CIS 159 – Visual Basic I

Glendale Community College – Business and Information Technology Department
Spring 2010 Online
Instructor: Gary Marrer

Office Phone: 623-845-3235 or 602-235-0374
Office Location: Bldg O1 Office 116
Office Hours: Available on Class Web Page
Email: gary.marrer@gcmail.maricopa.edu
Instructor Web Site: http://web.gccaz.edu/~gmarrer

Instructor Availability:

As a full-time Instructor, I have a Campus Office (O1-116) with regularly scheduled office hours and I can also schedule appointments upon request. Office and Lab hours are published on my web site. . I can also work with students virtually/online over the Internet. This type of help session must be scheduled via email.

Class On Line Materials:

All class materials (syllabus, assignment schedule, etc.) will be available in BlackBoard. You will be required to monitor BlackBoard and specifically the Course Announcements page on a daily basis.

Description of Course:

Books and Other Instructional Materials:

Required: Programming in Visual Basic 2008, by Julia Case Bradley and Anita C. Millspaugh, Irwin McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-351720-9

Note: This book has been used for several semesters and used books should be available locally and online. If you need help finding a used textbook, please let me know via an email.

General Course Information

Class Format – Classes will be using the BlackBoard (Bb) course management tool to distribute written lessons and assignments. Lab exercises will be done outside of class on your own in the GCC Computer Lab or at home if you have the appropriate software. Grades:

Grades are based on accumulative points. You earn points through tests (5), activities, programs (10), and quizzes (15). The grading scale is as follows: Grading

5 Tests
Test 1 (100 points)
Test 2 (100 points)
Test 3 (100 points)
Test 4 (100 points)
Comprehensive Final (100 points) @ GCC

Labs

10 Individual Labs @ 10 points each

Class Weekly Quizzes (15 @ 5 points)

Participation - Weekly Summary (15@5 pts.) 75 pts.

Total Points 750

A = 90 - 100% of total points
B = 80 - 89% of total points
C = 70 - 79% of total points
D = 60 - 69% of total points
F = below 60% of total points

To receive an A you must have taken ALL tests, participated in ALL discussion questions and turned in ALL labs with a score of at least 8 out of 10.

Tests/Quizzes:

Tests – There are four tests that each cover approximately one quarter of class material. Each test is worth 100 points. The comprehensive final exam (100 points) will test all class material. Tests will consist of multiple choice and true – false questions administered in Bb.

Quizzes (16 quizzes) will be given each week of class. Quizzes are on textbook reading, lectures and class topics. Each quiz is worth five points.

Required Weekly Summary

Each week every student is required to send an email to the instructor indicating what lesson they are on in BlackBoard, what assignment they are currently working on, what chapter they are reading, where they are having problems. This email is due on each Friday and is worth five points.

Programs/Assignments:

You will be given the specifications for a series of 10 programs. You are required to submit any 10 programs during class. All assignments must be completed before the last class. Points will be given for correctness, window design, error detected/prevention, structured format, user "friendliness", identifiable user-defined names, ease of maintainability, etc. You will be required to submit your programming code and a sample of the output with each assignment. Assignments must be placed (via FTP or a visit to campus) in class course (S drive on gecko server) folders for grading. Assignment Schedule

Assignments will be schedule throughout class with the due date published in the course schedule. Last assignments are penalized one point for each week late. Microsoft Visual Basic.NET 2008 Express Edition is required to do the assignments. This software is available on the GCC network and is accessible from our classroom and the High Tech Centers. You can install the free academic copy of Visual Basic.NET 2008 Express Edition that was included with your textbook or download a free copy from the Microsoft Visual Studio Express web site (the link is also published in Bb). Study Aids – Study Guides – Links and our resources for this class will be available in BlackBoard.

Software Piracy – It is illegal to copy software on GCC systems for your own use. Students who do so will be withdrawn from this course.

Disabilities - If any of you has a disability, including a learning disability, please see me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodation needs. MCCCD Employees Please inform your instructor if you are a Maricopa Community College District Employee. Disclaimer:

Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

Spring 2010