Syllabus for COS-101
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
Introduction to Computers provides students with a broad, general introduction to hardware and software fundamentals, productivity software, graphics, digital media, multimedia, database applications, networking, the internet, and security and privacy issues. Using Visual Basic programming language, this course introduces students to object-oriented programming concepts and techniques such as variable declaration and usage, input and output, graphical user interface (GUI) design, event handling, conditional statements, loops, sub procedures and functions.
After completing this course, students should be able to:
CO1 Explain hardware and software fundamentals and describe a variety of hardware and software.
CO2 Describe database applications, graphics, digital media, and multimedia applications.
CO3 Identify networking and telecommunication fundamentals including the Internet and World Wide Web.
CO4 Explain computer security and enumerate privacy concerns.
CO5 Declare and use Visual Basic (VB) variables.
CO6 Use VB form controls to implement graphical user interface (GUI) designs and implement VB event handlers to respond to user interactions.
CO7 Write VB applications to accept user inputs and display outputs.
CO8 Use VB conditional statements, loops, sub procedures, and functions.
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
Packaged with Visual Studio Community 2015.
ISBN-13: 978-0134542782
Note: Visual Studio 2015 is a Windows-based product and will not run on Macs. You can run this software and other Windows software on your Mac using Apple's Boot Camp technology or third-party virtualization tools like Parallels or VMWare Fusion. These tools make it possible to run Mac OSX and a Windows operating system side by side. This solution will require a Windows license.
Visual Studio 2015 comes in different editions. For this course we recommend Visual Studio Community 2015. All of the book's examples, however, run with both Visual Basic 2015 Community Edition and other editions of Visual Basic 2015. You may download Visual Studio Community 2015 for free directly from Microsoft.
To run Visual Studio Community 2015, your computer should meet the following system requirements:
Introduction to Computers is a three-credit, online course consisting of five modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments and programming assignments, take module quizzes based on the assigned reading from the Technology in Action textbook, and complete two projects: a Computer Fundamentals Project and a Programming Project. See below for details.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in About SafeAssign.
Introduction to Computers has five graded online discussions. There is also an ungraded but required Introductions Forum in Module 1. Participation in class discussions is required and counts 10 percent toward your final grade in the course.
Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on a classmate's response. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as “I agree” and “ditto” are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.
You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Each module (1 through 5) includes one formative quiz consisting of multiple-choice and matching questions. The quizzes are untimed, unproctored, and worth 10 percent of your final grade. You will receive feedback at the end of each quiz.
You are encouraged to take each quiz multiple times for additional practice; you will see some different questions each time. The result of your most recent attempt will appear in your gradebook.
You are required to submit five written assignments. The five written assignments are based on the Technology in Action textbook and web resources.
Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text format (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
You are required to submit five programming assignments to your mentor for grading. The five programming assignments are based on the textbook, An Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic.
Each application that you develop using Visual Basic (VB) will be associated with a root or parent folder that contains all the files and subfolders associated with that application.
Because each VB program is saved in multiple files and subfolders, the preferred way to submit each programming exercise or project is to zip (compress) the application folder and attach it as a ZIP file. For example, if your application folder is named Assignment_1a, you can zip that folder to a folder called Assignment_1a.zip or Assignment_1a.rar and submit that Zip file (compressed folder) through the assignment link.
Alternatively, if you are unable to zip the application folder or your mentor asks you not to, you can submit three required files for each programming exercise or project (for a total of six files per activity). These files are the (1) executable file, (2) form1.designer.vb, and (3) form1.vb. Consult the VB directory structure (click link) to find out where these files reside on your hard drive.
Most programming assignments include two exercises or projects. You must submit all exercises or projects together as a single assignment.
Introduction to Computers has two comprehensive projects in lieu of a midterm and final exam, respectively. Please see the Projects section of the course website for details, and consult the Course Calendar for the due dates.
The first project, worth 10 percent of your course grade, focuses on computer fundamentals. It provides you with a chance to apply what you have learned about computer fundamentals to a real-life scenario in which you automate a medical office by replacing old, outdated technology with all new computer technology and equipment given a fixed budget.
The second project, worth 20 percent of your course grade, focuses on the development of several Visual Basic applications to be used by the same medical office you helped to automate in the previous project. In this Programming Project, you put computer fundamental concepts into a real-life situation by developing several small applications that create a modern data flow process within a small organization.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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