24053 Steinberg

Computer Applications – Fall 2013

Dr. Geoffrey Steinberg

A418 College of Business

gsteinbe@kent.edu

Objective

There are two objectives:

You will develop competency in handling data using various computer programs. It is expected that during this term you will develop competency in the operation of the computer programs to which you are exposed. It is further expected that as you master the course material your confidence will increase.

You will develop an understanding of the role data and IT (Information Technology) plays in virtually all areas of business. A focus on data analytics (discovering useful information and supporting decision making) together with ERP (enterprise resource planning) and SAP (enterprise software from SAP AG) will aid the growth of your skill and understanding.

Theme

The course theme is data & information & decision making.

Learning Outcomes

Develop data analysis skills
Develop software manipulation skills
Learn to use data and information for decision making
Learn about the role of IT throughout business
Become a better writer
Learn to manage your time

Sources of Information

You have several main sources of information for this course:

·         Class lecture / discussion

·         The e-book (bring it class)

·         The e-book's interactive lessons

·         Me (email me with questions)

·         Tutors

·         Online Presentations

·         Study guides for each course unit

·         Downloads for you to use during class

BONGO

Most of your course assignments (homework and quizzes) are interactive and involve using BONGO. Access to BONGO is from the instructor's website: http://orion.kent.edu

·         Assignments administered by BONGO are graded instantly .

·         BONGO is available 24/7.

·         Your course grade report is updated on BONGO each time anything is graded.  

Class Attendance

Class attendance is recommended. There may be extra credit opportunities available only to those in class attendance. These opportunities are not available if you miss class. No exceptions.

Textbook

The course's text book is Dancing with Data, 2013, Active Learning Lab, Kendall-Hunt, 978-1-4652-2382-1. The textbook is an e-book and includes:

·         Numerous interactive lessons

·         Interactive checkpoints - you get EXTRA CREDIT for answering the checkpoint questions and some are quiz questions

·         Many other beneficial features including highlighting and note taking are explained in the book's preface.

Use the course schedule (later in syllabus) and know what to read before each class. Read the material before coming to class to be ready to participate in the class discussion and to earn extra credit.

Other Materials

Microsoft Excel

For this course you will use Microsoft Excel (2007 or any newer version). Excel may be used on your computer if you have it or in the College of Business computer lab or other labs on campus. 

The version of Excel you use must permit Excel macros to operate.

If you do not have Excel installed but would like it you can obtain a 60 day trial copy from www.microsoft.com for free. 

You can purchase Microsoft Office (which includes Excel) for a special price here: http://www.kent.edu/is/helpdesk/microsoft.cfm

OpenOffice

This is a free equivalent for some of Microsoft Office. We will use the database program Base from OpenOffice instead of Access from Microsoft Office. This avoids the cost of purchasing the premium version of Office. We use use no other components of OpenOffice.

Get OpenOffice Base for free http://www.openoffice.org/download/

SQL (database)

You will use an on-line interface to an SQL database. This will be provided for you by a link from BONGO.

Text Editor

Notepad for the PC or Textedit for the Mac are fine.

Class Presentation Resources

To help you follow along during the software demonstration part of the class download example files from the RESOURCES \ CLASS PRESENTATIONS on the BONGO menu. Bring these files to class on your laptop. There is a download for most class units (see schedule below for units).

Topic Presentations

To further your understanding of topics you read about but that are not discussed in the classroom there are a series of topic presentations in RESOURCES \ GENERAL. 

Study Guides

You will find a study guide for each unit in RESOURCES

Homework Assignments

Fourteen homework assignments - all graded instantly by BONGO. You may attempt each assignment up to three times. Your highest score is the grade of record. 

Log on to BONGO, click My Assignments; select an assignment; follow the directions. BONGO will guide you to the specific exercises to be completed. 

Lateness - You may complete any homework assignment after the due date without special permission but a 20% lateness penalty is assessed.

Business Simulation

You will run a simulated ice cream business for ten seasons (ten weeks). Your objective is to maximize profits over that period. The higher your aggregate profit the higher your grade. 

If you miss sending in your plan for any of the ten seasons  you receive a zero for each season missed. Your aggregate profits suffer. 

Lateness for any reason is not permitted for this assignment.

Writing Assignments

Four written assignments will be graded by professional readers. Each assignment is about a topic from this course and several are based on readings in the e-book. 

Tutors are not involved in the writing assignments and are not able to help you with them.

Lateness for any reason is not permitted for this assignment. 

Your writing must be yours alone. Do not share with others. Do not copy others. Do not use someone else's work and modify it. Plagiarism is serious - see the KSU statement about plagiarism toward the end of the syllabus. If you are not sure what plagiarism is ask me. If you share your work with another student or if you use the work of another student you are committing plagiarism. Do not do it.

Quizzes

Seven quizzes  - all graded instantly by BONGO. You may attempt each quiz one time. Quizzes are open book, open notes, and take home. The quiz schedule is later in this syllabus. The content of each quiz is listed after the schedule.
Prerequisites - Some quizzes have prerequisite assignments. Check BONGO for details this way:

1.    Login to BONGO

2.    Click MY STATUS on the course menu

3.    Click MY PREREQUISITES

Reservations - You will need a reservation time to begin a quiz. Use BONGO to make a reservation at the appropriate time. Your instructor will explain how to do this. Reservations open two days before a quiz begins. DO NOT DELAY in making a reservation -  if you do you may not get the time you want and you may end up not taking the quiz and receiving a grade of zero. It is up to you to get a reservation and take the quiz. If you do not find the time you want get a different time. Do not ask the instructor to get a specific time for you. No special deals are made for anyone regarding reservations. YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE PREREQUISITES TO MAKE A RESERVATION!

Lateness - You may complete any quiz after the due date without special permission but a 20% lateness penalty is assessed. A reservation is not required but all prerequisites must be completed.

Extra Credit

Answering CHECKPOINTS in e-book

Up to ten points of extra credit are awarded based on you completing reading assignments in the e-book and answering questions ("checkpoints") as you read. To learn how to record your earned extra credit in BONGO:

1.    Login to BONGO

2.    Click RESOURCES on the course menu

3.    Read the document: "GETTING EXTERNAL EXTRA CREDIT SCORES"

Classroom Participation

Involvement in classroom discussion may earn extra credit.

Grading Scale

        
+/- grades are not used. No curves.

Lateness

The following are the Kent State accepted excuses for absence and late homework submission or permission to take a quiz late. No other excuses are accepted. 

·         sickness with medical note

·         athletic event - with coach's note

·         religious observation

·         military responsibility with documentation

·         death in family with documentation

Email Communication with the Instructor – Read Carefully!

Communicate with your instructor using e-mail. There are some rules, however, that you must observe. Follow these guidelines: 

·         Use the e-mail address shown at the top of this syllabus. No other e-mail addresses are used by the instructor.

·         Do not send attachments of your work to your instructor unless specifically invited to do so.

·         Make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct.

·         Get to the point. Do not be long-winded. No jumbled verbiage.

·         Be organized. Be clear.

·         Be honest.

·         Use proper English - no slang.

·         DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS!

·         Be respectful.

·         Say who you are.

·         Allow 24 hours for a reply.

The instructor will not answer email:

·         About an assignment on the due date for that particular assignment.

·         On weekends or evenings.

·         Written in a rude or demanding way.

·         That contains “ASAP”.

·         That begins with "Hey"

Office Hours

Appointments by email. Use the address at top.

Class Tutors

In addition to the instructor’s office hours tutoring is available in room A418 College of Business. Tutoring is provided by several experienced students. No appointment is necessary. Drop in. Hours will be announced and posted on the course website.

Tutors are not involved in the writing assignments and are not able to help you with them.

Ground Rules

• Class is a discussion - not a lecture - be ready by completing assigned readings
• All questions are important
• Respect all students
• Cameras not permitted in classroom

Course Content

The course has seven units. This table lists the textbook chapters and their relationship to homework, prerequisites, quizzes, extra credit for each unit.

See RESOURCES in BONGO for a study guide for each unit.

Not listed here are the weekly ICE CREAM FACTORY ASSIGNMENTS which begin in week 3 and continue through week 12. See DATA ANALYTICS and VISUALIZATION in RESOURCES in BONGO for details and instruction.

Class Schedule

Reading assignments are from the e-book. To receive extra credit complete the reading (right column below) by class time on the dates shown below . To learn how to record your earned extra credit in BONGO see the section about extra credit earlier in the syllabus.

This is a hybrid course. That means the semester is a blend of in class presentations and online self-study. This table lists the course classroom schedule.

Quiz Preparation

This section should help you prepare for each quiz. The material you are responsible for on each quiz is listed below.

In the topics column any topic marked with ** will not be discussed in class. it is your responsibility to read the named chapter in the e-book. By completing the checkpoints in the chapters marked ** you will received extra credit. See the schedule in BONGO for exact due dates for extra credit availability. To learn how to record your earned extra credit in BONGO see the section about extra credit earlier in the syllabus.

See MY ASSIGNMENTS in BONGO for the quiz schedule.

--- Official KSU/College of Business Information Follows ---

Cheating and Plagiarism

Academic honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.   In addition, it is considered to be cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

Disabled Students

University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures). 

Official Registration

Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule it is your responsibility to correct the error.  If registration errors are not and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.