Course Syllabus
Fall 2015
Contact Information:
Instructor: Mizanur [Mizan] Rahman, MS, PMP.
Office Location: SCA, Froman Hall, Room 001
Office Hours: By appointment.
Phone: 518-334-0629
E-mail:rahmam@sage.edu
 In most cases, I will return your emails & calls within 12 hours.
Course Information:
Course: CIS261-Visual Basic (VB.NET)
Semester: Fall 2015
Date/Time/Place: Tuesday 11:00 AM-12:20 PM & Online via Moodle, Froman 001
Number of Credits: 3
Course webpage: TBD
Course Description:
This course serves as an introduction to the family of visual languages through Visual Basic and
the programming practices that are unique to them. In particular students will study in some
detail the process of applications development, particularly as relates to GUI construction. This
course will reflect both programming techniques for standalone software applications, but also
include discussions of web-based applications. 3credits. Prerequisite: CSI-226.
Course Delivery:
This is a hybrid course. This means that there will be some class meetings on campus while
other parts of the course will be completed online. The date and time you will be expected to be
on campus is, Tuesday 11:00AM - 12:20AM.
Communication:
E-mail – Any email I write will be sent to your Sage email address, which is the official email of
the College. Any emails you send to me must be sent using your Sage email. Please see the
Email Policy of the Sage Colleges at the end of the syllabus for more details. It is highly
recommended that you access your Sage email at least once daily.
Moodle Messages – Messages can be sent back and forth through Moodle. Messages you
receive will show up in the message box on the side panel in your course. If you are online when
a message is received, the message can be replied to while in Moodle. If you don’t reply to a
message, an email will be sent to your Sage email alerting you that a message has been received.
If the message is sent to your email, you will be able to respond directly to the email and will not
have to return to Moodle to reply to the message.
News Forum in Moodle – I will use the News Forum to post announcements and provide general
news. You will not be able to respond to announcements made in this forum. An email
announcement will be sent to your Sage email whenever I post an item to the News Forum.
Current Events Forum in Moodle – I have created a forum for students to post current events
relevant to the course. Unless noted elsewhere, contributions to this forum are voluntary.
Chat in Moodle–There may be times when you want to chat with one or more people who are
online at the same time. A chat link, indicated by a balloon , has been set up for this purpose.
Although I might join a chat room discussion, it is intended for students to communicate with
each other. Directions for using the chat function are provided in Moodle. If you have a specific
question for me and I am not online, please post it in the Questions for the Professor forum.
‘Questions for the Professor’ Forum in Moodle - If you have a question related to the course or
an assignment that you think the answer would benefit others, please post it in the Questions for
the Professor Forum. You do not need to email me these questions since I will respond in the
forum so everyone can see my answer. All confidential questions should be emailed to me and
not posted in this forum where everyone can view your question and my answer.
Discussion Forums – This course includes forums that will be used by students for discussions
and will provide me an opportunity to offer feedback in Moodle.
Assignments – There will be required assignments for this course. Unless indicated otherwise,
submit your completed assignments in Moodle. After grading your assignment, I will return it
via Moodle with comments and a grade.
Learning Outcomes:
The following key learning outcomes have been identified for this course. The course content,
readings, discussions, and assignments have been specifically designed to help students
successfully fulfill these outcomes. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be
able to:






Understand the purpose of Rapid Application Development methodologies.
Write useful, well-designed programs that solve practical business problems.
Understand the fundamentals of the Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 programming language.
Implement logic involving sequence, selection, and repetition using Visual Basic 2010
Understand and apply graphical user interface design principles.
Organize complex programs by using procedures and to anticipate and prevent errors by
managing exceptions Demonstrate awareness of the development cycle when creating
applications, which mirrors the same approach that professional developers use.
 Create Visual Basic applications that deploy on multiple platforms such as Web pages,
Windows, and Office environments.
 Produce sophisticated, professional programs by using arrays and files that handle data and to
make programs more robust by defining classes and using the power of inheritance.
 Create appealing, interactive Web applications that can be delivered and executed on the
Internet.
 Collaborate with classmates in discussing concepts and programming projects in a distance
education environment.
Key Topics:
The overall subject matter examined in this course is broad, varied, and growing. In fact, "the
social impact of the information technology" is probably too big a theme to fit in its one semester
setting. Given this, the key topics that comprise this course are clustered as follows.
 Ch 1: Introduction to Visual Basic 2010 Programming
 Ch 2: Program and Graphical User Interface Design
 Ch 3: Program Design and Coding
 Ch 4: Variables and Arithmetic Operations
 Ch 5: Decision Structures
 Ch 6: Loop Structures
 Ch 7: Creating Web Applications
 Ch 8: Using Procedures and Exception Handling
 Ch 9: Using Arrays and File Handling
 Ch 10: Incorporating Databases with ADO.NET
 Ch 11: Multiple Classes and Inheritance
 Ch 12: Web Services and Reports
Students are polled early in the semester to determine additional topics of interest and given
adequate time and research the topic list can be expanded from the above cluster.
Required Textbooks:
Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 for Windows, Web, Office, and Database Applications:
Comprehensive by Shelly/Hoisington (ISBN 13: 978-0-538-46847-3; ISBN 10: 0-538-46847-5)
Additional Materials:
There will be additional readings assigned that are specified in and accessible to the student from
the online course. The computer used for coursework will need access to the following free
software:
• Collaborative document creation via Etherpad (browser plugin) http://etherpad.org/
• Visual Studio 2010 Express, Currently located at
https://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/downloads#d-2012-express
• Jing screen capture software: http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
• Access to conference software and hardware via Skype or Google Hangouts on campus
or from home. (It is recommended to have an account with a professional name, not a
“web handle”) {Students will be surveyed at the start of the semester to decide which
communication tool is preferred.}
• Use of Sage Cloud shared storage at: http://cloud.sage.edu/index.php (Login via your
email/Moodle credentials.
Prerequisite(s): CSI-226: Object Oriented Design
Technology, Applications, and Tools:
You will need to be able to use the technology, applications and/or tools provided below.
Internet – You are expected to have internet access readily available when you begin the course.
In some cases, even if you have internet access you might need to view video and audio files on
a computer that has a faster internet connection. There are computers available at the Sage
libraries and other locations on both campuses. While other electronic devices (e.g.,
smartphones) may provide access to some components of the course, these are not recommended
and will not work for all required activities.
Moodle –Sage uses Moodle (www.moodle.sage.edu) as its course learning management tool. It
is recommended that you use Firefox as your browser since it works best with Moodle (Moodle
is known to have problems when used with Google Chrome). You can download Firefox for
free: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/.
If you are unfamiliar with Moodle, there are 8 tutorials available on Moodle’s main page. If you
have reviewed the tutorials and still have questions, please let me know. If you are experiencing
problems with Moodle, please contact the help desk by phone (518) 244-4777 or by email
helpdesk@sage.edu.
Hardware
 Earphones
 Microphone
 Webcam
 Flash drive
 Camera
Software
 Microsoft Word or its equivalent such as Open Office Writer (free download at
www.openoffice.org)
 PowerPoint or its equivalent such as Open Office Impress (free download at
www.openoffice.org)
 Skype
http://beta.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-computer/
Course Requirements:
CSI261 is a hands-on course for reviewing programming concepts in the context of the Rapid
Application Design (RAD) programming language Visual Basic 2010 (VB.Net). Other elements
of integration with popular Microsoft technologies will be examined in relation to building
common business applications. Graphic User Interfaces (GUI) for developing end-user desktop
applications with Visual Studio will be explored. Web-based applications will be examined using
the ASP.Net framework, and data connections will be reviewed using ADO.NET technologies.
The business or other organizational context of these tools will be discussed using outside
examples, to help understand the place of RAD tools in the software development market.
The student will develop an understanding of online collaboration resources common in the
software development community, including discussion forums, messaging, conferencing, screen
capture software, and wiki-style documentation collaboration. In advance of this course, students
must have an understanding of basic programming concepts, file management, directory
structures, file transfer, how to use tutorials, and how to find access to technology resources on
campus and on the internet.
Resources in the Computing Lab (Froman Hall 001) and other sites will be available for
completing assignments during posted hours- please contact me or the computing lab if there are
any concerns about availability or access to needed hardware or software.
Objectives:
Upon successful completion of CSI261, students will able to:
• Understand the purpose of Rapid Application Development methodologies.
• Write useful, well-designed programs that solve practical business problems.
• Understand the fundamentals of the Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 programming language.
• Implement logic involving sequence, selection, and repetition using Visual Basic 2010
• Understand and apply graphical user interface design principles.
• Organize complex programs by using procedures and to anticipate and prevent errors by
managing exceptions Demonstrate awareness of the development cycle when creating
applications, which mirrors the same approach that professional developers use.
• Create Visual Basic applications that deploy on multiple platforms such as Web pages,
Windows, and Office environments.
• Produce sophisticated, professional programs by using arrays and files that handle data
and to make programs more robust by defining classes and using the power of
inheritance.
• Create appealing, interactive Web applications that can be delivered and executed on the
Internet.
• Collaborate with classmates in discussing concepts and programming projects in a
distance education environment.
Weekly Activities:
As an online class, greater emphasis will be placed on active participation in the course to ensure
engagement with the course and to improve learning.
In place of traditional classroom lectures and labs, an online course contains online participation
activities to correspond to the classroom experience, in addition to posted lecture materials.
These online activities include:
• Participating in discussions via Moodle Forums
• Adding content to a Course Wiki as assigned
• Interactive source code development to be done via Etherpad
• Use of Skype or Google Hangouts for real-time conversations with work group as
scheduled.
• Periodic meetings with the instructor will be scheduled to discuss source code, course
progress, and other help
• Screen captured demos, interactive source code development with Etherpad, and code
walkthroughs (discussions of source code assignments).
Programming Assignments, Exam 1 & Exam 2:
•
•
Programming Assignments: The objective of the labs is to gain better understanding of
the concepts explained in the class. Each week, there will be exercises to build from the
online lecture materials and readings.
Exam 1 ( Chapter 1-6)
•
Exam 2 ( Chapter 7-12)
Expected Time Requirements for Online Courses:
Following standard Carnegie Units of college instruction, the Lecture/lab model in computing
classes, students will be expected to average one hour of “outside” preparatory and assigned
work for each hour equivalent of lecture. It is strongly recommended to complete all assigned
readings first.
• Preparatory Work
Read assigned materials (one hour)
Take notes, post questions about readings in weekly discussion board (20 minutes)
• Lecture equivalent (roughly 20 minutes per item)
Review of prior week’s feedback (assignments, quiz, and discussion board)
Quiz of prior week materials
Read posted lecture materials
View multimedia materials
Discussion Board contributions, questions, feedback
Review, respond to Discussion Board
Introduction / discussion of new assigned work
Small group interaction (Etherpad, Skype, or as assigned)
• Assigned work
Homework as assigned (about 90 minutes)
Online meeting with instructor (10 minutes as scheduled)
Course Requirements & Grading:
Grade computation:
Assignments
Points (pct)
Programming Assignments
50
Exam 1
25
Exam 2
25
Total
100
Grading:
The following grading scale will be used:
PERCENT
GRADE
PERCENT
GRADE
98%-100%
A+
78%-79%
C+
93%-97%
A
73%-77%
C
90%-92%
A-
70%-72%
C-
88%-89%
B+
68%-69%
D+
83%-87%
B
63%-67%
D
80%-82%
B-
60%-62%
D-
Below 60%
F
Delivery of Course Content:
This course is organized by week (or topic). Each week (module) there will be an introduction to
the topic. The format will vary and could include in-class lecture, audio, and/or video. This will
be followed by readings, discussions, and homework/assignment. More details regarding course
content, expectations, and directions will be available on Moodle, and also check class schedule
posted at: TBD
Course Policies:

Attendance. Students are expected to attend every class, to be on time, and to stay the
entire class period. This policy also refers to Skype sessions, web conferences, and other
times when students are expected to be online.

Weather-Related Delays/Closings
Information on weather-related College delays or closing will be listed on MySage
Announcements and available on the following TV and radio stations:
o
o
TV: Channel 6, 9, 10, or 13
Radio: WGY (810 AM), WFLY (92.3), WYJB (95.5), WRVE (99.5)
Students can also sign up for a My CruiserAlert text message through MySage.
The College advocates safety first. All members of the Sage community are encouraged
to exercise their own judgment regarding their ability to safely get to and from
campus. Sage strives to operate as a business and remain open and accessible as
consistently as possible, but does not wish anyone to put themselves at risk needlessly. If
you are unable to attend class due to the weather, please send me an email to let me know
you won’t be in class that day.



Other Cancellations. Although it is unlikely, there is always the possibility that a class
session will need to be cancelled without advance notice. If this should happen, an email
will be sent as soon as possible. A notice will also be posted on the classroom door.
Cell Phones. Students are expected to have all cell phones, pagers and beepers turned
OFF during class time. If you have an emergency situation and must leave your cell
phone on, please alert me at the beginning of class session.
Due Date Policy. Assignments are expected to be submitted in Moodle, unless otherwise
noted. A late assignment will receive a penalty of 10% if submitted within 24 hours after
the due date. Assignments submitted after 24 hours will not be accepted and will receive
a grade of 0. If you know your assignment is going to be late and you have only
completed part of the assignment, it is highly recommended that you submit the
incomplete assignment so you can receive partial credit for your work. This late policy
will become null and void for students who routinely submit late assignments.

Course Changes. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the course
schedule, assignments or other course policies as necessary and with advance notice.

Classroom and Online Discussions. While debate is natural and healthy in an academic
setting, disagreement (and agreement) should be done with respect and civility. Attacks
of a personal nature or comments made that are offensive based on race, sex, religion,
sexual orientation, age, national/regional origin, or other descriptors will not be tolerated.
College Policies:
The Spirit Of Learning: Statement On Appropriate Conduct On Campus
All members of The Sage Colleges community are expected to conduct themselves in a way
which respects the learning environment. Thus, Sage has the right to remove any student from a
classroom, other academic area, or program at any time if the student’s behavior is contrary to
the spirit of learning or hinders the operation of the program in any way. Violent, disruptive,
harassing or intimidating behavior is not tolerated in the classroom or any other place on campus.
Any student whose conduct disrupts a class or other learning environment may be required to
leave the premises immediately and subjected to disciplinary and/or legal action.
Americans With Disabilities Act
The Sage Colleges is committed to providing equal access and responding to the needs of
students with disabilities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. A student seeking
academic adjustments under the Americans with Disabilities Act must register and provide
documentation to the Director of Disabilities Services. Any student in need of classroom
assistance or modification under the Americans with Disabilities Act must inform the instructor
of the needed adjustment by first obtaining the necessary accommodation letters from the
Director of Disabilities Services in order for reasonable accommodations to be provided. It is
recommended that students do so at the onset of classes as reasonable prior notice needs to be
given. The Director of Disabilities Services can be contacted in Troy at 65 First Street Troy NY
12180 (518) 244-6874 or in Albany at 140 New Scotland Avenue, Albany NY 12208 (518) 2928624.
Policy On Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty in any of its forms, including cheating, plagiarism, misuse of SageNet, and
failure to comply with guidelines for the conduct of human research, will not be tolerated at The
Sage Colleges. A full statement of the policy on Academic Honesty can be found as an appendix
to the Student Conduct Code on The Sage Colleges web site. A hard copy can be requested from
the Dean of Students in Albany Kahl Campus Center 145 (518) 292-1753 or in Troy Cowee Hall
2nd Floor 244-2207.
For guidance in proper referencing of sources, as well as how to avoid plagiarism, consult the
most recent editions of the following works, which are available in the reference section of the
libraries on the Troy and Albany campus.

Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, New York, Modern
Language Association.

Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations,
Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual for the American
Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association.
http://apastyle.apa.org/
Religious Observance
The Sage Colleges recognize the value of participation in and observance of religious obligations
and practices by individual students. No student will be penalized because a religious observance
prevents participation in any course requirement. An opportunity will be provided for each
student to make any requirement missed for an absence due to religious observance. A student
who intends to be absent from classes for a religious observance must notify each instructor in
advance and make arrangements to cover missed course materials and to complete the course
requirement(s) missed. The College reserves the right to confirm the existence of the observance
through an interfaith calendar.
E-Mail Policy For The Sage Colleges
Sage considers CampusCruiser (username@sage.edu) the exclusive vehicle for official college email communication. As such, username@sage.edu will be considered the official e-mail
address for writing and forwarding electronic correspondence. All users are expected to
regularly check their Sage e-mail account (on CampusCruiser) and to acknowledge messages in
a timely manner. In addition to general College notices, faculty members frequently use the
College's e-mail system to notify and correspond with members of their classes. It is
recommended that students frequently access their College assigned e-mail account for
information. All students are responsible for managing their disk quota such that there is room
for new mail to arrive. Any electronic business conducted with the College must be done via a
sage.edu account.