		Michael L'Estrange Computer Information Science

CISC 320: Operating Systems

Windows 10

Note: (For students who do not read syllabi)

This syllabus is subject to change, changes will be announced during lecture, and all changes will probably only be reflected in the online course management system.

Online lectures may be prerecorded or scheduled and live streamed; however, attendance online is not mandatory, and students will have the option to view the recorded streamed lecture later.

Students are responsible for all information or announcements presented during lecture.

The preferred way to communicate with the instructor online, is through the messaging system within the course management system itself.

Fully online students who do not access the online course management site during the first 7 days of the course will be dropped having never attended the course.

A fully online student may be dropped if the student does not access the online course management site at least once every 7 days during the semester.

Instructor:	Michael L'Estrange
Instructor Email:	lestram@arc.losrios.edu
Instructor Web Page:	http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~lestram
Instructor Office:	ARC main campus, STEM 221
Office hours:	Note: Office hours may often be held in STEM 205 Mon 4:30-5:30pm Tues 4:30-5:30pm and 7:00-8:00pm Weds 4:30-5:30pm Thurs 4:30-5:30pm
Course Code #:	10537
Class Location:	STEM 205 + Online
Meeting Times:	Th 5:30pm-7:20pm
Semester:	Fall 2024
Term:	Fall 2024 \| First Eight Weeks \| 24 Aug 2024 - 16 Oct 2024
First Meeting:	Thursday 29 Aug 2024
Final Exam:	Thursday 10 Oct 2024
Prerequisite:	None.
Advisory:	None.
Accepted for credit:	CSU
Hours:	18 hours lecture; 18 hours laboratory.
Units:	1

Course Description

This course introduces the basic features of the Windows operating system for the PC. Topics include managing files, folders, and libraries, operating system services, program management, maintenance of disks and storage media, Windows desktop, browser basics, and the Windows help system. A brief introduction to security and the command prompt is also covered.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

analyze proper file naming conventions and explain file extensions and program associations.
apply built-in file management utilities to create, organize, copy, move, rename, and delete files, folders, shortcuts, and libraries on storage devices or media.
explain the purpose of and use the Windows Task Manager.
explain the purpose of and use the Windows Print manager. describe the properties of Windows objects: desktop, icons, menu structure, tool-bars, windows, dialog boxes, controls, settings, and views.
utilize the Control Panel to configure and/or customize the properties of the desktop, taskbar, display, keyboard, mouse, and other peripheral devices.
utilize the various types of help available by using menus, keywords, or the Internet.
apply basic Windows maintenance utilities.
apply basic security including anti-virus use.
use commands at the command prompt.
use accessory and utility programs that are installed with Windows to accomplish tasks such as write memos, edit clip art, check disk drives, play audio and video files, and burn CDs or DVDs.
describe the properties of Windows objects: desktop, icons, menu structure, tool-bars, windows, dialog boxes, controls, settings, and views.

Textbook and Supplies

This course uses online materials that will be provided free of charge to the student.

There is no required text book in the traditional sense, however:

This course will use a variety of handouts, online educational supplements, and tutorial websites.
Access to Microsoft Windows and the Internet is required, and access can be obtained within ARC campus computer labs.
Online resources and websites include the following:

http://www.saclibrary.org/
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
https://www.khanacademy.org/
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/DigitalLiteracy

Required:

All students are required to maintain a Los Rios Gmail account.
All students are required to maintain a Canvas learning managment system shell account.
All students are required to maintain a NetLab+ shell account.
All students are required to obtain a Sacramento Public Library card.
All students are required to have some form of portable electronic storage media or device to save homework files to.

Optional:

Windows 10 Step by Step
Joan Lambert, Steve Lambert
Microsoft Press, ©2015
ISBN: 9780735697959

Presentation of Class Materials:

The course will cover the required assignments in the texts, and some outside assignments. The information will be introduced by means of lecture, classroom demonstrations and labs. Students may be given assignments to be completed both in class as well as on their own time. Lab work with a Windows or Linux PC will be required, and can be completed on campus.

Special note for the online semester for contacting the instructor

Please contact the instructor use the messaging system within the course in Canvas.

Special note on contacting the instructor

The instructor is an offline resource, and he will probably not return any messages over the weekend or college vacation days.
Emails that are undecipherable will be ignored. Use standard English in all messages sent to the instructor.
Emails that do not contain a question may not be replied to. A question should be denoted with a question mark, i.e.?!
Messages with long or complex questions may take time to answer, as in several days.
The instructor will not open emails or attachments he cannot identify, i.e. use your ARC Los Rios email account.
The instructor uses the lestram@arc.losrios.edu email address.
DO NOT use the Gmail address @apps.losrios.edu to contact the instructor.
Be aware, that when the instructor sends a group messages to all students enrolled in the course, the return address is sometimes the instructor's Gmail account, which is rarely checked.
No student emails are deleted.

Special instructions for emailing your instructor

All emails sent to the instructor should contain the following in the subject line: Course number, your name, and the subject.

Here is an outstanding example:
Subject: CISC 320 | L'Estrange | Summer class add number request

In order to properly and promptly answer emails, your instructor must be able to identify you and what class you are enrolled in. Your instructor teaches many different courses each semester, and sometimes a student may submit a question that will have different answers depending on the course, i.e. How to do things in Linux and Microsoft Windows will have very different answers.

You are required to change the subject line if you change the subject contents of an email.

Your instructor is NOT a double-click resource available 24/7. I shall not be answering emails on weekends. If you send a lengthy email not containing a single question mark, or any punctuation at all, I may never answer your email. If your email question requires research on my part, it may take 2-4 days to get to it. It would not be unusual for the email you sent on a Friday evening to not be answered until the next Wednesday.

Course Policies:

This class will adhere to as closely as possible all ARC and Los Rios guidelines set forth in the catalog and/or the schedule of classes.

A document of general course policies for all my classes can be found on the instructor's web site.

Online Labs

Almost all CIS classes require labs. It is the online student's responsibility to complete the lab. Labs will be completed online using the North/Far North community college consortium's NDG Netlab+ labs. Netlab+ will be introduced during lecture.

Labs

Almost all CIS classes require labs. It is the online student's responsibility to complete the lab. Students may complete lab assignments in BCIS Area Computer Labs, room STEM 301, or at another ARC computer lab facility if allowed.

Lab assignments must be completed by the assigned date. Under no circumstances will network, system, hardware, or any other problems of such nature be considered an excuse for turning in late work.

Lab hours/Assistance:

Students may utilize lab time and assistance on campus in the BCIS area computer lab room STEM 301. Check with the BCIS area lab personnel in room STEM 301 for availability. Lab assistance is not tutoring. Tutoring is available on campus; contact the instructor directly regarding tutoring.

Special Note on Cheating

Independent Work Policy: Labs, Projects, Task, Assignments and Exams are designed to measure the progress of individual students. Collaborative work in groups of two or more is prohibited unless the instructions specifically state otherwise.

A student must not copy another student’s work or import work from another student. Do not allow another student to copy your work. Your work must be independent - Failure to work independently will result in all violators’ grades being reduced to zero for that lab, project, task, assignment or exam. Second offence of this policy will be referred to the Area Dean for administrative action.

Online Testing Privilege: Participation in online examinations is a privilege. When a student submits a lab, project, task, assignment, or exam that appears to violate the independent work policy the instructor retains the right to revoke the online exam privilege and direct the student to the American River College Computer Science Lab STEM 301 for on-site testing.

Accommodations

It is critical that every student be provided an environment which is conducive to learning. Please contact the professor if you have any physical or learning disability or other need which might require a special accommodation.

Special Software:

VMware Player, Linux, Packet Tracer, etc.

Completion of the exercises and projects required for this class requires access to a computer loaded with special software, such as the Linux operating system, virtual machine software, packet tracer, or other special software. To complete lab assignments, students may use the ARC CSIT Area Computer Lab, Room STEM 301. It is not necessary to purchase special software, as most of the software is free, open source, or provided at no cost to the student.

Online Discussions

During the semester you will have access to a course website. These websites allow for intraclass communication with other students through messages, online discussions or forums, etc. The instructor in general will not monitor these communications. However, abusive remarks or attacks against others will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary actions taken by the instructor and/or college.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be monitored.
As stated in LRCCD Regulation R-2222, a student may be dropped from any class when that student's absences exceed six percent (6%) of the total hours of class time.

Once a student has been dropped from the class (for whatever reason), he or she will not be reinstated.

Drops: Students unable to complete the course are responsible for notifying the Records Office of their withdrawal. Failure to formally drop the course will result in a final grade of 'F'.

Online students will prove attendance by completing work or communication with the instructor using the online learning management course shell messaging system.

If you have extenuating circumstances which prevent you from participating in the class or submitting your assignments, CONTACT THE PROFESSOR IMMEDIATELY!

Course Lesson Plan / Schedule of Topics

The schedule of topics, chapters to be covered, and assignments due each week shall be listed in the online learning managment system. Students may certainly read ahead, but completion of assignments early may not be allowed or even be possible. Changes to the details of this course schedule will not be reflected on this web page. For online classes, please refer to the LMS, for all current updates. For in person classes, the instructor will make announcements during lecture.

This below schedule is an example only; Refer to the online course management system for all assignment and due dates after the first day of class.

CISC 320 Course Lesson Plan
Week of:	Topics	Assignment
Week 1	Syllabus Overview Logging on to ARC student accounts Using ARC student email Proper logout of ARC PCs Shutting down windows Hardware, Software, and the Operating System Introduction to VMware History of Windows/DOS Get started using Windows 10 Personalize your working environment Overview of Windows operating system, versions, backward and forward compatibility Practice basic desktop, window, and mouse skills	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor Lab: Install Windows in VM Lab: print screen of desktop
Week 2	BIOS The Windows help system, help, search, index, contents, troubleshooters, and online support Use the help system	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor Lab: BIOS
Week 3	Navigating the files system, file and folder creation, modification and deletion, and proper file naming conventions. File extensions and program associations. Recommended file system management techniques and procedures Change file associations to enable automatic opening of a file with a program other than the Windows default program. Examine file systems' compatibilities. Examine different file management tools and programs, Windows Explorer and the right-click on-screen context menus Creating shortcuts to files, folders, and programs, and customizing the properties of shortcuts and the desktop Practice creating shortcuts to files, folders, and programs using several different methods Working with Disks and Other Removable Media Learning about Files, Folders, and Libraries File creation, modification and deletion, and proper file naming conventions. File extensions and program associations. Using file management tools to organize, copy, move, rename and delete files. Recommended file management techniques and procedures. File systems: FAT16, FAT32 and NTFS file allocation systems Hard drive physical/logical organization. Disk Partitions	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor
Week 4	Manage user accounts and settings Logon accounts Permissions Networking Sharing files and folders Home networking Manage network and storage resources Using the Control Panel and administrative tools to control operating system services and peripheral devices; desktop background and settings; taskbar and start menu; removing and adding programs Practice using the control panel functions to change some of the operating system's behaviors Customizing the Desktop Creating shortcuts to files, folders and programs, and customizing the properties of shortcuts and the desktop, taskbar, display, keyboard, mouse, and other peripheral devices. Maintaining Your System The Control Panel Keyboard and mouse customization Regional settings Adding/removing software Manage computer settings Manage power and access options	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor Midterm Windows
Week 5	Using a web browser Use Internet Explorer basic functions Safely and efficiently browse the Internet Ensuring Your Safety and Privacy on the Internet	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor
Week 6	Windows helper applications, accessories, Notepad, Wordpad, Paint, Media Player, and Games Use Windows accessories The different file systems available and their backward and forward compatibility. Work with apps and notifications Using Windows Programs	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor
Week 7	Managing hardware: understanding plug-and-play hardware; installing a printer; view printer properties Use Windows Print Manager Disk maintenance tools and proper storage maintenance procedures, including File fragmentation, total disk fragmentation, lost clusters, bad sectors, and the effect on system performance Examine the Windows disk maintenance tools, such as disk cleanup, scandisk, and the disk defragmenter Manage peripheral devices Video	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor
Week 8	Basic Windows security, introduction of Windows firewall, anti-virus, protecting Windows from malware, and privacy Examine anti-virus and anti-malware programs. Download a harmless "test" virus to ensure effectiveness of the protection program used Securing and Monitoring Your System Protecting your computer and your data from viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware and adware, rootkits, and malicious scripts. Minimizing E-mail "spam" and recognizing "pfishing" attempts. Removal of malware. Protect your computer and data Using the command prompt, commands for directory searches, file management, system troubleshooting, hard disk management, and basic network diagnostics Practice using basic command prompt commands, including use of the appropriate switches to control the performance of the command Introduction to CLI - the DOS command line Introduction to batch files: creating and using a batch file. Using DOS commands for directory searches, file management, system troubleshooting, hard disk management, and basic network diagnostics. Create and apply DOS batch files for file maintenance, backups, hard drive maintenance and other repetitive tasks. Review for Final	Reading Assigned by Instructor Labs Assigned by Instructor Final Exam NO Assignments will be accepted after the final

After the start of class, use only the schedule in the learning managment system. Current Homework/Projects/Lab Assignments and Discussion assignments and due dates will be specified in the learning management system.

Documents turned-in:

When turning in work in hard copy or electronic form, please include a header on the top of the page with the following information:

Your Name Assignment #
CISC 320 Page # of #

Also, when contacting the instructor via email, be sure to include the class number in the subject line, i.e. CISC 320.

Evaluation and Grading

The grade in this course will be determined by student performance in each of the following areas, and weighted as described in the following charts.

Grade Assessment Weighting

Quizzes
(175 points) 35%

Lab Assignments
(175 points) 35%

Final Examination/Lab Final (150 points) 30%

Grade Assignment by Total Points

Points Obtained Total % Grade
Assigned

451+ 90% A

401+ 80% B

351+ 70% C

301+ 60% D

less than 300 below 60% F

Grade Assessment Weighting
Quizzes	(175 points) 35%
Lab Assignments	(175 points) 35%
Final Examination/Lab Final	(150 points) 30%

Grade Assignment by Total Points
Points Obtained	Total %	Grade Assigned
451+	90%	A
401+	80%	B
351+	70%	C
301+	60%	D
less than 300	below 60%	F

Extra Credit Work

There will be no extra credit work given in this class. A student's grade is based solely upon the regularly assigned work in the class: homework, lab assignments, projects, quizzes, and examinations.

Grades Available Online

Grades will never be sent out by email.
Most grades for individual assignments will be available during the semester through the learning management system used for the class.
At the end of the semester, final grades will only be accessible through the ARC eServices system.
Be aware that the instructor does not have complete control over the total grade section of the gradebook in Canvas LMS, and unfortunately your total reported in Canvas might not be an up-to-date or accurate reflection of your current grade in the course.

Late Adds

Students who add the course after the first day are still responsible for content missed in lectures and or labs and other material or media. The instructor will not repeat a lecture for students who add late.

If the due date has passed for an assignment or exam, and the student missed the assignment because the student had not yet added the course, the student will not be allowed to makeup the assignment, and the student will start the course will a score of zero on the missed assignment or exams. If a late student does not agree with this policy, then the student should wait to take the course the following semester.

Policy on Late Work and Makeup Exams

Note for online exams: The Canvas online learning management system allows for due dates on assignment or exams. Unfortunately, the system will report an exam or assignment as 'not activated' after the due date has passed and the student can no longer take the exam.

No late work will be accepted.
No makeup quizzes or exams will be given.
NO Assignments accepted after the final

Caveat

The professor reserves the right to change any of the details of this course syllabus or the course schedule with a minimum of advance notice

Passing the Course

Students must take the Final exam to pass.
Students must pass the Final exam with a D grade or better.
Students must take the Final exam on the scheduled date and time of the Final. (You have 8 weeks to clear you schedule - make it so.)

Last Updated: 27 August 2024