ITSC 1309 Integrated Software Applications I
PALO ALTO COLLEGE SYLLABUS
PART 1: COURSE GOALS AND METHODS
COURSE NUMBER: ITSC1309 (3 credit hours with an embedded 1 hour lab)
COURSE TITLE: Integrated Software Applications I
PREREQUISITE/COREQUISITE: None
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Integration of applications from popular business productivity software suites.
Instruction in embedding data, linking and combining documents using word
processing, spreadsheets, databases, and/or presentation media software.
Specific software may vary. Students operate the chosen software in the
laboratory. This course is appropriate for skills upgrade.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The primary goal of this course is to give the
student a fundamental working knowledge of each of the most
important types of personal productivity software used in today's
workplace. These include software for disk file management, word
processing, electronic spreadsheet computations, database
management, and presentation graphics.
In the process of achieving the primary goal the student will also acquire or practice certain fundamental skills generally needed for success in the workplace. The U. S. Government's SCANS Commission (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) has identified these and numbered them for reference (F1...F17 and C1...C20.) These codes are used below to show how the SCANS skills are incorporated into ITSC1309.
STUDENT COMPETENCIES:
As per Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, if an
accommodation is needed, contact Palo Alto Disability Support Services at 486-3020.
As our grading scale indicates (see below), success in achieving the course goals can be a matter of degree. A student who completely achieves the course goals will be able to exhibit a working knowledge of all of the following "core" competencies:
(1) GUI and disk file management:
(F1,F5,F9,F12,C6)
a. Open and close windows
b. Minimize without closing, and switch between
active Icons
c. Use pull-down menus and resulting dialogue
boxes
d. Control appearance of screen by sizing,
dragging, rearranging windows etc.
e. Format diskettes
f. Set up and modify directories and
subdirectories
g. Manage files within directories and
subdirectories, to include copying, moving and deleting files
(2) Word processing: (F1,F2,F5,F9,F12,C6,C8)
a. Delete, move and copy blocks of text
b. Create emphasis by such means as boldface,
italics and underlining
c. Set line spacing and typeface (font style and
size) and vary for emphasis
d. Create tables and columns
e. Create headers and footnotes
f. Control format and appearance of document by
means such as margins, indentation, justification, and page
breaks
g. Insert graphics
h. Work with multiple documents, to include
transferring text through a "clipboard"
(3) Spreadsheet operations:
(F1,F2,F3,F4,F5,F9,F12,C6,C8)
a. Create a simple worksheet according to
specifications, to include entries of labels, numeric constants,
formulas, and common functions
b. Use common editing features for
creating/modifying worksheet structure, to include block copying
with relative cell addressing
c. Control format and appearance of worksheet by
such means as adjusting size of rows and columns, font size and
cell attributes
d. Create graphs
(4) Database management: (F1,F5,F9,F12,C6,C8)
a. Create tables and enter data
b. Add, delete and modify data records
c. Modify the table structure
d. Create queries, to include compound conditions
(AND/OR)
(5) Presentation graphics:
(F1,F2,F5,F7,F9,F12,C6,C8)
a. Create slides to include clip art and tables
b. Modify the presentation by adding, removing and
deleting individual slides
In addition to the "core" competencies listed above, the instructor is encouraged to explore other competencies within the overall scope of the course, as permitted by constraints of scheduling and lab facilities. In particular, exploration of network communications is encouraged.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT:
The evaluation of individual graded items is at
the discretion of the instructor. (The only departmental
requirement is that every grade the student receives must be
based on the familiar scale of 0 to 100, unless the instructor
explains some different system on part II of the syllabus.) The
weighing of various graded items in the final course grade,
however, is done according to a policy developed by the
instructor within certain limits imposed by college and
department regulations. The instructor must publish his/her
policy on Part II of this syllabus so determination of a grade
equivalent may be determined; please consult that section for
details. Part II must also include the following: instructor's
name, office hours, phone number, classroom number, class meeting
time, course requirements, and textbook used.
EVALUATION:
The evaluation of individual graded items is at
the discretion of the instructor. (The only departmental
requirement is that every grade the student receives must be
based on the familiar scale of 0 to 100, unless the instructor
explains some different system on part II of the syllabus.) The
weighing of various graded items in the final course grade,
however, is done according to a policy developed by the
instructor within certain limits imposed by college and
department regulations. The instructor must publish his/her
policy on Part II of this syllabus; please consult that section
for details. The following department and college regulations for ITSC1309 are published here for reference:
1. Category 1: Assignments (prepared out-of-class) 30-50%
Restriction: Not less than 30% hands-on computer assignments.
2. Category 2: Examinations and/or participation 30-50%.
Restriction: Not more than 15% unannounced quizzes and exams must include some hands-on component.
3. Category 3: Final examination (at least partially comprehensive with some hands-on component): 15-25%
Within this framework, the individual instructor will determine what weight each factor is to receive. Please notice that "assignment", as in Category I above, ordinarily means something prepared outside of class. If lab scheduling permits ITSC1309 to meet in the lab room, then a limited amount of class time may be used, at the instructor's discretion, to allow the student to work on assignments. However, the student should plan to do the assignments primarily on his/her own time.
GRADING SCALE:
The grading scale used to determine the course
letter grade will be the traditional one. Thus:
90 - 100 A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
0 - 59 F