CIS 125

Advanced Microcomputer Applications for Business
Southeast Technical Institute
2320 Career Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57107

INSTRUCTOR:                    Liz Bennett
OFFICE LOCATION:            MC 170B
CONTACT:                            594-3930 (Home Phone)
                                             liz.bennett@k12.sd.us
                                             Liz.Bennett@southeasttech.com
CREDITS:                              3

 3

2 REQUIRED TEXTS:    “Microsoft Office XP, Advanced Concepts and Techniques”,        Shelly Cashman, 2002, Course Technology.  A SAM XP keycode card for online assessments is also required.  Keycode cards can be bought under separate cover in the bookstore, for those students who do not have a card from their CIS 105 course.

COURSE DESCRIPTION & METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

The Advanced Microcomputer Applications for Business course expands upon the students’ business computer application skills through advanced learning in the Microsoft Office suite: Microsoft Word (word processing), Microsoft Excel (spreadsheets), Microsoft Access (databases) and Microsoft FrontPage (web sites).  The students will learn by example, in teams and individually. Students will also use problem-solving skills to complete projects, exercises and review assignments that use software as a tool in business. Peripherals, such as digital cameras, scanners and color printers can be utilized as tools to enhance student products.

 Top

COURSE DESCRIPTION & METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

The Advanced Microcomputer Applications for Business course expands upon the students’ business computer application skills through advanced learning in the Microsoft Office suite: Microsoft Word (word processing), Microsoft Excel (spreadsheets), Microsoft Access (databases) and Microsoft FrontPage (web sites).  The students will learn by example, in teams and individually. Students will also use problem-solving skills to complete projects, exercises and review assignments that use software as a tool in business. Peripherals, such as digital cameras, scanners and color printers can be utilized as tools to enhance student products.

Top

PREREQUISITES & SKILLS NEEDED

PREREQUISITES & SKILLS NEEDED

Keyboarding skill is expected. Students with little skill in keyboarding should expect to put in additional lab hours per week to complete assignments. One of two prerequisites must be met to be in CIS 125: 1) successful completion of CIS 105 (transfer course or at STI), or 2) prior skill. Basic computer skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Windows, E-mail and Internet Browsers (Netscape or MS Explorer) will be expected and expounded upon.

COURSE RESOURCES

ü      Laptop comparable to the STI “rent to own” laptops. Your instructor IS NOT responsible for determining it’s feasibility to run required software, retrieve from the STI Datacluster, access the terminal server or print at STI. Please rent the STI laptop if you do not have the technical skills to assess your laptop’s compatibility.

ü      Word XP (2002)

ü      Excel XP (2002)

ü      FrontPage 2002

ü      Access XP (2002)

ü      PowerPoint XP (2002)

ü      Internet Explorer 6.0

ü      SAM XP

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Exams and Review Assignments

Exams will be given after each major section of material.  They will consist of comprehensive review assignments and production-based skills assessments. These tests and review assignments will comprise 60% of your grade for this class.

Top

Makeup Tests

Tests that are not taken on the day given in class must be made up during CIS make-up testing periods to be arranged with office.  Prior arrangements with your instructor must be made to take the makeup test. Your instructor will then make the arrangements with the Test Administrator. Makeup tests should be taken within one week of the absence.

The textbook cannot be used during objective tests. However, for the Production Tests only, it is advised to have a small 3 x 5 card (cheat sheet) of notes or the textbook. Caution: production tests are administered with a maximum amount of time, making too much page flipping a hindrance to completing the exam, if you decide to use your textbook.

Top

Assignments and Quizzes

Assignments and Quizzes

Daily work will be given to help students learn basic applications and processes. Quizzes can take on many different formats, as specified by your instructor.  Assignments and Quizzes will comprise 40% of the course grade. There will be no additional assignments available for bonus points or extra credit. It is suggested that you buy a 3-ring binder and insert your printed documents inside, using tabbed dividers for each project. Your scored work becomes “proof” of the points that comprise your final grade. In the case of a discrepancy, they can be used to verify the points you have accumulated.

Anything required to be turned in must be turned in on time or points will be deducted for each day late. Your instructor will announce acceptable means of assignment delivery (e-mail, hard copy, diskette, dropbox). Student name, and assignment number/identification must be included.  When possible, include this in the header or footer. Only a portion of the daily work will be assigned points (graded); however, all assignments and review assignments must be completed to prepare yourself for testing. Expect frequent, brief quizzes to test your knowledge as we progress. It is up to each instructor to provide (or not to provide) a means of “checking” your products or assignments.

Quizzes may be announced or unannounced . . . quizzes may not be made up if missed. Quizzes may take one of three forms: 1) document production, 2) SAM task completion or 3) objective questions (multiple choice, true-false). One low or missed quiz or assignment may be thrown out, as determined by your instructor.

 Top

GRADING SCALE

Your final grade will be weighted as follows:

            The average of all tests and projects = 60% of the final grade

            The average of all graded lab assignments and quizzes = 40% of the final grade

 Top

ATTENDANCE

The course attendance policy will follow the policy of Southeast Technical Institute: a maximum of three absences for the semester (one per credit hour) are allowed before final grades are affected. Instructors may reduce a student’s final grade by one-third letter grade for each additional absence over the maximum of three. These are absences for ANY reason.

 Top

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL

COMPREHENSIVE FINAL

A comprehensive final exam in an objective format will be given on the last day of the semester. Exemptions will be given when one of three conditions is met by a student:

     1.   The student has no more than one absence (1 day absence = ½ evening absence), a grade average of at least a C (70%), has NEVER missed a test day, and all assigned work has been completed and submitted.  (note: a 1 hour absence applies for AL students)

     2.  The student has no more than two absences (2 day absences = 1 evening absence), a grade average of at least a B (80%), has NEVER missed a test day, and all assigned work has been completed and submitted. (note: a 2 hour absence applies for AL students)

     3.  The student has no more than three absences (3 day absences = 1.5 evening absences), a grade average of at least an A (90%), has NEVER missed a test day, and all assigned work has been completed and submitted. (note: a 3 hour absence applies for AL students)

 Any student who is exempt from the final, but wishes to still take it in an attempt to improve his/her test average, shall be given the opportunity to do so. However, the test will not be “thrown out” should it lower the test average component of the final grade.

Any student who is exempt from the final, but wishes to still take it in an attempt to improve his/her test average, shall be given the opportunity to do so. However, the test will not be “thrown out” should it lower the test average component of the final grade.

Top

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

Students shall demonstrate responsibility and commitment to learning by following the guidelines listed below. 

þ     Become familiar with the computer policies listed in the Southeast Technical Institute student handbook. Computer privileges may be modified or discontinued if they are abused. The handbook and syllabus are the only “warnings” your instructor needs to give.

þ     Schedule three to four hours of out-of-class computer time per week for the completion of assignments and assigned reading material.

þ     Arrive for class on time. Be logged into the network and ready to start work when class begins. In a "hands-on" class such as this one where there is guided practice every day, you will find that consistent, punctual attendance is a necessity. Classes will start on time, and presentations will not be delayed in order to repeat instructions for students who habitually arrive late for class. Three instances of tardiness will count as one absence.

þ     Bring your textbook, writing materials, and laptop to each class session.

þ     Display professionalism by participating in all class activities. Students who wish to sleep, play computer games, or work on personal projects must do so outside of the classroom.

þ     Do not use offensive language or openly display anger, frustration, or discontent. This type of behavior disrupts the learning activities of other students and will not be tolerated in the classroom. Any student displaying this type of behavior will be asked to leave the classroom.

þ     Do not wear clothing that may be offensive to anyone in the classroom.

þ     Consult your class calendar and read textbook materials before they are presented in class. It will be especially important to be prepared for all scheduled activities if you were absent at the previous class session.

þ     Follow along with presentations and guided practices that are led by the instructor.

þ     Complete assignments prior to the scheduled due dates. Skills from each class session need to be mastered before the next class session.

þ     Make adequate arrangements for childcare. Be sure to have alternative plans that can be used in the case of illness or unavailability of normal childcare. Children excused from school due to holiday or illness should not be brought to the classroom. School policy allows for primary and secondary students to visit classes on an occasional basis with approval 24 hours in advance by each instructor to be visited.

þ     Do not participate in unethical behavior. Representing the work of others as your own and giving or using unauthorized assistance on assignments, quizzes, or tests will result in a grade of zero. Each student is expected to individually complete their own assignments, quizzes, and tests with the exception of the team projects that will be assigned during the final weeks of class. Any incidences of duplicate files will result in a grade of zero for all parties involved. Repeated incidences will be considered as grounds for failure of the class.

þ     Do not bring food or beverages into the desktop computer lab areas. Covered/capped beverages can be brought into a laptop classroom if care is used when placing beverages near laptops.

þ     Students who are subject to disciplinary action in the form of suspension will receive zeros for all work assigned during their absence.

þ     Any talking during or immediately after an exam (while others are still testing) shall be grounds for removal from class

Assessing Student Performance

Student success is important to our faculty, and all faculty are involved in assessing learning. Upon completion of a degree, Southeast graduates will have demonstrated competence in the following areas:

Science and Technology:  Technical competence including knowledge of technology and/or scientific principles as these apply to programs.

Problem Solving & Critical Thinking:  The ability to select and use various approaches to solve a wide variety of problems – scientific, mathematical, social and personal.  Graduates will also be able to evaluate information from a variety of perspectives, analyze data, and make appropriate judgments.

þ     Bring your textbook, writing materials, and laptop to each class session.

þ     Display professionalism by participating in all class activities. Students who wish to sleep, play computer games, or work on personal projects must do so outside of the classroom.

þ     Do not use offensive language or openly display anger, frustration, or discontent. This type of behavior disrupts the learning activities of other students and will not be tolerated in the classroom. Any student displaying this type of behavior will be asked to leave the classroom.

þ     Do not wear clothing that may be offensive to anyone in the classroom.

þ     Consult your class calendar and read textbook materials before they are presented in class. It will be especially important to be prepared for all scheduled activities if you were absent at the previous class session.

þ     Follow along with presentations and guided practices that are led by the instructor.

þ     Complete assignments prior to the scheduled due dates. Skills from each class session need to be mastered before the next class session.

þ     Make adequate arrangements for childcare. Be sure to have alternative plans that can be used in the case of illness or unavailability of normal childcare. Children excused from school due to holiday or illness should not be brought to the classroom. School policy allows for primary and secondary students to visit classes on an occasional basis with approval 24 hours in advance by each instructor to be visited.

þ     Do not participate in unethical behavior. Representing the work of others as your own and giving or using unauthorized assistance on assignments, quizzes, or tests will result in a grade of zero. Each student is expected to individually complete their own assignments, quizzes, and tests with the exception of the team projects that will be assigned during the final weeks of class. Any incidences of duplicate files will result in a grade of zero for all parties involved. Repeated incidences will be considered as grounds for failure of the class.

þ     Do not bring food or beverages into the desktop computer lab areas. Covered/capped beverages can be brought into a laptop classroom if care is used when placing beverages near laptops.

þ     Students who are subject to disciplinary action in the form of suspension will receive zeros for all work assigned during their absence.

Assessing Student Performance

Student success is important to our faculty, and all faculty are involved in assessing learning. Upon completion of a degree, Southeast graduates will have demonstrated competence in the following areas: 

Communication:  The ability to communicate effectively in several forms – oral, written, nonverbal and interpersonal.  Graduates will also demonstrate knowledge of how to manage and access information.

Professionalism:  Strong work ethic, including responsible attendance; skill in teamwork and collaboration, as well as an ability to work with others, respecting diversity; ability to adapt to change; commitment to lifelong learning; adherence to professional standards; and positive self-esteem and integrity.

 Top

GENERAL SCHEDULE
 

GENERAL SCHEDULE

 Top

CIS 125 Task List

Students will be engaged in project-based learning that strengthens their understandings and achievements, and allows them to communicate more productively and make decisions on important information and its interpretation, using the following tools:

Generate Mail Merge Documents

·        Explain and perform the merge process

·        Distinguish between a data field and data record

·        Create, edit and sort a data source

·        Switch from a data source to the main document

·        Insert merge fields into the main document

·        Use current date fields in the main document

·        Merge all or a selection of records and print form letters

·        Generate and print mailing labels and envelopes

·        Generate mail merge documents from external datasources, like Access

Create and Refine Communications with Tables, Tabs, Borders, Rules, Columns, Objects and Styles

·        Add color, dropped caps, shading and spacing or animated effects to characters

·        Add an outside border with color to a paragraph, text or table

·        Download clip art from the Microsoft Clip Gallery Live web page and other Internet sources

·        Change a floating image or object to an inline picture and vice-versa

·        Insert section breaks and column breaks

·        Insert an existing document into an open document

·        Set custom tabs

·        Center a table between page margins

·        Insert special symbols in a document

·        Format a document into multiple columns and balance them

·        Position an image between columns and wrap text around it

·        Place a vertical rule between columns

·        Create a text box and wrap text around it

·        Use the Format Painter button

·        Customize graphic images

·        Use Word styles

·        Create a page border

·        Insert drawing tool objects such as callouts and banners to a document

·        Create and format WordArt drawing objects

·        Add ruling lines above and below paragraphs

Design, Create and Complete Online Forms with Templates

·        Design an online form

·        Create a document template

·        Insert a table into a form

·        Insert a text box into a form

·        Insert a drop-down list box into a form

·        Insert a check box into a form

·        Format form fields

·        Add Help text to form fields

·        Draw and format objects and use “Order” to send them behind text

·         Animate text

·        Protect a form

·        Fill out a form

·        Save data on a form in a text file

·        Open a new document based on a template

Excel Power Tools:  Consolidating Worksheet Data

·        Copy data between worksheets in a workbook

·        Create and print a worksheet group.

·        Drill an entry through worksheets

·        Edit multiple worksheets at the same time

·        Format ranges across multiple worksheets in a workbook

·        Add, delete and rename worksheets in a workbook

·        Create formulas that use 3-D references to cells in different sheets in a workbook

·        Create Links between workbooks

·        Create formulas that use 3-D references to cells in different workbooks

·        Summarize data using consolidation

·        Create a lookup table and use Excel’s lookup functions

·        Add comments to cells

·        Add a header or footer to a workbook

·        Print with column and row markers, gridlines and fit to one page features

Developing an Excel Application with Validation Rules, Input Messages, Range Names and Protection

·        Assign a name to a cell or range and refer cells in a formula by using the assigned name

·        Protect and unprotect cells and as well as a worksheet

·        Unlock cells from the protection feature

·        Add a hyperlink to a datasheet

·        Create data tables to analyze data

Create, Sort and Filter an Excel Database

·        Create a worksheet database

·        Identify elements of an Excel list

·        Freeze rows and columns

·        Use a data form to find and display records, add and delete records, and change field values

·        Sort a worksheet database on one field or multiple fields using AutoFilters

·        Display automatic subtotals outline view

·        Apply conditional formatting to a range

Functions

·        Review Excel’s Logical functions

·        Create a nested IF function

·        Calculate a conditional count

·        Calculate a conditional sum

·        Utilize common financial and statistical functions in the problem solving process to answer common business questions

·        Learn how to find other functions, descriptions and examples when the need arises for other Excel functions

Enhancing a Table’s Design, and Creating Advanced Queries and Custom Forms

·        Create a Lookup Wizard field in a table

·        Display related table records in a subdatasheet

·        Create an input mask for a table field

·        Work with Date, Memo, OLE and Hyperlink field types

·        Use the In, Like, and Not operators in queries

·        Use both the And and Or logical operators in the same query

Creating Custom Reports and Forms

·        Design and create a custom report

·        Sort and group data in a report

·        Add, move, resize, and align controls in a report

·        Modify control properties

·        Add a subreport to a main report

·        Add lines to a report

·        Hide duplicate values in a report

·        Add calculated controls to a report

·        Calculate group and overall totals in a report

·        Define conditional formatting rules

·        Add the date, page numbers, and title to a report

·        Create and modify mailing labels

·        Design and create a custom form

·        Add, select, move, resize, delete, and rename controls

·        Add form headers and footers

·        Add a graphic image to a form

·        Use Control Wizards to create a multi-page form with a subform

·        Place a Combo Box that selects values from a related table

Enhancing an Interactive Slide Show and Integrating with Other Programs

·        Create custom slide background using a picture or color-texture effects

·        Utilize various slide layouts

·        Create a graph and an organization chart

·        Apply slide transitions and animations

·        Resize and scale objects

·        Create a PowerPoint clip art object using ungrouping and grouping techniques

·        Apply slide transition and text preset animation effects

·        Rehearse (set) timings on slides and run as a kiosk

·        Create a slide using action buttons and hyperlinks to other slides, documents or URLs

·        Insert pictures and recorded sounds into PowerPoint presentations

·        Use the Internet to search for sound and picture files

·        Apply a template from another presentation

·        Import, modify and export a Word outline

·        Embed, link and modify objects from Word or Excel

·        Collaborate with workgroups

Creating Web Sites with Multimedia, Special Effects and Hyperlinks

·        Learn what FrontPage is and how it works

·        Explore a FrontPage web site

·        Start and exit FrontPage

·        Save a FrontPage Web and a web page

·        Learn about the five-part process for developing a Web site

·        Create a Web site using a Web wizard or a template

·        Apply a Theme to an entire Web site or Web page (edit or customize parts of theme)

·        Create a new page within Page View

·        Explore the various views in FrontPage

·        Enter and format the contents of a web page

·        Test a web page in a Web browser

·        Type and format text/fonts on a web page

·        Add hyperlinks pointing to: an existing page in the current site, the WWW, or a brand new page

·        Create and enhance tables on a web page

·        Use FrontPage Web Components like Hit Counters, Banner Ad Managers, Marquees and Hover Buttons

·        Add and work with link bars

·        Add a background image or color on a web page

·        Resample/restore image on a web page

·        Insert pictures on a web page and make them hyperlinks

·        Insert sounds on a web page

·        Import an existing web page into a web site

·        Insert the contents of a file into a web page

·        Work with various image properties and Photo Galleries

·        Set Shared Borders and Navigation Buttons

Top