CS 120
MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Syllabus
(Fall, 2004)
Professor: Dr. Joseph T. Wunderlich
Office: Nicarry 244
Phone: 361-1295
Email: wunderjt@etown.edu
Office Hours: http://users.etown.edu/w/wunderjt/schedules/Schedule
Card f04 joe w.htm
Objectives: This course covers basic personal computer skills
including the use of Microsoft operating systems and application software
packages. A major objective of the course is to learn how to use the computer
to enhance communication skills. This includes using software to support
several in-class oral presentations. This course is primarily intended for
freshman and sophomore non-technical majors; however juniors and seniors are
welcome in all majors other than Computer Science or Engineering.
Course Credit: 3
Prerequisites: None
Course Text: R. T. Grauer and M. Barber " Exploring Office XP, Vol. 1, "
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2003. (ISBN: 0131824058)
Grading:
COURSE
GRADE:
(60-62)=D-, (63-67)=D,
(68-69)=D+, (70-72)=C-, (73-77)=C, (78-79)=C+, (80-82)=B-, (83-87)=B,
(88-89)=B+, (90-92)=A-, (93-100)=A
(with any fractional part
rounded to the nearest integer)
Academic Honesty:
Course Outline:
I.
Windows operating systems
II.
Basic Microsoft PowerPoint
A.
Complimenting oral
communication
B.
Inserting images
C.
Inserting
sounds
III.
The internet and
the world wide web
A.
History
B.
Basic computer
communication technologies
IV.
Advanced word
processing
V.
Word processing
graphics
VI.
Create your own
Etown web page
A.
HTML programming
B.
Quality web site
design
1.
Less can be more
2.
Graphic design
VII.
Spread sheets
A.
Spread sheet
graphics
1.
Choosing the
appropriate graph for you data
B.
Concepts in
finance
1.
Annuities
2.
Monthly payment
calculations
3.
Net Present Value
C.
Macros
1.
Overview of Visual
Basic programming
VIII.
Advanced Microsoft
PowerPoint using spreadsheets, graphics, web links, animation, sound
effects, etc.
IX.
More on web page
design (time permitting)
X.
Microsoft Access
XI.
Ethical issues in
computing
NOTE: This outline is subject to change during
the semester
==================================================================================
Assignment: PowerPoint presentation #1
Grading: 15% of total course grade;
letter graded
Due Date:
Late Penalties: Yes
Revision Dates: -------
·
Make a PowerPoint
presentation taking no less than four
minutes and no more than six
minutes (points will be deducted for not meeting time limits).
·
The topic can be
anything you wish, but with no shock value.
·
Presentation must
not be one made for another class; however, it may be one made for your job.
·
The best
presentation grades will be given to presentations which do at least one of the
following:
o
Uplift the human
spirit
o
Promote optimism
o
Express a passion
o
Provide humor
o
Address a serious
issue in an intellectual and calm way
o
Discuss something
that you really enjoy
o
Discuss something
that really inspires you
o
Discuss something
that people can do to benefit humanity
·
Efficiency and elegance
of oral presentation will also be graded.
·
You must include a
picture (clip-art or photo) on every slide; the art
should be an abstraction of what you are talking about. And the art should not
be what is supplied as part of a template.
·
You must use one
"word-art" example.
·
Put a copy of your
presentation in your public folder.
·
All freshmen will
present first, then sophomores, then juniors, then seniors; however, everyone
must be ready and in attendance.
·
Some things should
avoid in your presentations:
v More than 30 words per slide.
v Reading directly from a script.
v Poor contrast between text and background.
v Too many sound effects (e.g., screeching car for every
bullet).
v Too many slides for allotted time (e.g., more than 3
slides per minute).
v Speaking monotonically.
v Never making eye contact with audience.
·
A good
presentation:
o
Has a clear
objective (e.g., to entertain, to sell, to motivate, or to report findings).
o
Has a good “opener” (e.g., an agenda, a
quotation, a question, or a declaration)
o
Is organized clearly
and logically (e.g., by problem then solution; or by priorities –
least-to-most or most-to-least).
o
Has the audience’s
expectations understood (e.g., provide meaning and/or motivation).
o
Minimizes
unnecessary details (i.e., don’t
overwhelm audience with too much info).
o
Has good transitions between main points
(i.e., short, attention-getting)
o
Has a good “closing” (i.e., summarizes main
ideas, restates purpose of presentation)
o
Can be enhanced by
audience participation.
==================================================================================
Assignment: Web Page Design and Presentation
Grading: 25% of total course grade;
letter graded
Due Date:
Late Penalties: Yes
Last Revised:
·
Make a personal
web site that includes:
1.
A home page with
your picture and links to your other personal pages.
2.
A web page for
your resume.
3.
A web page of your
hobbies and interests.
4.
A web page
demonstrating something creative (either your own creation or an analysis of
someone else's creations or accomplishments)
5.
A class-schedule
page
6.
A calendar page
7.
Various pictures
and images.
8.
A list of your
favorites links
·
You can make your
web pages using any method you wish including:
1.
Using
the html files located in the "HTML_examples"
folder in Dr. Wunderlich’s public handout folder for
the course.– just copy all the files in that folder
into your WWW folder, then follow the directions on Dr. Wunderlich’s
web page ("HTML ADVICE" link) to edit those files.
2.
Make
your pages using Microsoft Word and save them as web pages into your WWW
folder.
3.
Make
your pages using Microsoft PowerPoint and save them as web pages into your WWW
folder.
4.
Make
your pages using Microsoft Excel and save them as web pages into your WWW
folder.
5.
Use
any web-page design software you can get access to (including Microsoft Frontpage).
·
Note
that using method 2, 3, or 4 may result in a web site that will only be
displayed correctly using Microsoft's Internet Explorer (e.g., it won't work in
Netscape Navigator) – and maybe not even using Internet Explorer.
·
The
order that students will be called to orally present their web site will be by
grade rank (i.e., senior, junior, sophomore, freshman), with the highest ranks called first.
However, everyone must be ready on the due date.
·
The
Oral presentation should be done as a tutorial to describe how and why you
designed your web site to look and work as it does; supplemented by any
comments about yourself and why you choose your web page content.
·
The
“rating” of your web page content must adhere to Elizabethtown College Policy.
==================================================================================
Assignment: PowerPoint presentation of
Spreadsheets
Grading: 25% of total course grade;
letter graded
Due Date:
Late Penalties: Yes
Last Revised: ------
·
THIS PRESENTATION SHOULD BE ALMOST ENTIRELY VISUAL.
·
Points will be
deducted if there are more than 10 words per slide.
·
The topic can be
anything you wish, but must be different than your first PowerPoint
presentation; not something done for another class; and with no shock value.
·
Make a PowerPoint
presentation taking no less than five
minutes and no more than ten
minutes
·
You must include at least five graphs generated
using Microsoft Excel
o
A variety of graph
types should be used (however the choice of graph should be appropriate for the
data).
o
Generate one using
one of Excel's built-in functions (PMT is recommended).
·
You may not use a PowerPoint “templates”
·
Students will be
called in random order.
·
Put a copy of your
presentation in your public folder.
·
Efficiency and
elegance of oral presentation will contribute to your grade.
==================================================================================
Assignment: SPECIAL ELECTION YEAR ASSIGNMENT
Grading: 35% of total course graded
for debaters (substitute for their final exam grade)
10% of total course graded for all
others (substitute for 10% their final exam grade)
·
No attendance will
result in final being worth original amount stated on syllabus.
·
Sitting quietly
will result in grade of 92%
·
Asking a good
question will result in grade of 100%
·
Asking a poor
question will result in grade of 82%
·
Any personal
attacks on either debater’s character will be penalized in proportion to the
attack
Due Date:
Late Penalties: Yes
Revision Dates:
This is a special election
year activity. It will consist of the following:
1)
An anonymous
presidential vote will be taken at the beginning of class.
2)
Using PowerPoint,
debaters will make a 3 minute case for their candidate’s strengths without saying anything negative about
their opposition. They must include three major components:
a.
Brief Bio including major leadership
accomplishments
b.
Candidates Vision for the future of
c.
Candidates view on
3) Each candidate will then answer
(with 60 second responses) questions from the Professor on each of the
following Issues identified by the CNN Gallup Poll:
1.
Medicare
2.
Federal
Budget Deficit
3.
Social
Security
4.
Health
Care
5.
The
economy
6.
Immigration
7.
Education
8.
The
situation in
9.
Taxes
10. Terrorism
q
The debaters must
submit to each other no less than one week before the debate a list of
positions of their candidate on these issues and others. (via
email and copied to Dr. Wunderlich). This
part of the debate must be heavily supported with visuals including as many
graphs as possible (i.e., Spread-sheet intensive!)
1)
Candidates will
ask each other questions for exactly 10 minutes. (30
seconds to ask a question, 2 minutes to respond) – therefore
two questions each.
2)
Floor is opened up
to audience questions.
3)
An anonymous
presidential vote will again be taken.