Radford University - Don Braffitt - ITEC 100 Spring 2009

Syllabus - ITEC 100 Spring 2009 Sections 07/08

ITEC 100 introduces students to the fundamental concepts in information technology that provide the technical foundation for state-of-the-art computer applications. A perspective on the range of information technology is presented through lectures, discussions, and lab assignments. Historical developments and social implications in information technology form an integral part of the course. Widely used computer applications, including word processors, presentation software, spreadsheets, databases, computer communications, and networking are used to supplement the IT concepts introduced in the course. Students who have received credit for INSY 181, CPSC 106, or CPSC 106P may not receive credit for ITEC 100. ITEC 100 qualifies as a General Education Requirement (3 credit hours) in the Mathematical Sciences.

Course Sections

ITEC 100-07 - 10-11:50am Lecture Wed (105 Calhoun), Lab Mon (222 Whitt); Final Exam Tue 05-May 2:45pm (222 Whitt)
ITEC 100-08 - 10-11:50am Lecture Wed (105 Calhoun), Lab Fri (222 Whitt); Final Exam Wed 06-May 8:00am (222 Whitt)

Texts, Online and Optional Materials, Technology Center, ITEC tutors, LARC top

Custom Courseware (ISBN: 1428392432/9781428392434 or 1435424425/9781435424425 - new only) based on
- Succeeding with Technology, 3rd Edition
  - Chapter outlines / lecture notes (PowerPoint)
- New Perspectives Microsoft Office 2007, First Course
  - Tutorial outlines (PowerPoint)
  - Data Files ( .zip)
- Active Readings Tutorial
- CaseGrader Office 2007 Code: DC3B97C3 - ITEC 100 Spring 2009 (Braffitt)
WebCT/Blackboard course name: _Spring 2009-ST - ITEC100-Braffitt (All Sections) - INTR TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Office 2007/2008 (optional for use on student computer systems)
Walker Technology Center Lab Hours
ITEC tutor Lab Hours usually in 225 Davis lab and sometimes in 114 Davis lab
Learning Assistance and Resource Center (LARC)

Goals and Objectives top

Having successfully completed the course, the student will be able to:

Understand the foundation and historical significance of information technology, including influential leaders in the development of computers
Understand how a computer system operates, including the integration of its hardware, software, and peripheral devices
Understand binary data representation, including comparison of analog and digital devices
Understand elementary mathematical and digital concepts for software and computer programming
Understand a network infrastructure, communication protocols, internet/intranet architecture, and the World Wide Web
Understand various digital media including digital audio and digital video
Understand decision support systems, management information systems, and various special purpose systems and concepts including artificial intelligence
Understand the systems development life cycle
Understand basic concepts in database systems and e-commerce systems
Understand issues in computer crime and information security
Understand the ethical responsibilities and legal issues surrounding information technology, its social impact, and future implications
Recognize and use appropriate application software, specifically demonstrating skills in document production, presentation development, spreadsheet creation, and database management

Assignments and Quizzes top

Assignments and quizzes will be delivered primarily via CaseGrader and WebCT. Students are expected to submit their own work for all assignments and quizzes by the due date.

Assignments are due Tuesdays at 4pm. Partial credit (up to 80%) will be granted for any assignment submitted late up until 4pm of 20-Feb, 03-Apr, and 01-May. The partial credit submissions are limited to assignments corresponding to the current exam material. All quizzes are open-book and open-notes and must be completed in lab unless announced otherwise. Partial credit (up to 80%) may be earned for one of every four quizzes.

There will be a total of 10 assignments due Tuesdays at 4pm based on the Office 2007 material. Except for Access, assignments must be submitted via CaseGrader. The 10 assignment grades each count 2% of the final grade. There will be a total of 12 quizzes, one a week on non-exam weeks, based on the computer concepts material. The 10 highest quiz grades each count 2% of the final grade. 7 of the 12 quizzes must be completed in lab. The quizzes for Chapters 1, 4, 6, 10, and 12 may be completed outside of lab. Thus the assignments and quizzes given throughout the course will be worth 40% of the final grade. Assignments and quizzes will also help prepare students for exams.

Exams top

Exams will be delivered primarily via CaseGrader and WebCT. Students are expected to submit their own work for all exams. There will be two 100 minute in-lab exams given during the semester in addition to a 120 minute in-lab final exam. Each exam will be worth 15% of the final grade. All three exams will have a take-home portion in addition to the in-lab portion.

Exams are closed-book and closed-notes except for one 8.5x11 inch piece of paper on which each student may include typed, handwritten, or photocopied notes (front and back).

Student Responsibilities top

Students are responsible for the information that is included in the assigned readings, lectures, discussions, assignments, quizzes, lab projects, and any additional information discussed in class or posted in WebCT. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the instructor's office hours and the online supplementary materials provided by the textbook publisher and the textbook authors. The best preparation for exams is to complete readings, assignments, quizzes, and lab projects and to participate in class and via WebCT by asking questions and participating in discussions.

Excused absences are granted in cases of emergency, illness, religious holiday, or RU-sponsored travel that may cause a student to miss a class provided that the student notifies the instructor via email prior to the absence. Students who fail to notify the instructor prior to missing an exam will not be allowed to make up that exam. Other than exams, the remainder of the work for the course that must be completed in class is structured so that students are expected to attend class approximately 75% of the time to receive full class participation credit.

Assessment top

The assessment will be weighted as follows:

20% Assignments (2% each for 10 weekly assignments)
20% Quizzes (2% each for best 10 of 12 weekly quizzes)
15% Participation (with up to an additional 6% Extra Credit)
15% Exam 1 (concepts Chapters 1-4; Word and PowerPoint)
15% Exam 2 (concepts Chapters 5-6, 9-10; Excel and Integration of Excel and Word)
15% Exam 3 / Final Exam (concepts Chapters 7-8, 11-12; Access and Integration of Access, Excel, and Word; 10 comprehensive questions)

Exam 3 includes 10 comprehensive multiple choice questions.

The final average based on this weighting will be rounded to the next higher integer.

The assessment will be according to the following scale:

A = 90% to 100%
B = 80% to 89%
C = 70% to 79%
D = 60% to 69%
F = 59% and below

Overall, approximately 60% of the course assessment is based on computer concepts. The remaining 40% of the course assessment is based on Office 2007 computer skills.

During the semester, grades will be provided to students via WebCT. The class work is structured so that the Midterm grade will be based on 1/3 of the course work and students will have a grade based on 2/3 of the course work prior to the Tue 14-Apr deadline to withdraw from the course with a grade of "W".

Attendance, Participation, and Extra Credit top

Class attendance (both lecture and lab) is expected and strongly recommended. Absences (excused or otherwise) do not relieve students from the responsibility for subject matter missed or assignments, quizzes, lab projects, or online discussions to be completed. If the university cancels class for any reason such as inclement weather, the assigned work for the week is still due as specified in the syllabus and WebCT.

The 15% participation portion of the student grade is based on effort and is broken into three parts each weighted 5%. The 5% participation for each division of the semester is earned by

Class attendance for weekly Wed class lecture sessions
Participation via WebCT in weekly online discussions
Submission via WebCT of weekly lab projects

"Completion" for each of these three components for each of the three divisions of the semester is defined as completing the required work except for possibly one week. Students earn the full 5% participation portion of the grade for each of the three divisions of the semester by missing at most one weekly lecture, failing to complete at most one weekly discussion, or failing to complete at most one lab project. Extra credit of 1% each of the three divisions of the semester is earned by doing all the work in the three areas detailed above.

Class attendance for weekly class lecture sessions will be recorded via attendance cards which each student completes at the end of each weekly class lecture session. At the end of each of the weekly class lecture sessions, each student puts the date on his or her attendance card, initials the card, and writes at least two brief sentences describing something learned or interesting that class session and something overall in the course that is still confusing or that the student would like to see started, stopped, continued, increased, or decreased. If a student is in a class lecture session less than an hour for whatever reason, or if a student is not in a class lecture session at the end of that class lecture, the student is considered to be absent for that class lecture session.

Online class discussion postings must be completed via WebCT each Tuesday by 4pm for the concepts chapter introduced in lecture the previous Wednesday. The exception is the last chapter discussion for chapter 12 which is due the last day of class at 4pm.

Lab projects may be either tutorials, review problems, or case problems from the Office 2007 text or CaseGrader projects. Each student may choose to submit one extra credit lab project for 1 point extra credit up until 4pm of 20-Feb, 03-Apr, and 01-May. Note that each non-exam week you have both a lab project to complete and a homework assignment to complete.

Class Courtesy Policy top

Please set cell phones, pagers, and notebook computers to silent during class (lecture and lab). Computers should primarily be used for work relevant to ITEC 100 during ITEC 100 classes. Please refrain from any activities while in class that would be disruptive to the class.

Honor Code top

By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of this academic integrity will not be tolerated. Refer to your Student Handbook for details. Each of these classes will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code.

Students With Disabilities top

A student seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act is required to register with the Disability Resource Office (DRO). The DRO is located on the first floor of Tyler Hall, phone number 540.831.6350. To receive academic accommodations for this class, a student should obtain the proper DRO forms and meet with the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Changes to Course Syllabus or Class Schedule top

All changes to either the course syllabus or the class schedule will be posted in WebCT and announced in class. Students are responsible for any announced changes even if absent or tardy when the announcements are made. Sometimes changes will be posted in WebCT prior to a class announcement (e.g., schedule adjustments if the university closes due to inclement weather).

Schedule top

There is no class Mon 19-Jan. Weeks begin Wed with lecture followed by labs on Fri and Mon. 14-Apr is the last date to drop with a grade of "W". Final Exams are Tue 05-May and Wed 06-May.

	Concepts	Text	Skills	Lab Projects (in lab)	Assignments (due Tue 4pm)	Quizzes (in lab)	Exams (in lab)
Week 1 21-Jan	Syllabus Introduction	Chapter 1	WebCT; H drive Word	Tutorial 1		Chapter 1
Week 2 28-Jan	Hardware	Chapter 2	CaseGrader Word	Tutorial 2		Chapter 2
Week 3 04-Feb	Software	Chapter 3	Word	Tutorial 3	Word 1 Word 2	Chapter 3
Week 4 11-Feb	Internet and World Wide Web	Chapter 4	PowerPoint	Tutorials 1 and 2	PowerPoint 1	Chapter 4
Week 5 18-Feb	Information Technology History				Class 1 Partial credit	Partial credit	Exam 1
Week 6 25-Feb	Telecommunications and Networks	Chapter 5	Excel	Tutorials 1 and 2	Excel 1	Chapter 5
Week 7 04-Mar	Digital Media	Chapter 6	Excel	Tutorial 3	Excel 2	Chapter 6
Week 8 09-Mar	Spring Break week
Week 9 18-Mar	Information, Decision Support, and Special-Purpose Systems	Chapter 9	Excel	Tutorial 4	Excel 3	Chapter 9
Week 10 25-Mar	Systems Development	Chapter 10	Excel and Word Integration	Tutorial 1	Excel 4	Chapter 10
Week 11 01-Apr	Information Technology History				Class 2 Partial credit	Partial credit	Exam 2
Week 12 08-Apr	Database Systems	Chapter 7	Access	Tutorials 1 and 2	Access 1	Chapter 7
Week 13 15-Apr	E-Commerce	Chapter 8	Access	Tutorial 3	Access 2	Chapter 8
Week 14 22-Apr	Computer Crime and Information Security	Chapter 11	Access	Tutorial 4	Access 3	Chapter 11
Week 15 29-Apr	Digital Society, Ethics, and Globalization	Chapter 12	Access, Excel, and Word Integration	Tutorial 2	Class 3 Partial credit	Chapter 12 Partial credit
Week 16 05-May	Final Exam week						Exam 3 / Final Exam