IT107E:  Fundamentals of the Internet
Course Syllabus
Fall 2000, Internet-Based Delivery

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:
Upon completion of this course, you will have a basic knowledge of how to maximize the use of the Internet in an academic or business environment.  This course will focus on developing the practical skills required to navigate the web, reviewing the various commercial and noncommercial uses of the Internet, evaluating the tools used to abstract information, understanding how to critically evaluate information, and identifying the effect of the Internet on our society.  

Course Objectives:
IT107E will show students how to use and access the Internet, by providing examples, definitions, and instructions regarding:

• Describe the history of the Internet
• Navigate the World Wide Web
• Send and receive E-mail
• Read and post articles to newsgroups (Usenet)
• Explain the effect of the Internet on our society, ethical, and control issues
• Develop simple web pages using HTML
• Identify commercial uses of the WWW (both E-commerce and E-business)
• Discuss security, authentication, and on-line transactions
• Demonstrate competency in the use of search engines and directories
• Use proper citations for electronic information
• Comprehend current copyright issues and understanding agreements

Course Completion Timetable:
The course is available to both part-time and full-time students. All students must complete all course assignments and exams by December 12, 2000.  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://muonline.marshall.edu/tools.html), 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 #3. The exam is timed, and the student must request the exam from the instructor via email.  Your exam must be proctored (see the information below regarding proctors).

Final:  Proctoring and authentication are also required for the final exam. The instructor will proctor the final exam on the Huntington campus on December 8 from 8:00 am – 10:00. If you can make it to campus on this date, you can take the exam in the laboratory facility located in Prichard Hall, Room PH200.

Students who cannot make it to the Huntington campus of Marshall University to take the final exam are responsible for finding a proctor. The proctor should not be related to the student, and the instructor must approve the proctor.

Midterm and Final Exam Proctor 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.  Exams must be proctored, and you will be responsible for paying any fees required by the proctor.   Before taking an exam, you must have the proctor contact the instructor, Brian Morgan, either via telephone or e-mail to obtain a password that will give you access to the exam.   The exam will then be made available to the individual at the stated time when the proctor is available to be with the student.   After the exam has been completed, the proctor will be required to draft and sign a statement stating that 1) they were not related to the individual taking the exam, 2) they were presented with a photo I.D. by the student at the time of the exam, 3) the student finished the exam in the allotted amount of time (for this course, one hour), 4) the student did not access any other course materials or notes or external resources while taking the exam, and 5) the proctor was physically present during the entire time the student had the exam in his or her possession, and that to the best of the proctor's knowledge the student finished the exam.  This statement must be returned to the instructor before either exam will be graded, and naturally, before you will receive your final grade.

Statements from proctors must be sent to:

Brian M. Morgan
Marshall University
Prichard Hall 212
400 Hal Greer Blvd.
Huntington, WV  25755

and include a phone number at which the instructor can contact the proctor, and all of the information contained above.

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.

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 IT107 course. The book is available in the Marshall University Bookstore on the Huntington campus, or can be ordered online at http://stores.efollett.com/eFollett/standard/index.gtml?dirName=marshall.

            New Perspectives Series, The Internet, 2^nd Edition, Comprehensive, by Perry and Schneider, Thomson Learning, ISBN:  0-619-01938-7, 2000.

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://muonline.marshall.edu/tools.html.

Grading Policy:  
There will be 2 exams and 5 homework assignments (see class schedule).

The exams will consist of true/false, short answer, and multiple-choice questions.

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: 

Policy Statement:
Satisfactory Progress: Students are expected to show satisfactory initial progress in the course during the first three 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, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.  (July 2000-Current).

Director, Center for Instructional Technology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV. (October 1997-June 2000). Responsible for everyday duties of the Center, as well as managing Instructional Technology and World Wide Web Development on both the Huntington and South Charleston campuses of Marshall University, and coordinating faculty and staff IT development training programs.

Part-Time Faculty, Marshall University Community and Technical College, Huntington, WV. (August 1997-Current). Have taught Computer Technology 107, 107E, and 108; Information Technology 107E, and have designed the electronic versions of Computer Technology 107E and Information Technology 107E.

Instructional Technologist, Marshall University, Huntington, WV. (November 1996-October 1997). Responsible for working with Information Technology staff and faculty from a variety of disciplines on the selection and production of CD-ROM-based and WWW-based multimedia instructional materials, assist faculty and staff, through training and consulting, in integrating computing and information resources into the curriculum, track current and emerging Internet and development technologies, and aid in the progression and completion of technology grants. I have created distributable Computer Based Training modules for both Distance Education and Faculty Training, as well as worked with several Internet course creation tools for placing classes "on-line."

Computer Programming, Marshall University College of Liberal Arts and College of Science, Huntington, WV. (April 1996-May 1997). Responsible for developing and programming multimedia tutorial programs for the University as well as programming multimedia modeling software for science laboratory courses.

Computer Programming and Research, NASA and National Science Foundation Grant through Marshall University, Huntington, WV. (Spring 1996-Fall 1996). Responsible for developing and programming lecture-room demonstration educational project programs through a NASA and NSF grant for Marshall University.