Revised: August 19, 2019
Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus
ITE 140 - Spreadsheet Software I, Fall 2019 (3 credits) - TTh 9:30-10:45AM, CT209, Dr. William Pegram, wpegram@nvcc.edu
Web Site for Class: www.billpegram.com
Software
Microsoft Excel 2016 is the focus of this course. Although this software is available in computer classrooms and the open lab in CT 228, you will want to get Excel on your home computers so as to learn the program better. Students can get Excel and other programs for free - see the section on Office 365 at www.nvcc.edu/ithd/students/software.html. Thus students will typically have Office 365 rather than Excel 2016. Because Office 365 is an evolving product, there are some minor differences between Office 365 and Excel 2016. In the spring 2019 semester this was not an issue in ITE 140 and I don't expect it to be one this semester.
Textbooks
Required: Go! with Microsoft Excel 2016 Comprehensive by Shelley Gaskin and Alicia Vargas, Pearson, 2017, ISBN 13: 978-0-13-444392-8. Homework will consist almost entirely of exercises and projects from the Gaskin and Vargas text, so other books will not be satisfactory for this course. Renting the book is considerably less expensive than buying it new or used. The NVCC Annandale bookstore prices are Rent Paperback Used $73.50, Rent Paperback New $106.35, Buy Paperback Used $117.30, Buy Paperback New $156.40, Rent Digital $59.99, Buy Digital $89.99. Most students will probably rent paperback used.
As indicated on the schedule page, I plan to cover virtually the entire book which is what I did when I taught this course in Spring 2019.
Homework and myLabIT
We used myLabIT in my ITE 140 section in spring 2019 and students seemed to find it very helpful and I will use it again this semester. Homework will consist primarily, if not exclusively, of myLabIT assignments for each chapter. In spring 2019, students collectively decided on not doing a project in order to cover more material. I'm open to either approach.
Grading
60% tests (two multiple choice and 2-3 "hands-on" tests), 40% homework. You will need to bring your student ID to take exams.
Inclement Weather Policy:
Frequently asked questions about closings can be found at www.nvcc.edu/emergency/closing/faq.html
Note in particular the following: "When the College announces a delayed opening, any class with at least 45 minutes of class time remaining after the College opens will be held (ex. if the College opens at 10:00 a.m., a 9:30-10:45 a.m. class will begin at 10:00 a.m.). This procedure applies to all credit classes."
In cases of class cancellation, students must go to Canvas for specific communication and instruction for the course.
Attendance:
If you miss class, please check the class website for any changes to the schedule, including new assignments.
Office Hours Schedule
At the conclusion of class each day, if you have questions, we can meet for awhile in the classroom if available or in another computer classroom if our classroom is not available. If this time is not convenient, please contact me to arrange a mutually agreeable time
Canvas
Canvas will be new to many of you and to me this semester. Hopefully this will not cause too many problems. Practically all of the course content can be found at www.billpegram.com. Therefore the use of Canvas will be primarily for
- announcements and communication back and forth between students and myself (in addition to email)
- access to myLabIT
- display of grades
- administering and taking of tests
Please let me know of problems when they arise.
Communication with Instructor:
In addition to office hours, most class periods will have time for one-on-one questions with the instructor. Asking questions in this way is generally more efficient than email.
Required Email Address
I will email you at the email address on my class list which is your VCCS email address. If you do not check this address frequently, I would recommend you set it up for automatic forwarding to an email address you do check more frequently. On the first day of class, I will show you how to specify a forwarding address.
Please remember to include your name and class in all emails to me at wpegram@nvcc.edu.
Academic Integrity
On homework assignments and projects, students may ask for and receive some assistance from others, unless otherwise directed by the instructor. Yet those helping a student should avoid "doing the work" for the student.
Unless specifically stated in the assignment, students may work together to complete an assigment. However my experience is that students who turn in essentially identical work on an assignment tend not to do well on subsequent tests either because they have not learned the material or are too reliant on another person.
No assistance is permitted on the inclass midterms and final and your use of the computer may be monitored. The college policy on student conduct is found at www.nvcc.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html
Cheating on a test will result in a grade of 0 on the test. Cheating on a subsequent test will result in a grade of F for the course. Cheating may be reported to the Division Dean and the Annandale Judicial Affairs Officer.
Dropping and Withdrawal from the Class:
Thursday, September 5th is the last day to drop a 16 week class and get a tuition refunds (use NovaConnect) or to switch to audit (which requires my signature). Tuesday, October 29th is the last day to withdraw without grade penalty in a 16 week course. The award of W after the last day to withdraw REQUIRES official documentation and the Dean's signature which is very difficult to get..
Classroom Conduct
Sustained talking during lecture is extremely distracting to the instructor and to other students. When we are working together on an Excel step-by-step exercise, it is always appropriate to ask me to repeat what I said or briefly ask your neighbor if you don't see where to click, etc. If something doesn't work, feel free to say that so the problem or issue can be fixed right away. However, if I've moved onto another topic, it's better for everyone concerned if you move on as well, and then deal with the issue later. Do not do homework during lectures; you should be focused on learning the new material being presented..
Student Success Tips
- Books - Buy or rent the book. I plan to do every chapter in the book.
- Come to class - Although I do not grade on attendance, some of what I say isn't in the text and it may be easier for you to understand something if you hear me explain it, instead of just relying on other sources.
- Don't fall behind - If you are having problems, let me know. Do the homework on time.
- Keep your files organized in folders - perhaps one folder for each chapter. When you are working in the classroom, don't have some files on your flash drive and some on the computer - keep them all in one place. Google Drive would be a good place to put them.
- Pay attention to the dates to drop and withdraw from the class.
- As long as you attend class once, I will not drop you from the class. It is therefore important that you check your email (various methods will be discussed the first day of class) from time to time. If you do poorly on the midterm, you need to decide whether to withdraw from the class before the deadline or to continue in the class. If you continue in the class, you need to continue to come to class, to do homework and to take the final, otherwise you will likely fail the course.