IST160: Introduction to Programming
This
course begins on August 22, 2011 and ends on December 13, 2011. Please see
the University
Academic Calendar for course withdrawal dates.
The
required textbook is the same one that will be used in the traditional, classroom-based
IST160 course. The book is available in the Marshall University Bookstore on
the Huntington campus, or can be ordered online at http://www.marshall.bkstr.com/. You
will not only need the book, but also Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2010, which is
available for free to students registered in IST courses. To obtain Visual
Studio .NET 2010, you must fill out, complete, and return the MSDNAA Request
Form on your course's homepage in Blackboard. The information on the required
text book is below:
Approximate
Cost is $125.00 for a new book.
Course
Description: Credit: Pre/co-requisites: Desired
Objectives/Outcomes:
Instruction
method: Evaluation
method: Grading
Policy:
The
textbook-based exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and
true/false questions. The Final Exam will be a hands-on Visual Basic .NET
2010 application.
Assessment
of Projects: 1.
Although the most important
attribute of a program is correctness, grading will take into consideration
such items as time and coding efficiency, documentation, etc.
2.
Programs must have proper inline
documentation and must be properly indented. 20% will be deducted for poorly
documented and/or poorly indented code.
3.
All submitted code must compile
correctly to receive at least partial credit. Code that does not compile will
receive 0 credit, NO EXCEPTIONS. This means you must debug your code before
submitting.
4.
Although interactions with other
students are encouraged, you must compose your own answers, unless otherwise
noted. Individuals who utilize other people's thoughts or ideas must
provide appropriate references to said resources. Failure to provide such documentation
will result in a failing grade for the assignment, and may result in a
failing grade for the course.
Final
letter grades are determined based on the following grading scale:
The
instructor reserves the right to change these values depending on the overall
class performance and/or extenuating circumstances.
There are
THREE exams worth 50% of your overall grade. The first will come after
the coverage of material in Chapter 3, the second after Chapter 7, and a comprehensive Final exam.
The course
includes a number of assignments/projects. All assignments should be
completed by the suggested
due date that is listed within the course schedule link on
the course's homepage in Blackboard. By doing so, you will ensure that you
will complete the course on-time without having to be rushed at the end of the
semester. All projects must be submitted through the Blackboard Assignment
Tool, and the description of each project/assignment is currently found
within Blackboard's Assignment Tool, linked to the course homepage. Please do not
procrastinate in working on your assignments or trying to submit through
Blackboard as many others have done in the past. If you wait until the last night
to start on the project or the last minute to submit, chances are, you will
fail. As with the exams, all projects must be completed and submitted by the
end of the day on
December 13, 2011.
The
Discussions tool within Blackboard will be used to make any general
announcements, last minute changes, etc. It is mandatory that you
monitor your Blackboard course messages at least once a day. You as a student
can also use the discussions tool to post any questions/comments that you
have about the course content, projects, specifics of what is to be done,
etc.
Because
this is an online course, there is absolutely no requirement that you come to
campus. You can communicate with me via the course Mail tool.
My
Academic Honesty Policy: Academic Dishonesty is defined as any act
of a dishonorable nature which gives the student engaged in it an unfair
advantage over others engaged in the same or similar course of study and
which, if known to the classroom instructor in such course of study, would be
prohibited. Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated as these actions are
fundamentally opposed to "assuring the integrity of the curriculum
through the maintenance of rigorous standards and high expectations for
student learning and performance" as described in Marshall University's
Statement of Philosophy. If you are
found cheating on projects or plagiarizing answers from the Internet or other
sources (among other things), there will be no second chance. Your penalty is
that you will receive a failing grade for the course. In those cases in which
the offense is particularly flagrant or where there are other aggravating
circumstances, additional, non-academic, sanctions may be pursued through the
Office of Judicial Affairs. Notice of an act of academic dishonesty will be
reported to the Department Chair, Dean of the College of Science, and to the
Office of Academic Affairs. Please refer to the Marshall University
Undergraduate Catalog for a full definition of academic dishonesty. Make-up
Exams and Late Penalty: No make-up exams will be given after
December 13, 2011,
except under unusual circumstances and satisfactory written justification.
Any student who fails to complete the exams and projects by this date due to
an unexcused reason will receive a grade of zero for that assessment with no
opportunity for make-up or substitution. The decision whether to give a make-up exam rests with the instructor.
Withdrawal
Policy:
The University withdrawal policy is followed in this course. Satisfactory
Progress:
Students are expected to show satisfactory initial progress in the course
during the first two weeks of the course. In case a student did not meet this
requirement, the instructor has the option to administratively drop the
student from the course. This is to ensure students’ commitment to the
course. Course
Completion Timetable: The course is available to both part-time
and full-time students. Students must complete all course assignments and
exams by the end of the day, December 13, 2011. Contained in this syllabus are a list
of topics to be covered and suggested completion dates for homework
assignments and exams.
Past
experience shows that students, who worked and completed the labs and
assignments according to the suggested timeline have shown better performance
on the midterm and final exams. Therefore, students are expected and strongly
encouraged to work the labs and complete the assignments following the
suggested timeline. Passing
grade:
All homework assignments and exams are required parts of the course and must
be satisfactorily completed to pass the course. A student must have a passing
performance on the aggregate of the homework assignments and the exams. A
failing grade on either part may result in a fail grade in the course. Course
Evaluation:
All students are required to complete the course evaluation form during the
last week of the course. The form is linked on the course homepage. To remind
students, Course Evaluation is listed on the Course Outline. Final grades
will not be posted until the course evaluation is completed. Student
Evaluation method: Evaluation of student's performance will be based on
their progress and accomplishments in the homework assignments and exams. Communication: The Discussions and Mail tools of Blackboard will be used to make any general
announcements, last minute changes, etc. It is mandatory that you monitor
your Blackboard course messages at least once a day.
A detailed schedule of topics covered in this course can
be found under the schedule link on the course homepage in Blackboard. Please refer to this schedule as it contains the suggested dates for which you should read over the notes, complete the course projects, and the final exam. Also, please
note this is a highly suggested timeline to follow, but is not mandatory. The
only mandatory date is the course completion date of December 13, 2011. All
assignments and exams MUST be completed by this date. HOWEVER, if you do
complete an assignment by its suggested due date, you will receive
5 points extra credit on that particular assignment.
For each
topic discussed in the notes, specific experience of other students and the
instructor will be posted to the discussions forum to enhance the
characteristics involved. Projects for the course will be based on creating a
real-world or fictitious solutions to gain experience. Effort
Required: Syllabus
as a Contract
Me: Don't hesitate to
contact me directly with questions or concerns. You can reach me through the
Blackboard Mail Tool or if necessary by phone at (304) 696-6469. Please
don't let your questions hang out there and simmer. If you are not sure about
something the best thing to do is to ask about it right away! Something that
may seem obvious to me may not be obvious to you at all! I answer e-mails
every evening before going to bed, so if you do not hear from me within 24
hours of sending your message, it may not have reached me.
Support
Services
BRIAN M.
MORGAN, BS, MS Associate
Professor, Integrated Science and Technology Brian
Morgan is a resident of Proctorville, OH and holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in Computer Science from Marshall University and a Master of Science
Degree in Technology Management from the Marshall University Graduate College Professional
Experience Associate Professor, Integrated Science and Technology Program, Marshall University,
Huntington, WV. (May 2008-current).
Assistant
Professor, Integrated Science and Technology Program, Marshall University,
Huntington, WV. (July 2000-May 2008).
Director,
Center for Instructional Technology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.
(October 1997-June 2000). Responsible for everyday duties of the Center, as
well as managing Instructional Technology and World Wide Web Development on
both the Huntington and South Charleston campuses of Marshall University, and
coordinating faculty and staff IT development training programs. Part-Time
Faculty, Marshall University Community and Technical College , Huntington,
WV. (August 1997-Current). Have taught Computer Technology 107, 107E, and
108; Information Technology 107E, and have designed the electronic versions
of Computer Technology 107E and Information Technology 107E. Instructional
Technologist, Marshall University, Huntington, WV. (November 1996-October
1997). Responsible for working with Information Technology staff and faculty
from a variety of disciplines on the selection and production of CD-ROM-based
and WWW-based multimedia instructional materials, assist faculty and staff,
through training and consulting, in integrating computing and information
resources into the curriculum, track current and emerging Internet and
development technologies, and aid in the progression and completion of technology
grants. I have created distributable Computer Based Training modules for both
Distance Education and Faculty Training, as well as worked with several
Internet course creation tools for placing classes "on-line." Computer
Programming, Marshall University College of Liberal Arts and College of
Science, Huntington, WV. (April 1996-May 1997). Responsible for developing
and programming multimedia tutorial programs for the University as well as
programming multimedia modeling software for science laboratory courses. Computer
Programming and Research, NASA and National Science Foundation Grant through
Marshall University, Huntington, WV. (Spring 1996-Fall 1996). Responsible for
developing and programming lecture-room demonstration educational project
programs through a NASA and NSF grant for Marshall University. Marshall
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