Instructor: Lora Lane
Email: loralane@yahoo.com
Cell Phone: 310-519-8976
Office Phone: 310-233-4178
Office Location: NEA 276
On-campus office hours will be posted on my web site
http://www.loralane.com
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The 3-unit Computer Literacy for the Liberal Arts Student course
develops critical thinking skills as applied to technology and society today.
You will gain computer literacy by using the computer to evaluate issues.
Hands-on projects use Windows, Internet, word processing, spreadsheets and
presentation software.
CO SCI 058 fulfills the Communication and Rational Thinking/Analytical Thinking
requirement in the Harbor College graduation requirements. It meets the General
Education Critical Thinking requirement for many universities, including CSU.
Student Learning Outcomes:
With the successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
1. Identify the issue, conclusion and reasons in an argument
2. Locate and eliminate ambiguities in writing and speaking
3. Assess value and descriptive assumptions
4. Spot common reasoning fallacies
5. Evaluate the quality of evidence.
6. Discover alternative causes and conclusions
7. Manage files and programs using Windows system software
8. Research issues using the Internet
9. Send communications over the Internet
10. Use word processing to produce written arguments and analysis
11. Develop a slide show on an issue
12. Evaluate numerical evidence with a worksheet
13. Store data in a database and report with statistics
CLASSROOM:
This is an online class. There are no on-campus meetings. Everything is done
through an online classroom system called Etudes. Your account will be active on
the first day of the semester, August 30. You must have access to a fast
Internet connection (not dial-up) that you can spend a lot of time on. The
campus library and wireless connections work well.
Etudes link: https://myetudes.org/portal
Login instruction link:
http://www.loralane.com/accessETUDES.pdf
CLASS REQUIREMENTS:
Textbooks:
The textbooks are sold in the campus bookstore and can be found on the Internet.
Book #1:
Author: Pannell, Steve
Title: Dozer's Quintessential Guide to Computer Literacy 15th Edition
Publisher: Majestic D & Associates, LCC
ISBN: 978-0-9744008-7-7
Book #2:
Author: Browne, M. Neil and Stuart Keeley
Title: Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking
Publisher: Prentice Hall
9th Ed. ISBN 9780205506682 OR 8th Edition ISBN:0-13-220304-9 (6th or 7th
Editions are OK too)
Skills Needed:
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 SCI 58 instead.
Time:
The surest way to succeed is to set up a weekly schedule of the hours you
will spend on the class. If you were attending CO SCI 58 face-to-face, you would
be in class for 3 hours and 10 minutes per week. Additional time would be spent
as needed to complete assignments and study the textbooks. Block out about 6
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 show Microsoft Office 2007 (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and Windows
Vista or XP. The campus computer labs have this software installed. You can
complete the homework with Office 2003, Office 2010, OpenOffice (free from
openoffice.org) but the instructions in the textbook will not always match the
interface. Some assignments can be done with Google Docs.
System and Internet Configuration for Etudes Online Classroom: See
https://etudes-ng.fhda.edu/portal/site/!gateway/page/4243c7b4-9b68-45fc-0016-148ad08653aa
COURSE ACTIVITIES AND GRADING:
The course is NOT self-paced. There is an assignment each week that may
include reading, study questions, computer projects, quiz questions and
discussion. Log on to Etudes at least three times a week to check for
announcements, private messages, and grades.
Assignments:
Assignments are usually given on Mondays and are due the following Sunday at
11:45p.m. Do not wait until the last minute. The system gets busy and slow in
the hours before the deadline. Waiting until the last minute means that you
can't ask me for help if you need it. Start early. Keep copies of documents just
in case a file becomes lost or corrupt during transfer. Assignments can be
submitted 1 week late but will receive a 20% (one grade) lower score. They will
not be accepted after the late submission period is over. The final assignment
does not have this extra time. I will drop your two lowest assignment scores in
the final grade calculation. They may be 0.
Disclaimer:
Students in this class may be subjected to material which the student may find
offensive. These may include visual or text representations from the following
areas:
Sex
Profane language
Religious theories
Economic theories
Political viewpoints
Course Grades:
Your course grade is based on the percentage you earn of the total. A's are 90%
or better, B's are 80% or better, C's 70% or better, D's 60% or better, F below.
Click the Gradebook in Etudes to see all of your scores.
Assignment Grades:
Go to Assignments, Tests and Surveys and click the link to review your score and
see my comments. Discussions are graded in the Discussion area. The grades will
be visible after the late submission deadline. If there was something wrong with
your assignment (wrong file, unable to open), I will give you a 0 and ask you to
try to send another file to me. It is your responsibility to follow up quickly.
Cheating:
Your submissions should be your own independent work unless the instructions
indicate 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.
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Definition: Plagiarism is a student's failure to distinguish his or her own words and ideas from those of a source the student has consulted. Ideas derived from another, whether presented as exact words, a paraphrase, a summary or quoted phrase, must always be appropriately referenced to the source, whether the source is printed, electronic, or spoken. Whenever exact words are used, quotation marks or an indented block indicator of a quotation must be used, together with the proper citation in a style required by the professor. Usually, three or more words in a row copied from a source without a citation constitutes plagiarism. I will let you know when it is not acceptable to copy directly from a source in your answer.
The Standards of Student Conduct in the Los Angeles Harbor College Catalog
includes Board Rule 9803.12 which states, "dishonesty, such as cheating, or
knowingly furnishing false information to the Colleges" shall be subject to
disciplinary action.
DROPPING THE CLASS AND INCOMPLETES:
Drop without receiving a W by September 23. Drop with a W by November 18. If you
have missed more than three assignments in a row, I may attempt to contact you
about withdrawing from the class. If I don't hear back from you, I may withdraw
you from the class. It is your responsibility to make sure you are in the class
or not in the class.
I do not give incompletes. 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.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
It is the policy and practice of Los Angeles Harbor College to
create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction
or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or to
accurate assessment of achievement (such as inaccessible web content, or the use
of non-captioned videos) please notify the instructor as soon as possible.
Students are also welcome to contact the Special Programs and Services Office,
telephone 310-233-4622. For more information visit the SPS webpage at:
http://www.lahc.edu/studentservices/sps/index.html