IS101
Spring 2008
Sections IS101.001 & IS101.002
Instructor: S.M. Week, MBA
Note: All due dates, lecture notes and
assignments are found on WebCampus.
IS 101 Introduction to Information Systems
(3 credits)
Introduction to
microcomputers, computers in business and microcomputer software tools
including word processors, spreadsheets and database management systems.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The three main objectives
of this course are:
1.
To provide students with the knowledge of computer-related concepts.
Topics that will be covered include: computer technology (hardware and
software), applications of this technology, its impact on society, careers in
computing, local area networks, the Internet, computer security and controls,
personal privacy, intellectual property and ethical issues.
2.
To provide students with basic skills in using microcomputers to solve
problems. The student will be introduced to the following applications
and operating systems: Windows operating systems, computer graphics
(Photoshop,) and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and
Access.)
3.
To prepare the student with the information and skills needed to be successful
in the upper division business core.
4.
To provide the student with the tools and knowledge necessary to increase
personal productivity in study and/or work environments.
Materials
Required:
Book: Succeeding With Technology, 2nd Edition, by Stair and Bauldauf ISBN 1418839280
Software: Sam 2003 Training
V3.1, With 'A/T' CD ISBN 142391257
A few notes about the
materials needed:
* You CAN share the Succeeding with Technology book
with other students.
* You DO NOT need to buy the applications (Photoshop, Word, Excel Access
& PowerPoint) used in the course. They are
all available in the COBA Lab computers in AB301. You automatically have an
account there by signing up for this course. Note that Adobe has a
30 day free download of Photoshop for Windows users. If you wish to buy
the programs; it is suggested that you check with the Computer Den at the ASUN
bookstore at UNR. You can buy the Microsoft Office Student and Teacher
Edition of the Microsoft Office Professional suite at a reduced price.
See http://www.microsoft.com/office/editions/howtobuy/compare.mspx
and
http://www.asunbookstore.unr.edu/computerden/Software/software1.htm
for more information on this software suite. * The Office 2007 interface looks
quite different from Office 2003. The
instructor and the lab assistants will support Office 2007 for Word, Excel and
PowerPoint.
Student Accounts
The student will use two
computer accounts.
SAM Account
Your SAM account is created
for you. See the SAM Instructions link on WebCampus for information on how to log on to SAM. If you
add the class late, you should see the instructor or teaching assistant if you
are unable to log into SAM.
COBA Lab Account
The COBA Lab is located in
AB301 and AB309 in the
Student’s Role and
Responsibilities
Students must take
responsibility for learning. Students share with the instructor the
responsibility for providing an environment conducive to learning. Students
should personally:
Course Policies
1. University policy
specifies that in cases of academic dishonesty, students may either receive an
“F” for the assignment or exam, receive an “F” for the course or be expelled
from the University. Please see the
2.
All exams are closed-book, closed-note. They may not use any electronic
devices during exams excepting translation devices as delineated in #4. All
electronic devices must be completely turned off during exams. Students
with any type of electronic device that is found to be in the power on state
when in AB106 during the exam – whether or not the exam has not yet been taken,
is in progress or has been completed will receive a zero and will be referred
to Student Judicial Affairs.
3.
Students are expected to complete homework individually. Each student
must create his or her own files and must physically input each command into
these files. The student should note that the instructor is able to
verify file integrity. Students that violate this policy will receive a
failing grade for the course and will be referred to Student Judicial Affairs
for the first incidence of cheating.
4.
If English is not the student’s native language, a word for word translation
device may be used during exams with the following stipulations: such device
will be approved by the instructor and will be used by an individual
student. Dictionaries are not permitted.
5.
Assignment of Incomplete for a course grade is solely at the discretion of the
instructor. Note that an Incomplete cannot be assigned if a student is
not passing the course due to University statute. Students with issues
that may result in a request for an Incomplete should see the instructor at the
first sign of a problem.
6.
Students will show respect to others when posting messages to the course
discussion board. Students will refrain from using language and or
graphics that might offend others.
7. Students
will use proper punctuation, and complete words and sentences when emailing the
instructor, teaching assistant, other students in the course and when posting
to the discussion boards.
8.
Students are responsible for assignments and assessment due dates regardless of
technical difficulties. Plan ahead!
9.
Students having class and/or work schedule conflicts with all posted office
hours should make appointments with the instructor or well in advance of
need.
10.
Assignments are accepted only once. If you turn in a partially completed
assignment, you may not turn in the remaining portion at a later date.
11.
Students may turn in assignments (Nameplate, Word, Excel
& Access) and SAM Training (Windows XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access)
up to seven calendar days late. Assignments up to three calendar days
late will be penalized 10%. Homework up to seven calendar days late will
be penalized 30%. Assignments are not accepted after seven calendar days
have elapsed.
12.
Students may bring food and/or drinks into the classroom. It is asked
that students refrain from eating noisy foods and that they clean up after
themselves.
13.
Students may use laptop or notebook computers during class to take notes and
work on IS101 coursework. Students will not share a computer display with
others. Computers are for personal use only. Students will not play
games, do homework for other classes, communicate with others via email, IM,
etc. Students will not "surf the web" during class. Students
using these devices will refrain from having any material on their screens that
others may find offensive. Students (even inadvertently) showing nudity,
pornography, offensive words or websites will not be allowed to use electronics
in the classroom for the remainder of the semester and will be referred to
Student Judicial Affairs for counseling. To use a computer in the
classroom, students will sit in the "computer zone." You may
not sit in the computer zone without a computer. You may not use a
computer outside of the "computer zone."
14.
Students will not use cell phones or PDAs in the
classroom. Students will not use headphones, earbuds,
or any other technology not otherwise covered in these policies unless used to
compensate for a disability. Documentation from the
15.
Students are asked to refrain from talking and other disruptive behaviors
during class.
16. It is not possible to
complete assessments after the due date/time.
17.
Students will not be given extensions on assignments or assessments for any
reason, including failure of computing devices.
18.
There are no make-up exams. A student who knows that he/she cannot be at
an exam may take an exam early. Let the instructor know that you want to
take an early exam between ten days and two weeks before the date you wish to
take the exam. Students who miss the exam due to illness, death in the
family, oversleeping etc. may take the final exam to replace the missed exam.
19.
The lowest of the four exam scores is dropped. If a student misses an
exam; he/she takes the final and the missed exam score is dropped. If a
student does not take the final exam; it is the lowest exam score and is
dropped. If the student takes all four exams, the lowest score is
dropped. Taking the final exam cannot hurt your score. If you’ve
taken all three of the regular exams and your worst score is the final exam; it
is dropped.
20.
Students may not take the final exam early. If the student has a conflict
with the exam time, i.e. another professor has scheduled exams during the IS101
exam time, please see the instructor approximately two
weeks before the end of the semester.
21.
Students will name all files with the last name then the first name then the assignment
as directed on each assignment. This is very important for grading
accuracy for everyone in the class.
22.
Students shall not be late to class as it is disturbing to the instructor and
to other students. If a student is being
held over in a class where he/she is not able to get to IS101 on time; the
instructor will willingly discuss the issue with the professor of the earlier
class.
23.
Students may not leave class and then reenter. It is advised that if a
student must leave class early that he/she should let the instructor know
before class starts. Students that leave class must not reenter the
classroom. If a student leaves the classroom without his/her things, the
instructor will stop lecture and ask the student to collect his/her belongings.
Please remember that attendance is not mandatory for this course.
Therefore, it is expected, as with all professional level meetings, that
students be on time and stay for the duration of the meeting. If a
student has a physical or other problem that will not allow him/her to sit
through a 75-minute class period, he/she must meet with the instructor during
office hours to discuss this issue so that alternate arrangements may be made.
24.
Students home computers and personal laptops are not supported by the
instructor, teaching assistants, lab assistants and/or consultants. The
COBA lab has all programs needed to do all required components of this
course. Installation, maintenance and other computer issues cannot be
diagnosed and/or fixed by the instructor or other staff.
25.
A student that feels he/she has been offended by the instructor or other
students (no matter how minor the offense) is encouraged to visit with or email
the instructor as soon as possible. It is important that all students
feel welcome and safe at the University in general and in IS101 in particular.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS
Based on my own experience as a student and those of my students from previous
semesters, I offer these suggestions for success in this class:
-Do SAM in the COBA Lab. Do not try to
set up SAM on a home computing device.
You will spend more time trying to get SAM to work than you will doing the actual training.
· Although many prefer Mozilla and FireFox, use the latest version of Internet Explorer to
view the web sites. (WebCampus and SAM work
best with IE.)
· Check WebCampus at least twice a week.
· Read assigned chapter material prior to taking the assessments. The
student may open the assessment and view it before reading, then reopen the
assessment, enter the answers and submit.
-Complete the WebCampus assessments well before the
due date as they are not accessible after that date and time.
· Allow time to deal with “technical difficulties”. Accept that sometimes
working with a computer is very frustrating and it’s better to turn it off and come
back at a later time rather than continuing to frustrate yourself. This,
of course, requires you to not wait until the last minute to do your
assignments and assessments.
· Keep backup copies of all materials created. Print out your SAM reports
when assignments are completed.
· Keep all items returned to you until after your final grade is posted on ePaws.
· Turn in assignments when they are due even if they aren't
complete. Partial credit is better than no credit.
· Actively participate in the WebCampus discussion
board. If you know the answer to a classmate's question - answer it!
· Use the Discussion Board to find study partners and/or others for tutoring
groups.
· Communicate with your instructor at the first sign of trouble. Waiting
until the end of the semester limits the options that are available to you.
· Be honest with yourself about the amount of time you can or will give to this
course. If you are “too busy” to do the assigned work, you cannot be
successful in the course. Be sure that you include time in your schedule
to work on SAM in the COBA Lab.
· This course is time consuming as you are developing a skill as well and
learning vocabulary and concepts. To learn a skill takes
practice. Practice takes time.
· Read and understand the syllabus and clarify any questions you have with your
instructor as early in the semester as possible.
· Trade contact information with others early in the course.
- Use all technology possible to develop study relationships with your
peers. The phone, chat, email, discussion board are excellent conduits to
support your success in this course.
A Note on Academic
Dishonesty: Almost every semester the instructor is forced to charge
students with academic dishonesty. (For example, sixteen people were
charged Fall, 2006.)
The instructor’s policy is to fail the student for the entire class on
any one act of dishonesty. It is the instructor’s opinion that a student
that cheats on one assignment has probably done so on others. UNR policy
is that a student may not withdraw from a class in order to avoid receiving an
“F” for academic dishonesty. Even though creating the case and writing
the letters necessary to charge a student with dishonesty is distasteful and
time-consuming - the instructor will do
so. Please do not take the chance of being charged with dishonesty – it
is not worth it!
Course Grading
|
Points Breakdown |
|
|
|
||
|
SAM |
SAM XP |
30 |
|
|
|
|
SAM Word |
45 |
|
|
||
|
SAM Excel |
60 |
220 |
22.00% |
||
|
SAM PowerPoint |
40 |
|
|
||
|
SAM Acess |
45 |
|
|
||
|
Assignments |
Nameplate |
25 |
|
|
|
|
Word |
30 |
|
|
||
|
Excel |
50 |
195 |
19.50% |
||
|
PowerPoint |
30 |
|
|
||
|
Access |
60 |
|
|
||
|
Assessments |
Orientation |
15 |
|
|
|
|
Chapter 1 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 2 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 3 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 4 |
15 |
135 |
13.50% |
||
|
Chapter 5 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 7 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 9 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Chapter 11 |
15 |
|
|
||
|
Exams |
Exam Ch. 1-3 |
150 |
|
|
|
|
Exam Ch. 4,5,7 |
150 |
450 |
45.00% |
||
|
Exam Ch.
6,8,App. |
150 |
|
|
||
|
Optional Comp.
Final** |
0 |
|
|
||
|
|
Final Score |
1000 |
|
100.00% |
|
|
|
**Can replace a
lower exam score. |
|
|
|
|
Grades will be assigned
according to the following table:
|
Student Score |
Final Grade |
||
|
930 |
to |
1,000 |
A |
|
900 |
to |
929.99 |
A- |
|
870 |
to |
899.99 |
B+ |
|
830 |
to |
869.99 |
B |
|
800 |
to |
829.99 |
B- |
|
770 |
to |
799.99 |
C+ |
|
730 |
to |
769.99 |
C |
|
700 |
to |
729.99 |
C- |
|
670 |
to |
699.99 |
D+ |
|
630 |
to |
669.99 |
D |
|
600 |
to |
629.99 |
D- |
|
0 |
to |
599.99 |
F |
Learning Modules Page
The Learning Modules page breaks down
what the student should accomplish throughout the semester. Students may get ahead, but
should not get behind. Due dates are listed on the Calendar page.
Assessments
Students will complete ten 15-point
assessments based on the Succeeding with Technology book. There is an
additional 15-point course orientation assessment. Assessments are
launched from the Assessment, Calendar or Learning Modules pages.
Students may have assessments reset up to 48 hours before the availability has
ended. Students may view the assessment and exit without submitting in
order to view assessment questions before answering. There is no time
limit on assessments. It is not possible to
take an assessment after its availability has ended.
SAM
SAM reviews and enhances students’
knowledge of computer applications. The student will do SAM training on
Windows XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. Students should
complete all SAM training in the first few weeks of the course. A student
may do the training up to seven days late. Up to three days late is 10%
off. Up to seven days late is 30% off. SAM Training is not accepted after seven
calendar days have elapsed.
Assignments
Assignments shall be turned in via WebCampus and are found on the Assignments page.
Instructions on how to turn in assignments are found on the Start Here
link. Assignments up to three calendar days late will be penalized
10%. Assignments up to seven calendar days late will be penalized
30%. Assignments
are not accepted after seven calendar days have elapsed.
Students may work in the
lab or at home to complete assignments. All software used in this course
is available in the COBA Lab. Microsoft
Office Vista is the supported system software for this course. Office
Professional 007 includes all four of the applications used in this class, e.g.
Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access. Students working on earlier
versions of Office will find that they may encounter some difficulties. Microsoft Works does not have the functionality needed to
complete assignments for this course.
Please note the difference
between the Standard Office package and the Office Professional package.
The Standard Office package does not include Access software. The student
will work on his/her own to complete all assignments. That means that
each keystroke must be input by the student on his/her own
file. Please see Course Policies for information on Academic dishonesty.
Exams
The student will take three in-class
150-point exams during the semester and may take an optional 150-point
comprehensive final. See Course Policies and Suggestions for Success for
more information on exams. See the calendar for exam dates and chapters
covered for each exam. Exams are never
given after they have been offered to the class. Therefore, if the student needs to take an
exam at a different time, he/she must communicate that need to the instructor
ten to fourteen days before the exam needs to be taken. Students missing an exam due to sudden
illness or other occurrence may take the optional final to replace the score.
EQUAL ACCESS
STATEMENT
The Department of
Accounting/IS supports equal access for students with disabilities. If
you are in need of special services due to a disability, please contact the
instructor or the
Disability
Resource Center/079
NOTE ON CHANGES TO
THE SYLLABUS & SCHEDULE
The instructor
reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and the schedule anytime
throughout the semester. Changes will be
reflected in this document in blue-colored font and will be announced in
class. Changes to the schedule will be
reflected in the Week by Week link and the Calendar in WebCampus. Changes to the schedule will be announced in
class and via the Discussion Board in WebCampus.
Your continued registration in this class
after the initial drop date signifies that you have read and understand the
syllabus for IS 101 Spring Session 2008 and will abide by the course policies in
the syllabus.