Spring 2013
Dr. Tsai
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
College of Business Administration
MIS 2 – Spreadsheets
COURSE OUTLINE
REGISTRATION CARD (Required)
SimNet for Microsoft Office 2010 -- One Module Registration Code by McGraw Hill (for only
taking MIS 2- Spreadsheets)
Or
SimNet for Microsoft Office 2010 -- Office Suite Registration Code by McGraw Hill (for taking
MIS 1 – Operating Systems and Electronic Communication including Windows 7, Internet
Explorer 9 and Outlook 2010; MIS 2 – Spreadsheets including Excel; and MIS 3 – Word
Processing and Presentation Graphics including Word 2010 and PowerPoint 2010)
The registration card can be purchased from the Hornet Bookstore on campus or SimNet web
site.
The purchase of SimNet for Microsoft Office 2010 -- Office Suite Registration Code by
McGraw Hill is highly recommended. The Hornet Bookstore will not refund any purchase of
SimNet Microsoft Office One Module Registration Code or of SimNet Microsoft Office Suite
Registration Code. It is the student’s responsibility to purchase the correct registration code.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course adopts the 24/7 online self teaching/learning format using SimNet Microsoft Office
2010 software. Therefore, no lecture will be given and no homework or assignment will be
collected during the entire course period (second five weeks of the semester).
The course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skill to understand and
master the Microsoft Office Excel 2010 through the SimNet. The student can then apply the
Excel in a variety of courses offered in the College of Business Administration. The major topics
include:
1. Creating and editing a worksheet – entering and editing data, spelling check, using
thesaurus, copying and pasting cell content, working with formulas and functions,
inserting and deleting rows and columns, formatting cells and cell content, and
documenting and printing a worksheet, etc.
2. Charting worksheet data – inserting and formatting illustrations, using themes and cell
styles, creating and printing charts, etc.
3. Managing and analyzing a worksheet – identifying formula errors, using absolute
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references, managing worksheets, finding and replacing information, forecasting values,
using conditional formatting, using Sparkline, using solver and customizing print settings,
etc.
4. Creating templates and evaluation scenarios – protecting the worksheet and workbook,
using the templates, working with multiple workbooks, using scenarios and creating
SmartArt, etc.
5. Using functions and designing forms – using PMT (loan payment) function, looking up
values in a list, creating a form, using named ranges, using the IF function and drop-down
list, etc.
6. Creating and working with tables – adding and editing data in a table, formatting and
modifying a table, ensuring data integrity, sorting and filtering data, summarizing and
grouping data, creating a PivotTable report and PivotChart report, etc.
SimNet REGISTRATIONS
Every student has to register the SimNet account using the purchased registration code through
the Internet in order to master the concept and skill of the course and take an online hands-on
final exam on the Friday of the tenth week.
The SimNet URL for registering MIS 2 is https://csus.simnetonline.com. Follow the SimNet
registration procedures to obtain a user name and associated password to start the lesson. Be sure
to use the same first name and last name for SimNet as you have registered for this class at the
College of Business Administration (CBA), California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) in
order to properly record your online hands-on final exam result (credit/no credit) for the course.
SimNet has a 24/7 email support (SimNetSupport@Mcgraw-hill.com), a support website
(http://mhhe.com//help) and a toll free technical support (1-800-331-5094) for the student to get
help and answer questions regarding any SimNet problem or issue.
Carefully read “SimNet Online Student Registration Guide” and “SimNet Student Guide”
that are posted in the MIS 2 Spreadsheets homepage of SacCT 9.1 to learn more information
related to SimNet before taking any lesson.
LEARNING THE COURSE MATERIALS
1. Log into the online CSU Sacramento SimNet web site (https://csus.simnetonline.com)
using your user name and password.
2. Select My SimNet tab on the top to add MIS 2 Spreadsheets from available classes to
enroll in MIS 2.
3. Select Assignments on the top.
4. Select MIS 2 Spreadsheets for “Selected Classes”.
5. Select Lessons tab that is in the middle of the screen to work on the Excel lesson.
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6. One practice exam is available by selecting the Assignment tab on the top and selecting
Exam tab in the middle. The practice exam is only a sample of the final exam.
7. Thoroughly study the lesson of MIS 2 within the second five weeks of the semester.
8. Take the 50 minutes online hands-on final exam on the Friday of the tenth week (April
12, 2013).
9. To understand and master every topic included in the MIS 2 is the only learning
method to pass the online hands-on final exam.
MASTERING THE CONCEPT
There are three methods (Teach Me, Show Me and Let Me Try) provided by the SimNet for you
to take each lesson. The “Teach Me” gives you a written description of a topic. The “Show Me”
gives you the detail steps with audio explanation to complete tasks of a topic. The “Let Me Try”
lets you to complete tasks of a topic with helping hints.
The best way to understand and master every concept in the lesson is to study every topic using
“Teach Me” or “Show Me” first, then use “Let Me Try” to test your understanding of the topic.
You have to understand and master every concept if you can perform tasks of every topic using
“Let Me Try” and solve every question in the practice exam without looking at the helping hint.
Please keep in mind that taking this online class is similar to any classroom lecturing course.
You need to pace your studying of the course materials over the five weeks class period and do
not start the learning process a couple of days before the online hands-on final exam.
Understanding and mastering every concept of MIS 2 is the only way to pass the MIS 2 online
hands-on final exam.
EXAM TIME AND LOCATION
1. The MIS 2 final exam date is only scheduled and available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific
Standard Time) on Friday (April 12, 2013).
2. Every student is required to take the 50 minute SimNet online final exam using any
computer anywhere on Friday (April 12, 2013).
3. The SimNet online final exam will be terminated at 4 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time).
Therefore, every student needs to start the final exam on or before 3:10 p.m. (Pacific
Standard Time) in order to obtain the entire allowable time for finishing the final exam.
4. There is no makeup final exam for MIS 2.
CHECKING SIMNET REGISTRATION CODE AND COMPUTER
1. Make sure that SimNet registration code allows you to access MIS 2 before the final
exam date. You need to discuss and resolve any inaccessible issue with SimNet help line
before the final exam date. There is no makeup final exam for you if your SimNet
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registration code does not permit you to take the MIS 2 final exam on the final exam date.
2. Ensure your computer is in good working condition and can be used to take the final
exam without any problem.
3. There is no makeup final exam for you if your SimNet registration code and/or your
computer do not permit you to take the MIS 2 final exam on the final exam date.
EXAM PROCEDURES
1. Start Internet Explorer since it has the least SimNet problem among all the browsers.
2. Select a computer to log in the online CSUS SimNet web site
(https://csus.simnetonline.com) using your user name and password.
3. Select My SimNet tab on the top to add MIS 2 Spreadsheets from available classes to
enroll in MIS 2. You can skip this step if you have taken the SimNet lesson or
practice exam.
4. Select Assignments tab on the top.
5. Select MIS 2 Spreadsheets from “Selected Classes”.
6. Select MIS 2 Spreadsheets Exam 13S under Exam tab.
7. Select “Take Exam” on the right hand side of the screen to start.
8. You have exactly 50 minutes to complete the entire final exam with the total of 30
questions.
9. You have 30 attempts for each question but only one attempt to take the final exam.
10. The total 100 points for the final exam is not evenly distributed among the 30 questions
since some questions have more points than others.
COURSE GRADE
1. You can check your performance by selecting the “Gradebook” tab on the top, then
selecting the “Exams” tab and looking for your scores (points) of MIS 2 Spreadsheet
Exam 13S.
2. A student will receive a one unit “credit” for the course if the score of the online final
exam is equal to or greater than 70 points.
3. A student will receive a “no credit” for the course if the score of the online final exam is
less than 70 points.
4. Any student missing the final exam will receive a “no credit” for the course since there is
no makeup final exam.
COMMUNICATION
1. Every student can only use the email system of SacCT 9.1 (My Messages in the MIS 2
homepage) to communicate with the course administrator for any general information
question (do not use the voice mail).
2. Allow 24 hours or longer to receive an email reply from Monday through Friday. Allow
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48 hours or longer during the weekend or holidays.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Every student is expected and required to take the MIS 2 SimNet online final exam by him or
herself only without any help. Any violation or perceived violation of this policy will result in a
“no credit” for the course grade. Prosecution of any such violation will be rigorously pursued
through the appropriate channels (e.g., Associate Dean of Student Affairs).
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
1. The SimNet is good for two years.
2. Challenge exam: A student can take MIS 2 challenge exam if the student fails the MIS 2
final exam. Passing the challenge exam will only fulfill the computer literacy
requirements for CBA upper division classes without earning any credit. For more
information regarding the challenge exam visit Undergraduate Program under the CBA
web site http://www.cba.csus.edu/.
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