Lamar State College - Port Arthur

House Bill 2504

Fall 2015 Course Syllabus

ITSC-1401-73 - Intro to Computers

Faculty Information
Semester	Fall 2015
Instructor	Stretcher, Nancy Lynn
Phone	(409) 984-6390
E-mail	cammacnl@lamarpa.edu
Department	Chair: Sheila Guillot Phone: (409) 984-6381 E-mail: guillsr@lamarpa.edu
Office	Hours: MTWR 11.00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Building: Madison Monroe Education (MMED) Room: 144
MyLamarPA	Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLamarPA campus web portal (My.LamarPA.edu). When you’ve logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check email, or click on the “My Courses” tab to get to your Course Homepage. Click the link to your course and review the information presented. It is important that you check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLamarPA.
Course Information
Course Number	90295
Course Description	Overview of computer information systems. Introduces computer hardware, software, procedures, and human resources.
Course Prerequisites	None.
Required Textbooks	When purchased at the campus bookstore the books for this class are bundled under the ISBN # 9781285932927 and include: Microsoft Office 2013: Illustrated Fundamentals (Textbook: ISBN 978-1-285-41829-3), SAM 2013 Assessment, Training, & Projects (Printed Access Card) w/ Mind Tap Reader (eBook), Microsoft Office 365 (180-day trial) Printed Access Card
Attendance Policy	In this online course, classroom attendance is not required. In the Content section of your Blackboard interface, you will see weekly folders. All assignments, quizzes, and exams must be completed by the end of the week assigned. Since you have two weeks to complete everything in each folder, late work will not be accepted. In addition, there are no makeups for assignments, quizzes, or exams.
Course Grading Scale	90 - 100 = A     80 - 89 = B     70 - 79 = C     60 - 69 = D     Below 59 = F
Determination of Final Grade	Assignments = 50%; Exams = 50%
Final Exam Date	December 3, 2015 - 5:00 PM
Major Assignments	Week 1 Getting Started -- Essential Computer Concepts Week 2 Windows 8 -- Office 2013 Week 3 Word Unit D Creating Documents Week 4 Word Unit E Enhancing a Document Week 5 Word Unit F Adding Special Elements to a Document Week 6 Excel Unit G Creating a Worksheet Week 7 Excel Unit H Using Complex Formulas, Functions, and Tables Week 8 Excel Unit I Working with Charts Week 9 Access Unit J Creating a Database Week 10 Access Unit K Working With Data Week 11 Access Unit L Creating Database Reports Week 12 PowerPoint Unit M Creating a Presentation Week 13 PowerPoint Unit N Polishing and Running a Presentation Week 14 Integrating Office 2013 Programs Week 15 Final Exam
Calendar of Lecture Topics and Major Assignment Due Dates	***All Assignments for each week are due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday*** Week 1 – Pretest, Discussion Board, Essential Concepts / Concepts Review, Exam 1 (Essential Computer Concepts) Week 2 - Review sheet for Windows 8, Concepts Review (Windows Units A and B), Create Folders / Screen Capture, Review for Getting Started with Office 2013, Concepts Review for Office 2013, Exam 2 (Windows 8) Week 3 – Word Unit D (Concepts Review, Skills Review) Week 4 – Word Unit E (Concepts Review, Skills Review, Independent Challenge) Week 5 – Word Unit F (Concept Review, Skills Review) Week 6 – Exam 3 (Word 2013), Excel Unit G (Concept Review, Skills Review for Extra Credit, Independent Challenge 1) Week 7 – Excel Unit H (Concept Check, Skills Review) Week 8 – Excel Unit I (Concept Check, Skills Review, Visual Benchmark) Week 9 – EXAM 4 (Excel 2013); Access Unit J Concept Review, Skills Review) Week 10 – Access Unit K (Concept Review, Skills Review) Week 11 – Access Unit L (Concept Review, Skills Review) Week 12 – PowerPoint Unit M (Concept Review, Skills Review, Visual Workshop) Week 13 – PowerPoint Unit N (Concept Review, Skills Review) Week 14 – Integrating Office 2013 Unit O (Concept Review, In-Chapter Assignment) Week 15 – Post-Test Exam, Extra Credit (Unit F Independent Challenge 3, Unit G Visual Workshop)
General Education/Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes	Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication. Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions. Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts. Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view. Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities. Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Program Student Learning Outcomes	Software Developer AAS: Alpha. Demonstrates comprehension of content-area reading material 1. Utilizes basic software development terminology and concepts. 2. Applies a software-development process to develop and troubleshoot a software product. 3. Creates computer graphics for inclusion into a software product. 4. Demonstrates ethics and professionalism within the computer field.
Course Student Learning Outcomes	1. Obtains general knowledge of networking and computer terms through content reading material (PSLO Alpha) measured by pretest/post test. 2. Describe current technology including hardware, software, and digital media (PSLO 1)measured by embedded test questions 3. Use current Microsoft Office programs to develop professional results from software use. (PSLO 2--measured with rubrics applied to hands-on projects) 4. Students demonstrate ethics and professionalism (PSLO 4) measured by embedded test questions.
Academic Honesty	Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSC-PA policies (Section IX, subsection A, in the Faculty Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
Facility Policies	No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Electronic devices (including but not restricted to cell phones, MP3 players, and laptop computers) shall not be used during examinations unless specifically allowed by the instructor. Use of electronic devices during normal class hours distracts other students, disrupts the class, and wastes valuable time. Instructors have an obligation to reduce such disruptions. Turn your cellphones to vibrate when you enter the classroom. Students are responsible for all readings that are assigned, including textbook readings and lecture notes. Assignments/Projects will be assigned weekly and will have a specific due date. Quizzes may be given periodically throughout the semester. Exams/Finals--all tests are to be closed-book, closed-notes and are made up primarily of multiple-choice questions. Tests must be completed in the allotted time frame. See the document entitled Helpful Information concerning course/instructor policy for missed exams. There will be a hands-on final exam or project covering no less than two of the software products introduced. All students must take the exam on the scheduled dates and time, and failure to do so will result in a zero on the final exam. Every student MUST have a copy of the required textbooks by the second week of class. The student will still be responsible for any assignments given. Failure to have a text may result in being dropped from the class. Failure to follow instructions (written or oral) will result in penalties. Students should keep a record of their grades/average. Instructor(s) will not average grades for students. For each assignment, students must complete the entire lesson (file) on their own. Students are never allowed to use anyone's USB or file but their own, or work together. Students should never lend their file to another student nor should a student have any other students' work in their possession for any reason. If a student uses another student's files, both students are considered guilty of cheating. If caught cheating, the students will get a zero on the assignment. If a second incidence occurs, both students may be given a final grade of "F" for the course. While this is an online course, the student will be required to communicate with the instructor and complete course work on a weekly basis. Students are expected to read announcements posted on Blackboard and check their MyLamarPA e-mail account on a regular basis.
Additional Information	You MUST have the proper software for this course. Reliable Internet access is required. Computer failure and lack of Internet access are not acceptable excuses for missed assignments, projects, quizzes, or exams. DO NOT wait until the "last minute" to complete class work or exams. Students must use appropriate e-mail etiquette when corresponding with instructor; for example, complete sentences and a full subject line with your name/course name. Voice mail messages should be clearly spoken identifying student's name, course, and any return phone number.
Important Information
ADA Considerations	The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
Copyright Violations	Some material in this course may be copyrighted. They may be used only for instructional purposes this semester, by students enrolled in this course. These materials are being used fairly and legally. No one may distribute or share these copyrighted materials in any medium or format with anyone outside this class, including publishing essays with copyrighted material, uploading copyrighted material to Facebook or YouTube, or painting or performing copyrighted material for public display. Copyright violation is not the same thing as plagiarism. Plagiarism is intellectual dishonesty. Offenses of plagiarism result in lower grades or failing scores, and professors and the college strictly enforce plagiarism rules. There is never any acceptable use of plagiarism. Copyright violation is a legal offense, punishable by large fines and penalties. Copyrighted material can be used if permission from the material’s creator is obtained, or if its use meets the standards of fair use in an educational setting. For example, a student can quote a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a report without violating copyright but still be guilty of plagiarism if the quotation is not properly documented. If you are in doubt about what material can be freely used, ask your professor or contact the Dean of Library Services, at (409) 984-6216.
Assessment Statement	Assessment is a process by which LSCPA can help you learn better and gauge the level of progress you have made to attain knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. It also helps your professors understand how to improve teaching and testing methods in your classes, and it helps each department understand and improve degree and certificate programs. Periodically LSC-PA will collect assessment data for research and reporting purposes, including statistical data and sometimes copies of your work. Be assured that all material the college uses for assessment purposes will be kept confidential. To ensure anonymity, your name will be removed from any material we use for assessment purposes, including video-recorded performances, speeches, and projects. If you object to allowing LSC-PA to use your material for assessment purposes, submit a letter stating so to your professor by the 12th class day. You will still be required to participate in whatever assessments are being done; we just won’t use your data. What’s the difference between assessment and grades? The grades you get on papers, projects, speeches, and assignments are specific types of focused assessment. LSC-PA’s assessment efforts include class grades, surveys, standardized tests, and other tools.
Privacy Notice	Federal privacy laws apply to college students. This means that college employees, including instructors, cannot divulge information to third parties, including parents and legal guardians of students. Even if the students are minors, information about their college work cannot be shared with anyone except in very limited circumstances. Anyone requesting information about a student should be referred to the Registrar. Instructors will be notified in writing by that Office about what information may be released and to whom. Please remember that releasing private information about a student, however innocuous it may seem, can be a violation of federal law, with very serious consequences. Circumstances under which information may be released: An adult student may submit, to the Registrar, a handwritten, signed note granting permission for release of information. The note must specify what information may be divulged, and it must specify the name of the person to whom the information may be given. A parent or guardian may be given access to information about a student by providing a copy of a filed tax return that shows that the student was listed as a dependent of that parent or guardian. The tax return must be for last complete tax year. Again, this documentation must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. A parent or guardian may be given access to information about a student if the student logs on to My.LamarPA.edu and sends an email to the Registrar granting permission. The email must specify what information may be given and the name of the person to whom it may be given. Co-enrollment students are protected by the same privacy laws as adult students. The Registrar’s office is located in the Student Center room 303B, and can be reached at (409) 984-6165.
College-Level Perspectives	This course helps add to the students’ overall collegiate experience in the following ways: Establishing broad and multiple perspectives on the individual in relationship to the larger society and world in which s/he lives, and to understand the responsibilities of living in a culturally and ethnically diversified world. Stimulating a capacity to discuss and reflect upon individual, political, economic, and social aspects of life in order to understand ways in which to be a responsible member of society. Developing a capacity to use knowledge of how technology and science affect their lives. Developing personal values for ethical behavior. Developing the ability to make aesthetic judgments. Using logical reasoning in problem solving. Integrating knowledge and understand the interrelationships of the scholarly disciplines.
Degree Plan Evaluation	A Degree Plan Evaluation will help you determine which classes you need to complete your program. Sign in to your my.lamarpa.edu account. Click on the “My Services” tab. Click on the “Student” tab. Click on Student Records. Click on Degree Evaluation. Select the term you are planning on registering for (i.e. Summer I, Summer II, Fall, or Spring) Verify that the Curriculum Information (your MAJOR) is correct Click on “Generate New Evaluation” at the bottom of the screen. Click the radio button next to Program Click on the Generate Request button. All of the classes that you have taken that apply to your declared major will be listed on the right. If you have a class that still needs to be completed, a “NO” will be listed on the right next to the required class.
HB 2504	This syllabus is part of LSC-PA’s efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
Lamar State College - Port Arthur Mission Lamar State College - Port Arthur, a member of The Texas State University System, is an open-access, comprehensive public two-year college offering quality and affordable instruction leading to associate degrees and a variety of certificates. The College embraces the premise that education is an ongoing process that enhances career potential, broadens intellectual horizons, and enriches life. Core Values Shared commitment by faculty, staff and administration to a mission characterized by student learning, diversity, and community involvement General education/core curriculum that develops the values and concepts that allow the student to make a meaningful contribution in the workplace or community Academic and technical programs designed to fulfill our commitment to accommodate students with diverse goals and backgrounds, using a variety of delivery methods, on and off campus Technical education programs that provide for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and behavior necessary for initial and continued employment Student achievement characterized by attainment of individual goals and measured by successful accomplishments and completion of curriculum Co-curricular opportunities that develop social, financial and civic acuity Principles Lamar State College - Port Arthur operates in the belief that all individuals should be: treated with dignity and respect; afforded equal opportunity to acquire a complete educational experience; given an opportunity to discover and develop their special aptitudes and insights; and, provided an opportunity to equip themselves for a fulfilling life and responsible citizenship in a world characterized by change.

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