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CSC 105 Spring 2018 Syllabus

Sections 003 & 004

Instructor: Marni Ferner Office: CIS 2032
e-mail: mferner@uncw.edu Phone: 910-962-7567 (voice mail only)
Office Hours: MW 2:00-4:00, F 9:45-10:45, and by appointment

Requirements:

Important notes:

Pre-requisites:

Course Description:

A modern approach to college-level computing education for all majors. Software skills employers most frequently seek; technology-related social, legal and ethical issues fostering sound decision-making; foundational understanding of current digital technologies for efficient organization and effective communication; students will choose one additional skill-track for specialization: business, graphic design, or programming.

Course Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate efficient organization of digital material using current technologies for storing and sharing work and differentiate among the choices.
  2. Discuss technology-related social, legal and ethical issues.
  3. Select the correct technological tool(s) to apply to a given problem by discerning various functionalities of each.
  4. Demonstrate proficiency with a selection of typical college and workplace computer applications by effectively disseminating information relevant to that application.
  5. Develop an ability to evaluate feedback and apply it appropriately to one’s own work through a series of submit/revise cycles.

Coursework:

Your final grade consists of the following units described below:

Unit 1: Orientation, Organization, Foundations: Understanding current digital technologies, when to use them, and how to use them optimally; technology-related social, legal, and ethical issues

Unit 2: Features of Current Word Processing Software: Exploration, understanding, and practice; modern word-processors do much more than basic text formatting and spell-checking, this module introduces students to the full set of tools available in workplace-dominant software, currently Microsoft Word

Unit 3: Spreadsheets: Fundamental skills most employers expect: formulas and functions, proper data formatting; sorting, filtering, using series, controlling chart layouts and printing options, analyzing data

Unit 4: Communicating to a Group: Professional Presentations: As Microsoft Word is a robust word-processor, Microsoft PowerPoint is an equally robust presentation tool, particularly with the new Office Mix features. Students learn the many advanced features of this software application as well as equally robust presentation tools such as Adobe Spark.

Unit 5: Specialization (choose one)

5A Business: This module covers advanced topics in Excel including Macros, advanced functions, organizing and preparing data, array functions, statistical analysis, and interactive dashboards.

5B Digital Graphic Design: This module introduces students to the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite which is now provided to university students at no cost. Applications include Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.

5C Programming: An introduction to a programming using the Python language.

Each of the units described above will consist of all or some of the following activities:

Some possible SAM Path scenarios:

  • A student misses 20 out of 30 tasks on a pre-test scoring 10/30. The student completes training for the 20 missed tasks and takes the post-test. This student’s post-test will contain only 20 tasks corresponding to the ones missed on the pre-test. Suppose the student misses 2 of the 20 tasks on the post-test scoring 18/20. The score for the SAM Path is 10 (from the pre-test) + 18 (from the post-test) out of 30 original tasks: 28/30 or 93%
  • Another student has no knowledge of any of the tasks on the same pre-test, and exits the test without completing any tasks (this is FINE). The pre-test score for this student is 0. All 30 tasks in the SAM Path are presented for training, and then all 30 are in the post-test for this student. Suppose this student also misses two questions on his/her post-test, the student’s score is (0+28)/30 or 93%, the same as the other student.
  • Another student only misses two questions on the same pre-test, scoring 28/30 or 93%. This student forgets to finish the training and post-test, so the student’s score for the SAM Path is 93%.
  • A student scores 30/30 on a pre-test. No training or post-test is available (proficiency was demonstrated in the pre-test), and the SAM Path score is 100%
  • The important take-away: It does not matter how well you do on the pre-test, as long as you complete the training and take the post-test.

Grades:

Course grades will be calculated using the following weights:

Module 1: 10%
Module 2: 20%
Module 3: 20%
Module 4: 20%
Module 5: 20%
Final Exam: 10%
TOTAL 100%

The weight of each activity within a module will be indicated in Blackboard.

Course grades will then be determined using the scale below:

93 – 100A     70 – 72C-
90 – 92A-     73 – 76C
87 – 89B+     67 – 69D+
83 – 86B     63 – 66D
80 – 82B-     60 – 62D-
77 – 79C+     0 - 59 F

Late policy

With the exception of the Final Exam, work may be submitted at any time PRIOR to the due date. You may work ahead on much of the course. If an assignment is open, you may complete it early at your convenience. In the event that a student misses the deadline for an assignment, or scores below 80%, the student may still complete the assignment through the last day of classes for 80% maximum credit. Makeups will not be available for the Final exam.

General Advice

All assignments are due at 11:59 pm on the due date. With the exception of tests, work may be submitted at any time prior to the due date, so you may work ahead on much of the course. Remember that many assignments have several steps (such as a SAM Path) or provide multiple attempts. If you wait until the evening of the due date to begin, it is unlikely that you will finish and last-minute help may not be available. Lack of planning, lack of Internet connectivity, hard drive crashes, family emergencies, car trouble, etc., etc., etc., will not be accepted as excuses to submit work late. Due dates are firm and final. Plan for disasters, and plan ahead. If you tend to procrastinate or lose track of deadlines, you should not take this course online. As with gainful employment, you are expected to meet commitments in this course without excuses. Failing to meet your commitments in this course, or on the job, carry meaningful consequences. There are no extra credit assignments. While I do check email several times every day, please do not expect a reply after 10:00 pm. If you have a problem with an assignment and are only beginning it at the last minute, you are responsible for any issues that arise.

Incomplete grades are given rarely and only in very specific situations. First, the student must be passing. Next, the student must be able to complete the work of the course entirely on his or her own. Finally, the student must be prevented from completing the course by verified, unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the student. These conditions must be documented and verified before an incomplete grade may be given.

Calendar

It is the student’s responsibility to check the online calendar (which is subject to change) and to complete the assignments as indicated. Failure to check the calendar daily is not an acceptable excuse for missing a due date.

Students with Disabilities

Students with diagnosed disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services (962-7555). Please give me a copy of the letter you receive from Office of Disability Services detailing class accommodations you may need. If you require accommodation for test-taking, please make sure I have the referral letter no less than three days before the test.

Expectations

All members of UNCW’s community are expected to follow the academic Honor Code. Please read the UNCW Honor Code carefully (as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook and available here: http://www.uncw.edu/odos/honorcode/). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in this class.

Please be especially familiar with UNCW’s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone else’s ideas and represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism:

  1. You write about someone else’s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it by referencing them.
  2. You give a presentation and use someone else’s ideas and do not state that the ideas are the other person’s.
  3. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material and do not reference that material.

The University’s policy on the responsible use of electronic resources also applies to all work for this course. See http://uncw.edu/policies/documents/07.100_Resp_Use_of_Elec_Resources0807.pdf .

Title IX:

UNCW takes all forms of interpersonal violence very seriously. When students disclose, first- or third-hand to faculty or staff about sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and/or stalking, this information must be reported to the administration in order to ensure that students' rights are protected, appropriate resources are offered, and the need for further investigation is explored to maintain campus safety. There are three confidential resources who do not need to report interpersonal violence: UNCW CARE, the Student Health Center, and the Counseling Center. If you want to speak to someone in confidence, these resources are available, including CARE's 24-hour crisis line (910-512-4821). For more information, please visit http://www.uncw.edu/sexualmisconduct%20or%20www.uncw.edu/care.

Tips for Success

  1. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute to begin an assignment.
  2. Read all e-mail from me thoroughly. If you don’t, it could adversely affect your grade. All requirements and due dates will be posted on the course calendar, and reminders will be sent via e-mail. Not knowing something was due does not entitle you to make it up.
  3. Please use UNCW e-mail to contact me. I don’t regularly check or respond to voice mail.
  4. Check your UNCW e-mail account daily for schedule changes, announcements, clarifications, reminders.
  5. Seek help when you need it and as soon as you need it. I am happy to answer questions and lend assistance on any and all of the coursework, if you ask. I have no way of knowing you are confused if you don’t contact me.
  6. Don’t worry about sending me too many e-mails: it is important to get your questions answered, no matter how many there are.
  7. I can help you most quickly via e-mail, which I check several times a day, but I am also happy to schedule a time to meet with you in person if you prefer.
  8. Just remember: Plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute to begin an assignment. And read every email from me in detail.