CGS 2100 Microcomputer Applications for Buiness and Economics
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Director: Randolph Langley
Spring 2014
Course Description
CGS 2100, Microcomputer Applications for Business and Economics,
teaches important computer and digital technology concepts and
skills necessary to succeed in careers and in life. Course topics
range from computer literacy basics, to today's
technologies, and to the information systems on which today's
businesses and organizations depend. This course is designed to
provide relevant technology coverage for all degree programs.
Concepts
| Computer Skills
|
- Why Computers Matter to You: Becoming Computer Literate
- Technology in Focus: History of the Personal Computer
- Looking at Computers: Understanding the Parts
- Using the Internet: Making the Most of the Web's Resources
- Technology in Focus: Information Technology Ethics
- Application Software: Programs that Let You Work and Play
- Using System Software: The Operating System, Utility
Programs and File Management
- Technology in Focus: Computing Alternatives
- Understanding and Assessing Hardware: Evaluating Your System
- Technology in Focus: Under the Hood
- Securing Your System: Protecting Your Digital Data and Devices
- Technology in Focus: Careers in IT
- Behind the Scenes: Databases and Information Systems
- Behind the Scenes: Networking and Security in the Business World
|
- Microsoft Windows File Management
- Microsoft Office Applications, Common Features
- Word Processing with Microsoft Word
- Numeric Analysis with Microsoft Excel
- MS Office Application Integration
|
Course Objectives
By the conclusion of this course, students who earn a passing grade will be able to:
- use a current operating system to run applications and efficiently manage computer files
- demonstrate skills related to email use
- use a current word processing application to create useful documents
- use a current spreadsheet application to analyze numeric data, generate charts, and perform more advanced spreadsheet operations
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of basic computer concepts such as computer hardware, software, architecture, and networking
- demonstrate an understanding of how digital technology, various general purpose and special purpose computers, and software are applied to solve problems and provide services
- demonstrate an understanding of how telecommunications, wired and wireless networks, and the internet, web and cloud are used to provide people with anywhere, anytime access to communications and information, for a variety of environments and applications
- demonstrate an understanding of how computer-based information systems are used to support the goals of business, organizations, and the general public
- demonstrate an understanding of how digital technologies assist people in creating, using, and enjoying music and other audio, graphic artwork, photographs, video, and games
- demonstrate an understanding of information security and vulnerabilities as well as actions to take to secure digital information systems
- demonstrate an understanding of the impact of digital technologies on the lives of individuals, society, and the world including related ethical and professional issues
Course Structure
Classroom:
This class provides 45 hours of instructional contact. Classroom students have
one weekly lecture class meeting on campus where lessons are provided and
course topics are discussed. There is also on-line content that you may review,
including audio presentation of all of the slides. The course director holds 5 hours per week of office hours,
and there is a help lab in 302 MCH that is available 35 hours per week.
Recitation Sections:
There are no pre-scheduled recitation or lab meetings for this course.
ALL STUDENTS will have access to instructors at the online Help
Desk, and on campus in a classroom Help Desk. All students must sign
up to take their exams in on-campus exam sessions offered during the
semester. All exams are held in the FSU Testing Center.
Conditions for Course Credit for CGS 2100
Students who have taken CGS 2060, Computer Fluency,
are not eligible for credit in CGS 2100 and should not sign up for this class.
If both CGS 2060 and CGS 2100 are taken in the same semester, the student will
receive credit for only one of the two courses.
Instructional Staff
Course Director:
Randolph Langley
Office Hours: see course website ('Instructor Info' tab on Blackboard)
Office: MCH 103
Course Teaching Assistants:
Names and contact information to be announced; see course Blackboard site
Administrative TAs:
Every student will be assigned an Administrative TA who will be their
primary contact for administrative situations, such as grading
questions and extension requests. Administrative TA assignments will
be posted on the course web site.
Online Email Help Desk:
Send mail to: 2100help AT cs.fsu.edu
In Person Help Desk:
Location: MCH 302; hours will be posted on the course web site.
Communicate all course questions and concerns to the email helpdesk
2100help@cs.fsu.edu, or to Teaching Assistants in the help desk lab, or
in certain cases to your Administrative TA. Teaching assistants will
refer cases which they are not able to handle to the lead teaching assistant, who
will either handle it or refer the case to the Course
Director.
Course Materials
Required Course Textbooks:
Both required texts are included in the course pack in the FSU
Bookstore. The ISBN for the course pack is 1-269-28805-9. The
ISBN-13 for the course pack is 978-1-269-28805-7.
- Textbook 1 (hard copy or eBook): Technology in Action,
Introductory, 10 Edition, Evans, Martin, Poatsy, Prentice Hall, Custom
PHIT for Florida State University CGS 2100.
- Textbook 2 (hard copy or eBook): Go! With Microsoft Office 2010 Volume 1, Gaskin,
Ferrett, Vargas, McLellan, Custom PHIT for Florida State University CGS 2100.
- The course pack also includes your access code for the
publisher's material, and it includes an academic version of Microsoft
Office 2010.
A personal computer is not required, but it is recommended for anyone
wishing to do assignment work from home; Windows PC or MAC computer
with Microsoft Office 2010.
- Regardless of what personal computer you may have, public computer labs on campus
(accessible by all FSU students) have the correct version of MS Office both for PCs
and MACs. FSU site computers can be found in MCH 315, Strozier Library, and the
Student Union.
- The version you need for the assignments is Office 2010 for Windows, or Office 2011 for Mac.
Grading/Evaluation
Points
| Task
|
100
| Syllabus Quiz
|
100
| Assignment 1: Office Word
|
100
| Assignment 2: Excel
|
100
| Assignment 3: Excel
|
100
| Assignment 4: Excel
|
100
| Assignment 5: Excel
|
200
| Exam 1: Technology in Action Chapters 1-5 (this includes the first two Tech in Focus sections)
|
200
| Exam 2 : Technology in Action Chapters 6-10 (includes the last three Tech in Focus sections)
|
1000
| Total Points
|
Use the table below to calculate your letter grade based upon the number of points earned.
Lower Bound Pts
| Upper Bound Pts
| Grade
|
920
| 1000
| A
|
900
| 919
| A-
|
880
| 899
| B+
|
820
| 879
| B
|
800
| 819
| B-
|
780
| 799
| C+
|
720
| 779
| C
|
700
| 719
| C-
|
680
| 699
| D+
|
620
| 679
| D
|
600
| 619
| D-
|
0
| 599
| F
|
Final Letter Grade: The points you earn over the duration of
the semester determine your final letter grade. No additional point
earning activities will be provided for students who, at the end of
the semester, realize that they have fallen short of their desired
grade. This is university policy. Students in any course must have
exactly the same opportunities to earn points towards a final
grade. Grades will reflect how well students read and follow course
directions and meet course deadlines. Grades are final unless an error
was made in grading or point calculations.
GRADING QUESTIONS
All grade questions involving all course work must first be discussed
with your Administrative TA. If the questions involve a re-grading
request, you must attach a cover page to the printed work, where the
latter describes your concerns and is specific about just what you are
contesting and why you think it deserves re-grading. Your
Administrative TA will consider your request, make changes if
deserved, note these on the cover page, and then record a grade change
(if it differs). If you remain unsatisfied, your Administrative TA
must bring up the issue with the Lead TA. Note that if you ask
to have any part of an assignment re-graded, the entire assignment may
be re-graded, and your score may go up or down.
Any request to your Administrative TA to review the grade for a
particular item must be made within 7 days after the date that the
given assignment/exam grade is posted, or it will not be
considered. You must notify your Administrative TA that you wish to
make a grade inquiry via email in order to meet this deadline. Note
that in all of the above discussion, email to and from your
Administrative TA is a valid substitute for the printed materials. All
grade inquiries must then be resolved and the grade finalized within 7
days of the grade inquiry being initiated.
FSU COMPUTER SKILLS COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT
The successful completion of this course satisfies the FSU Computer Competency Requirement for
many majors. Students must check with their academic advisor to confirm that this course will meet
the requirement for their specific major.
The first Microsoft Office Word assignment functions as the computer competency capstone activity of this
course. The following policy is a university requirement:
In order to fulfill FSU's Computer Competency Requirement, the student must earn a "C-" or
better in the course.
General Policies
To insure successful completion of this course, students must understand and comply with the following:
-
ALL students must be able to attend 2 scheduled exam sessions on the FSU campus
in Tallahassee.
-
Students should be comfortable with email, the web, and computers in general upon
beginning this course.
-
Students must have a functional FSU email account and check email on that account
regularly and often.
-
For classroom students, cell phone use is prohibited in the classroom during class time.
-
PLEASE DO NOT BRING FOOD OR DRINK TO THE LECTURE.
NO INCOMPLETES WILL BE GIVEN FOR THIS COURSE UNLESS THE STUDENT CAN
SHOW DOCUMENTATION OF SEVERE AND UNANTICIPATED EXTENUATING
CIRCUMSTANCES FOR WHY HE/SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE THE WORK, AND
HAS ALREADY COMPLETED NEARLY ALL OF THE COURSE WORK WITH PASSING
SCORES. INCOMPLETES ARE NEVER GIVEN DUE TO POOR PERFORMANCE IN A
COURSE.
Where to Work
On Your Own PC
If you have a Windows PC with MS Office 2010 and a high speed Internet
connection, or if you have Office applications that can save in the latest verion compatible with MS Office 2010,
you can do much of your class work on your own PC. Assignments will be graded with Microsoft
Office 2010 on a Windows PC, so make sure that the files you submit work the way they are
required to, in MS Office 2010 on a Windows PC.
In the 315 MCH Computing Site (or similar campus sites)
Students who don't have a Windows PC with the correct version of MS Office can do some or all
of their coursework on a PC in the 315 MCH computer lab which has all the software. When
working in the lab, students must save all their work on a portable flash drive.
All students are responsible for properly maintaining multiple, backup copies of their files and
work for this course.
Microsoft Office
Students who do their
work on older versions of Microsoft Office run the risk of losing points on their assignments, or even
getting a zero score. Submitted homework files that are not submitted in
accordance with the assignment directions will typically receive a zero.
The versions of Microsoft Office in the labs are Office 2010 for Windows and Office 2011 for Mac.
Again, all assignments are graded using Office 2010 on Windows so all files must work
correctly on that specific platform to receive full points. Generally speaking you can do most of
your work on a Mac system, but be sure to verify that your files work correctly on a
Windows platform before you turn them in for grading.
Please don't use the Safari browser to turn in your assignments. It seems to have more problems with Blackboard's
submission process than other browsers.
Students can also find all the software necessary for this class installed on computers in any of
the three general purpose labs on campus: MCH 315, the Student Union, or the basement of Strozier
Library.
Students that opt to do their work on their own computer accept the responsibility for their
computer's proper functioning. "Computer problems" will never be accepted as
an excuse for missing an assignment submission. If problems occur at home, students will need to
complete their work in any of the three general purpose labs on campus mentioned above. NEVER WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE
TO SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT.
Exams (Concepts Assessment)
Administering exams to very large numbers of students each semester is no small task. We
have a testing staff that attends to this task and several procedures and policies to help the
testing procedure run as smoothly as possible. It is imperative that students follow the following
procedures and policies regarding the examination process. All exams are Concepts exams.
- Exams are scheduled online, and taken on campus under the supervision of a test
supervisor. This term, all concept exams will be administered at the University Testing
Center located on the first floor of the University Center "C" complex.
- The exam reservation system is accessed from the class Web site and used to reserve,
change, and check reservations.
- Students who reserve their test times early will have the best selection of
available times.
- Note: The exam dates that you reserve dictate the speed at which you'll need to
complete the readings.
-
There are two exam sessions, with specific exams given in each session — specifically
multiple-choice concepts exams.
- Exam Session 1
- Exam Session 2
-
Exam sessions are timed. Students must be able to complete all tests within the 50
minute exam session.
-
It is the student's responsibility to ensure that their exam is SUBMITTED properly before
leaving the exam session.
-
All exams are taken on PCs running Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, or Version 7.
-
Tests are delivered in electronic format over a computer network in the FSU University
Center Testing Center. If there is power, network, or server failure during an exam, the
student may need to reschedule for another time. In this event, consult with Testing
Center staff to see when they can accommodate you.
-
Students who miss an exam with a documented excuse (note from a physician or FSU
administrator) may change their exam time to a makeup session, using the same on-line
reservation form, without penalty. Students must present valid, original supporting
documentation to their course Administrative TA. Makeup sessions will be added once
testing starts and will be announced on the Blackboard course site.
-
There is a 40 point penalty (20%) for students who make or change exam reservations
after the posted reservation deadline without an acceptable documented excuse
from a physician or FSU administrator.
-
Any concerns regarding missed exams and makeups, and any supporting
documentation, MUST be presented to the appropriate course teaching staff
before the exam sessions for that specific exam are over.
-
Students must present their FSU Identification Card at the time of the exam. Students
who do not show their FSU-issued ID card will not be allowed to take the exam.
Students must arrive and check into the Testing Center prior to their scheduled exam
time. Students arriving late to an exam will not be allowed to sit for the exam and will
have to schedule a makeup exam with penalty.
-
Cell phones, computers, tablets, and other portable electronic devices are not allowed in
the testing center. Students who are removed from the Testing Center in violation of this
policy will not be allowed to sit for that particular exam again. Students must contact the
Course Director to schedule an alternative exam.
-
Students who are removed from the Testing Center for whatever reason will be
assessed a 40 point penalty (20%) for that exam.
-
Test scores should be posted immediately by Blackboard for each Concepts Exam upon
completion. Concerns or questions regarding test grades must be presented within one
week of the time at which the test grade was posted.
-
Questions regarding exams should be addressed to the online Help Desk or instructors
in the on campus Help Lab. See course web site for more information on help schedules.
- Exams can only be taken one time.
Exam Penalties
You will incur a 40 point penalty (20%) if you:
- fail to reserve test times prior to required deadlines
- change an exam time after the deadline without a documented excuse
- miss a scheduled exam without an acceptable, documented excuse
- arrive more than ten minutes late to an exam
- are removed from the testing center for violation of one of their policies
- show up for an exam without an FSU-issued Identification Card and then have
to take it at another time (note that another time may not even be available!)
Assignments (Skills Assessment)
-
Assignments are accessed from the course web site linked from http://campus.fsu.edu.
-
Assignments are written in a manner that supports the latest versions of Microsoft Office.
-
All assignments must be submitted electronically according to instructions provided in the
assignments section of the course web site. Assignment files submitted to the wrong
assignment portal will not be graded and will have a zero score.
-
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint assignments require students to submit files using the latest
version of Microsoft Office applications. See assignment instructions for exact details.
-
Assignment scores are posted in the online grade book within 14 days of the due date or the
day of submission, whichever is later. Click on a score to read detailed comments. Concerns
and questions regarding assignment grading must be presented within one week of when the
assignment grade is posted.
-
Assignment help is available from the online email Help Desk and the on-campus, in-person
Help Desk. See the course web site for more information.
-
Be sure to enter your full name, course number and section number into every MS Office
file's document panel.
Late Policy for Assignments
No late assignments are accepted.
Other Assignment Policies
-
Students are responsible for keeping ALL copies of submitted assignments until the final
grade for the semester has been posted. Whether an assignment was completed on a PC in
a public lab or on a personal PC, it is the student's responsibility to keep a valid backup copy
of the submitted file (e.g. on a flash drive, or other personal storage) in case there is some
problem with the original submission.
-
We recommend that you e-mail a copy of your completed file to your own FSU address
before the due date. This way, you have a backup that is independent of your own
computer, and the e-mail has a time stamp on the FSU mail system showing when the
completed file was sent to your inbox.
-
Important: Students are responsible for confirming that their own assignment file is
submitted successfully, with the submitted file in working order, to the correct
assignment portal. YOU NEED TO DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR OWN SUBMISSIONS!
-
Refer to the course handout, Instructions for Submitting and Storing Assignment Files, found
under the Assignments menu on your course web site.
-
Once an assignment is submitted students cannot take the assignment back or cancel it —
even if it is submitted early. Make sure that the work you submit is your final version and
ready for grading. Note that as of Blackboard 9, you will have the capability to check a
submission and then re-submit if needed, within deadlines. Only your last submission will be
graded.
-
Submitted assignment files found to be corrupt and/or cannot be opened will receive a zero. Check
your assignments after you submit.
-
Assignments will NOT be accepted if submitted on disk, digital drop box, safe assignment,
on CD/DVD, hard copy printout, or as an email attachment.
-
Submitted homework files that cannot be opened with the latest version of Microsoft Office
or do not conform to assignment instructions will receive a zero.
-
Assignments that contain content that anyone would find offensive (including profanity,
vulgarity, insults, violence, or sexually explicit language) will receive a zero and the student
responsible may be brought up on charges of violation of FSU's Student Conduct Code.
Assignment Extension Policy
Extensions will only be considered in case
of medical or other emergency situations. In all cases, you must substantiate any request with
written proof consisting of original and verifiable documents, for example, a letter from a
physician or hospital emergency room documents, or written funeral home documentation.
Extensions are NEVER granted for reasons such as the following: the university computing sites
were crowded, Blackboard was slow, you lost your file and you didn't have a backup copy, your
computer stopped working, you lost the internet connection at your home, or you had other
courses or job commitments that interfered with your work in this course.
For serious emergency or medical situations (hospitalization, death in the family, etc), it is
advisable to seek assistance at the Dean of Students office. Often, if you provide the
appropriate documentation there, they will send out official notice to all of your instructors at
once as to your situation.
You can avoid all problems by starting work on the assignments early, working on them
incrementally, and by getting help early when you need it. Also make sure you have completed
all of the assigned readings and worked through relevant exercises in the required course
textbooks.
Academic Honor Policy
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University's expectations for the
integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those
expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the
process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their
pledge to ". . . be honest and truthful and . . . [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at
Florida State University." (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at
http://academichonor.fsu.edu/policy/policy.html.)
Cheating
Always begin your assignments from a new, blank document file. We consider it cheating when
a student starts an assignment from some other student's assignment file, or copies a portion of
another student's file. All cases of cheating in this course will be dealt with using standard
university policies and processes.
There are no innocent participants in cheating incidents. Students who give someone else their
assignment, or leave their assignment work available for others to access either on a private or
public computer, intentionally or accidentally, are considered accomplices to cheating should
someone else use their work and submit it as their own.
- YOU CAN SAVE YOUR ASSIGNMENT TO THE BLACKBOARD SITE UNDER THE
CORRECT ASSIGNMENT AND CONTINUE TO EDIT THE DOCUMENT AS LONG
AS YOU DON'T HIT SUBMIT.
-
DON'T SAVE YOUR HOMEWORK FILES ON FSU COMPUTER LAB COMPUTERS.
USE A PORTABLE STORAGE DEVICE SUCH AS A USB FLASH DRIVE.
-
DON'T LEAVE YOUR ASSIGNMENT FILES ON YOUR OWN COMPUTER IF
SHARING YOUR COMPUTER WITH ANOTHER STUDENT IN THE CLASS.
Many assignments are designed in a manner that requires every student's files to contain unique
and different data. If two or more students submit work with the same, or portions of the same
data, and/or if file properties are the same, it is evidence that cheating has taken place.
Two or more students working together on an assignment is considered cheating. An assignment
submission is intended to be a measure of one student's ability.
Be warned! Special software will be used that compares every electronically submitted
assignment file to all other submitted files to determine if the file was copied from another student.
Sometimes cheating is not detected until after students have submitted several copied
assignments. In such cases the first copied assignment is considered the first offense, the second
copied assignment, the second offense, and so on.
Students caught communicating during exams will be required to leave and will forfeit that exam.
Communication
Success in the course depends heavily on students reading all course related emails and all
announcements posted on the course web site. Most communication between instructors and
students occurs online. Students are expected to read their FSU emails and announcements on the
class web site at least daily Monday through Friday. The course calendar and grade book must be checked
at least once a week to stay current on what needs to be done and what has been graded. Failure to
do so may result in missed opportunities and poor grades. The student is fully responsible for
reading all emails, Blackboard announcements and other Blackboard communications in a timely
manner and is also responsible for any grade-related consequences relating to not doing so.
Americans with Disabilities Act
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:
(1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and
(2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should
be done during the first week of class.
For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact:
FSU Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC)
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/
University Attendance Policy
Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises,
call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities.
These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who
have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children
experience serious illness.
Syllabus Modifications
Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading)
statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change without advance notice.
Last Update: 2014-01-07