Syllabus for COS-101-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction to Computers provides you with a broad, general introduction to hardware and software fundamentals, productivity software, graphics, digital media, multimedia, database applications, networking, the Internet, and security and privacy issues, as well as an introduction to object-oriented programming using the Visual Basic programming language.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the completion of the course, you should be able to:

• Describe the basic nomenclature of a computer and the many input and output devices available today.
  
  
• Explain software fundamentals and describe a variety of productivity applications.
  
  
• Compare and contrast graphics, digital media, and multimedia applications.
  
  
• Describe database applications and enumerate privacy concerns.
  
  
• Identify networking and telecommunication fundamentals.
  
  
• Distinguish between the Internet and the World Wide Web.
  
  
• Explain computer security and the various means by which the risks of security may be minimized.
  
  
• Write several application programs using the Visual Basic 2008 programming language.

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. The course texts are available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbooks

• Tomorrow's Technology and You, 9th ed. (Introductory), by George Beekman and Ben Beekman (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009; ISBN-10: 0-13-504510-X).
  
  
• An Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic 2008, 7th ed., by David I. Schneider (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009; ISBN-10: 0-13-606072-2), packaged with Visual Studio Express Edition DVD.

Required Software

• Visual Basic 2008.
  
  Note: Visual Basic 2008 comes in different editions. For this course we recommend Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, which comes packaged with the text An Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic 2008 when purchased from the textbook supplier. All of the book's examples, however, run with both Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition and other editions of Visual Basic 2008. You may download Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition for free directly from Microsoft.

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

To participate fully in course activities, you need to have daily access to a personal computer and command of certain basic computer skills, including the ability to send and receive e-mail with attachments.

In addition, to run Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, your computer should meet the following system requirements:

Supported Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008
• Windows Vista

Hardware Requirements

• Minimum: 1.6 GHz CPU, 192 MB RAM, 1024x768 display, 5400 RPM hard disk
• Recommended: 2.2 GHz or higher CPU, 384 MB or more RAM, 1280x1024 display, 7200 RPM or higher hard disk
• On Windows Vista: 2.4 GHz CPU, 768 MB RAM
• 1.3 GB of available disk space for full installation

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Introduction to Computers is a three-credit online course. It consists of eight modules, five of which are devoted to programming with Visual Basic.

Learning activities include studying chapters from the course textbooks, completing self-check exercises, participating in class discussions, and preparing written and programming assignments to be sent to your mentor for grading. You are required to participate in five (5) graded class discussions, complete three (3) written assignments based on the Tomorrow's Technology and You text, prepare five (5) programming assignments based on the Visual Basic text, and take two (2) examinations—a proctored midterm and an unproctored, online final examination.

For assignment details (study assignments, online discussions, written assignments, and programming assignments, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. (See also the course Calendar.)

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ONLINE DISCUSSIONS

Introduction to Computers has five (5) graded online discussions. There is also an ungraded but required introduction forum in module 1. All class discussions take place on the class Discussion Board. Participation in class discussions is required and counts 10 percent toward your final grade in the course.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on a classmate's response. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

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ASSIGNMENTS

You are required to submit three (3) written assignments and five (5) programming assignments to your mentor for grading. The three written assignments are based on the Tomorrow's Technology and You textbook. The five programming assignments are based on the Visual Basic textbook.

Preparing and Submitting Written Assignments
Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text format (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the appropriate assignment link provided in the Submit Assignments area of the course Web site. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and attach your assignment file.

Preparing and Submitting Programming Assignments
Each application that you develop using Visual Basic (VB) will be associated with a root or parent folder that contains all the files and subfolders associated with that application.

Because each VB program is saved in multiple files and subfolders, the preferred way to submit each programming exercise or project is to zip (compress) the application folder and upload it as a ZIP file to the assignment link provided. For example, if your application folder is named Assignment_1a, you can zip that folder to a folder called Assignment_1a.zip or Assignment_1a.rar and submit that Zip file (compressed folder) through the assignment link.

Alternatively, if you are unable to zip the application folder or your mentor asks you not to, you can submit three (3) required files for each programming exercise or project (for a total of six files per assignment). These files are the (1) executable file, (2) form1.designer.vb, and (3) form1.vb. Consult the VB directory structure (click link) to find out where these files reside on your hard drive.

Each programming assignment includes two exercises or projects. Because you can submit an assignment only once, you must submit both exercises or projects together as a single assignment. To attach multiple files to an assignment link, use the button in conjunction with the Browse button.

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EXAMINATIONS

You are required to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination. Consult the course Calendar for the scheduling of these exams.

Midterm Examination
The proctored midterm exam covers all material assigned from the Tomorrow's Technology and You text (modules 1–3 of the course) and is two hours long. The exam is closed book and consists of twenty (20) short-answer, essay-type questions

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The unproctored, online final exam covers all material assigned from the Visual Basic text (module 4 of the course) and is two hours long. Like the midterm, the final exam is closed book and consists of twenty (20) short-answer, essay-type questions, including Visual Basic programming questions. The final exam deemphasizes program syntax and stresses fundamental programming concepts.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of the last week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the examination are based on the following numerical grades:

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.
   
   
2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.
   
   
3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)
   
   
4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.
   
   
5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking your examination. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.
   
   
2. Take advantage of the materials provided with your textbooks to help you master course content. The Tomorrow's Technology and You text, for example, has end-of-chapter review questions and summaries and a CD-ROM with valuable information. There is also a companion Web site provided by the publisher (http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_beekman_tomtech_9/). The Visual Basic text also has a companion Web site (www.prenhall.com/schneider) and comes bundled with Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition, the software you need to do the programming assignments.
   
   
3. Do as many of the self-check exercises as you can to gain additional understanding of the material and to gain practice in writing computer programs. Recommended exercises are listed in the study assignments (see Assignment Modules).
   
   
4. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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