Revised: January 16, 2019
Northern Virginia Community College - Annandale Campus
ITE 140 - Spreadsheet Software I, Spring 2019 (3 credits) - TTh 9:30-10:45AM, CT106
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 2016 and other programs for free - see the section on Office 365 at www.nvcc.edu/ithd/students/software.html.
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 largely consist 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 $72.70, Rent Paperback New $105.15, Buy Paperback Used $116, Buy Paperback New $154.65, Rent Digital $32.99, Buy Digital $90.99. bn.com lists the paperback version to buy at $122.82 new, $67.55 used. When I visited the Annandale bookstore on January 8, I only saw used copies of the book there. The bookstore price matching policy is at https://bnc.pgtb.me/MMt77F.
As indicated on the schedule page, I plan to cover virtually the entire book.
Homework
Homework assigned will generally be due 6-8 days after the homework is assigned. This will permit you to work on the homework, get any questions resolved in the next class, and submit the homework on time. Late homework will not be accepted but your two lowest homework grades will be dropped; this policy of dropping the two lowest two grades is designed to cover illness, computer problems, work or family responsibilities, etc. so exceptions to this policy will not be granted.
You must submit your homework so that the files can be read on a Windows machine using Excel. Thus if you are using a Mac, you must do any necessary conversion of the files. If you are required to submit a zipped folder, make sure that whatever you submit can be opened by WinZip. If you are using software that is not properly licensed, make sure the resulting files can be opened on another Windows machine.
Pearson has given us approval to use MyITLab for this course on a pilot basis and I expect to be able to start this next week..
Grading
60% tests (at least a midterm and a final), 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 Blackboard 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
Office hours will be held in the classroom. I expect this will be as follows, but the final schedule will be announced on Blackboard once the classroom availability at these times is confirmed.:
MW 3:15 in CT230 at the conclusion of ITE 170
TTh 3:15 in CT 116 at the conclusion of ITD 110.If these times are not convenient, please email me to arrange a mutually agreeable time
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 exams and quizzes 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:
Tuesday, January 29th 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). Sunday, March 24th 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. During hands on instruction where we are all coding together, it is appropriate to ask me to repeat what I said or briefly ask your neighbor if you don't see where to click, etc. 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. If you wish to use your computer during class for things other than viewing PowerPoints or following along during in-class coding exercises, please sit in the back row. 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.
- Come to class - Although I do not grade on attendance, some of what I say isn't in the texts and it may be easier for you to understand something if you hear me explain it, instead of just relying on other sources.
- When you come to class, pay attention - the class is in a computer classroom so resist the temptation to multitask by looking at Facebook, games, or other material during lectures. If you want to do so, sit where doing so will not distract other students. Studies of students who try to multitask indicate that students don't do this very well.
- Don't procrastinate - If you are having a problem logging in or transfer files to your website, fix it or email me. Do the homework on time.e tests. If you need help, ask.
- Keep your files organized in folders - perhaps one folder for each class session or homework assignment. The file and folder structure on your website should be the same as on your computer or flash drive, and uploading files is a good way to back them up. 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.