PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE PAGE AND SEE THE FAQs BEFORE EMAILING THE INSTRUCTOR WITH QUESTIONS.
See www.weekspace.com for the next challenge date. Students will first meet in AB413 for the 100-question concepts exam. After passing the concepts exam, students are then tested on applications (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint) in the lab. The process takes three to four hours.
A regular, currently enrolled student
in good academic standing, who has the knowledge and skills taught
in IS101, may
qualify to take an examination for credit, subject to these
regulations:
1. Credit may not be earned in a course
which covers, at an elementary level, the subject matter of a more
advanced course for which the student has already received credit.
2. Credit by special examination may not be
attempted in a particular course more than once.
3. Credit by special examination may not be
earned in a course the student has failed or audited until after one
calendar year has passed.
1. A student must initiate an application at the Office of Admissions and Records where it is reviewed to determine eligibility.
2. Each authorized applicant must then obtain written approval to take the examination from his or her advisor, the chairman of Accounting and Information Systems, and the Dean of the College in which the student is registered.* (These signatures are put on the form obtained in #1.)
3. The student must then bring the form complete with signatures to the Cashier's Office and pay a $25 per course examination fee. It is recommended that the student make a copy of the form at this time.
4. The student will email Sandy Week with his/her intention to challenge the course
5. The student will submit the completed application and receipt of payment to Sandy Week at the time of the Challenge Exam.
Note: After the exam, the completed form and examination will be submitted by Sandy Week to Admissions and Records. Note that credit will not show up on your DARS until the end of the semester that you took the exam. However, students who pass the exam will be allowed to enroll in classes where IS101 is a prerequisite as long as he/she has met all other prerequisites for the course. For example, if the student is an IS major, he/she would have an advisor from the College of Business Advising Center, the Dean of the College of Business and the Chair of Accounting and IS sign the form. Another example, if the student is a Computer Science major, he/she would have his or her Advisor in the College of Engineering, the Dean of the College of Engineering and the chair of Accounting and IS to sign the form.
What you should know from the Using Information Technology Book.
You should have a good understanding of Information Systems terminology and basic concepts. Simply memorizing the definitions at the end of the chapters will not be enough to pass the exam.
Testable material is as follows:
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 ALL
Chapter 5: pixels, OCR, OMR, MICR, sensor, ergonomics, RFID, bar codes/UPC only
Chapter 6 ALL
Chapter 8: beginning through 8.5
Chapter 9 ALL
Chapter 10: 10.2 only
There are no questions from Chapter 7. You will NOT need to know all of the dates on timelines, however, you are expected to know when important things occurred, for example when the Internet and WWW were developed and by whom.
FAQs
1. Do I need to buy a Using Information Technology Book?
Yes. There is no book on reserve as people continue to steal them. You should buy the 9th edition, however, you will probably be okay with the 8th edition. Note that the 9th edition is used in the current IS101 course.
2. I have a broad background in Information Systems and don't feel I need a book to pass the exam. Do I still need to buy the book?
No.
3. How do I study for the the MS Office portion of the exam?
There are a plethora of sites and books where you can learn the basics of all of the applications. My suggestion is to buy a month of Lynda.com and do the Essential Training courses. For example Access 2010 Essential Training for the Microsoft Access portion will ready you for the exam.
4. I have a good basis in all of the MS Office applications being tested. Do I need to study?
No.
5. I know Word, Excel and PowerPoint very well, but not Access. What do you suggest?
If you want to feel comfortable with Access and can get in and figure out the basics on the ribbons, can create tables, queries, forms and reports, with the provided wizards - you should do fine on that part of the exam.
6. I took IS101 and am not pleased with my grade or I failed the course. Am I allowed to challenge?
No. You must retake the class to improve your grade. See your advisor about policies regarding course retakes and GPA.
7. If I do not pass the challenge exam, may I challenge again at a later date?
No. You will need to take the course.
8. I have already taken a course where IS101 was a pre-requisite. May I challenge IS101?
No. Sometimes students are able to work around the system and take a course without first doing its prerequisite. This often turns out to be a great disadvantage to the student. He/she will not be allowed to challenge the earlier class and may be bored stiff when he or she has to take the pre-requisite.
9. Will I earn credit and/or a grade for IS101?
If you pass all sections with a minimum score of 70% you will earn three credits with a grade of Satisfactory. The credits will count toward graduation. The Satisfactory will not count for or against your GPA.
10. Why does testing take so long?
You are first given the 100-question test on vocabulary and concepts. It takes most people about 45 minutes. However, some students take longer. The tests are graded once all challengers have completed the exams. The instructor meets with each student to go over the score. Those that pass will then have a temporary account created for them to take the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access portion of the exam. The student is allowed up to 45 minutes for each section. Most students average about 1/2 hour per section. The student is expected to complete the entire exam, i.e. the 100-question test and all four applications exams in one day.
11. Will I know on the day that I take the tests whether or not I have passed the challenge.
Yes.
12. I am taking the challenge test at the beginning of the semester. How do I manage my classes when I don't know if I will or will not pass the challenge?
Sign up for IS101 and attend the first week of class. If you don't pass the challenge, you can remain in the course. If IS101 is full, attend the class the first week of school anyway. If you challenge the class and do not pass, I will allow you in as an overload. At the same time, decide on the class that you will take if you pass the challenge and will be dropping IS101. Attend that class the first week of school so that you don't miss anything. That way you have all of the bases covered.
13. Why are there SO MANY RULES when it comes to challenging a course?
Admissions and Records sets policy for course challenges. A student should consider that for a nominal fee and a reduced amount of time that he or she may garner three course credits.
