CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
Introduction to Computers – CIT 120
All Face-to-Face Classes
John R. North
Office: T210
Hours:
Monday
Tuesday
8:00 – 9:00 AM 11 AM – 1 PM
12:00 - 1:00 PM 4:30 – 6:30 PM
Wednesday
Thursday
12:00 - 2:00 PM 11 AM – 12 PM
Friday
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Phone: 847-543-2507 (24 hour voicemail)
Email: jnorth@clcillinois.edu
Web site: http://home.clcillinois.edu/bdv603
Blackboard: http://clc.blackboard.com
Class Schedule:
Section
001
Time
MWF 9:00 – 9:50 AM
Location
T241
002
MWF 10:00 – 10:50 AM
T241
003
MWF 11:00 – 11:50 AM
T241
Text:
Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow Comprehensive, 14th Edition, Deborah Morley
and Charles S. Parker, Course Technology Cengage Learning, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-1-28554693-3
Microsoft Office 2013 Brief, Misty E. Vermaat, Cengage Learning, 2014, ISBN-10: 1-28516616-2
Supplies: Flash/Thumb Drive in case you need to do your work somewhere other than at home
or make sure you know how to save your work and then email it to yourself or you have some
type of cloud storage such as Dropbox or SkyDrive.
Software Use in the Course:
We use MS Office 2013 for the projects in this course. MS Office 2013 is available on the
computers in our labs as well as in T221 and the LRC. If you are doing your projects at home,
using MS Office 2013 there would be most convenient since what I show you during the lab, you
could use directly at home. Unless you really have a need for MS Office 2013 at home, I suggest
you consider using the MS Office 2013 software available in T221 or in the LRC rather than
buying it. Be aware that not all editions of MS Office 2013 have all the components that we use
in this course. Verify that your MS Office 2013 has the following components - MS Word 2013,
MS Excel 2013, MS Access 2013, and MS PowerPoint 2013. If you do not have MS Office
2013 at home or all the components and you need to do the projects at home, you can obtain
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
Office 365, which permits downloads of MS Office 2013 either in the Bookstore or on the MS
Office store site,
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.275549300?tid=s1SBoDA3d
_dc&cid=5250&pcrid=20375269373&pkw=office%20365%20for%20students&pmt=e&WT.src
h=1&WT.mc_id=pointitsem_Microsoft+US_google_5++Office+15+Suites&WT.term=office%20365%20for%20students&WT.campaign=5++Office+15+Suites&WT.content=1SBoDA3d&WT.source=google&WT.medium=cpc.
CLC is in the process of signing up students for Office 365 Pro Plus which would allow a student
to download any of the MS Office components from MS Office 2013 Pro onto his/her personal
computer for the duration of being signed up for AOS or CIT courses that use MS Office. In
fact, the downloads can go on up-to 5 devices. The program may be ready by the beginning of
the semester.
Most of the project assignments, about 95+ % can be done with Office 2003, Office 2007, Office
2008, Office 2010, Office 2011, Libre Office, and Open Office. Of course, the screen shots
shown in the lab discussion documents are from Office 2013 so your use of earlier editions, Mac
versions, or open source software will not have the same view. If you are going to use open
source software, please let me know before I start grading your projects.
Course Objectives:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Understand the function of hardware, software, operating systems, data, procedures and
personnel in a business computer system.
Demonstrate a familiarity with electronic data processing terminology and concepts.
Understand basic systems analysis and design techniques.
Understand basic file processing and database concepts.
Understand the importance and the use of microcomputers in organizations.
Understand and utilize several software applications for data analysis and
communications.
Understand and apply the electronic research and communication facilities (Internet) of
computing.
Sources for Course Material:
1.
Most of the documents will come from links found on Blackboard but a few may come
from links on my school web site (http://home.clcillinois.edu/bdv603).
Major Topics
1.
Information Systems
a. Concepts and Terminology
b. Components of Business Systems
c. Systems Analysis and Design
d. Microcomputer and Mainframe Systems
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
2.
Applications
a. Electronic research and communications/Internet
b. Word Processing/Text editing
c. SpreadSheets
d. Graphics
e. Database Package
Student Responsibilities:
Attendance:
I expect regular attendance and participation in this class and have assigned 90 (almost 10% of
the grade) points for attendance and participation. I am more interested in participation than just
being there. Attendance means paying attention or participating, not putting your head down for
a nap, texting your friends, listening to your iPod, working on material for another class, or
zoning out. If you get an excused absence, you still get half of the points for attendance.
Coming in late decreases the number of points you receive for attendance.
A lot of students assume that they do not need to attend classes or put much effort into this class
since they think they are already familiar with computers and the material. This is not the case;
the IT field is just too expansive and too evolving. The majority of the material on my tests will
come from the book so it would be an extremely good idea to read the chapters. A few items
on the test will come from the project material. My project requirements are quite explicit so
follow them. I post an example of the project along with notes on how I did the project in a lab
discussion document. It would be a good idea to examine these sample projects and follow the
lab discussions before attempting your projects. About 10% of the material on my tests will
come from the classroom discussions, 80% from the book some of which I will cover in class,
and 10% from project work in the lab. My project requirements are explained during the lab
sessions so if you decide not to attend the lab then there is a high probability that you will get a
low grade on your project.
I expect you to have read the material for that chapter so you can participate in the class
discussion on the chapter material and related items I will introduce. The class is intended
to be a discussion class about the material you read from the book, current IT information in the
news, and your experiences. This will be a more interesting class if you participate. I will post
information technology items that are currently in the news during the class and I will test on
these as well as the material covered in the book.
Tests must be taken between the dates specified in the test announcement. I do not give
make-up tests. If you miss a test, the make-up will be writing a paper. If you make prior
arrangements if you will miss a scheduled test you can still get full credit by writing a
paper. Without prior arrangements, you can schedule writing a paper as the make-up for the test
but you will receive only 70% of the earned grade. This paper used to make up a test will not be
accepted after a week has passed from the test due date. The final exam, which is a common
final given to all students in all CIT120 sections for that semester, will have multiple choice
questions taken from the material covered in the Understanding Computers book and from work
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
done on your projects. Even though the final exam is on Blackboard, for face-to-face classes,
this exam must be taken in the classroom during one of the times posted at the bottom of this
document.
Outside Reading/Projects:
The schedule at the bottom of this document indicates the chapters to be read before attending
the class. It is strongly suggested that the student work the questions at the end of the assigned
chapters. The authors provide a web site for expanded material as well as online tests to check
your understanding of the material - www.cengagebrain.com/ and the link to UC14 CourseMate.
The book makes references to additional material found on CourseMate. If you bought the
loose-leaf edition of the book in the bookstore, then a CourseMate key will be part of the
package. Otherwise, the publisher has made CourseMate an additional cost beyond the price of
the book. You do get access to a few of their supplements such as the flash cards and a glossary
without paying the additional price.
There are nine projects that use MS Office during this semester. They are described in my
project description documents found on Blackboard. The majority of the points for these
projects are awarded for using specific MS office techniques as described in the project
descriptions. Only a few points are awarded for the content so please concentrate on using the
MS Office techniques properly in your project submissions. During the lab sessions scheduled
for Fridays, I will cover the specific MS Office techniques I expect you to use in your projects.
There are Lab Discussion documents for each project that cover the same MS Office techniques
that I use during the Friday lab sessions. The MS Office book is used for reinforcing what is
covered in the lab discussions. About 95% of the material that I cover in the lab discussion
documents is covered in the MS Office book. Project due dates are listed on the schedule. A
late project will be accepted up to the date that the next project is due but you only get 70% of
the earned points. Projects can be submitted before the date due for grading. I will post your
grade with comments about what is wrong based upon the rubric (see the table at the end of each
project) for that project. You can use these comments to improve your work. If you submit the
corrected project before the due date, then you can still get all the possible points. You can
submit the project as many times as you feel necessary. If you submit it after the due date and
before the next project is due, you will get 70% of the corrected points added to the current total.
The critical point is to do your projects early so if you have any questions, you can ask me during
or after the class sessions. Most people who fail this course do so because they either don’t turn
in the projects or wait to the last minute to do the project and then hurry through it thus earning a
poor grade.
Projects should use the Microsoft Office 2013 Suite of tools, although I accept the use of earlier
editions of MS Office or Open Office or Libre Office. The computers in the LRC and the open
lab in T221 have Microsoft Office 2013 on them and can be used for the projects. I do not
accept paper documents for the projects. Rather, all project documents are sent to me through
Blackboard’s assignment manager. You attach your project file by using the Browse My
Computer button found in the Assignment Submission section under that project’s link in the MS
Office Projects section. The attachment must have your initials, the project number as part of the
filename, and the correct file suffix for that type of project. For example, if I were submitting
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
the MS Word document for project 4, it would have jrn_project4.docx as the filename on the
attachment. All my comments and your grade will be found in Blackboard’s gradebook for the
course.
There are nine projects due. These are the goals for the projects. The actual details of the
project are provided in Blackboard under the Projects button for this course. You must follow
the requirements specified in the project descriptions since most of the points come from using
specific MS Office techniques.
Project General Description of Projects' Goals
Due Date Points
1
This project is intended to familiarize yourself with the
2/3
30
Blackboard Assignment Manager which is used to submit all
the projects. You should create a 5 paragraph description of
yourself that includes your educational and career goals, your
expectations from the course, your familiarity with computers,
jobs you have had, and your interests. It also includes filling
out a form regarding the hardware and software information
about a computer that you use.
2
This project utilizes Web searches to collect information
2/10
30
reported in a word processor document. You must choose an
information systems topic and you must visit 5 different Web
sites and use at least two different search engines. The critical
word processing element is defining and using two new
paragraph styles. Some simple formatting is also done in this
project.
3
In this project you create a cover letter and a resume using the
2/24
35
guidelines posted in the project description. I expect you to
use your imagination in entering information into your cover
letter and resume for a job position 15 to 20 years in the future.
Some additional word processing formatting is done in this
project such as inserting a table, using different font
characteristics, and using tabs.
4
You need to create a one page, two-column newsletter
3/3
40
document that includes a clip art file and an image file. In
addition, you will use text boxes to document your images,
footnotes to document your synonyms and apply the
readability index for your writing.
5
In this project you create a payment schedule using a
3/17
35
spreadsheet using formulas for almost all the data values. You
only need 4 pieces of data; everything else is a formula or cell
reference.
6
Create a more typical spreadsheet with a data table, embedded
3/31
40
charts, aggregate functions, an if statement and conditional
formatting.
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
7
8
9
Create a simple database consisting of two tables using MS
Access. Use data field properties to control data integrity.
Establish a relationship between these two tables. Populate the
tables with data.
Create a form, queries and a report against a multi-table MS
Access database
Create a presentation using MS PowerPoint that covers how IT
is used in your career choice or a hobby. Use shapes, smart
art, animations to enhance the presentation.
4/14
35
4/21
40
5/6
50
I will accept these projects early and provide feedback and a grade on any project you submit to
me. By early, I mean more than two days before the due date. I assign a point score so you can
see the value of correcting the items. You may resubmit the corrected assignment and still
receive full credit until the due date. It takes anywhere from hours to several days to get all the
students' projects back after the due date has passed.
Once the due date for a project has passed, you can resubmit the project with the corrections to
regain some of the lost points. I will give you 70% of the corrected points. For example, if you
submitted a project and received 25 out of 40 points and then you resubmitted it and you
corrected 12 out of the 15 points in error, then you would receive 12 * 0.70 = 8.4 points back
towards the points for the project and end up with a 33.4/40 rather than a 25/40. You can
continue to resubmit a project for additional points up to the due date for the next project. I
suggest that you take advantage of this. If you turn in a project late, you will receive only 70%
of the correct items since I consider you having a 0 for the first submission by the due date.
Each project needs to be submitted to me through the Assignment Manager with the document as
an attachment. The project document needs to contain your name, project number, the date
completed, and in most instances, page numbers. In other words, use page headers and footers
for Word and Excel, a form header and footer for Access, and a Title slide for
PowerPoint. Projects are graded based on the quality of the document, meeting assigned due
dates and following instructions from the project description and shown in the lab discussion. I
use the rubric listed at the bottom of each project as a basis for grading your projects. Please use
the rubric to check that you have met all the requirements for the project.
Here are several important things to consider. First, not turning in an assigned project drops you
almost half a grade level, so turn in all your projects even if you can't do part of it. Students that
have failed my course in the past have been the ones who do not do the projects. Second, turn in
your projects early since I will provide feedback so you can correct any problems before the
actual grade is determined. Students who have earned an A have tended to submit their projects
early for comments and then made the corrections. Third, take advantage of resubmitting your
work for correction points. This can raise your project grade a full grade level.
You can get help from me by sending an Email with the word "Help" in the subject line, a
description of where you are stuck, and the work (as an attached file) that you have attempted so
far. I usually look at my Email messages twice a day. Some weekends I will not be available
since I have family that live out of state and I like to see them once in a while. If you are near
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
the Grayslake campus, you can stop in T221 and the person in the Business Division lab can help
you some. You can also check with the Tutoring center in the LRC if they have tutors for
CIT120.
Grading:
There are a number of assessments used in the course.
Type of Assessment
Projects – There are nine projects using MS Office components. The important
part of the project is the use of the techniques being taught; the content is
minimal and is primarily used as a vehicle to demonstrate the use of the
requested techniques.
Syllabus Test – This test is used to ensure that you have read the syllabus. It is
worth 20 points. It is untimed and can be taken twice. This is the only untimed
and multiple opportunities test given in this course.
Chapter Tests – There are four tests covering the material in the chapters. Test
1 will cover chapters 1 thru 3; test 2 will cover chapters 4 thru 7; test 3 will cover
chapters 8 thru 11, and test 4 will cover chapters 12 thru 16. Each of these tests
consists of 75 questions. The tests are mostly multiple choice with a few
True/False questions. There are no fill in the blank questions. You may
substitute a paper on an approved IT topic for each of these chapter tests or you
may do both, take the test and write the paper, and get the better of the two
grades.
Common Final – The CIT department uses a common final test for all sections
of CIT 120. It consists of 200 multiple choice questions and will be taken on
Blackboard but in the classroom at the end of the semester. The test is broken
into two 100 question tests and must be completed in two hours. Studying for
this test is critical since it has an impact on your final grade. Below is the table
describing the relationship between overall points for the course and the points
achieved on the common final exam. This is strictly enforced throughout all
sections of CIT120. For example, if you receive 58% on the final, the best grade
you can receive for the course is a C.
Point Total For Class
Letter Grade
Received
>= 90% of total points
>=70% on final exam
A
>=80% and < 90% of total points >=60% on final exam
B
>=70% and < 80% of total points >=50% on final exam
C
>=60% and < 70% of total points >=40% on final exam
D
<60%
<40%
F
Participation and Attendance – This means attending the lectures and the labs
and participating. 15 weeks @ 6 points per week.
Free Points
Total
John R. North
Points
335
20
300
200
Percentage on the Final
7
90
5
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
Since people have different learning styles, you are given a choice about how you will be
assessed for the covered material. There are four tests and a final scheduled for the course
besides the 9 projects. For each of the four tests, you can substitute a paper but you are
required to take the final. The paper must concentrate on some aspect of IT and is usually
about a topic picked from my Paper Topics. It is due no later than 11:59 PM the day after the
completion date of the test. I will not accept a paper late without previous agreement between
the student and me with a fixed due date. If you will not complete your paper in time, you will
have to take the test or receive a zero. You can do both - take the test and write a paper. You will
get credit for the higher score. Choosing the Paper alternative, you will need to Email me as an
attachment a well written paper with your name and the test this paper is substituting for in the
footer section, a header section with the title of the paper, endnotes showing your references, and
the body of the document using Normal paragraph style or No Spacing paragraph style with
acceptable margins/indents. The endnotes must make specific references to the source of the
material. For example, stating that you found your information via www.yahoo.com is not
acceptable. It requires a site and document that I can access. These endnotes do not need to be
formal endnotes as required in a research project. I will not accept a cut and paste paper. I will
not accept a paper if you have less than two references. I want you to analyze the material and
give me your thoughts about it. If you take a small piece of the writing verbatim from one of
your sources, you better put quotes around it and give it a reference. Plagiarized papers will
receive a 0. A paper substitution for the tests requires around 2 to 3 pages, single-spaced with a
minimum of 1200 words. You can choose one of the topics listed in my Paper Topics list or
choose your own topic as long as you get it approved by me before starting work on it. I will
not grade a paper if it does not have a minimum of 1200 words and/or it does not include at
least two references. An email will be sent to you stating that you need to complete the paper
and you will lose 15 points. You will get 2 days to return the completed paper.
I strongly suggest that you consider the paper alternative to taking the test if you are not a good
test taker. When you write a paper, you pick a topic that interests you. This allows you to focus
on a narrower subject which facilitates writing a good paper. You also do not have the same
time constraint. I do expect well-structured sentences and paragraphs and a document that has
been run through spell check. I will not accept distillations of the material from the book. I
expect some research done using the Internet or other sources.
The paper can be turned in early for my comments. So, once again you can improve your grade
by getting early feedback and correcting it before the final grade is assigned to the paper. If you
are not sure that your writing style matches my expectations, definitely turn in your paper early
so you can get my feedback. Another good source for objective analysis of your paper is the
Writing Center in the LRC. I have had a number of students who have used the Writing Center
and felt that it improved their writing.
There is a syllabus test which covers the content of this syllabus, the project descriptions, and
structure of the course. This test is available on Blackboard during the first week and will be due
by Sunday, 1/26, at 11:59 PM. It is worth 20 points.
Tests will be taken on Blackboard. Check the schedule at the bottom of this document for when
the tests will become available and when they must be completed. I suggest taking the test early
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
and then deciding whether you need to write a paper to make up for the poor test grade. No
matter when you make your decision to write the paper, it is due by 11:59 PM the day after the
date of the test.
The Final is a Departmental Common Final for all CIT 120 classes. It will be conducted online
(using Blackboard) during the last week of the course. The Final has 200 questions covering all
the chapters in the book as well as questions covering MS Office concepts learned during the lab
sessions. Since the Final is so important, I strongly suggest that you take the tests even if you are
writing the papers as substitutions for the tests. Taking the tests will help prepare you for the
Final.
I provide two extra credit projects. The first is to give a presentation to the class using your
PowerPoint project. This extra credit is up to 40 points. The second is on-going where you can
post a link to some news article about Information Technology from online newspapers,
magazines, other articles, or websites. This posting is done on Blackboard (clc.blackboard.com)
under the Discussion Board menu item and in the extra credit forum that matches the topic of
your article. You just add a new thread to the forum with a subject line indicating your topic and
your link pasted in the message area. Make sure the link works. You get up to 5 points for each
article that you post (as long as it is a reasonable article about computers). It must be to a site that
I do not need to register at to view the material. You can get a maximum of 50 points for these
news articles. These news article links must be posted throughout the semester. Here is the
schedule.
Weeks
Maximum Points still available
1–4
50
5–8
40
9 – 13
25
14 – 16
15
No extra credit posts accepted after May 10th.
Policies:
I have had several cases of cheating in my previous CIT120 classes. This includes plagiarism
when writing a test substitution paper and outright copying out projects. If you decide to write a
paper then make sure that any copied material is quoted and given a endnote reference to the
source. Do not provide your project work to another student. You will receive a zero for that
work. Copying another student's work will result in a zero for that project or paper. A second
incident of cheating will result in failure of the course. Both giving your work to somebody else
to copy and the copying of somebody else's work is considered cheating. Plagiarism is also
considered cheating.
An incomplete grade, “I”, is normally not an option and will be given only for situations
involving serious personal emergency or lengthy personal illness. The student must be working
currently at a “C” level or above and must also agree, in writing, to a completion date within 120
days of the end of the semester, 9/13/14.
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
The school has altered its policy on withdrawing from a class. If you plan to discontinue
attending your class anytime during the semester, it is strongly recommended that you take
responsibility for dropping the class. Grades of W will only be assigned to students who drop
themselves. Instructors are required to report noticeable non-attendance of students. If you
discontinue attending class and are dropped by the institution, the following grades will be
assigned:
WN – Withdrawal, student never attended – no impact on g.p.a.
WS – Withdrawal of students who stop attending – no impact on g.p.a.
WF – Withdrawal of student who stop attending after the official withdrawal deadline (68%) and
instructor deems failing - impact on g.p.a. is equivalent to a grade of F.
The last date to withdraw and receive refund for the class is 2/7/14 and the last date to withdraw
and receive a 'W' for the class is 4/10/14. If you withdraw after that date, you will receive an 'F'.
If something comes up that forces you to withdraw after 4/10/14 you can still receive a 'W' from
the instructor if you were passing at the time you withdraw and you receive the instructor's
permission to withdraw.
I expect each student to treat other students and me with respect. This means that when you are
replying to another student, you show respect for the other student in the content and tone of the
reply. I will remove any content that I do not consider appropriate.
If you are a student with a documented disability and may need academic accommodations such
as extended time for exams and/or an in-class note taker, please present documentation to the
Office for Students with Disabilities in L112 at the Grayslake campus. To schedule an
appointment, please call:
voice (847) 543-2055
TTY 223-0134
If you have already contacted the Office for Students with Disabilities and have completed the
Instructor Notification Form, please schedule a time to meet with me and discuss your needs.
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CIT120 Syllabus – Spring 2014
Proposed Schedule
Week Class Reading Lab Reading and Project
Assignment
Work
1
Office – Descripton
Exams and Project due dates
Syllabus Test – Covers syllabus &
projects
Available 1/22 to 1/26 at 11:59 PM
2
3
Ch 1
Ch 2
Office – Description, Searching
Office - Searching
Project 1 due by 11:59 PM, 2/3
4
Ch 3, 4
Office – Resume
5
6
7
Ch 4, 5
Ch 5, 6
Ch 7, 8
Office – Resume, Newsletter
Office - Newsletter
Office – Payment Schedule
8
Ch 8, 9
9
10
11
Ch 9, 10
12
13
14
15
16
Ch 12, 13
Ch 13, 14
Ch 14, 15
Ch 15,16
Ch 16
17
Final Exam
Office – Payment Schedule,
Table and Aggregates
Office - Charts
Project 5 due by 11:59 PM, 3/17
Spring Break
Office – Access Tables
Project 6 due by 11:59 PM, 3/31
Test 3 – Covers Chapters 8 – 11
Available 4/2 to 4/5 at 11:59 PM
Office – Form, Queries
Office – Queries, Report
Project 7 due by 11:59 PM, 4/14
Office - PowerPoint
Project 8 due by 11:59 PM, 4/21
Office –PowerPoint
Presentations
Project 9 due by 11:59 PM, 5/6
Test 4 – Covers Chapters 12 – 16
Available 5/7 to 5/10 at 11:59 PM
Departmental Common Final - Covers
all chapters, 200 questions
001 – 5/14 8 – 10 AM
002 – 5/12 10 AM – 12 PM
003 – 5/14 10 AM – 12 PM
Ch 11
John R. North
Project 2 due by 11:59 PM, 2/10
Test 1 - Covers Chapters 1 – 3
Available 2/12 to 2/15 at 11:59 PM
11
Project 3 due by 11:59 PM, 2/24
Project 4 due by 11:59 PM, 3/3
Test 2 - Covers Chapters 4 - 7
Available 3/5 to 3/8 at 11:59 PM
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