		Michael L'Estrange Computer Information Science

CISC 300: Computer Familiarization

Instructor:	Michael L'Estrange
Instructor Email:	lestram@arc.losrios.edu
Instructor Web Page:	http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~lestram
Instructor Phone:	(916)-484-8147
Instructor Office:	ARC main campus, CMC 405
Office hours:	Mon 5-6pm Tues 11:30am-12:30pm Weds 5-6pm Thur 11:30am-12:30pm Fri 12Noon-1:00pm
Course Code #:	10403
Class Location:	CMC 411
Meeting Times:	TTh 10am-10:50am
Semester:	Spring 2020
Term:	Second Eight Weeks, Mar 17, 2020 - May 14, 2020
First meeting:	Tuesday 17 March 2020
Final Examination:	14 May 2020, Thursday, 10am-10:50am
Prerequisite:	None.
Advisory:	ENGRD 116 or ESLR 320 and the ability to type 20 wpm.
Accepted for credit:	CSU
Hours:	18 hours lecture.
Units:	1

Course Description

This introductory course develops and improves the basic computer skills necessary for college-level courses, workplace productivity, and personal enrichment. It introduces common computer terminology and concepts, file management, electronic mail, online learning, productivity application software, and the Internet.

Student Learning Outcomes

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

identify and name the most common digital computing devices.
identify and name basic operating system commands, tasks, and primary user interface components.
employ the mouse as a navigational tool to select ribbon tabs, icons, text, and screen options.
manage stored files using file management procedures.
create, save, and print word processing documents using basic editing and formatting techniques.
create, preview, save, and print spreadsheets using basic data entry, editing, and formatting techniques.
employ Internet and educational technologies.
employ an electronic mail system.
define common computer terms.

Textbook and Supplies

This course uses digital materials that can be obtained 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, Word, Excel 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 obtain and maintain an ARC Los Rios email account.
All students are required to have some form of portable electronic storage media or device to save homework files to.
All students are required to obtain and maintain a learning management system shell account.
All students are required to obtain a Sacramento Public Library card.

Optional:

Microsoft Office 2013 QuickSteps
Carole Matthews, Bobbi Sandberg, Marty Matthews, John Cronan,
McGraw Hill Professional Press, © 2013,
ISBN: 9780071805872

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.

Learning Management System (LMS)

This class will be using the Cisco Netspace web site, NOT Los Rios 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.
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 300 | 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.

Labs

Almost all CIS classes require labs. It is the online student's responsibility to complete the lab. Students may complete lab assignments in CSIT Area Computer Labs, room CMC 412, 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 CSIT area computer lab room CMC 412. Check with the CSIT area lab personnel in room CMC 412 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 CMC 411 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 CMC411. 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. Since this course is an in person course, 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'.

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

This course will follow the book essentially in chapter order. The schedule of topics, chapters to be covered, and assignments due each week shall be listed in the LMS. Students may certainly read ahead, but completion of assignments early will not be allowed or even be possible. Changes to the details of this course schedule most likely will not be reflected on this web page. For online classes, please refer to the Learning Management System for all current updates. For in person classes, the instructor will also make announcements during lecture.

CISC 300 Computer Familiarization Course Lesson Plan
Date	Topics	Assignment
Tuesday, March 17	Syllabus Overview Logging on to ARC student lab computers Take Self Attendance Using ARC Los Rios email Proper logout of the PC	Instruction begins for 2nd Eight week classes: March 17 Login and log out Assignment Send Instructor email Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, March 19	Introductionto the concepts of a personal Computer. How the operating system works. Use of Microsoft Windows operating system software. Using desktop icons and the Taskbar Input and output devices Storage devices, and file management Organizing and managing data Resize, move, and scroll windows Maximize, restore, minimize, and close a window Create a new folder Copy, move, rename, and delete files Find files and folders Compress files	Last day to drop this class without notation on record: March 20 Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor Assignment: Windows File Management.
Tuesday, March 24	Microsoft Windows operating system continued. Introduction to the World Wide Web and the Internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser software. Navigate the Internet Work with Favorites Electronic Mail: web based e-mail programs; sending and receiving messages; attachments Introduction to: http://www.saclibrary.org/ http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ https://www.khanacademy.org/	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor Assignment Due: Email; Email attachments Assignment Send Attachment: screen shot
Thursday, March 26	Quiz on Windows Web Browsers: IE, Firfox, Chrome Search the Internet Download files Print web pages Introduction to OnlineExpert Download Office compatibility pack Download data files for word and excel Send an attachment to yourself	Quiz: Internet Explorer Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Tuesday, March 31	Understanding the Office Suite Starting and Exiting an Office Program Viewing the Office User Interface Creating and Saving a File Opening a File and Saving it with a New Name Viewing and Printing Your Work Getting Help and Closing a File Using Notepad and WordPad Introduction to word processing software and applications using Microsoft Word software. Understanding Word Processing Software Exploring the Word Program Window Starting a Document Saving a Document Selecting Text Formatting Text Using the Mini Toolbar Creating a Document Using a Template Viewing and Navigating a Document	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, April 2	Cutting and Pasting Text Copying and Pasting Text Using the Office Clipboard Finding and Replacing Text Checking Spelling and Grammar Researching Information Adding Hyperlinks Preparing a Document for Distribution	Quiz on E-mail, Office 2010 Quiz on finding files Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Week of April 6 - April 12	April 6 - April 12: Spring recess (no classes, offices closed)	April 6 - April 12: Spring recess (no classes, offices closed)
Tuesday, April 14	Formatting with Fonts Copying Formats Using the Format Painter Changing Line and Paragraph Spacing Aligning Paragraphs	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, April 16	Setting Document Margins Inserting Clip Art	Midterm Exam (covers Windows, IE and Word)
Tuesday, April 21	Introduction to spread sheet software and applications using Microsoft Excel software. Understanding Spreadsheet Software Touring the Excel Window Understanding Formulas Entering Labels and Values and Using AutoSum Editing Cell Entries Entering and Editing a Simple Formula Switching Worksheet Views Choosing Print Options	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, April 23	Creating a Complex Formula Inserting a Function Typing a Function Copying and Moving Cell Entries Understanding Relative and Absolute Cell References Copying Formulas with Relative Cell References Copying Formulas with Absolute Cell References Rounding a Value with a Function	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Tuesday, April 28	Formatting Values Changing Font and Font Size Changing Attributes and Alignment Adjusting Column Width Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns Applying Colors, Patterns, and Borders Applying Conditional Formatting Naming and Moving a Sheet Checking Spelling	Last day to drop this class with W grade: April 29 Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, April 30	Plan a chart Create a Chart Move and resize a chart Change a chart design Change a chart layout Format a chart Annotate and draw on a chart Create a pie chart	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Tuesday, May 5	Power Point	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, May 7	Demonstrate of database concepts using Microsoft Access. Over View of IT field and ARC CIS Majors Review for final	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Tuesday, May 12	Catch-up	Assignment Readings/videos assigned by instructor
Thursday, May 14, 10am-10:50am	Final Exam	Instruction ends for 2nd eight week classes: May 14; Grades posted in about 10 business days No Assignments 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 300 Page # of #

Also, when contacting the instructor via email, be sure to include the class number in the subject line, i.e. CISC 300.

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
(80 points) 16%

Homework Assignments
(260 points) 52%

Midterm Examination (80 points) 16%

Final Examination (80 points) 16%

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	(80 points) 16%
Homework Assignments	(260 points) 52%
Midterm Examination	(80 points) 16%
Final Examination	(80 points) 16%

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. Your grade is based solely upon the regularly assigned work in the class: attendance, participation, lab assignments, projects, quizzes, and examinations.s.

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.

Policy on Late Work and Makeup Exams

No late work will be accepted.
No make up 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: 17 December 2020