CAS 109 Syllabus

Contacting the Instructor

You may contact me by email at

You will have to use email to turn in most assignments. This is the best way to contact me and the one that will receive the fastest response – I check my email several times each day.

You must include a relevant subject in the “Subject:” or “RE:” section of your email. The subject must include the class you are taking and your name at the very least. Use a subject such as the ones in the examples in the box below. The following are examples for different cases (use this as a reference for later):

For a question or help: QUESTION – CAS 109 – Maria Gonzales

For notification of absence: ABSENT 10/24 – CAS 109 – Jane Doe

For completed assignments: CAS 109 – Word #2 – Maitlin Benoit

For revised assignment: CAS 109 – Excel #4 REVISED – Fred Jones

The order and capitalization of the items in the subject is extremely important. If you don't follow this requirement, your message may be treated as SPAM! (Spam is bad, by the way.)

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About the Course

Welcome to the (mostly) paperless class! The assignments due in this course will be turned in on disk or sent by email -- you will learn how to do both of these during class.

This excellent course provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to become familiar and proficient with the PowerPoint program.. Students will produce professional looking presentations using word processing, clip art, graphing, scanned images, and presentation management tools for electronic presentations. Students will also learn to identify their audience and base the presentation upon that audience’s needs.

By the end of the course, and based on their scores on examinations and demonstrated competency on computer hands-on assignments, students should be able to

Describe the uses of presentation graphics programs.
Create presentations based on the needs of the audience.
Format and modify objects, such as text, pictures, lines, and shapes.
Use templates to control the look of a presentation and achieve a consistent format.
Use color schemes to change the color of a presentation.
Use tools, such as drawing tools, to enhance the presentation.
Import data from other applications.
Give electronic presentations.

Also consider the following requirements and recommendations:

English communication skills are required to understand the lecture and read the textbook.
Prior experience with keyboarding by touch is highly recommended and will make the work go faster.
Additional lab hours will likely be required. These will vary depending upon experience with computers and typing speed.
Much like learning a new language, learning to use a computer is a physical and mental process which requires repetition.
Oh yes, patience is definitely required!

This is a one credit hour course and an additional technology fee is required to register.

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Required Materials

You must have the following materials to complete this course:

Lab Textbook: Rutkosky, Seguin, Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, Marquee Series, EMC Paradigm Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7638-2080-6
Disks: Either two to six floppy diskettes, one Zip disk, or one USB thumb drive (recommended)
Email: You must have and use an email address to complete this course. As a student of PCC, you are given an email account through MyPCC.
Files: There are various files that are used with the textbook. You will receive further instructions on obtaining those files or you can...

Click here to download the files for this course.

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Instructional Method

(In other words, how I teach the course.) I use the following methods:

Computer lab hands-on learning with my guidance and support.
Computer video screen presentation: I do demonstrations of the programs on the projector (grab a good seat for these!).
Individualized self-paced instruction: you follow along while I guide you through the steps.
Cooperative studying and learning: you work with one or more other people of your skill level (but not on tests!).
Email support: you ask me questions by email and I respond by email or in the next class.
Seminar lecture and discussion: this is the standard lecture format, but please ask questions!

Students will work individually and in groups to complete various assignments in class, out of class, and during lab time and will be responsible for asking for help or clarification on concepts or lab work. Although students may work with others, ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DO THEIR OWN WORK FOR THIS COURSE.

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Evaluation and Late Assignments

As are all 1 credit CAS courses, this course is graded on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Students will turn in assignments for 5 points each, and one Hands On Exam worth 5 points. The Final Presentation is worth 30 points.

Assignments and the Final Presentation must be turned in as finished products. Evaluation includes style (design), content, and submission of all assignments on time.

Students must achieve 70% of the total possible points to pass the class.

Approximate Grading Weights
Assigments 42%
Quiz 8%
Final Presentation 50%

Grading Scale by Points
42 - 60 = P
< 42 = NP

Grading Scale by Percentage
70 - 100% = P
< 70% = NP

Students will lose 1 point of the total value of the assignment if it is turned in late. Students must complete a Final Presentation to pass the course.

Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class. At the instructor's discretion, makeup quizzes may be available for valid, documented absences on the day of the quiz. Makeup quizzes cannot be done during class time, nor can they be taken at an earlier time.

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Attendance

Students are expected to attend the lecture sessions and attendance will be recorded. Attendance procedures as dictated by PCC Policy will be followed. Please notify me by email (in advance if possible) if you are not able to attend a class.

Students who miss the equivalent of two weeks of unexcused absences will be given an “NP” grade if their name appears on the final grade roster. Ultimate responsibility for withdrawal from the course resides with the student.

Click here for more information about PCC's official policy regarding attendance.

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Ethics

Each student is responsible for completing her or his own work and you are expected to do this. In order to learn how to use the computer, you must do the work.

Duplicating another person's work or turning in projects that are not your own, will result in a zero on that assignment or quiz for all parties involved.

Cheating on a quiz/exam will result in a zero for all parties on that quiz/exam – in addition talking to other students or communicating with other students in any way during a quiz/exam will result in a zero on that quiz for all parties. Also, even if it appears you are doing this you’ll receive a zero – it’s up to the student to ensure that the appearance of cheating does not occur.

Click here for more information about PCC's official policy regarding academic integrity and student conduct.

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General Classroom & Computer Lab Policies

Talking or disruptive activity during class time is not permitted – you will be asked to leave (expect this).
Cell phones should be turned off during class. If you MUST answer them, take the call outside.
Computer labs are open to currently enrolled PCC students only.
Children are not allowed in classrooms or the computer lab. Please use PCC childcare if available.
Do not bring food or drinks into classrooms or the computer lab.
Software may not be brought into the labs, copied, or loaded onto the computers.
Software installed on lab computers may not be copied.
Note the emergency exit instructions near the doors of the classroom and labs.
Notice of cancellation of classes will be announced on local radio and television channels. This includes snow and/or other weather or emergency situations. Also, the fastest way is by going to PCC's home page at www.pcc.edu You may also call the main PCC Main Reception number at 503-244-6111.

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Special Accommodations

If you have a disability and need an accommodation, please make arrangements to meet with me outside of class. PCC Students requesting accommodations must provide documentation of disability and work with the Office for Students with Disabilities at their website or by calling 503-977-4341.

Equal Opportunity

It is against the college’s policy for any manager, supervisor, faculty, staff or student to engage in harassment or discrimination of any member of the college community based on her/his race, color, religion, ethnicity, use of native language, national origin, age, sex, marital status, height/weight ratio, disability, or sexual orientation. Inquiries regarding these matters may be directed to Sylvia Welch, director, Affirmative Action, 503-978-5841, TTY 503-273-2914, P. O. Box 19000, Portland, OR 97280-0090. Questions specific to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) call 503-978-8252. TTY 503-273-2908

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Return to Greg Kerr's Homepage

For more information contact the instructor, Greg Kerr, at

Course Syllabus Winter Quarter 2007

Course Syllabus
Winter Quarter 2007