Syllabus
EDT 180: Computer Literacy
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Arizona State University
Fall 2010
SLN: 87126
Dates of classes: Tuesday and Thursday 12:00- 1:15pm
Instructor Information
Instructor: Dr. Janel D. White-Taylor - Dr. J
Email: drj@asu.edu
Office Phone: 480.727.1269
Office Hours: Before or after class or by appointment
Office Location: Santa Catalina 351a
C o u r s e F o r m at
EDT 180 is conducted in a student-centered environment which requires active student participation. This
means that the instruction features illustrated lectures, on-line research and discussion, student
generated information, demonstrations, and hands-on activities and projects. Students are active
participants in their own learning experience.
When assistance with technology tools is necessary, ASU offers the following as support to computerusing students:
 Technology Studio: Each campus hosts a laptop help office for any brand of laptop. Free assistance is
available with on-campus wi-fi connectivity, virus problems, and other software and hardware issues. Athome access: 602-543-TECH. Walk-in access for West (Sands 125), Downtown (University Center,
Information Commons), Tempe (Computing Commons, 140), and Poly (Academic Center Building, Lower
Level)
 Student Computing: Each campus has a computer access area with most of the equipment and
software needed for this course. Staff is available for basic technical assistance but cannot provide
support related to the content of this course. Walk-in availability is at West (Technopolis in the basement
of Fletcher Library), Downtown (Information Commons in the lower level of the University Center
building), Tempe (Computing Commons building), and Poly (Computer Lab in the Center building).
 Lab for Education Students: On the West campus, the Intel Lab is located in CLCC 206; on the Tempe
campus, the Education Multimedia Lab is located in Payne 213. These labs are available for education
student use on a varied schedule. When open, the lab personnel are available to assist students primarily
with multimedia projects associated with coursework. The schedule is located at
http://www.west.asu.edu/ctel/intel/
 Help Desk: The ASU Help Desk provides phone and online support to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. Students can request help with their own computer, report a problem with university services, and
track progress. Contact: 480-965-6500, helpdesk@asu.edu, or chat via http://help.asu.edu
 My ASU: Is a personal start page that combines ASU Interactive and resources to create an enhanced
personalized experience. Members of the ASU community to be able to find all of the resources they
need at https://webapp4.asu.edu/myasu/
C o u r s e O b j ec t i ve s
The ultimate goal of EDT180 is to achieve computer literacy. The course has two areas of concentration:
 Be able to discuss issues surrounding computers, software and the use of technology in the classroom
and workplace fluently.
 Demonstrate your ability to use computer applications for productivity, data analysis, and problem
solving.
Students are provided a solid introduction to computers and the software applications they will use in their
professional and personal lives. Upon completion of this course, students should:
 Approach new computer-based tasks more easily and with greater confidence
 Describe key terms and concepts associated with computers and software applications
 Demonstrate electronic information management habits (e.g. backing up files, organizing files in a
logical fashion, transferring files to various storage areas, etc.)
 Discuss the functions of computers in classrooms, businesses, homes, and other environments
 Discuss the theoretical background and practical application of a variety of software programs
 Analyze a variety of problems, select the appropriate software application to solve problems, and use
software programs to find and/or present solutions
 Locate, open, and use the following software applications at an intermediate level: e-mail, word
processing, spreadsheet, presentation, web page development, internet search strategies, and
BlackBoard course management system
 Analyze and discuss social and ethical issues related to the increased use of technology in education,
business, and society
 Navigate and research the World Wide Web for information, assess and document the validity and
reliability of the information gathered
 Create a Google based personal web site with all of the key ingredients
 Create and share Google based documents
 Be familiar with a majority of Google based applications.
 Be familiar with the following mathematical topics: the counting principle, the concept of probability, the
descriptive statistics of mean, mode and median and finally a number of data representation methods
(tables, bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts).
G r a d i ng
Assignments will be submitted to the BlackBoard on the date the assignment is due. The assignments
and the points they are worth are listed in the table below.
Assignment
Points
Possible
Copyright, Plagiarism and
Fair Use Unit
Website Design
25
Word Skill Based Training
Excel Skill Based Training
PowerPoint Skill Based
Training
Google Project - 10K
Solutions
Google Apps Project
Screencast Project
Social Networking
Technology in the Field
Science Experiment
Discussion Board Entries
Attendance
Final Project - Gaming
Project
TOTAL
15
15
15
Overall
Score
98.0 – 100.0
95.0 – 97.9
90.0 – 94.9
85.0 – 89.9
79.0 – 84.9
73.0 – 79.0
68.0 – 72.9
60.0 – 67.9
55.0 – 59.9
00.0 – 54.9
5
100
25
100
25
100
100
150
300
150
1125
Letter
Grade
A+
A
A–
B+
B
B–
C+
C
D
E
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College requires anyone receiving a grade of D or E (failing) to retake the
course. Borderline students may be upgraded to an upper letter grade depending on their class
performance and attendance.
Attendance
Attendance at each class meeting is expected. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for a
classmate to take notes, get copies of handouts, and review class activities. Do not email your
instructor for a synopsis of a class you missed. Please notify your instructor by email or voice mail
before class or as soon as possible afterwards in the event of an absence.
With rare exception, assignments not turned in due to absence are considered late and are subject to the
Late Work policy.
Attending classes for the entire period is required to be considered present for that day; in other words, if
you arrive late or leave early you will be considered absent. Excessive unexcused/undocumented
absences, four or more, will result in lower grades and possible disciplinary action by a student’s college
or department. For every absence starting with the fourth, a student’s final grade will be reduced by 3%.
Exceptions to this policy can be granted under rare circumstances with proper documentation.
Students have the right to observe major religious holidays as an excused absence.
Late Assignments
Unless otherwise specifically stated, assignments are expected to be completed and turned in at the
beginning of class on the scheduled due date in the specific manner and format stated for the
assignment. Assignments submitted in other than the required format and manner will be considered late.
Most assignments will be submitted via Blackboard. Assignment submission links in Blackboard are set to
automatically disappear when the deadline passes. After the deadline, late assignments will only be
accepted through a “Late Work”submission link in Blackboard. There are only three such links in
Blackboard therefore any late assignments beyond those three, will not be accepted at all. (However,
there are a few assignments not submitted as files via Blackboard. If those assignments are late, simply
complete them in the prescribed manner; you do not have to use a Late Work link to submit them.)
All late assignments are subject to a 10% per calendar day penalty. This means, for example, if an
assignment is due by the beginning of class on Friday and you submit the assignment before class on
Monday, the assignment is subject to a 30% penalty and if it was submitted after class begins, the penalty
would be 40%.
One exception to accepting late work applies to in-class group work. By definition, in-class group work is
done in class with a group and therefore cannotbe made up. Additionally, in those cases that in-class
group work spans multiple class sessions, group members must be present for all sessions in order to
receive credit for the assignment.
Exceptions to the late work policy and penalty can be granted
only under extreme circumstances.
D i g i t a l B a ck u p s
Students frequently ask for an extension when their computer or storage device crashes and they lose an
assignment. A backup storage device is a requirement for this course; it is expected that you dutifully
back up your digital work. You will not be granted an exception for late work in a situation where a
document or machine crashes.
Communication
All electronic communication between the course instructor and the students taking this course is to be
officially made through ASU email addresses. Students should allow 24 hours to receive a response from
the instructor to an email they sent to him/her through their ASU emails.
G r o u p W or k
Group projects are a part of every class, and within this class there are several group assignments. If
problems occur within your group, please see your instructor.
R e q u i r e d T e xt s a n d Ma t e r i a l s
 Students must have an ASURITE ID in order to participate electronically in the course. To obtain a
student ASURITE ID and an electronic post office account go to http://www.asu.edu/asurite. ALL course
email goes to your ASU address. Click the Activate your ASURITE User ID selection and follow the
directions. Be sure to make a note of your password in a secure place. Only help desk personnel will be
able to supply this password in the future – instructors do not have access to this passwords and are
unable to reset passwords.
 Google Class Site
 ASU BlackBoard Course shells at https://webapp4.asu.edu/myasu/(All ASU students have FREE
access to this web resource)
 Microsoft Office (especially Word and PowerPoint) - The Microsoft Office Suite is installed on all
student-access computers on campus. Office is also available for purchase through the ASU bookstore.
Please note that Microsoft WORKS is not compatible with WORD, thus documents created in Works
cannot be read by campus computers.
 Reliable device or method to back up and transfer data - Preferred: USB drive (also known as Jump,
Flash, or Pen drives).
R u l e s a n d R eg u l a t i o n s
Professional Behavior
It is expected that students exhibit professional behavior inside the classroom, during intern
placements, and working with other students outside of the class on assignments related to this
class in addition to behavior in the classroom on ASU’s campus. If at any time your behavior is
‘unprofessional’, the instructor may complete a Professional Improvement Plan (PIP) for the
student.
Writing Expectations
All assignments and written communications in this class (including email and discussion board
postings), are expected to be word-processed and conform to University-level writing standards.
Your writing should be professional, clear, and when appropriate or required, include proper
citations of expert knowledge and media in American Psychological Association (APA) format.
Errors in spelling and/or grammar are expected to be rare. Colloquial, informal (texting-style)
writing is not appropriate for formal or informal communications. When grading or reviewing
student work that does not meet these standards, your instructor will return the work for revision.
The revised assignment will be issued ZERO points until resubmitted. Revisions will be due at the
beginning of the next class session. Once re-graded, 10% of the total points possible will be
deducted from your score.
FERPA and Privacy Regulations
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and ASU policies are designed to
protect student privacy. The following is a brief overview of the main ways your private
information will be treated in this class:
 Your grades will never be posted in a personally identifiable manner.
 Your name and ASU email address are available in Blackboard to all other
enrolled members of the class. This service is integral to this course; there is no way to
use Blackboard anonymously.
 Your name may be used as a folder and/or document name on a network server
used in conjunction with the class.
 Your instructor will not discuss your grades in the presence of anyone else even
if you give verbal permission to do so. It takes WRITTEN authorization from you for an
instructor to share any of your private information.
 Your instructor may request written authorization from you to facilitate
communications and the sharing of information. You are free to accept or reject
these requests for authorization.
If you do not understand any of these policies, ask your instructor or consult ASU privacy policies
at http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd121.html.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism
There are rules and laws regarding how you can use someone else’s ideas in your work. These
rules and laws apply to material and ideas posted to the internet as well. ASU has a policy
regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism that is contained in the syllabus for your
reference. You cannot just “copy/paste” things from a website without giving some credit for
where you located the information. Please do not just copy whatever information you need from
the internet without giving some source information. If you have questions or concerns about how
you are obtaining, using, or citing your information please refer to the ASU policy or contact the
instructor.
The ASU Student Handbook contains the following information: “The highest standards of
academic integrity are expected of all students. The failure of any student to meet these
standards may result in suspension or expulsion from the university and/or other sanctions as
specified in the academic integrity policies of the individual academic unit. Violations of academic
integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, fabrication, tampering, plagiarism, or facilitating
such activities. The university and unit academic integrity policies are available from the Office of
the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University and from the deans of the individual
academic units.”
The rest of the code, which consists of several pages, is available at the following URL.
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/academic_integrity.htm
Disability Accommodations for Students
Students who feel they may need a disability accommodation(s) in class must provide
documentation from the Disability Resource Center (Downtown campus UCB 160, Polytechnic
campus Sutton Hall 240, Tempe campus Matthews Center, or West campus UCB 130) to the
class instructor verifying the need for an accommodation and the type of accommodation that is
appropriate. Students who wish accommodations for a disability should contact DRC as early as
possible (i.e. before the beginning of the semester) to assure appropriate accommodations can
be provided. It is the student’s responsibility to make the first contact with the DRC.
Religious Accommodations for Students
Students who need to be absent from class due to the observance of a religious holiday or
participate in required religious functions must notify the faculty member in writing as far in
advance of the holiday/obligation as possible. Students will need to identify the specific holiday or
obligatory function to the faculty member. Students will not be penalized for missing class due to
religious obligations/holiday observance. The student should contact the class instructor to make
arrangements for making up tests/assignments within a reasonable time.
Military Personnel Statement
A student who is a member of the National Guard, Reserve, or other U.S. Armed Forces branch
and is unable to complete classes because of military activation may request complete or partial
administrative unrestricted withdrawals or incompletes depending on the timing of the activation.
For information, please see http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-18.html.
Harassment Prohibited
ASU policy prohibits harassment on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, age, religion, national
origin, disability, sexual orientation, Vietnam era veteran status and other protected veteran
status. Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including termination of
employees or expulsion of students. Contact Student Life (Downtown campus 522 N. Central
Ave., Post Office Room 247, 480-496-4111; Polytechnic campus Administration building suite
102, 480-727-1060; Tempe campus Student Services Building room 263, 480-965-6547; or the
West campus UCB 301, 602-543-8152) if you feel another student is harassing you based on any
of the factors above; contact EO/AA (480-965-5057) if you feel an ASU employee is harassing
you based on any of the factors above.
Grade Appeals
The professional responsibility for assigning grades is vested in the instructor of the course, and
requires the careful application of professional judgment. A student wishing to appeal a grade
must first meet with the instructor who assigned the grade to try to resolve the dispute. The
process for grade appeals is set forth in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs, which are
available athttp://www.asu.edu/catalog. The instructor will grade all of the student’s work if a
grade appeal is filed. Please note that grade appeals do not always result in a higher grade; the
result might be no change in grade(s) or sometimes lower grade(s).
Electronic Communication
Acceptable use of university computers, internet and electronic communications can be found in
the Student Code of Conduct (http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi104-01.html) and in the
University’s Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications Policy
(http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html).
Discussion boards and email communications are an important instructional tool in this course.
Here are some of the most important rules for this class regarding the use of discussion boards
and email:
1. Don’t say anything in the discussion that you would not say in a face-to-face
classroom situation. Use your professional judgment.
2. Contributions to discussion board should be for “the good of the group”; email your
instructor directly with questions or issues that only apply to you.
3. Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory or sarcastic
statements.
4. Contribute constructive comments and suggestions.
5. “Flaming” – expressing anger, often rudely – has no place in a classroom situation,
either in the discussion area or in private email. Students receiving any sort of
inappropriate email from other students should forward a copy to the instructor.
6. Don’t use all capital letters. This is considered to be “shouting,” and is therefore
rude. Likewise, don’t use all lower case letters. In other words, use professional
writing, not “IM” writing.
7. The Q&A discussion board located in our Blackboard shell is meant for questions
and answers that would benefit you as well as your classmates. Please post“good for
the group” questions there. Questions of a personal nature should be emailed
directly to the instructor.
Plagiarism
There are rules and laws regarding how you can use someone else’s ideas in your work. These
rules and laws apply to material and ideas posted to the internet as well. ASU has a policy
regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism that is contained in the syllabus for your
reference. You cannot just “copy/paste”things from a website without giving some credit for where
you located the information. Please do not just copy whatever information you need from the
internet without giving some source information. If you have questions or concerns about how you
are obtaining, using, or citing your information please refer to the ASU policy or contact the
instructor.
Course/Instructor Evaluation
The course/instructor evaluation for this course will be conducted online 7-10 days before the last
official day of classes of each semester or summer session. Response(s) to the course/instructor
are anonymous and will not be returned to your instructor until after grades have been submitted.
The use of a course/instructor evaluation is an important process that allows our college to (1)
help faculty improve their instruction, (2) help administrators evaluate instructional quality, (3)
ensure high standards of teaching, and (4) ultimately improve instruction and student learning
over time. Completion of the evaluation is not required for you to pass this class and will not affect
your grade, but your cooperation and participation in this process is critical. About two weeks
before the class finishes, watch for an e-mail with "ASU Course/Instructor Evaluation" in the
subject heading. The email will be sent to your official ASU e-mail address, so make sure ASU
has your current email address on file. You can check this online at the following URL:
http://www.asu.edu/epoupdate/.
Changes to the Course Curriculum
The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the curriculum as s/he sees fit.