ClassInfo

CSC 200 Survey of Computing

Spring 2012-2013
Class number: 34973
Section number: 620
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Online Campus
Course homepage: http://cc2e.me/200

Summary

This fully online course provides a contemporary understanding of the way computers work and modern software to enable exploring the way information technology affects the modern world, workplace, and careers. A hands-on component deals with state of the art personal computer operating systems, applications such as sound, image, and video editing, spreadsheets and databases, the Internet, email, and basic web site construction. The structure of the course combines lectures and hands-on projects in which students use their own computers or lab computers at their own discretion. This course is geared towards non-computer science majors and assumes no prior knowledge or experience with computer science concepts.



Texts

The only required text for this course is the inexpensive workbook Contemporary Computing 2nd edition by James Janossy, which contains all of the formal reading, links to video lectures, tutorials, web resources, exercises, homework and projects. This book is published by Stipes Publishing, LLC, of Champaign, IL with ISBN 978-1-60904-156-4. The first chapter of this book is available for free download from the course web site to get you started in the course without delay. Link "B" the course web site at http://cc2e.me/200 provides links to the required text at both Amazon (print) and a method or ordering an electronic copy of the book; students decide which format best suits their needs.

Additional reference readings are accessed using the DePaul library "Books 24x7" database which is free for DePaul students access. The assigned text includes many web links leading to safe resources that students download and install on their own Macs or PCs and retain after the course ends.


Grading

This course is divided into five segments named "units". Each unit is designed to be accomplished within two or three weeks. While each unit is associated with a distinct time period of activity, the work within units is self-paced. Each unit 1, 2, and 3, spanning 7 weeks, contains readings and videos from Contemporary Computing and these assignments:

* a short repeatable online exercise
* required hands-on projects
* a written summary homework assignment.

Exercises are graded automatically and each is a learning device, not a "quiz". Project work and homework are "critiqued" by the instructor upon submission and feedback given, after which students have 10 additional calendar days to revise and resubmit the work for grading.

In Unit 4 you focus on capstone projects, each of which helps you learn a technique valuable for the workplace and of continuing benefit. You have a degree of choice in some of these projects. The coursework in Units 1 through 4 counts for 70% of the course grade. Consult the course web site for detailed information about how much credit is possible with each item of this work.

In Unit 5 you complete a reflective work assignment that accounts for 25% of the course grade. See Unit 5 of Contemporary Computing for detailed information about this assignment.

The course grade is based on a course score in a range 0 to 1000. This score is converted to a percentage and the letter grade for the course is assigned from the percentage using this scale:

93.5 and above = A
90-93.4 = A-
87.5-89.9 = B+
83.5-87.4 = B
80-83.4 = B-
77.5-79.9 = C+
73.5-77.4 = C
70-73.4 = C-
67.5-69.9 = D+
60-67.4 = D
less than 60 = F

See the course web site for detailed information on the way your course grade is computed. The online exercises, project and homework critiques and grading provide much more frequent and timely feedback than would a midterm exam so there is no midterm exam in this course. The ending weeks of the term focus on the assigned reflective work and there is no final exam. A detailed course grade "transcript" with feedback is provided to each student at frequent intervals during the course. Grades are not "curved." Every student can get an "A" or any other grade; you are not competing with anyone else in this course. Your grade results entirely from your own efforts judged objectively. Optional extra credit projects are provided in each of the first three segments of the course.


Prerequisites

View the video overview of this course at http://ee4.me/course200. The only prerequisite for this course is that you can access videos such as that using a desktop, laptop, smart cell phone, iPad, iPod, or other tablet computer. This course supports all of these devices. If you don't have convenient internet access on one of these types of devices, you may not have what you need in terms of infrastructure to attempt a fully online course!


Online work replaces paper-based work

In keeping with the subject matter of the course the course is designed to take advantage of modern electronic technology, communications capabilities, and the web. All work is submitted electronically online. You need to do the reading assignments and video viewing for which hyperlinks in the workbook are provided since the exercises, projects, and homework are based on these. Support is provided for both Windows/PC and Apple Mac computers. Extra credit is possible in each of the units of the course. One of the required capstone projects is the development of a professional portfolio on the web, using either the DePaul's Digication system or other resources provided via the assigned text.


Flexible (individual) coursework scheduling

Online courses need not be constrained to have each student proceed at the same pace. The timespans for each segment of the course shown below are just my suggestions. In this course each students decides, within some simple guidelines, on the date they will commit to complete each of the five units of the course. The schedule is declared using the Confirmation of Participation form you download from the course web site and complete and return. You can adjust this schedule as your own circumstances dictate during the first seven weeks of the term (10-week quarter) or first 3 weeks of the 5-week summer term.


Unit 1: Information encoding. Contemporary Computing chapter 1. Online exercise and assignments as indicated in Contemporary Computing. Note: this initial chapter of the workbook is available free for online download at the course web site (see above) to help you get started quickly in the course. The remaining chapters are available only in the published workbook.

Unit 2: The Computer Evolution. Contemporary Computing chapter 2. Online exercise and assignments as indicated in Contemporary Computing, 2nd edition. Unit 3: Contemporary Computing. Contemporary Computing chapter 3. Online exercise and assignments as indicated in Contemporary Computing 2nd edition. Unit 4: Capstone Propects. Contemporary Computing 2nd edition chapter 4.< Unit 5: Reflective work. Contemporary Computing 2nd edition chapter 5. There is no final exam in this course.

School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296