HEARTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Business Division
Course Syllabus for Fall 2002 Students
Course Prefix and Number: ACSM 135
Section: 91
Course Title: Spreadsheets – Excel
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory Hours:
Days and times the course meets:
There are no regular meeting times since this is an online course, however, you must adhere to
the established due dates for quizzes, case problems, exams, etc. You should plan to devote 8 to
10 hours per week to this course. Refer to the Course Calendar for exact due dates for your
required coursework.
There is an on-campus commitment required of you for this course. You will be required to
complete Exams at a Heartland Community College Testing Center (or other authorized testing
location). Failure to take an exam will have a negative impact on your final grade for the course.
Refer to the Method of Evaluation section of this syllabus for more information regarding the
Exams.
Catalog Description:
Students of this course will develop a working knowledge of the basic and advanced capabilities
of the Windows-based spreadsheet software program Microsoft Excel. The course is taught in an
exercise-oriented approach, which will prepare students to develop spreadsheet solutions for
accounting, financial analysis, and other business situations. Topics explored in this course
include: spreadsheet design, creation of graphs, templates, linking of files, database management,
and the development of macros. Prerequisite(s): ACSM 101, ACSM 110 or a satisfactory score
on ASCM 110 proficiency exam.
Instructor Information:
Instructor Name: Steve Wedwick
Phone Number: (309) 268-8589
Office Location: ICB 2106
Office Hours: 9:00am-12:00pm MW, 1:00pm-2:00pm TR and by appointment.
WebCT Username: Steve Wedwick
Emergency E-mail Address: steve.wedwick@hcc.cc.il.us
Textbook:
Required:
Parsons/Oja/Carey, New Perspectives on Microsoft Excel 2000
Comprehensive, Course Technology, 2001.
Supplies:
Several 3 ½ inch computer disks for downloading and storing student data files. Access
to the Microsoft Excel 2000 application software program.
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Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transfer:
(Indicate if course is General Education/IAI)
This course fulfills 3 semester hours of elective credit for the A.A., A.S. or A.A.S. degrees. It
should transfer to most colleges and universities as an elective course. However, since it is not
part of the General Education Core Curriculum described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative,
students should check with an academic advisor for information about its transferability to other
institutions. Refer to the IAI web page at www.itransfer.org for more information.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of ACSM 135 the student will be able to:
1. Access Excel through the Windows environment and identify the Excel screen elements.
2. Enter data and text and then manipulate it through formatting, moving, copying, and working
with range names.
3. Save and retrieve worksheets.
4. Print worksheets and charts.
5. Build “workbooks”, link charts to worksheets, and create templates.
6. Use a variety of Excel functions to perform worksheet calculations and assist with decisionmaking.
7. Create databases, perform data queries, and produce reports.
8. Interpret error messages and edit the worksheet to correct errors.
9. Create charts and add graphics to worksheets.
10. Design, build, edit, and use macros.
11. Use Excel “Add-Ins” to find solutions to problems, which would otherwise require
programming to solve.
Course/Lab Outline:
1. Overview of Windows and Excel.
2. Designing worksheets and managing worksheet data.
3. Formatting and enhancing the appearance of worksheets.
4. Printing worksheets and charts.
5. Building “workbooks”, linking worksheets and charts, and designing templates.
6. Entering functions and dealing with error messages.
7. Creating databases, performing data queries, and producing reports.
8. Producing charts and graphics.
9. Macro design and development.
10. Worksheet solutions through use of “Add-Ins.”
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Course Policies:
Method of Evaluation (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
Your grade in this course will be determined by the total points earned through completion of the
following coursework.
Tutorial Quizzes (complete at least 12 of 12 @ 10 pts. each) 120 pts.
Tutorial Case Problems (complete at least 20 of 23 @ 20 pts. each) 400 pts.
Exams (complete at least 3 of 3 @ 100 pts. each) 300 pts.
Course Survey (complete 1 survey at 10 pts. each) 10 pts.
Total Points for the Course = 830 pts.
Important Note About Tutorial Case Problems! It is a course requirement to
complete at least 20 of the 23 Tutorial Case Problems. However, if you complete
more than the required number of Tutorial Case Problems the instructor will use
your highest 20 scores in computing your final grade. Completing all of the
Tutorial Case Problems is to your advantage!
Note About Completion of Exams that Require an On-Campus
Commitment! You will be required to complete the three Exams at a Heartland
Community College Testing Center (or other authorized testing location).
Deadlines for completing the three Exams that require an on-campus commitment
are shown on the Course Calendar.
Letter grades will be based on the percentage of points earned in the course in accordance with
the following scale:
A: 90% - 100% = 747 – 830 points
B: 80% - 89% = 664 - 746 points
C: 70% - 79% = 581 - 663 points
D: 60% - 69% = 498 – 580 points
F: below 60% = 497 or less points
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Participation and Attendance
Since this is an online course, there is no attendance policy aside from the requirement to
complete Exams on-campus. You should, however, actively participate in the course throughout
the semester to learn and achieve your desired grade. For each chapter of the text you should:
read the textbook, review the Lecture Notes online, take the Tutorial Quiz online, complete
the Tutorial Case Problems online, and prepare for the Exams.
This course is not an open-learning course with vague or unclear due dates for your coursework.
This course requires that you stay involved, read your text, go online at least twice each
week, and follow the Course Calendar for the entire semester. You should expect to spend
8 to 10 hours per week on this course which is similar to the time commitment required for
an 3 credit hour college course. If you know in advance that you'll be out of town when
coursework is due, you may submit your work earlier than the due date shown on the Course
Calendar. You must make special arrangements with me if you need to take an exam earlier than
the due date shown on the Course Calendar!
Past online students who have performed poorly, received below average grades, and didn't
really learn much have made one or more of the following mistakes:

got started a week or more after the semester had already begun

completed the coursework for one Tutorial and then "disappeared" for a week or more

failed to meet the established due dates found on the Course Calendar

waited to complete quizzes or cases problems until the day the work was due and then encountered
technical/computer problems

failed to login to WebCT at least twice each week

stopped working on the course at midterm because they were doing well up to that point
If you don't make these same mistakes, you should be able to accomplish your goals.
Incompletes
An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal date, can reasonably be
expected to pass the course. Incompletes may be granted only when justified by extreme
circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the immediate family).
Incomplete grades are not given for such reasons as unjustified failure to appear for the final
examination. A written agreement, outline the requirements to be met, must be signed by the
instructor and the student. The agreed upon requirements must be completed no later than the
end of the following semester (spring semester for incompletes granted during the fall, and the
following fall for incompletes given during the spring and summer semesters). By the agreed
upon date, the instructor will assign a grade or the incomplete will be changed to an F if the
requirements are not completed.
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Extra Credit
There are ample opportunities to achieve your desired grade, thus there will be no extra credit.
Make-Up of Tests and Assignments
Late work WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All coursework must be completed and turned on the
assigned date or prior to the assigned date. It is your responsibility to keep up with the
coursework. Refer to the Course Calendar for the list of required coursework and corresponding
due dates.
Required Writing and Reading:
Student should read the required chapters from the textbook and online reference materials as
indicated on the Course Calendar.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community College
and is essential to the credibility of the College's educational programs. Moreover, because
grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their academic work violate the right of
their fellow students. The College, therefore, views any act of academic dishonest as a serious
offense requiring disciplinary measures, including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion
from the College. In addition, an act of academic dishonesty may have unforseen effects far
beyond any officially imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or suborning
cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of data, falsification
of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to computerized academic or
administrative records or systems. Definitions of these violations may be found in the college
catalog.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others' ideas as if they were your own. When you write a paper,
create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all the work,
except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own. Plagiarism is
considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
1. Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
2. Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
3. Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own
4. Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source
5. Paraphrasing someone else's line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it were your
own.
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6. Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project as if it were
your own.
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism. The penalties for plagiarism
may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece of work, failure in the course or
expulsion from school in extreme cases.
Support Services:
Heartland Library Information
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
The Library, located within the Academic Support Center (ASC) on the Normal campus,
provides Heartland students with a variety of on-campus resources that support both class work
and personal inquiry. These include: reference tools (print and non-print), periodicals, audiovisual materials and equipment, reserves, a general circulating collection, and a fiction
collection. Computer terminals provide access to various electronic resources, including
Academic Universe, FirstSearch, and EbscoHost databases; CARL online card catalog, and
Internet access. Several electronic resources are accessible from computers off campus.
Students may borrow books from the fiction and general collections and may renew materials, in
person or by phone, if requests have not been placed on them.
Heartland students also have Interlibrary Loan privileges from Heartland Library. Items usually
take 1 to 3 weeks from date of the order to arrive.
The Library maintains a quiet study environment. Assistance is available for all library and
information needs. Heartland Library is open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday
7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the college is in session, but is closed on holidays that Heartland
observes. Intersession and summer hours are reduced.
Milner Library at Illinois State University is a public institution so you may use their collection
on site. If you want to request to check out materials, ask for a free Community Borrowers card
application at the Milner Library circulation desk. It is important that you have specific titles to
request for check out when you apply for the card. The card will give you access to their
circulating collection for three months, with a four-week check out period. To qualify for this
service you must live within 50 miles of Milner, have a current state ID (driver's license) with
current address on ID, and be over age 18. After you fill out the application Milner will perform
a background check on you for over due books, etc.
For more information about Library services please call the Library at 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no cost to Heartland
students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac and Lincoln
Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week. Study groups, group
tutoring facilitated by a specially-trained tutor, are also available by request. Help is also
provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops, open computing, and the
Library. For more information about services available at each location, please call the ASC in
Normal at (309) 268-8235; the Pontiac Center (815) 842-6777; or the Lincoln Center (217) 7351731.
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