CO INFO 1 Principles of Business Computer Systems provides in-depth coverage of the selection and use of computer hardware and software. CO INFO 1 and 23 are required in all Computer Information Systems degree and certificate options. They are the computer skills transfer requirement for many universities. This is a full-semester online class starting August 31 and ending December 19. There are no on-campus meetings. Everything is done through an online classroom system called Etudes. Your account will be active the first day of the semester. Login instructions are provided on my web site.
With the successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
Co-Requisite Lab: You must be enrolled in the online section of CO INFO 23 Programming Laboratory #7616. CO INFO 23 is one unit Pass/No Pass. You receive credit in the lab if you pass the CO INFO 1 class.
Textbooks: Two textbooks are required. They are sold as a bundled set in the campus bookstore with a special ISBN number. ISBN numbers for each book are provided in case you want to shop online.
| Author | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Notes |
| Morley, Deborah and Charles Parker | Understanding Computers Today and Tomorrow 12th Ed. Comprehensive | Thomson | 1423925211 | NOT Introductory |
| Gary, Shelly, Thomas Cashman and Misty Vermaat | Microsoft Office 2007 Brief Concepts and Techniques | Thomson | 1418843253 | Introductory Edition is OK |
Skills you Should Have: To be successful in an online course, you must be able to locate sites on the Internet, upload and download files, and use email. If you are a computer novice, you should enroll in a face-to-face section of CO INFO 1 instead.
Time: To be successful, you should to set up a weekly schedule of the hours you will spend on the class. If you were attending CO INFO 1 and 23 face-to-face, you would be in class for 5 hours and 15 minutes per week. Additional time would be spent to complete assignments and study the textbooks outside of class. Block out at least 8 hours per week for the class. Some people will need more time and others need less depending on computer experience and reading speed.
Software: Lessons are based on Microsoft Office 2007 Professional (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access) and Windows XP or Vista. The non-professional version of Office does not include the Access database. If you have Office but not Access, you can use the computer labs at school or download and install the free OpenOffice program and use that instead. Office 2007 Professional software can be purchased at a student discount through http://www.journeyed.com/fccc/
Internet: The recommended web browsers for PC users are Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0 SP2 or later and Firefox 2.0 or later. Both browsers are available as free downloads: Mozilla Firefox http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/, IE7.0 SP2 http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx. You must have an Internet connection that you can spend a lot of time on. Ask your employer for permission before using a computer provided by your company to do coursework. Sometimes corporate computer security systems called firewalls can block you from using the online classroom at work. You may have to ask a company technician for assistance. Pop-up window blocking software must be disabled while using the online classroom. A cable or DSL connection is preferred. Dial-up will be very slow.
System and Internet Configuration for Etudes Online Classroom: See https://etudes-ng.fhda.edu/portal/site/!gateway/page/4243c7b4-9b68-45fc-0016-148ad08653aa
Alternative Computer: If the computer you are using breaks down or you do not have the required software, keep up with the work by using the campus computer labs in the Business building, the new Technology building or the Library.
On-Campus: Office hours will be posted on my web site at http://www.loralane.com. You can come see me in person or call. If I need to cancel, I will post it on my web site. Please check before you come.
Phone: Campus number: 310-233-4178. Cell number: 310-519-8976. If I don't answer, leave a voice message with your name, a brief description of what you need to discuss with me and the return phone number. NO text messages please. The best time to reach me is M-TH 9a.m. to 3p.m.
Email: loralane@yahoo.com or use Etudes Private Message. Mail sent to my Yahoo! account must include a descriptive subject line, your full name and the class you are enrolled in. Provide as much description as you can of what you need help with.
The course is NOT self-paced. There are tasks each week that may include lecture notes, textbook reading, study questions, computer projects, quiz questions and discussion. You should log on to the online classroom at least three times a week to check for announcements, private messages, and grades.
Assignments: Assignments are given on Monday and are due the following Sunday. The expiration times are at 11:45p.m. (just before midnight). Everyone tries to wait until the last minute, so the system gets very busy and slow in the hours before midnight. Do your work before the deadline to make sure it is on time. Keep copies of everything you turn in just in case a file becomes lost or corrupt during transfer. Assignments can be submitted up to 1 week late, but will receive a 20% (two grades) lower score. Assignments will not be accepted after the late submission period is over. The last assignment does not have this extra time. See the online classroom Tasks, Tests and Surveys tool or the schedule on my web site for due dates and instructions.
Assignment Grades: Go to Tasks, Tests and Surveys in Etudes to review your score and read my comments. I try to grade the assignments within a week after the due date. If there was something wrong with your assignment (wrong file, unable to open), I will give you a 0 and ask you to submit another file. It is your responsibility to follow up quickly.
Course Grade: Go to the Gradebook in Etudes. This will show you everything that has been graded so far. Your ending course grade is based on the points you earn of the total. I will drop your two lowest assignment scores from the final grade calculation. Those two may be 0's. A's are 90% or better, B's are 80% or better, C's 70% or better, D's 60% or better, F below.
Cheating: Your submissions should be your own independent work unless the instructions specifically say that you may work with others. If I feel that two submissions are too similar, I will give both a lower score or even a zero depending on how much was copied. I will not be open to discussion about the reasons why it happened or who actually did the work. The second incident will result in an F in the class.
It is your responsibility to drop CO INFO 1 and CO INFO 23 if you don't want to continue in the class. The last day to drop without receiving a W is September 24. Last day to drop with a W is November19. Otherwise you receive a letter grade.
I do not give incompletes. Instead, I give you the grade you have earned by the end of the semester and change the grade after you have completed the work. This consideration will only be given only for medical or other reasons beyond your control. You must be up-to-date with all work and passing the class at the time you notify me that you have had an emergency. Let me know as quickly as possible and submit a detailed schedule for completing the rest of the class. You will not be allowed to do this because you fell behind with your assignments, had computer problems, or don't like your grade so far.