MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
CIS 1103 COURSE SYLLABUS

revised 8/28/2004

GENERAL INFORMATION

Course number: CIS 1103
Credit/Contact hours: 3
Term: Fall, August 30 - December 13, 2004
Course title: Introduction to Microcomputers
College website: www.mansfield.edu

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Instructor name: John Phillips
Instructor office location: Elliott 203 A
Instructor office hours: online at http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/
Instructor telephone: 570-662-4704 (however, it is best to contact me via e-mail)
Instructor e-mail address: jphillip@mansfield.edu

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Description

Introduces the Windows XP disk operating system for microcomputers and the use of word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and database management software. Computer concepts covered included hardware, software, networking, file management, data security, and E-commerce topics. In addition, various computing-related ethical, environmental, and current-event issues are discussed.

Prerequisite: none

Textbook

Computer Concepts, Fifth Edition--Illustrated Introductory, Enhanced, June Parsons and Dan Oja , 2004, Course Technology, ISBN 0-619-05790-4.

Software

There are many different software packages out there. Mansfield University has standardized on the Microsoft XP operating system and Microsoft Office XP (2002) which contains Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. If you are unable to use a computer at the school then you might consider buying the educational version of the office software. However, even the educational price is rather expensive and we will only be doing a few assignments using this software. Therefore, I will also accept assignments completed using a free software package called Open Office which is available for download at http://www.openoffice.org/. If you have a slow Internet connection then you might prefer to order the CD for $6.99 plus shipping from http://www.cheapbytes.com/ or download and burn a CD copy on a computer in the Elliott 207 computer lab (see me during office hours if you need help on this). Other software may also be acceptable if you can save your work in RTF or PDF format. However, I will not be able to offer you much support with these other programs.

Equipment and supplies

Access to the Internet is required either using your own computer or by using a computer in the school's computer lab. You should keep at least 2 backup copies of all work you do on diskettes or CDs.

Course Websites

Visit http://faculty.mansfield.edu/jphillip/ for this syllabus, office hours, and other course information

Visit Blackboard for class announcements, assignments, and the discussion board where you will post most of your homework ( http://blackboard.mansfield.edu ).

Course Outline

1. Computer and Internet basics
2. Computer hardware
3. Computer software
4. Digital electronics and file management
5. Network technology and the Internet
6. Data security
7. The web and e-commerce

Class schedule

Sections 190 and 191 are offered online. Log onto Blackboard every day or two if possible.

Grading scale and policy

Final grades will be calculated using the following standard scale (refer to the Mansfield University Catalog for grades that can be awarded).

A >= 90%
B >= 80%
C >= 70%
D >= 60%
F < 60%

I may choose to differentiate final grades with plus and minus subdivisions as outlined in the catalog. If a grade is borderline, then I reserve the right to bump up any grade where the quality of online participation was excellent. For example, I would strongly favor bumping a final grade of 88% or 89% from a B+ to an A- if and only if the online participation was consistently excellent over the course of the semester.

Late work policy

Assignments are posted well in advance. Late work will be severely penalized and anything over three days late will not be accepted at all. Please do not wait until the last minute as computer and network problems are very common and are not a very good excuse for being late. Count on having some problems and complete your work early so that you will not be penalized.

Instructor's expectations

This is an online course. As such it requires a certain amount of self-discipline in order to be successful. If you have very limited computing experience and/or have a hard time following written directions, then you may find the on-campus sections of this course more to your liking. This online course places an emphasis on self-directed hands-on experimentation. You will need to spend a large amount of time exploring the course topics in a hands-on environment, either on your own computer or on a computer in one of MU's computer labs. Please allocate plenty of time in your schedule for this course.

Academic Integrity

Feel free to help each other solve problems encountered as much as possible in this class on the assignments. Browse other students' posted work, on-line web sites, and other books for ideas. However, do be careful; if you copy another's work and you do not give credit for it, that is plagiarism. In general, any computer files you submit should contain your own work and not someone else's. It would be especially bad to copy another student's work and then make a few changes to it and submit it as your own. Please do not do this. If you are in doubt then discuss the situation with your instructor.

Withdrawal Policy for Individual Courses

The last day to withdraw from a College course with a "W" grade is published in the Academic Calendar. It is the responsibility of the student to complete and submit the necessary forms to the Registrar's Office. An official withdrawal would entitle the student to a grade of "W" in the course.

Syllabus Change Policy

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus and course timeline as the course progresses.

COURSE TIMELINE