Office Applications
CGS2100c
Syllabus

Course Description:

     An introductory course designed to introduce students to the following major application software packages: graphical user interface, word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation graphics, and the integration of all documents. This course is designed as a hands-on course for students wanting to learn software packages. Lab fee required.

Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes (1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.5):

Course Requirements/Grading:

Required Textbooks:

Data Storage (on campus):

      On campus students will need approximately one USB Jump Drive (64 or 128), a CD-RW or 4 disks for data storage.  Disks/files must be available when turning in assignments.

     It may be necessary to download certain student files for the textbook from the Shelly Cashman website.  Instructions for downloading Student Data Files can be found on the inside back cover of your textbook or you can copy the files from Seminole State's network: G:\Datalib\CGS2100\...(then pick the appropriate application folder/file).  A link to student downloads can also be found in ANGEL for online students.

Software Requirements:

      For this course you will need to use the software program Microsoft Office 2007.  This software should contain Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. The Seminole State bookstore sells Microsoft Office software for $100 - $250 depending on the suite (http://www.journeyed.com/home.asp).  Please be aware that the Student/Teacher version does NOT contain Access 2007, which you will need for CGS2100/2108, but you can obtain Access for free through the MSDNAA program (more about this once the course starts). Please refer to the following link for additional information about the Microsoft Office suites:  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/suites/default.aspx.

      Any student using college facilities to create or distribute illegal copies of software will be immediately reported to the Office of Student Activities, Athletics, and Judicial Affairs. Students informing other students of where to obtain illegal copies of software will also be reported to the Office of Student Activities, Athletics, and Judicial Affairs.

     A recommended schedule of activities is provided to help you organize your time and create some structure in the course; it does not provide 'slack' time.   You may choose to work at your own pace but it is important that you adhere to the due dates.   It is suggested that you post a copy of the course schedule where you will see it so you do not miss due dates.  Work not submitted by the required date will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made.

     If you miss class, it is your responsibility to make up the time in the Lab (check the Seminole State website http://www.seminolestate.edu/cts/labhours/  to see what the lab hours are at each campus) or at your home or work computer. I recommend that you attend all classes. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class, so be sure to check in after class if you arrive late (for online students your attendance is noted through ANGEL participation/quizzes 2 - 3 days/week).  You are responsible for assuring that your presence is noted. A student, who is absent from class 10% of the scheduled class time, is subject to being dropped without warning by the instructor.

     You may withdraw from class by visiting the registration office or via the MySeminole State link from the Seminole State homepage  (www.seminolestate.edu). The deadline to withdraw is before 61% of the class has been completed. Students who fail to withdraw before the deadline will be graded with zeroes for any incomplete assignments or exams and the earned grade will be assigned (usually an "F", NO "I's").   Remember, it is your responsibility to withdraw from class if you can no longer attend.

     A student who has to be absent because of jury duty, a court-mandated appearance or a religious observance that would result in a missed exam, must contact the instructor within 24 hours to schedule a make-up exam before the next class period. 

     Any student who has a disability and is in need of special services should contact Disability Support Services (Room S-002, Phone 407-328-2109) by the second week of class.

     You will complete four exams during the course of the semester.  These exams will be directly related to the material from your assignments.  They will be password protected and administered  according to the date on your calendar.  There are no "makeup" exams, but points can be made up with extra credit assignments.

    All exams will be taken using the Skills Assessment Manager (SAM) covering  Office 2007 (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint). Practice tests will be available before the actual test is taken.  SAM is web based and must be accessed using a web browser over an internet connection. The SAM Institution Key Code needed to set up your initial profile is V7246694.  You must have Internet Explorer 6.0 or later and a live Internet connection to run SAM (your computer must also meet specific system requirements - see SAM Student Tutorial or SAM FAQ page for more info). 

Within the first two weeks of the term, please go to the SAM site, register as a new user, set up your profile, join the appropriate section(s) and take Windows Practice Test and ultimately the Windows Exam. This will ensure you have things working properly before the first big Exam in SAM.  Please refer to the SAM one-pager for set-up hints and the SAM content link in ANGEL for more detailed information, or post a question to the SAM discussion board!  You will be expected to have all SAM problems "resolved" before the first exam.  Hopefully this initial exercise will help you resolve any hardware or security issues you may have and get you used to testing in the SAM environment.

Network, E-mail and Internet Access:

    Each semester, when the network administrator inputs network login ID's, they are created as locked or disabled. For your first time logging on an Seminole State computer, EVERY student MUST login using MYID to unlock their account to use campus computers. DL students may come to campus to do work, but will not be able to login, as normal, to the network until you've unlocked your personal login ID first.

Username/ID: Your network login ID will be the same as what you created on MySeminole State (https://my.seminolestate.edu) when registering for classes. On-campus students may use a generic log-in for the first week of class (usually MCStudent) and look up their log-in ID in the classroom. If you did not create a MySeminole State login name when registering for classes, you won't have a network login and mailbox.

Password: Your Password is your first and last initial, followed by the six digits of your birth date in the YYMMDD format, where YY is the two digit year (don't use the 19 in the 19YY format) MM is the two digit month (Jan-Sep months must use a leading 0) DD is the two digit day (1st-9th must use a leading 0).  Make sure that there are no spaces between the items and the letters are lowercase.  Example: If your name is John Doe and you were born on March 1, 1977 your password would be: jd770301.

     Due to severe penalties for misuse, you are cautioned to review your Student Handbook regarding the ethical use of this resource.  It may be necessary sometime during the semester to email assignments to the instructor.  All Seminole State students are issued an email account (MyMail), which is recommended for large file sizes or multiple file attachments. 

    Seminole State mail can be accessed through: http://mymail.seminolestate.edu/.  Your Username and Password should be the same as your Network login.  You should use your Seminole State student email account (MyMail) so your email doesn't get caught in our spam filter (online students must use their ANGEL account when communicating with instructor).  WinZip can be used to condense your files if needed.

     "Lab Rules" and "Lab Hours" can be found on line and accessible from any student desktop in any Seminole State lab. The URL is: http://www.seminolestate.edu/cts/media/lab_rules.pdf for lab rules and http://www.seminolestate.edu/cts/labhours/ for lab hours.

Academic Integrity

     You are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity while in this course and as a student at Seminole State College.  If you fail to maintain these standards as a student in this class I will pursue the fullest possible implementation of academic discipline for your offense.  If you have any questions about the college's code of academic conduct, please consult the Seminole State catalog or me.   In short, lying, cheating, stealing, or deception of any type will not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form. 

     Although students are encouraged to seek assistance from their instructor, fellow students, and lab assistants, each student must submit their own work. This means you may not use another student's work as your own. You may not allow another student to use your work. You may not obtain copies of prior semester's work or exams from previous students for your own use. Students that submit duplicate work will receive a zero for the first infraction and an automatic “F” in the course for their second infraction. (Student Handbook - Section I - Academic Integrity and Classroom Behavior).

Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Program

   The Microsoft Certified Application Specialist Program is explained in detail in Appendix G of the Textbook.  This certification provides a valuable industry credential or proof that you have the Office application skills required by employers.  Our textbook is a Microsoft-approved textbook that covers the required objectives for the various exams.  The Web page http://www.scsite.com/off2007/cert includes links to general information on certification, choosing an application for certification, preparing for, taking and passing the certification exam.

MSDN Academic Alliance Software:

     Seminole State is a member of the Microsoft Developer's Network Academic Alliance.  As a member, all of the software licensed under the MSDNAA Program is available for download to registered students. Simply go to http://msdn06.e-academy.com/scc-fl_net  and click on the Software tab to see a complete listing of software available.

     Approximately two weeks after classes start, you will receive a "Welcome Letter"  in your Seminole State MyMail account (http://mymail.seminolestate.edu) that includes your MSDN username and password.  Be sure to check your email regularly starting the second week of class. If you don’t access emails within several weeks from your Seminole State account, the emails are deleted.  There is an Angel site for MSDNAA assistance for students needing help downloading and installing software. Go to ecampus.seminolestate.edu to login to this site.

Emergency Conditions:

     To verify that the college is open and classes are being held, please call: 407-708-2290 or 407-708-4722. The Seminole State website homepage features updated announcements: www.seminolestate.edu .

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ANGEL Information

     A series of Chapter/Assignment notes and PowerPoint presentations are provided for each module. You may print out the notes as you need them for future reference.   Assignment notes may updated during the course so it is important that you work with the latest version of notes provided by the instructor.  A good way to be sure you have the most recent notes is to print them out when the class calendar recommends starting the module.

Access ANGEL -  Orientation Quiz

     Within the first week of class, you need to access ANGEL (http://ecampus.seminolestate.edu) and fill out the Orientation Quiz, found in the Getting Started Content Module.  This will let me know who's actually in the class and having problems getting into ANGEL.

     It is expected that you check into ANGEL to review the Discussion Board and your e-mail a minimum of 2 days per week (more often in a mini-term class).   This is how you participate in class. It does not matter what time of day or night you check in. This is the way the instructor and your classmates correspond with you. 

     You will not be able to actually log into ANGEL until the first day of class.  If you register late, it may take two days after you register to get you loaded into ANGEL.

ANGEL ID:

     Your login ID for ANGEL is the same username that you created to use MySeminole State. If you registered for classes in person and have not yet created a MySeminole State account, you must visit http://my.seminolestate.edu and create one. For students to have access to ANGEL, they must have a MySeminole State username in the system. The ANGEL database for login IDs and passwords is being generated based on each student's MySeminole State account.

ANGEL Password:

     Your password is auto-generated and is reset to the default every semester.  The default Password is your first and last initial, followed by the six digits of your birth date in the yymmdd format, where yy is the two digit year (don't use the 19 in the 19yy format) mm is the two digit month (Jan.-Sept. months must use a leading 0) dd is the two digit day (1st-9th must use a leading 0. Make sure that there are no spaces between the items and the letters are UPPERCASE - ANGEL passwords are case sensititve.  Example: If your name is John Doe and you were born on March 1, 1977 your password would be: JD770301.  You must use both your ANGEL ID and your ANGEL password in order to enter the course. 

Discussion  Board Participation

     I have created several discussion boards (by topic) for you to use to communicate with the other students in the class.  These boards will serve as your main communication device and support system to help alleviate the disconnected feeling distance learning students might experience.   Each board is restricted to comments or questions regarding class material (except for the Pub Board) and will be worth a few points each, depending on your participation in them (reading, posting, responding).

     This is the primary way you communicate with the instructor and other students in the class.  If you have a question or problem, post it to the Board.  Hopefully, another student will answer your questions or create a dialogue with you concerning the issue.  It is possible to have threaded discussions, so use appropriate subject lines for others to follow/find posts more easily.  Be sure to read the ANGEL tutorial so that you know how to do all of this.  Many questions can be answered by students in the class and this also helps cut down on the number of e-mails I must answer directly.  With over one hundred students, there is no way I can answer each individual question.

     It is also possible to do a Search of the material covered on the Board to go back and look for a topic that was discussed there.  I only post the answer to a question once so it is each student's responsibility to read all postings and participate in the discussion.

     Distance learning is about learning, not a classroom.  The instructor is a facilitator more than a teacher.  Learning is your responsibility, and this will be accomplished by working within the virtual environment created with the students in the course.    Not participating in the Discussion Board will hinder your learning process. 

Intro Discussion Board

     Within the first two weeks of the term, please read and respond to the introductory discussion posts to get used to ANGEL, to learn a little about your classmates and so that we can get to know you.  Please refer to the ANGEL Student Support link for more information about the discussion boards if needed - or post a question to the board!  You will be expected to keep up with the other discussion board posts throughout the semester so hopefully this initial exercise/graded discussion will get you used to the discussion board and online communication tool. More information on this exercise can be found in ANGEL.

Netiquette

Please be respectful of others in your posts; no vulgar comments or unnecessary criticism. Any inappropriate posts will be deleted by the instructor. For guidance on good "netiquette", visit these sites:

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette
 http://www.albion.com/netiquette/  - this link is great...there is even a netiquette quiz you can take!

ANGEL E-mail

     At the beginning of the term, I may correspond with you by your regular e-mail address (such as AOL, etc).  However, once  everyone is checked into the course, I will only use the e-mail within ANGEL if you need to communicate with me privately, otherwise please post general questions to the discussion board so everyone benefits from the question and answer.

   Once I have entered your student id and password in ANGEL you will have an e-mail address within the ANGEL environment.  You may e-mail me or any student in the class using this e-mail address.  You can access this e-mail from any computer where you can access ANGEL.   Simply click on Course Mail, Inbox, select Compose, select Browse to see the student list (also the Instructor e-mail address), and select an address where you want to send a message.  Use this e-mail to correspond with me privately.  I will check my ANGEL e-mail every day Monday through Thursday so please send your questions during this time frame. 

Practice Drop Box Exercise

Before your first Word Assignment is due, please complete the Practice Drop Box Exercise, found in the Getting Started Content link in ANGEL.  The assignment directions should be self explanatory. If you have any questions concerning this exercise, please post them to the Main Discussion Board.  You may also refer to the ANGEL Student Support link for more information about assignment drop boxes, if needed. This initial exercise should make you more comfortable with using the assignment drop box prior to the first Word Assignment submission.

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This Page Last Updated  12/17/09
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