Fall 2004
Computer Science 4000
Instructor – Joe Cash
Office – P284 : Note that I may be in the classroom, in the computer lab in
P288 or in the Computer Science Department Office during my office hours,
so come and find me if I am not in my office.
Phone: (209) 667 - 3183
Email: joecash@sol.csustan.edu
Web (under construction, check back frequently):
http://www.cs.csustan.edu/~joecash
Office Hours – MWF
TR
2:50 – 3:50 P.M.
1:00 – 2:00 P.M.
Course Description:
Gives the student the knowledge and experience needed to use a personal computer
effectively. A range of computers and software will be available; as much as possible, the
student will be able to learn about systems which are directly usable in his or her area of
study. Topics include discussions of computer hardware, the range of capabilities of the
personal computer, how to evaluate a piece of software, and how software is written.
Satisfies G.E. area F1. Co requisite: CS 4002. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
(Credit may not be given for both CS 2000 and CS 4000.) (Lecture, 2 hours; laboratory, 2
hours) (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Required Materials:
Textbook:
Computer Confluence; Exploring Tomorrow’s Technology; Standard
Edition; by George Beekman, Prentice-Hall 2003.
CDROMs: There should be a CDROM included in the back of the book. While
it is not necessary to have this CDROM to take the course, the study aids on the CDROM
may help the student prepare for tests for this class. There is a companion website for the
book which has study aids similar to some of the study aids on the CDROM.
Yahoo email account: Free. Sign up by using a browser to visit www.yahoo.com
File Storage: It is possible to send your files to yourself as an attachment to an email and
download them whenever you need them. You can also use a student folder provided for
you on a server here at CSU Stanislaus. There are instructions on how to use FTP to
upload and download files to and from your student folder from off campus on the “OIT
Help Information” page on the “links” page on our class website. Keep multiple copies
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on different computers. Schedule yourself so that you won’t miss assignment deadlines
because of computer or network downtime.
Scantron 882E, 50 question per side test forms. These can be found in the bookstore.
You will need a minimum of six, possibly more. Do not fold, spindle or mutilate the
scantrons. If your scantron jams the scantron machine because it is in bad shape, there
will be a 10% penalty.
Course Objectives and Activities
Please note that, while this is a personal computing course, this course also satisfies a
General Education Requirement in the Natural Sciences and Mathematics category. The
major focus of this course, consequently, will be on the Natural Sciences and
Mathematics, with and emphasis on the use of computing in the Natural Sciences and
Mathematics. If that is surprising to you, or if you thought this class would be a way to
satisfy the GE requirement for a course in Natural Sciences and Mathematics, then you
should drop this course and take another that will be more to your liking. My objective is
to provide you with information that will help you understand and appreciate computers,
science and technology. I hope we can have fun doing this. This information will
include how computers are built, how they work, and how to use them to increase your
productivity. We will be creating documents on the computer using the Microsoft Office
suite of applications, including Microsoft Word (a word processor), Microsoft Excel (a
spreadsheet application), Microsoft PowerPoint (presentation software that helps you
create slides that can be shown on a computer screen or on a projector connected to a
computer), and Internet Explorer (a browser which allows you to search for and view
information that is on the World Wide Web (WWW). You will be using email to
communicate with others that have email accounts on the Internet. You must use
Microsoft Office. Microsoft Works or other substitutes are not acceptable. We will also
explore the impact resulting from our attitudes and decisions with respect to computers,
science and technology; and the use of computing processes in mathematics and natural
sciences. I am interested in exploring in the potential risks and rewards of scientific
development: how are our decisions which are embodied in public policy likely to shape
our lives and our world? All science is connected to computing processes and so all
science and technology is open to discussion in this class. We will talk about not only
computer programming codes, but also the similarity to genetic codes. We will talk
about determinism, the philosophy of science and we will examine our basic assumptions
and beliefs and we will test them to see if they are true. We will discuss robots, and
artificial intelligence. We will discuss medical uses of computers and how modern
computing can enhance and extend our lives. If you object to studying these topics, then
you should drop this class and take another class before the end of the add-drop period.
With regard to the difficulty of the assignments using computer applications, this is a
beginning class geared for students who are unfamiliar with computers. I try to make the
difficulty of assignments enlightening but manageable for a beginner. If you need more
challenge, come see me during office hours and I will give you additional work that will
expand your knowledge of computers.
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Grading:
Grading will be based on percent of the maximum possible points you could have earned
in the course by completing tests, homework assignments, and student participation.
There will be reading assignments and computer homework assignments that are to be
completed outside of class. A minimum of five tests must be taken to pass the class. In
addition to a brief paper assigned as one of the computer application homework projects,
there will also be a longer term paper assignment; each with corresponding outlines.
Tests:
Tests will be multiple-choice. There will be six tests. The lowest test
score will be eliminated from the computation of the students' final grade.
The in-class tests will be 20 questions long, and there will be a time limit.
Scantron 882E test answer forms (the ones with 50 questions on each side)
will be required for the tests. Get Scantrons in advance, as I will not be
able to provide you with any on the day of the test. Come prepared on the
day of the test with Scantrons, a number 2 pencil and an eraser. Scores on
make up tests will be penalized 50% before being graded unless you have
a properly documented, valid excuse. See the college catalog for the list
of valid excuses. Keep your tests until the end of the semester so you have
a record. This is your only proof that you got the score that you got on
your test. The same goes for homework assignments, keep a copy and
don’t delete it until after you have received your semester grade.
Attendance: Class attendance is highly recommended for success in the class. If you
are late for class or miss class you will not only miss lectures, I may also
assign work in class that you will miss if you don’t attend.
Home Work: Computer projects using Microsoft Office applications to be done outside
of class will be assigned as described in class and on my web page for this
class. The lowest scoring project for each student will be eliminated from
the calculation of the grand total of points. Projects turned in late will be
penalized for being late, in addition to any loss of points due to errors.
Late projects will be penalized 20% per day late, except that no projects
will be accepted after the day of the final. Projects may be turned in early.
Late re-submissions turned in after the deadline will suffer the late
penalties in addition to penalties for not following other directions. Turn
in projects via email as described in class or on my web site for this class.
A program called an auto responder will process projects that are turned in
properly via email and an email reply will be dispatched to the sender
informing them that the email was received. The auto responder will not
send a reply for improperly submitted projects. If you do not receive a
reply from the auto responder within two business days of submission,
then your email was probably rejected. Such email will be deleted and
receive a score of zero unless re-submitted properly. It is the student’s
responsibility to make sure that their homework was properly received
before the deadline. Never assume that the email was received properly
without evidence. Always send a copy to yourself of each assignment so
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you have proof that you turned it in on time; and don’t delete the copy
until after you have received your semester grade. Don’t share files.
Don’t let other students have access to your files. If a student turns in a
file that was created by another student then both students are guilty of
cheating. Cheating may be punished by expulsion from the university,
being assigned an F in the class, being assigned an F for the project that
was cheated on, or any combination of the above. Don’t leave your files
on the computers in the lab or anywhere other students may have access to
them to avoid charges of cheating. Use the functionality of the software as
described in class and in the directions to get full credit. If you have
questions about the homework assignments, usually I will first ask you to
make yourself familiar with the directions on the website. If you have any
questions about the directions after you have familiarized yourself with
them, then I will answer questions about the directions. It is your
responsibility to understand the directions. If I make exceptions to the
directions in class, it is the student’s responsibility to get approval for the
exception from me in writing or the exception does not exist. I grade
homework assignments in my office only, I do not grade or approve
homework assignments in the computer labs; it is your responsibility to
make sure you have followed all directions on the website to get full
points for the homework assignment. It is your responsibility to keep
backup copies of your files so that if you lose them, you can recover from
the backup copy. Be prepared to use the lab computers if there is a
problem with your computer, as problems with your computer are not a
valid excuse for turning assignments in late. Students are responsible for
the material presented in lecture and lab. If you miss a lecture or lab,
make arrangements to get the notes from a classmate.
Participation: This component is worth approximately 10% of your grade for the term
and is earned based on my subjective evaluation of your participation
during the term. This is to encourage students to participate constructively
in the learning process and to discourage behavior that is disruptive to the
learning process. You have to make yourself stand out to get points for
this component of your grade. Speak loudly enough for the entire class to
hear you, as the room is big and noisy. Show an interest in the material by
asking questions about the reading or other course content. This
component of your grade is competitive and subjective, so impress me
with the knowledge you have gained from your studies this semester; but
do it without being disruptive. During communications with me this
semester, adhere to the scientific method. There are articles about this on
the “Links” link that is on the web page for our class. Read this article
and any others you might think will be helpful that you might find in
dictionaries, encyclopedias, or on the internet. There will also be some
written participation assignments that will count towards your
participation score. These are to be done outside of class and are intended
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to help you prepare for the discussions we will have in class. Print these
out and bring them with you to class, as I will ask you to discuss the most
interesting issues that you encountered while completing your written
participation assignments. There may also be some unannounced quizzes
on the material covered during lecture to see if you have been paying
attention. Students are responsible for checking email daily for auto
response messages and other information that I may send to the class via
email. You may disagree with me or anyone else in the class. Time
permitting, all discussion, including disagreements, are welcome and
encouraged, as long as they are presented in a manner consistent with the
scientific method; and above all, please remain civil!
You can accumulate points towards your final grade in the following ways:
Participation points
6 tests, 5 will count
Term paper
4 homeworks, 3 will count
Grand Total
@ 100 points each for a total of
@ 300 points
@ 133 points each for a total of
201 points
500 points
300 points
399 points
1400 points
See the table below for cutoff points for letter grades.
If you earn this percentage of the
total points:
93% to 100%
90% to 92.9%
87% to 89.9%
83% to 86.9%
80% to 82.9%
77% to 79.9%
73% to 76.9%
70% to 72.9%
67% to 69.9%
63% to 66.9%
60% to 62.9%
0% to 59.9%
You will receive this grade:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
The last day to drop the course or change your grading option to Credit/No
Credit in the Admissions and Records Department is March 11. I do not
change students’ grading option, so if you want to take the class Credit/No
Credit or drop the course, submit the proper form to admissions and records
by March 11.
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The information in this syllabus, on this website and the scheduled due dates
for assignment are subject to change without notice.
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