Course Expectations and Tentative Syllabus
CSC:152 Introduction to Computing – Science Applications Spring 2006
Section 01: Room: 200 Olney Hall Time: MWF 10:00-10:50am
Professor: Dr Redmond Office Hours: MWF 11:00-11:50am
330 Olney Hall (215) 951-1096 MWF 2:00-2:50pm
redmond@lasalle.edu And at other times by appointment
http://www.lasalle.edu/~redmond/teach/152
Texts:
· Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J., Vermaat, M.E., Microsoft Word 2003, Complete Concepts and Techniques, Course Technology, 2006 (Abreviated Word)
· Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J., Quasney, J. S., Microsoft Excel 2003, Complete Concepts and Techniques, Course Technology, 2006 (Abreviated Excel)
· Shelly, G.B., Cashman, T.J., Sebok, S.L., Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, Complete Concepts and Techniques, Course Technology, 2006 (Abreviated PP)
Materials:
You will need several 3 1/2 inch floppy disks. Most assignments will require you to submit your disk (for many assignments, a CD-R or CD-RW would also be acceptable). Thus, it is your responsibility to:
1. label your disks with your name. (I do not have extra labels).
2. ensure that the disk you submit contains the relevant file(s)
3. ensure that the disk and files that you submit do not contain viruses
4. ensure it is as clear as possible which file you intend for me to grade
5. ensure that the disk does not contain your only copy of a file you need (for this or any other class) while the disk is out of your possession. (It can frequently take a week elapsed time for grading).
You should keep copies of all of your assignments at least until you receive your grade for the assignment (and don’t have any questions about it)..
In addition, you should get into the habit of saving often, and saving backup copies of important files. (You should know its name and location. If you save a file in a space that is not allocated to you (such as the C: drive of a lab computer), you risk losing it.). Missing or destroyed diskettes or files are not acceptable excuses for incomplete assignments.
Course Description:
Survey of computers and computer systems; problem solving and computer applications for science and mathematics including data analysis and regression; introduction to a PC-based Graphical User Interface/ windowed operating system; word processing; design and use of electronic spreadsheets; presentation software; Internet use including electronic mail and the World Wide Web; creation of WWW pages.
This course is about using the computer as a tool (“computer fluency”). It is also about basic knowledge of computers (“computer literacy”). It is also concerned with making use of information (“information literacy”). It is really about surviving in the 21st Century!
All class periods will be in the lab. There will, however be times when class time will involve lecture or discussion. Do NOT use the computers as a distraction from class when we are not using them (i.e. no game playing, instant messaging, private e-mail). There will be some in-class time for working on most assignments. In your own time, it is expected that you will do reading, further hands-on learning, and complete assignments when not finished in lab.
Sometimes we will shuffle material around so the attached tentative course plan is tentative.
Prerequisite: None
Grading: Final Grades:
Assignments 20% B+ 88-89 C+ 78-79 D+ 68-69
Concepts Project 10% A 92-100 B 82-87 C 72-77 D 60-67
Research Project 20% A- 90-91 B- 80-81 C- 70-71
3 Midterm Exams 30% (lowest score dropped) F < 60
Final Exam 20%
Late Assignments -20% per weekday (NOTE - NOT per CLASS)
UNLESS SPECIFIED OTHERWISE ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS
-10% if handed in after start of class and before I leave for the day.
Makeup exams only by advance arrangements or for documented real emergencies, such as medical problems. Makeup may involve substituting your final exam score for the missing midterm.
The Final Exam is cumulative.
The Computer Concepts Project will be an exercise in which you investigate a number of computer-related concepts. More details will follow later.
The Research Project will involve researching a topic related to computers’ impact on science or science’s inpact on computing (some suggestions will be offered). Research should make use of your “information literacy” skills. The end result will be a paper AND a PowerPoint presentation file, AND a WWW page that you create. More details will follow later.
Cheating:
Claiming another's work as your own is cheating. A student caught cheating will receive a score of zero for the assignment. Asking another for help on a step or two in a many-step homework or lab assignment is acceptable; handing in duplicate or nearly duplicate work is not. Finally, openly allowing your work to be copied is also cheating. Plagairism, be it from a book, a web site or a fellow student, will be considered cheating.
Open Lab Location: Wister Building basement lab is available. Last semester the hours were:
Mon-Thu: 8am-11pm
Fri: 8am-7pm
Sat: 9am-7pm
Sun: 12pm-11pm
There are other labs on campus with varying availability.
Objectives
1. Understand and appreciate the power and use of computers and information in our society.
2. Develop competency in file management, internet use, research database search, and with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation graphics packages, with a focus on mathematics and science applications.
3. Develop problem-solving techniques, e.g. design of a spreadsheet, create and interpret an x-y graph, perform statistical analysis, locate needed information electronically.
4. Develop ability to evaluate credibility and usefulness of information resources (“information literacy”).
5. Understand how a computer works and computer-related terminology.
6. Understand and adhere to the University computing policy.
7. Understand some of the ethical issues involved in processing and using information.
Tentative Course Plan:
Date Material Reading, Labs
Jan 18 Intro to Class,
Jan 20 Windows 2K File Management
Jan 23 Windows 2K Customizing Work Environment
Jan 25 Windows 2K Assign
Jan 27 Word Pretest
Jan 30 Word Pretest
Feb 1 PowerPoint PP Proj 1, 2
Feb 3 PowerPoint PP Proj 3, 4
Feb 6 PowerPoint Assign
Feb 8 Word, Equation Editor
Feb 10 TEST 1 – W2K, PowerPoint
Feb 13 Word, Mail Merge, as Needed Word Proj 5
Feb 15 Information Literacy -
Feb 17 Library Search
Feb 20 Internet/ Library Search / Info Literacy Assignment
Feb 22 Word Catch Up Topics
Feb 24 Developing WWW Pages
Feb 27 TEST 2 – Word, Information Literacy
Mar 1 Project Time
Mar 3 Project Time
Mar 6-10 SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
Mar 13 Developing WWW Pages
Mar 15 Developing WWW Pages
Mar 17 Developing WWW Pages Assignment
Mar 20 Excel Basics Excel Proj 1; Concepts Project Due
Mar 22 Excel Basics Excel Proj 2
Mar 24 Excel Basics Assignment
Mar 27 Excel Charting Excel Proj 3
Mar 29 Excel Charting Assignment
Mar 31 Excel What If Excel Proj 3
Apr 3 Excel Absolute Addressing, Excel Proj 3
Apr 5 Excel Absolute Addressing, What If Assignment
Apr 7 Excel Ifs, Scenarios, Solver Excel Proj 3
Apr 10 Excel Ifs, Scenarios, Solver
Apr 12 Excel Ifs etc Assignment
Apr 14 GOOD FRIDAY – NO CLASS
Apr 17 EASTER MONDAY – NO CLASS
Apr 19 Excel catchup
Apr 21 TEST 3 – WWW Creation, Excel first 3 projects
Apr 24 Excel – Lists, Sorting, Querying Excel Proj 5
Apr 26 Excel – Lists, Sorting, Querying Excel Proj 5
Apr 28 Excel Multiple Worksheets Excel Proj 6; Research Project Due
Final Exam: Mon May 1 10:30am