Personal Computer Concepts: Software and Hardware

Home Page

Course outline:

• operating system interfaces,
• Internet communication,
• office productivity software,
• web publishing,
• and elementary programming.

NOTE:

1. You are not allowed to repeat this class for credit, or to take it if you have already taken CMPS 002.
2. If you have more than little experience with computers, this basic literacy class is probably not right for you. Consult the CS and CE course offerings for a class that is appropriate for your level and interests.
3. If you wish to train on Mac Instosh computers, CMPS 002 may be a better-suited literacy class you.

• the textbook itself,
• a compact guide on Web Page Creation and Design;
• a student CD-ROM that contains practice tests and audio-visual training material.

An evaluation copy of the 3-piece textbook kit is on hold at the Reserves Desk of the Science Library for your perusal. A number of reference books have also been placed on hold there to assist you with your projects.

Supplies:

• Six scantron forms number F-1712-ERI-L (pink), to complete the multiple choice portions of the quizzes and final exam.
• Two number 2 pencils to use on the forms.

In addition, recommended supplies are:

• One or two 3.5" floppy disks to store your project files.
• A cheap pair of earphones with a minijack connector. If you have a portable tape or CD player that comes with earphones, those earphones will probably do if they have a minijack connector.

These supplies may be available on campus from the Bay Tree Bookstore. Off campus, you can find such supplies at a drugstore, electronics, or stationery store. To give you and idea of earphone prices, last spring I bought earphones at a drugstore on Mission street (near Bay) for about 3 dollars.

Back to top of Page

If instructions on how to obtain a CATS account seem pretty complex, we will go over them in the first week of class. To sign up for an account, you will need to:

• be current on your registration fees,
• know your UCSC ID card number,
• choose an account name and a password^*.

Your CATS computer account comes with Internet access and personal web homepage hosting. In this course, we will get you started on building a web page.

^* CATS suggestions on account names and passwords are the following:

"Choose your account name (i.e. email address) carefully as it will be with you for the rest of your time here at UCSC. Select a name you wouldn't mind giving publicly to a professor. The name can consist of lowercase letters and numerals, and must begin with a letter. It can be anywhere from 3 to 8 characters long.

Once you have chosen and entered a account name, you are asked to pick a password. We recommend that you do not use any English word or name, to make it harder for anyone to guess what it might be. Try combining two words together, with unusual capitalization. Your password can consist of any characters on the keyboard, including control characters, but be careful not to include any backspace, RETURN, or other special control characters. Any characters beyond the first eight are ignored. "

Back to top of Page

In addition to email, the staff will rely on two other forms of class-wide remote communications:

• this class webpage and
• the class newsgroup ucsc.class.cmpe003.

Instructions for using email, newsgroup and the class web page will be given in the second week of the course.

Staff:

Instructor: Habib Krit Email: habib@cats.ucsc.edu Office Hours: Friday, 3:00-5:00, Applied Sciences, Room 213
Yisi Liu Email: yisi@cse.ucsc.edu Click on the thumbnail to see the photo	Andy VanSickle-Ward Email: andyvw@cats.ucsc.edu
Brett Raymond Email: brettray@cats.ucsc.edu	Gina Marzo Email: gmarzo@cats.ucsc.edu
Kevin Yamami Email: kyamami@hotmail.com Click on the thumbnail to see Kevin in the sahara	Mostafa Ghous Email: moghous@cse.ucsc.edu
Will Dower Email: mustapha@cats.ucsc.edu	Yupeng Gao Email: camel@cats.ucsc.edu

Back to top of Page

Hands-on projects will be assigned during the course of the class to build and then check hands-on proficiency. For this purpose, IBM-PC computers and software are available to the students at the following locations:

• Social Sciences I Computer Lab
• Applied Sciences 213 Lab

The course has lab sections held in the labs above throughout the week, and during which the class staff can provide individual help with homework assignments and other class-material questions. Sections begin on January 10th, that is with the second week of class.

Currently, the schedule is the following:

Day	Time	Location	Staff
Monday	9:00am - 11:00am	Social Sciences 1, Room 135	Brett, Mostafa
Tuesday	12:00 - 1:00	Social Sciences 1, Room 135	Kevin, Yupeng
Tuesday	1:00 - 4:00	Applied Sciences, Room 213	Andy, Will
Wednesday	9:00am - 11:00am	Social Sciences 1, Room 135	Brett, Yisi
Wednesday	7:00pm - 9:00pm	Applied Sciences, Room 213	Kevin, Yisi
Thursday	12:00 - 1:00	Social Sciences 1, Room 135	Kevin, Yupeng
Thursday	1:00 - 4:00	Applied Sciences, Room 213	Andy, Will
Friday	3:00 - 5:00	Applied Sciences, Room 213	Gina, Habib

More lab section hours may be added if need be to this schedule.

Outside of section times, students are welcome to use these labs as well as other CATS Instructional Computing Labs, although with no guaranteed priority access to a computer or guaranteed class staff presence. The CATS-ICL link above also provides maps, lab times and equipment.

Project descriptions and due dates will be posted on this site as the course progresses.

Back to top of Page

The exact details on how proficiency are subject to change. Changes will be announced in this class web page when they are finalized.

The current plan is to grade on the basis of the following required work:

• three lab projects to be turned in electronically by 2 pm on the following dates:

  Lab 1	Monday, January 24 (week 4)
  Lab 2	Monday, February 14 (week 7)
  Lab 3	Monday, March 6 (week 10)

  (NOTE: Memorial Day is observed on Monday May 31.)

  The labs will account for about 45% of your overall class performance evaluation.

• four 20-minute quizzes primarily, but not exclusively, on the reading assignments that will in all likelihood be administered in class every other Tuesday on the following dates:

  Quiz 1	Tuesday, January 18 (week 3)
  Quiz 2	Tuesday, February 1 (week 5)
  Quiz 3	Tuesday, Feburary 15 (week 7)
  Quiz 4	NOTE: New date is Thrusday, March 2nd (week 9)

  The quizzes will account for about 30% of your overall class performance evaluation.

• A 1.5 hour final comprehensive exam administered on the following date:

  Final

  Saturday, March 18 (week 11)

  7:30-9:00pm

  Applied Sciences Room 152

  Can you believe we're doing this on a saturday night ? Check the registrar's exam schedule site The comprehensive will account for about 25% of your overall class performance evaluation.

Failing a Project, Quiz or Exam:

Unless you have made prior arrangements in person or by email with the instructor, a quiz or exam that is not taken is considered failed.

Likewise, a project that is not turned in by the deadline is considered failed. Of course, a project that is turned in incomplete receives partial credit.

Cheating on a project, quiz or exam is cause for failing all the students involved. In addition, an advisory letter is sent to your provost.

Back to top of Page

Extra credit work can help you make up for failing quizzes or projects. Or it can simply improve your grade or evaluation if appropriate. If nothing else, it increases your skills. Extra-credit is offered for any of the following:

• Giving a 5-minute presentation in class assisted by PowerPoint. Presentations should consist of about 5 slides and include:
  1. a title slide with your name and the date,
  2. the URL of the site you are reviewing,
  3. a table overview of the site’s content,
  4. a picture or graph.
  Possible themes are:
  • staff-approved Internet resources;
  • textbook themes from chapters 13-16 and appendices;
  • staff-approved software package of your choice.
  To schedule a presentation, contact the instructor in class or by email.

• Completing online courses which involves a training session followed by a simple proficiency check. Information on the courses that are completed is tracked for us by CATS and sent to us on a periodic basis. The staff-recommended courses approved includes:
  • The NetTrail course on mail, news, and browsing.
  • CBT modules.

Back to top of Page