INSTRUCTOR: BJ Gleason
Phone: 723-4300
E-Mail: bjgleas@aol.com
Website: http://soback.kornet.nm.kr/~bjgleas
Office Hours: Before and After Class, by Appointment
Course Description: Prerequisite: None. Credit will be given
for only one course IFSM 201 or CAPP 300. This course examines the basic
principles and techniques of computing, especially as applied to the use
of microcomputers and their impact on individuals, government, business,
and industry. Additional topics include economic, social, and ethical issues
and the techniques of structured problem-solving and the fundamentals of
computer programming. The course requires hands-on interaction with operating
systems, programming languages, and applications software, such as electronic
spreadsheets, database managers, and word processors. This course will
provide systems analysis techniques useful in other computer studies and
information system courses. Lab reports and research projects are expected
to reflect the quality of critical thinking appropriate to an upper-level
university course.
Course Objectives: On successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
(1) describe the basic fundamentals of computer hardware, software, and systems concepts.
(2) describe how a microcomputer works and contrast its capabilities with larger systems;
(3) outline the development of computer technology as a creative response to modern problems in both business and government;
(4) research and evaluate critically the social, economic, and ethical impact on computers;
(5) compare and contrast several programming languages;
(6) apply systems analysis methods to a variety of situations;
(7) use a microcomputer to apply the basic concepts of operating systems;
(8) use a microcomputer to apply the basic concepts of application software
programs including word processor spreadsheet, and database programs.
Required Text: Capron/Perron, Computer & Information Systems:
Tools for an Information Age., Fourth Edition, (Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin
Cummings Publishing Company, Inc.: 1996).
Evaluation: The final grade in this course will be based on the
following factors:
Midterm. 20%
Final Exam 30%
Projects 20%
Paper 10%
Assignments 10%
Class Quizzes 10%
Class Policies and Procedures Attendance: Regular class
attendance is expected. If you miss a class meeting, it remains your responsibility
to obtain information concerning the material covered and upcoming assignments.
Excessive absences may result in your being assigned a grade of F(n)--failure
due to nonattendance.
Assignments: In order to receive full credit, assigned work must
be submitted at the start of class on scheduled due dates. Late assignments
will not be accepted. Plagiarized papers, reports, or exams will receive
a grade of 0 (zero), whether copied in whole or in part. No handwritten
work will be accepted.
Class Quizzes and Midterm and Final Examinations
A quiz is administered during each class on the topic(s) presented during
the previous class. At the end of the term, the quiz grades are averaged.
Since the lowest three quiz grades are eliminated from the quiz average,
no make-up quizzes are administered. Arrangements for make-ups of midterm
and finals exams are made only for official emergencies and must be made
prior to the particular examination.
SCHEDULE
Topics/Assignments Readings
| Week 1 | Introduction: The Age of Information
HARDWARE TOOLS Overview of a Computer System The Central Processing Unit |
Introduction
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 |
| Week 2 | Input and Output: Data Given, Information Received
Spreadsheets: What if...? |
Chapter 3
Chapter 14 |
| Week 3 | Storage Devices and File Processing
Communications: Linking Computers Worldwide |
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 |
| Week 4 | SOFTWARE TOOLS
Programming and Languages MIDTERM EXAMINATION |
Chapter 6 |
| Week 5 | Operating Systems
Systems Analysis and Design |
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 |
| Week 6 | WORKPLACE TOOLS
Computers on the Job Management Information Systems Security, Privacy, and Ethics |
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 |
| Week 7 | Modern Trends: AI, Expert Systems, Robotics
Graphics Databases |
Chapter 12
Chapter 14 Chapter 15 |
| Week 8 | FINAL EXAMINATION (second class) |