Syllabus
- CSCI A110 -
Introduction to Computers & Computing

Computer Science Department
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Spring 2006

Instructor:

Charles Pope, Lecturer & Course Coordinator
Office Hours: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday and by appointment
201E Lindley Hall
Email: cepope@indiana.edu

(The instructor reserves the right to make additions, changes
or corrections to this document throughout the semester.)

Prerequisites

One year of high school algebra or Math M014.

Course Description

Students will grasp the underlying principles of the technologies that have an impact on their lives and understand how those principles are related to real-world activities. CSCI A110 goes beyond traditional computer literacy by distinguishing a context from which the course content arises. The course goes to work dispelling the illusion that students are ‘doing computers’ when they are at a keyboard or in front of a computer display. In delivering real-world problems that are challenging against this new background, the students shift the way computers occur for them, and they become effective problem solvers. Students are left effective with technology in a way that is not something they forget, but something that they take home as their own and continue to apply to produce results anticipated and expected by the world in which they live.

This approach is consistent with a study commissioned by the National Science Foundation to investigate the relationship between the rapid change within Information Technology and our ability to keep pace. The resulting report by the National Research Council (NRC), Being Fluent with Technology, concluded that the educational “bar needs to be raised.” The recommendation, fluency with information technology, was a package of skills, concepts, and capabilities taught with a project-oriented learning approach.*

*Fluency with Information Technology, Snyder, Lawrence. Addison Wesley, 2004.

Course Objectives

By successfully completing this course, students will:

  1. Advance toward a higher level of understanding, beyond the scope of traditional literacy.
  2. Understand how the fundamental design principles of computers and computing are related to real-world activities.
  3. Shift the way they view and think about computers and computing by fostering an appreciation for problem solving.

Textbooks and Supplies

  1. HTML WORD 2003/POWERPNT 2003/A110 LAB MNL CUSTOM , by COURSE TECHNOLOGY (Required for Lab. This is a two-volume set)
  2. SUCCEEDING W/TECHNOLOGY/MASTER APPLIC REAL WORLD B, by STAIR (Required Lecture Text)
  3. Storage media (recommended: a box of ten (10) double-sided, high density (2HD) 3.5" disks or a USB flash memory key)
  4. An IU Network ID (Can be obtained at the UITS Support Center, Indiana Memorial Union M084)
  5. An IUware CD if you have your own computer.

Grade Determination

This course uses a grading scheme based on 700 points. Each assignment will earn you a specific number of points. These points are distinguished as follows:

Assignment Description Points
Lecture Quiz (10) Lecture Topics 100
Lecture Midterm Ch 8, 10, 3, 2 100
Lecture Final Ch 4, 6, 5, 12 100
Lecture Total 300
Lab Test 1 Word 50
Lab Test 2 HTML, Steel, SSH 50
Lab Test 3 Excel 50
Lab Test Total 150
Lab 1 HTML 25
Lab 2 Word 25
Lab 3 Word 25
Lab 4 PowerPoint 25
Lab 5 Database 25
Lab 6 Excel 25
Lab 7 Excel 25
Service Project Website 75
Lab Project Total 250
Total Points 700

By totaling the number of points you earned during the semester, your final letter grade will be determined using the following table:

Total Points Earned Letter Grade
686 points or more A+
651-685 points A
630-650 points A-
609-629 points B+
581-608 points B
560-580 points B-
539-559 points C+
511-538 points C
490-510 points C-
469-489 points D+
441-468 points D
420-440 points D-
Fewer than 420 points F

Final grades will not be publicly posted. Please do not email your Lab or Lecture instructors requesting final grade information. Individual grades will NOT be discussed via e-mail. Please refer to OneStart for your final semester grade.

The size of the class provides a unique challenge to receive a timely answer to email requests during the last week of classes; this is true because of the volume of requests received at this time. As much as is possible, please foresee the end of the semester and make your requests early. Also, it is predictable that you will experience long lines for office hour visits during the last week of classes; to mitigate upset, please either make an appointment, or come early.

Course Schedule

Please refer to the course calendar located under the "Schedule" tab in Oncourse for the lab and lecture schedule.
A weekly overview is shown here:

Week Lecture Lab
1 Decision Making OS, File Management
2 Decision Making HTML
3 Software Development HTML
4 Software Development MS-Word
5 Software MS-Word
6 Hardware PowerPoint
7 Hardware Website Service Project
8 Mid-Term Website Service Project
9 The Internet Website Service Project
10 Spring Break Spring Break
11 The World Wide Web Database
12 Database Systems Database
13 Networking MS-Excel
14 Societal Issues MS-Excel
15 Societal Issues MS-Excel
16 Final MS-Excel

Course Policies & Procedures

Participation

Attendance Policy

Attendance in lab and lecture is the student's responsibility. You cannot expect to receive the results promised in this Syllabus if you do not attend all lectures and labs.

Children in Class Policy

In extraordinary circumstances, please make a request to the course coordinator in advance of class for permission to bring a child to class. Please do not bring to class children who are not well.

Electronic Devices in Class Policy

Cellular phones, pagers, CD players, radios, and similar devices should be put away while in lecture and laboratory facilities. Please power off all devices when entering the classroom. Laptop computers may be used in lecture for the purpose of taking notes.

Disabilities Policy

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to “reasonable accommodations. Please notify the Lecturer and Associate Instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course.

Disability Services for Students

Students with documented disabilities through Student Disability Services need to contact Professor Pope, A110 Course Coordinator, about testing accommodations within the first two weeks of the semester. A meeting will be arranged to discuss your accommodations.DSS students must bring supporting documentation to the meeting. Further information may be located at http://www.indiana.edu/~iubdss/

Withdrawal Policy

The official withdrawal policy for CSCI A110 is the policy found at the Registrar’s website. Depending on the date of a withdrawal, you should view the policy at Late Grades or at Final Grades.

Incomplete Policy

An incomplete (I) final grade will be provided only by prior arrangement in exceptional circumstances conforming to departmental policy. The bulk of course work must have been completed in passing fashion. A student's desire to avoid a poor grade is not a satisfactory reason for receiving an incomplete. To discuss possible arrangements for an Incomplete in the course, you should contact your A110 Lecturer. Please refer to the IUB Computer Science Department Incomplete Policy at http://www.cs.indiana.edu/dept/incomplete.html for additional information.

Late or Missing Assignments Policy

For each day that an assignment is turned in late, your grade for that assignment will be dropped 10% off the total points available (e.g. if you earned 100% of the total possible points available for an assignment and you turned it in two days late, you will receive an 80%). In circumstances where turning in an assignment late was unavoidable, you can email your work to your instructor; the datestamp on the file must precede the due date of the assignment in order for the work to be considered for full marks.

Exam Makeup Policy

Should you notice early in the semester that you have any conflict whatsoever with a test day, please communicate that as early as possible with your instructor. If it is possible, you may be able to make an arrangement to take an exam EARLY, which is so much more preferable than taking an exam LATE. Reasons for requesting to take a test early should be justifiably intelligent and often come with a note from another professor, or a program coach in support of your request.

Lecture makeup tests are not allowed unless pre-arranged with the Lecturer and only when documentation of hospitalization, family death, or emergency is provided. No exceptions. Documentation of the event must be provided to Professor Pope within 48 hours of the missed exam or test. Oversleeping is not an acceptable excuse for missing an exam or test. Students will be required to make-up the exam or test the Monday following the examination date at 1:30 pm in Lindley Hall 201E. ALL quizzes and exams must be made up one Friday plus one week after the original test date or a zero (0) will be given.*


Lab
makeup exams are not allowed unless pre-arranged with the Associate Instructor and only when documentation of hospitalization, family death, or emergency is provided. No exceptions. Documentation of the event must be provided to your Associate Instructor within 48 hours of the missed exam or test. Oversleeping is not an acceptable excuse for missing an exam or test. Students will be required to make arrangements with their Associate Instructor to make up the missed exam. ALL exams must be made up one Friday plus one week of the original exam date or a zero (0) will be given.*

*If you believe your circumstances are exceptional, you must contact professor Pope concerning your circumstances, and you must make a request.

Religious Observance Accommodation policy

Indiana University respects the right of all students to observe their religious holidays and will make reasonable accommodation, upon request, for such observances. For a complete policy on religious holidays and accommodations for such, go to http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/holidays.html.

Deadline for requesting accommodations for observance of a religious holiday

If you plan on requesting reasonable accommodations to observe a religious holiday, you must submit your request to Professor Pope by the end of the second week of the course. You may locate the form at http://www.indiana.edu/~deanfac/download/holidayreq.pdf.

Performance

Academic Honesty Policy

The standard penalty for any form of academic dishonesty in a course is failure of the course. Providing or receiving help during lecture or lab exams, or submitting the work of another as your own all constitutes academic dishonesty. Copying any portion of an assignment from a friend, or copying from a web page does constitute academic misconduct. Collaborating on assignments that are not explicitly given as team projects also constitutes academic misconduct. Please do not do this. You are EXPECTED to read the Computer Science Department's Academic Misconduct Policy at: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/Academics/integrity.html This policy will be rigorously adhered to.

Grade Appeals Policy

To appeal a lecture exam grade, send an e-mail to your Lecturer's e-mail address within 72 hours of the grade having been received to set up an appointment to discuss the issue face-to-face.

To appeal a lab exam grade, send an e-mail to your Associate Instructor's email address within 72 hours of the grade having been received to set up an appointment to discuss the issue face-to-face. Overdue appeals will not be considered. You may further appeal unsatisfactory lab scores to your Professor Pope within 72 hours of your face-to-face meeting with your lab instructor. Make this appeal by email and substantiate the basis for your appeal with factual information and sound reasoning; you should academically and intellectually justify your appeal. Upon receiving your appeal, your lab instructor will have an opportunity to reply to your argument, and you will have a final opportunity to respond to their reply. Once all of the materials have been received, the appeal will be reviewed and either granted or denied within 72 hours.

Final Grade Disputes

Final grades will not be discussed via email with lab or lecture instructors during official University breaks. You must contact the A110 Course Coordinator at the beginning of the next semester to set up a meeting to discuss any grade discrepancy. You should make this contact by sending an email to cepope@indiana.edu.

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This page was last revised January 4, 2006.