – March 5)
|
Midterm Exam to be completed now (March 6 – March 7)
|
Access 2002 (XP) (March 8 – March 24)
Using Tables and Queries
|
Assignment #3 (March 25 – March 26):
Covers Access
|
Integrating Word, Excel, and Access (March 27 – April 3)
|
PowerPoint
2002 (XP) (April 4 – April 21):
Getting Started with PowerPoint
2002 (XP)
|
Assignment
#4 (April 22 – April 23): Covers PowerPoint
|
Integrating
Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint (April 24 – April 30):
|
|
Assignment #5 (May 1 – May 2): Covers the Integration of Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint |
|
Final Exam (May 3 – May 7): Covers Access and PowerPoint |
Every student is responsible
for all materials contained in the course.
If you need assistance, it is your responsibility to contact the
instructor.
Textbook:
The required textbook is the same one that will be used in the traditional,
classroom-based IT101 course. The book is available in the Marshall University
Bookstore on the
IT101E BOOK BUNDLE FROM MU BOOKSTORE (http://www.marshall.bkstr.com/) –
ISBN 0-619-26269-9. This bundle includes the following items in
case you would want to search for them on your own:
Illustrated Series, Microsoft Office XP (Windows XP
Edition), Introductory, by Beskeen, Duffy, Friedrichsen, and Reding, Course
Technology/Thomson Learning, ISBN:
0-619-11186-0, 2003 ($44.25 (used) -$59 (new)).
SamXP/TOM
3.0 w/CD-ROM, Course Technology/Thomson Learning, ISBN: 0-619-17309-2,
2003 ($29.66)
MS Office 2003
New Features Guide, Course Technology/Thomson Learning, ISBN: 0-619-25560-9,
2003 ($0 – Free)
If you do
not buy the bundle, PLEASE BE SURE TO BUY ALL THREE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE.
Approximate Cost is $74 - $89
(this includes the cost of the books and an access code for SamXP, the testing
environment used for the course).
Requirements:
All course materials are contained within the WebCT environment. I will be sending class announcements,
updates, etc. to your WebCT account.
Students must have access to sufficient hardware and software to
complete the course as detailed at http://www.marshall.edu/muonline/support/hardwaresoftware.asp
Grading Policy:
There will be 2 exams
and 5 homework assignments (see class schedule).
|
Midterm
Exam |
20% |
|
Final
Exam |
30% |
|
5
Assignments |
50% |
|
Total |
100% |
The exams will consist of
hands-on exercises using Microsoft Office XP applications. The exams are administered through a product
called SamXP, which was packaged with your textbook. Information on the exams can be found on the
course’s homepage.
The instructor reserves the
right to change these values depending on the overall class performance and/or
extenuating circumstances.
Final letter grades are
determined based on the following grading scale:
|
93-100% |
A |
|
86-92% |
B |
|
78-85% |
C |
|
70-77% |
D |
|
Below 70 |
F |
OPTIONAL TESTOUT OPTION
If you feel that you are proficient
in Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint, I will allow you to have a chance to
prove that at the beginning of the semester by going ahead and taking the
midterm and final exam in the course, which are the only two exams on the
syllabus. If you score an 86 or above average, you are deemed proficient and do
not have to participate in the remainder of the course or complete the required
assignments. If your score is in the range of 86-91, you receive a B. If you receive a 92 or above average on the exams, you receive an
A. If you are unhappy with the grade you would receive, you have the
option to participate in the course and complete the assignments.
If you choose this option, all you
will need in terms of course textbooks and materials is the SamXP software and
access code which can be purchased in the bookstore,
or, it can be purchased online at http://www.coursedirect.com/
and is entitled "SamXP and TOM 3.0"
If you would like to pursue this
option, let me know and I will send them the exam information.
Policy
Statement:
Satisfactory Progress: Students
are expected to show satisfactory initial progress in the course during the first
two weeks of the course. In case a student did not meet this requirement,
the instructor has the option to administratively drop the student from the
course. This is to ensure students’ commitment to the course.
Homework
Assignments and Exams: There will be several homework assignments and
exams. All assignments and exams must be
completed prior to the end of the semester. Timelines for exams are posted
under the Course Topics area in the syllabus.
Passing
grade: All homework assignments and exams are required parts of
the course and must be satisfactorily completed to pass the course. A student must have a passing performance on
the aggregate of the homework assignments and the exams. A failing grade on either part may
result in a fail grade in the course.
Attendance
Statement:
There are no physical classroom attendance requirements for this course. All course material is contained on the World
Wide Web.
Withdrawal
Policy:
The University withdrawal policy is followed in this course.
Course Evaluation:
All students are required to complete the course evaluation form during the
last week of the course. The form is provided on the course homepage under the
icon Flashlight (located on the Footer
Bar). To remind students, Course Evaluation is listed on the Course Outline,
under the Course Content icon of the course homepage. Final grades will not be posted until the
course evaluation is completed.
Student Evaluation method:
Evaluation of student's performance will be based on their progress and
accomplishments in the homework assignments and exams.
Communication:
The Bulletin Board and Private Mail facilities of WebCT will be used to make
any general announcements, last minute changes, etc. It is mandatory that you monitor your WebCT
course messages at least once a day.
Instructor
Biography
BRIAN M.
MORGAN, BS, MS
Assistant
Professor, Integrated Science and Technology
Marshall University
Brian Morgan is
a resident of Proctorville, OH and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in
Computer Science from Marshall University and a Master of Science Degree in
Technology Management from the Marshall University Graduate College.
Professional
Experience
Assistant Professor,
Integrated Science and Technology Program,
Director, Center for
Instructional Technology,
Part-Time Faculty, Marshall
University Community and
Instructional Technologist,
Computer Programming,
Marshall University College of Liberal Arts and
Computer
Programming and Research, NASA and National Science Foundation Grant through