The official web page for this course is http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/Fall07/Cosc1301WebPage/COSC1301.htm  

Instructor: Richard G. Baldwin
Office Telephone:  512-223-4758
Office:  NRG room 4238
Office Hours: See the OH link next to my name on the ACC Course Schedule Web page.   Other times by appointment. Call the above number or E-mail at any time.

Course Description:  "A hands-on course for the development of skills needed to use personal computer systems for business, individual, and educational applications. Learn word processing, database management, spreadsheet development, and how to use the operating system. Keyboarding skills are not required, but are helpful. May not be applied toward a CSC degree." (College Catalog description)

Prerequisite:  Reading-R

Approved Course Text:
M/S Office 2003 Illustrated Intro, Premium Ed.
Beskeen/Duffy/Friedrichsen/Reding,
Course Technology, Inc,
ISBN: 1-4188-6039-5

Instructional Methodology:  Professor Baldwin delivers this course through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, one-on-one conferences, and lab practice.

Course Rationale:  This course is a Computer Literacy Skill based course that prepares the students to be proficient in Microsoft Office Products.

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes:  The COSC 1301 Personal Computing course helps you develop personal productivity skills with the use of microcomputers for the following applications:

You will learn how to integrate information across applications. You will develop your computer literacy with an increased knowledge of computing concepts and terminology. You also will develop skills in disk and file management using a graphical user interface (Microsoft Windows XP).

If you plan to use your own computer to work on the activities in this course, then you should have the software listed in the above table, i.e., Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. If you do not have this software, then you should use the computers in the Computer Studies Computer Labs at the various campuses.

Scans Competencies:

Grade Policy:  Your final course grade will be based on your average for two written exams.  At his discretion, Prof. Baldwin may also elect to include your grades on selected laboratory assignments in your final grade at a weight to be determined by Prof. Baldwin.

Depending on the final scores of all the students taking the course, it is possible that a curve may be applied to the final grades before they are submitted for recording.

Course/Class Policies:

Academic Integrity: A student is expected to complete his or her own projects and tests.  Students are responsible for observing the policy on academic integrity described in the Current ACC Student Handbook.

“Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework”. 

The penalty accessed for violations will be in accordance with the current ACC Student Handbook policy. See http://www.austincc.edu for more information.

Incomplete: Here is the official information that I have received regarding Incomplete grades:

A student may receive a temporary grade of "I" (Incomplete) at the end of the semester only if ALL the following conditions are satisfied:

1. The student is unable to complete the course during the semester due to circumstances beyond their control.
2. The student must have earned at least half of the grade points needed for a “C” by the end of the semester.
3. The request for the grade must be made in person at the instructor’s office and necessary documents completed.
4. To remove an “I”, the student must complete the course by two weeks before the end of the following semester.  Failure to do so will result in the grade automatically reverting to an “F”.

To give you an idea of the gravity of the situation, I don't recall ever having given a student a temporary grade of "I" during my entire teaching career at ACC.

Freedom of  Expression Policy:  It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

Attendance Policy:  The official college policy states that students are expected to attend classes and will be held responsible for all material covered in class. Regular attendance helps ensure satisfactory progress towards completion of the course.

(Students enrolled in Open Campus classes are not expected to attend class.  Prof. Baldwin does not call the roll and does not maintain an official record of attendance.)

Withdrawal Policy:  It is the student's responsibility to complete a Withdrawal Form in the Admissions Office if they wish to withdraw from this class. The instructor may withdraw students from this class if their absences exceed 10% of the total number of class meetings. The last date to withdraw for this semester is provided in the ACC Academic calendar for the semester in which the student is enrolled. It is not the responsibility of the instructor to withdraw the students from their class even though the instructor has the prerogative to do so under the above listed circumstances.

A grade of "W" will be automatically assigned if the student initiates a withdrawal through the Admissions and Records office, in accordance with the requirements of that office.  If the student fails to complete the work and also fails to properly withdraw, a grade of A, B, C, D, or F will be assigned in accordance with the work that was completed.

Students with Disabilities Policy:  “Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to make this request three weeks before the start of the semester. (Refer to the Current ACC Student Handbook)”

Transfers:  Although it is technically possible for a student to transfer from one section to another section of the same course, this process has caused many problems in the past, and is not allowed unless the reasons for the transfer are compelling.  Students desiring to transfer between CIS/CSC courses must first obtain permission from an Assistant Dean for CIS/CSC who will initiate the paperwork.

Course Schedule:  Click here to see the course schedule for the current semester.

Exam Instructions:  Click here to see the exam instructions.  You may take the exams early by making a verbal request to Professor Baldwin.  However, you must complete each exam by the scheduled deadlines or you won't get credit for the exam.

Student Data Files
As you work through the textbook the author instructs you to open and use data files created by the author.  Using the author's data files saves you time because you do not need to create all the files to work on them.  As I understand it, the student data files do not come with the textbook.  However, you can download the student data files from the publisher's web site.