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A111: A Survey of Computers and Computing

Spring 2006 Policies

Instructor

John (J) Duncan
johfdunc@indiana.edu
Office: LH 201
Office Hours: By Appointment Only

Course Website

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/classes/a111/

Important! The Announcements page is located directly off the course home page. It contains any announcements, notifications, or reminders as they come up. You will want to refer to it often.

Course Description

Catalog Description

A111 A Survey of Computers and Computing (1.5 cr.):

P: one year of high school algebra or M014, and some prior computing experience. Survey of computing concepts, with emphasis on problem solving techniques. Experience in a variety of popular applications software for tasks such as word processing, Web browsing, spreadsheet calculations, and databases. Lecture and laboratory. 8-week course.

Relation to Other Courses

This course is a half-semester version of A110 for those who already have some experience with computers. A110, A111, or equivalent experience, are prerequisite to other half-semester computer science courses numbered A112 through A116. If you have very little or no experience with computers, take A110 instead of A111. If you have already taken A110 or another one-semester computer literacy course (such as BUS K201), you should not take this course. If you have had a year or more of high-school computer training, or have had a wide variety of computer experience at home or elsewhere, you probably do not need this course either. Consult with your academic advisor or the course instructor if you are in doubt about whether you belong in this course.

Prerequisite Computing Experience

The most common computer applications are file manipulation, web browsing, email, and word processing. If you do not already have a little experience with at least three of these four applications, you probably have insufficient experience for this course. If you have very little or no experience with computers, take A110 instead of A111.

Course Goals

By successfully completing this course, you will be able to demonstrate increased skills in the following areas:

  • Problem solving
  • Word-processing
  • Spreadsheets
  • Presentation software
  • Electronic messaging systems
  • Using the World Wide Web and creating your own web pages
  • Using and understanding computer-related vocabulary
  • Recognizing basic computer components

Required Materials

There are two required texts for this course:

  • CSCI A111: A Survey of Computers and Computing. Course Policies, Lab Manual and Project Descriptions. (A111 class pak, downloadable from this webpage)
  • Using Information Technology: A Practical Introduction to Computers & Communications. 5th Edition. (Sawyer & Williams, McGraw Hill-Irwin)

In addition, you will need the following materials:

  • Your Network ID and password. If you do not have a Network ID, you can easily obtain one from the UITS Support Center in IMU M084.
  • A CFS account. How do I create a CFS account?
  • A floppy if you want to save your work to it. Use of CFS instead is HIGHLY recommended. If your floppy dies with your work on it, you're out of luck. If CFS goes down, your work will still be there when it comes up and I will be a lot more understanding.

Grading

Your course grade depends on your cumulative performance on the tasks assigned for A111. The breakdown for Spring 2005 is as follows:

Task

% of your final grade

Project 1

10%

Project 2

10%

Project 3

10%

Project 4

10%

Lab Participation

10%

Term Reports

10%

In-class Quizzes

20%

Final Exam

20%

TOTAL:

100%

There are four projects for A111, and one in-class final examination. Both the labs and lectures have a participation grade component. The lab participation grade reflects both attendance and your performance on very short, uncomplicated, in-class assignments. The lecture participation grade comes in the form of reports and quizzes based on these reports. The reports will be short written reports on computer-related vocabulary. These will be done individually as assigned by the professor.

Assignment Submission

Assignments must be submitted electronically to your AI by email.

Course Structure

A111 is composed of both lectures (two 50-minute lectures per week) and computer labs (two 75-minute labs per week). The labs and lectures run concurrently, although the goals and topics covered are largely separate. The goal of the lectures is to introduce you to key concepts in modern computing, aiming to nudge you past a layperson’s understanding of computers. The goal of the labs is to provide hands-on experience with computers, broadening and deepening your understanding of important contemporary software.

Exams

There is a final exam in this course, worth 20% of your course grade. The final exam will be closed book and will cover the material in the lectures almost exclusively (not the lab material, although the lab material will help you gain a better understanding of the lecture material and vice versa). It is vital that you attend lectures regularly. The final exam will not be difficult for people who have attended lecture and taken appropriate notes. The lectures will be supplemented with reading assignments from the course texts and/or web readings. In addition, helpful study questions will be posted before the exam. A small percentage of exam questions may be taken from these study questions, and if you have done them in advance you will have a significant advantage during the exam for these questions (an obvious incentive for doing the study questions!).

Policies

Incompletes

An incomplete (I) final grade will only be provided by prior arrangement in exceptional circumstances conforming to departmental policy, and only if the bulk of the course work has been completed in passing fashion.

Late Assignments & Makeups

Late assignments (those turned in past the stated deadline) will earn a zero. Makeups are not allowed unless pre-arranged with the instructor and only when documentation of hospitalization, death in the family, or other emergency is provided.

Academic Dishonesty

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 constitute academic dishonesty. There are no "small" offenses. Make sure you read the official Computer Science Department document on academic integrity.