Syllabus ITSE 1331

Course Information:

Course: ITSE 1331 Introduction to Visual Basic Programming
Section Number and Synonym: Open Campus Section 35756 OPC 005
Instructor: Judy Scholl

Course Policies:

Census Date: June 9, 2009 (no penalty withdrawal)
Withdrawal Date: July 20, 2009
Posted Office Hours and Location: During the summer I try to be flexible and meet the student time and location needs. Please email me and see if I can accommodate you. I am only willing to go to the CIT open labs (not the learning labs) at Pinnacle, Northridge, Rio Grande, South Austin, and Cypress campuses. Let me hear from you because I will not go to more than one campus on the same day.
Phone: 223-8055
Email: jscholl@austincc.edu
Homepage: http://www.austincc.edu/jscholl
Appointments (Conferences outside of office hours): open; contact me.
I am willing to help students individually in my office unless you are three assignments behind, in which case I may drop you from the course for lack of progress. This does not mean that I am responsible to drop you. That is still your responsibility. Students are entitled to privacy; therefore, if I am working with a student, go to the office area closest to the hall to wait. Do not wait directly outside of my office where you can hear. That area is office space and not a work area for students. Additionally, you may email me directly.
ALERT: New state law for new students. No more than six course withdrawals throughout your undergraduate education, regardless of how many colleges you attend. Students who entered college before fall 2007 are not affected. Ask a counselor for details.
A grade of "I" will be assigned at the discretion of the instructor only for extreme emergencies. The instructor will not consider assigning an "I" if the student is not current or if the circumstances are not compelling. If you are required to be a full-time student for any reason, then it is your responsibility to remain current to keep from being dropped.
A grade of "W" will be assigned if the student initiates a withdrawal through the Admissions and Records office, in accordance with the requirements of that office. Although the instructor has the prerogative to withdraw students for excessive absences or lack of progress, she is under no obligation to do so. It is the responsibility of the student and not the responsibility of the instructor to initiate all withdrawal proceedings. If a 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 which is completed. Generally those students who simply stop completing assignments or do not take exams without proper withdrawal will be assigned an F.
Each student is encouraged to participate in the class discussion group. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions. The class discussion group is considered class discussion.
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 should be the result of their 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 (Current Student Handbook).
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 do this three weeks before the start of the semester (Current Student Handbook).

Course Catalog Description:

Introduction to computer programming using Visual BASIC. Emphasis on the fundamentals of structured design, development, testing, implementation, and documentation. Includes language syntax, data and file structures, input/output devices, and files. Fee: $12

Required Text:

Starting Out with Visual Basic 2008, 4/E. Gaddis, Irvine. Addison-Wesley. ISBN-13: 9780321531353.
Video Notes can be purchased separately or viewed online. Viewing these recordings is not required, but they are recommended and of great benefit to new programmers.

You may use the newer edition if you wish. The updated textbook comes with Video Notes which allows you to view pre-recorded lectures. Starting Out With Visual Basic 2008 Update, 4/E Gaddis, Irvine. Addison-Wesley. ISBN-10: 0136076955 or ISBN-13: 9780136076957

You may also use the older edition if you wish. The only difference I can tell is that it uses an older compiler, but all the coding examples seem to work just fine with the 2008 compiler. There are no video notes available for purchase but they may be viewed online. Once on the page, click Tutorial Videos. There is an image of the 2008 text book and the examples will use the 2008 Express compiler (and that is the compiler you will be able to download). Starting Out w/VB 2005, 3/E. Gaddis, Irvine. Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-321-39399-6.

Software Requirements:

Software required: Visual Basic.NET at home or workplace. The software is available in ACC's Computer Information Technology Department's Computer Labs and VB express 2008 is available at msdn.microsoft.com/express. All assignments in the texts will work with either VB.net 2005 or VB.net 2008.

Bookstores

Listing of area and online bookstores where you may find the text book. If you order online, be sure that the book is scheduled to arrive by the start of the semester.

Course Rationale:

This course is an introduction to Visual Basic. The course assumes no previous programming experience.

Course Objectives/Outcomes:

To understand the techniques of structured programming
To understand the techniques of designing and programming an interactive Windows application using Visual Basic.NET.
To understand the techniques of testing and debugging an interactive Windows application using Visual Basic.NET.

Testing Center Policy:

Exams for the open campus section are taken in the testing center. Policy found at http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/.

Requirements:

This course is graded on a total point system. Total points earned divided by the total possible points will give you your letter grade. The total possible points will be calculated from the four (4) ACC Testing Center Tests (each 100 points) and Programming Assignments (600 points). Letter grades are assigned as follows:
- A = (900-1000 points/1000 points) 90-100%
- B = (800-899 points/1000 points) 80-89%
- C = (700-799 points/1000 points) 70-79%
- D = (600-699 points/1000 points) 60-69%
- F = (599 points and below/1000 points) 59% and below
Seek assistance and ask questions about course material or course requirements from the instructor as necessary. From my homepage there will be a link to the times and locations available for tutoring. Take advantage of the superb help that the department offers. You are responsible for all material presented in the text and through the course web pages.
You will upload all assignments to your Blackboard site (uploading to Blackboard)

Homework/Programming Assignments:

This course has a hands-on approach to learning Visual Basic.NET. To do well in this course, you must schedule your work time to include anywhere from 5 to 16 hours weekly, depending on previous computer experience. Do not try to put in all the hours in one sitting.
Schedule yourself for several different sessions at the computer. If you wait to complete the step-by-step instructions in each chapter and your Programming Assignment on the due date, you will not gain the skills, experience, and understanding that are expected from completing this class.
Read each chapter as assigned, completing the hands-on exercises as you read. Or you may choose to read the chapter first, and complete the hands-on exercises after reading the chapter. Then you are ready for the Programming Assignment for the chapter.
The practice hands-on programming exercises in each chapter are not included in the calculation of the final grade. The eight Programming Assignments provided below are submitted for grading and are included in the calculation of the final grade.
Access the class orientation as well as all reviews from my home page by hovering over the link Intro to VB Prog .NET ITSE 1331.

Examinations:

Four exams over the chapters covered since the last exam. Each exam is weighted as 100 points. When you go to the testing center, be sure to indicate the correct exam. Form A Gaddis textbook exam. Form B retest exam. You are welcome to take both exams and keep the higher of the two grades.

Programming Assignments and Exams
Here are added steps that you should do for every program

Be sure to name your Windows Application with a meaningful name that relates to the program.
Do not use the default WindowsApplication
On all programs add your name as a comment at the top of your code .
Be sure to set the form's title bar to a meaningful name that relates to the program.

Assignment	Due	Chapt.Prob	2008 text	2005 text	2008 updated	Points	Topic	VideoNotes
Orientation	6/4
Program 1	6/8	Challenge 2.2	Page 94	Page 93	Page 96	50	Name and Address	yes
Program 2	6/11	Challenge 2.3	Page 94-95	Page 93	Page 96	50	Math Tutor	no
Exam 1	6/15					100	Chapters 1 and 2
Program 3	6/18	Challenge 3.1	Page 183	Page 182	Page 185-186	50	Miles Per Gallon check for non-numeric data Video notes does not show the try/catch. See Handling Exceptions in Chapter 3. Be sure to put all calculations in your exception handling so that you do not divide by 0.	yes
Number 4	6/22	Challenge 4.3	Page 264	Page 264	Page 268	50	Fat Percentage check for non-numeric data	no
Exam 2	6/25					100	Chapters 3 and 4
Number 5	6/29	Challenge 5.2	Page 343	Page 345	Pages 347-348	100	Distance Calculator inputBox1.gif inputBox2.gif	no
Number 6	7/2	Challenge 6.4	Page 402	Page 404	Pages 406-407	100	Joe's Automotive Check that parts and labor are numeric	no
Exam 3	7/9					100	Chapters 5 and 6
Number 7	7/13	Challenge 7.3	Page 478	Page 480	Pages 483-484	100	Cell Phone Packages Check that number of individuals on family plan is numeric.	no
Number 8	7/20	Challenge 8.2	Page 550	Page 549	Pages 554-555	100	Rainfall Statistics The example average should be 4.92	no
Exam 4	7/23					100	Chapters 7 and 8
retest	7/30	any Exam					Version B