HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY  COURSE SYLLABUS

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS I--POFI 1301

 

SCANS Competencies Included in Textbook

 

 

 

                                   

Final Exam:               

                                   

 

Last Day For Administrative & Student Withdrawals: 

 

Holidays/Breaks:      

 

Textbooks And Materials:

 

1. Microsoft Office XP  Introductory by Pasewark and Pasewark Course Technology
2. One box of 3 1/2" high-density disks and labels.
3. Folder with pockets – color – 
4. 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 index cards

 

HCCS Policies

 

Disabilities Policies

 

Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective college at the beginning of each semester.  Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office.

 

Drop or Withdrawal Policies

 

A student may drop a course or withdraw from the college by following the procedure outlined by the Campus Director.  Should circumstances prevent a student from appearing in person to withdraw, withdrawal may be completed by writing to the Registrar's Office.  A drop or withdrawal request will not be accepted by telephone.  A student who ceases to attend a class without officially dropping or withdrawing, will be given a grade of "F" for non-attendance.  A semester-hour student who fails to attend classes by the twelfth class day of a regular term will be administratively withdrawn from the class roll.  Students who officially withdraw from a course during the first twelve days of a regular term will not receive a grade and the course will not appear in their permanent records.  Students withdrawing from a course after this period and prior to the deadline designated in the college calendar will receive a "W".  A student may not withdraw from a course during the last two weeks prior to the final examination period. 

 

Academic Dishonesty

 

Academic dishonesty can result in a grade of F or 0 for the particular test or assignment involved, dropped, and/or expelled from HCCS.  Please refer to the HCCS Student Handbook (pages 28-29) for further information regarding Academic Dishonesty.

 

Class Attendance

 

Students are expected to attend all classes in which they are enrolled regularly.  Class attendance is the responsibility of the student.  It is also the responsibility of the student to consult with the instructor regarding an absence from a class.  Class attendance is checked regularly by the instructor.  A student may miss 12.5% of total class hours, which is a total of 5 classes for our class. Reports of excessive absence will be sent to the Veterans Administration.  Social Security Office, and other agencies responsible for aid to the student when appropriate. The student will be dropped after 5 absences unless the instructor is contacted and approves the absence.

 

Late Assignments

 

Students are expected to adhere to the weekly schedule of assignments printed in the course syllabus.  Work submitted later than the due date will be counted if it is submitted by the next class period, but the grade will be lowered by one letter grade. The only exception is if the student  is absent the day that the work is due; in that case, the assignment is due the next class period.  If the student has exceeded five absences, no work will be accepted late and the excessive absences will result in the student being dropped.

 

Make-Up Test Policy

All makeup tests will be given on _________________________

 

HCCS/Classroom Policies

Phone calls are not permitted within the classroom. Please turn phones off or place on vibrate.

Food and/or drink is not permitted in the classroom.

Children are not permitted in the classrooms.

 

Course Description

 

Overview of computer applications including current terminology and technology.  Introduction to computer hardware, software applications, and procedures.  The student will identify the components of a computer system and demonstrate basic proficiency in commonly used applications.  Hands-on overview of computer applications which run under windows environment on PC compatible platform, including current terminology and technology.  Introduction to computer software applications and procedures.

 

Course Goals

 

1.       -to complete the required units from the textbook.

2.       -to demonstrate the ability to complete documents under timed production conditions.

3.       -to demonstrate the ability to work in a self-paced, individualized instructional environment utilizing time-management and work organizational skills.

4.       -to demonstrate the ability of selecting correct document formats and layouts, and assessing documents for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 

 

Course Requirements And Expectations

 

This is a hands-on, self-paced, individualized, instructional course.  Thus, the student is responsible for reading all appropriate training chapters and completing each training exercise as indicated on the class schedule.

 

There will be lectures on system requirements and procedures.  The student is expected to take notes and refer to any instructional handouts provided by the instructor.  (It is the student’s responsibility , when absent from class, to make arrangements to get study notes before returning to class.  It would be wise to exchange phone numbers with co-students.) 

 

Student Evaluation

 

HCCS Grading System

 

The Houston Community College grading system will be used to evaluate students’ performance in this course.

 

 

Grade	Score
A-Excellent	90-100
B-Good	80-89
C-Fair	70-79
D-Passing	60-69
F-Failure	0-59

 

 

 Departmental Grading System

 

The following departmental grading system will be used to evaluate students’ performances in this course:

 

Textbook Exercises/Questions	30%
Production Tests	50%
Final Exam	20%

 

 

 

 

WEEK		TEXTBOOK CHAPTERS
Microsoft Windows  Basics
tba	Appendix B Appendix C		Microsoft Windows  Basics, pp. B-1—B16 Computer Concepts, pp. C-1—C-10
Introduction
tba	Lesson 1		Office 2000 Basics and the Internet
Introduction To Microsoft Word
	Lesson 1		Word Basics
1/27	Lesson 2		Basic Editing
1/29	Lesson 3		Basic Formatting
2/3	Lesson 4		Controlling Text
2/5	Lesson 5		Helpful Word Features
2/10	Lesson 6		Desktop Publishing with Word
2/12	Lesson 7		More Desktop Publishing with Word
2/17	Lesson 8		Working with Documents
2/19	Lesson 9		Increasing Efficiency Using Word
2/24	TEST 1		COVERING WORD 2000
Introduction to Microsoft Excel
2/26	Lesson 1		Excel Basics
2/26	Lesson 2		Changing the Appearance of a Worksheet
3/3	Lesson 3		Organizing the Worksheet
3/5	Lesson 4		Worksheet Formulas
3/10	Lesson 5		Function Formulas
3/12	Lesson 6		Making the Worksheet Useful
3/24	Lesson 7		Working with Other Software Tools
3/26	Lesson 8		Worksheet Charts
3/31	TEST 2		COVERING EXCEL 2000
Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint
4/2	Lesson 1		PowerPoint Basics
4/2	Lesson 2		Enhancing a PowerPoint Presentation
4/7	Lesson 3		Working with Visual Elements
4/7	Lesson 4		Expanidng on the Basics of PowerPoint
4/9	TEST 3		COVERING POWERPOINT 2000
Introduction to Microsoft Access
4/14	Lesson 1		Access Basics
4/16	Lesson 2		Manipulating Data
4/21	Lesson 3		Creating and Modifying Forms
4/23	Lesson 4		Finding and Ordering Data
4/28	Lesson 5		Reports and Macros
4/30	Lesson 6		Integrating Access
4/30	TEST 4		COVERING ACCESS 2000
			Makeup Tests
5/5			NO CLASS
5/7			FINAL EXAM

 

Microsoft Office 2000
Introductory Course

SCANS

The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) from the U.S. Department of Labor was asked to examine the demands of the workplace and whether our young people are capable of meeting those demands. Specifically, the Commission was directed to advise the Secretary on the level of skills required to enter employment. In carrying out this charge, the Commission was asked to do the following:

·         Define the skills needed for employment,

·         Propose acceptable levels of proficiency,

·         Suggest effective ways to assess proficiency, and

·         Develop a dissemination strategy for the nation’s schools, businesses, and homes.

SCANS research verifies that what we call workplace know-how defines effective job performance today. This know-how has two elements: competencies and a foundation. This report identifies five competencies and a three-part foundation of skills and personal qualities that lie at the heart of job performance. These eight requirements are essential preparation for all students, whether they go directly to work or plan further education. Thus, the competencies and the foundation should be taught and understood in an integrated fashion that reflects the workplace contexts in which they are applied.

The five SCANS workplace competencies identified by the Commission are the following:

1.       Resources—An ability to identify, organize, and allocate time, money, materials, space, and people. Much of what you do in the classroom can help students develop competency with resources. Emphasize planning skills in relation to preparing, working, and completing assignments.

2.       Interpersonal—Skills to participate as a member of a team, teach others, serve customers, exercise leadership, negotiate, and work with others possessing diverse backgrounds. Cooperative/collaborative learning activities are an effective way to teach interpersonal skills. In discussions after group activities, emphasize interpersonal lessons and challenges of the activities.

3.       Information—An ability to acquire, organize, evaluate, interpret, and communicate information along with using computers to process information. Competency with information is basic to any classroom. Emphasize that efforts to master information skills prepare students for future employment.

4.       Systems—An understanding of social, organizational, and technological systems; an ability to monitor and correct performance; a competence in the design and improvement of systems. Look for opportunities for students to use critical thinking skills to identify and analyze systems in their school, community, nation, and world.

5.       Technology—The knowledge and skill to select equipment and tools, apply technology to specific tasks, and maintain and troubleshoot software and hardware. Although there are many forms of technology that can be used in your class, computers create real interest and opportunities for your students. Encourage your students to make computers an important part of their education, whether the computers are used in self-paced learning or in group projects.

The three SCANS foundation skills identified by the Commission are the following:

1.       Basic Skills—Reading, writing, mathematics, listening, and speaking. Classroom activities can develop and reinforce all these basic skills. Teaching these skills in the classroom can provide cross-curricular opportunities.

2.       Thinking Skills—Creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, seeing things in the mind’s eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning. During their careers, students will need this foundation to adapt to a rapidly changing society. Helping students to think critically becomes very important so that they may adjust to change. Seek opportunities for students to stretch their minds, find new answers, ask hard questions, and lay foundations for lifelong learning.

3.       Personal Qualities—Responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity. Throughout their lives, your students will need to get along with others: with classmates, friends and family, customers, and coworkers. Look for chances to reinforce good personal qualities. And remember the power of teaching by example.

SCANS workplace competencies and foundation skills have been integrated into Microsoft Office 2000: Introductory Course. The grid on the following page correlates Step-by-Step exercises, projects, applications, and jobs in the text with specific SCANS competencies and skills. There are also a number of student activity worksheets for SCANS in this folder (see the SCANS Worksheets file).

 

  

Microsoft Office 2000: Introductory Course

SCANS Workplace Competencies and Foundation Skills

 

Code: SBS = Step-by-Step, PR = Project, CT = Critical Thinking Activity, APP = Application, JOB = On-the-Job Simulation

¹ Simulation exercises include numerous SCANS competencies and foundations. The date (e.g., 5/6) indicates only the first date where the competency or foundation occurs.