Course Title:                          Computer Science

and Management Information Systems

Course Code:                         ___________

Instructor:                             R' Eric Levy (ericlevy@ericlevy.com)

Objectives,  Outline, Incidentals

Course Objectives:

This introductory course in computer science and management information systems emphasizes both technical and practical computer applications, and the integral role of computer-based information systems in management and accounting environments.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion, students will have developed a fundamental understanding of computers and their various capacities, computer applications, and information technology as an integral tool in corporate environments.

Course Description:

The focus of this course is core concepts and practical application of computer science and information systems, including computer systems, networks and telecommunications, information system design and implementation, security and control, and the system development process

Course Outline:

UNIT Ia (9/4/2007)

Introduction to Computer Systems, Hardware, Programming, and Networks

Readings:

1.      “Charles Babbage,” entry in Wikipedia, sub-sections: “Design of computers,” “Difference engine,” and “Analytical engine.”

2.      On the ENIAC, read:

a.       “ENIAC,” entry in Wikipedia, sub-sections: Introduction (first paragraph only) “Description” (first paragraph only), and “Programmability.”

b.      http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/.  Follow the links to

                                                  i.      The Interview with Presper Eckert from Computer World, and

                                                ii.      The Dawn of the Age of Information

3.      “Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)”, Richard P. Feynman, pp. 125-29.  To access these pages, a) go to Amazon.com, b) search for the book, c) do a search inside, d) search for “computers” and select the entries on 125 and 127, and e) use the arrows to flip though the pages.

UNIT Ib (9/10/2007)

Intranet, Internet, and World Wide Web Infrastructure 

• Intranet

  • Sharing information

    • Access to information, Drive Sharing

    • Preventing duplications

    • Collaboration

  • Sharing Resources

• Internet

  • History

  • Packet switching

  • TCP/IP, IP addresses (Static and Dynamic)

  • Domain Name Servers

• World Wide Web

  • Web Servers vs. Drive Sharing

  • Static and Active Server Pages

  • Cookies

  • Worms, Trojan Horses, Malicious Code

Readings:

1. "Circuit Switching," in Wikipedia

2. "How Web Servers Work," found at http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-server.htm/printable, or

3. "How Routers Work," found at http://computer.howstuffworks.com/router.htm/printable, from the beginning of the article through "Transmitting Packets."

UNIT Ic (9/11/2007)

Popular Software Applications

1.  Collaborative software:

• Google Docs and Spreadsheets

• Airset

• Voip and Video conferencing

Readings:

1. "Collaborative software" in Wikipedia

UNIT Id (9/17/2007)

More Popular Software Applications

1.  An introduction to Excel (using http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/t/index.htm)

• Basic data entry

• Cell formatting, multiple cell formatting

• Range formatting

• Inserting and deleting

• Mathematical functions

• Files: Saving, deleting, worksheets

2.  Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint

UNIT IIa (9/18/2007)

Excel in Depth

• Split Screens

• Height and width of cells; text formatting

• Advanced formatting: grids, shades, colors, painting multiple cells

• Sorting

• Referencing cells

UNIT IIb (9/24/2007)

Excel in Depth:

• Cell and Cell Range Names

• Functions

    Two examples:

• Desert Wandering Services

• Build your own company

UNIT IIIa (9/25/2007)

Word in Depth

• The danger of editing an attachment

• Formatting techniques

  • Text

  • Paragraphs

  • Pages

  • Sections

  • Header and Footers

• Creating Hierarchies

  • Bullets and Numbering

  • Paragraphs

  • Sections

  • TOC

• Tables (and columns)

• Boxes

  • Picture

  • Text

  • Grouping

  • Labeling

• Inserting Excel Objects

Samples:

SpiScope and PipeDream

UNIT IVa (10/8/2007)

Pre Examination Practice using Word and Excel

UNIT IVb (10/9/2007)

Examination

UNIT Va (10/15/2007)

PowerPoint

UNIT Vb (10/16/2007)

Putting it all together: Using Word, Powerpoint, and Excel to ceate an executive summary based on this design.

UNIT Vc: (10/22/2007)

Building a presentation

UNIT Vd: (10/23/2007)

Giving a presentation

Laying out some business plan

UNIT Ve: 10/29/2007

More giving a presentation

UNIT VIa: 10/30/2007

The Microsoft FrontPage

Crate pages in front page, and using notepad to create and view files.

UNIT VIb: 11/12/2007

HTML and Microsoft FrontPage

Dissecting a URL to understand the component parts, including the transfer protocol, the server markers, the service name, the server name, the directory, and the page being requested.  We also reviewed the idea of hyper-linking from page to page, and server to server in the web.

We then created pages in FrontPage; including a close look at the html tags and specifically the <a href=""></a> tag.

UNIT VIc: 11/13/2007

Designing in Microsoft FrontPage

We went through the insert menu in, which included text breaks, page dividers, inline frames, symbols, comments, symbols, pictures, forms and form elements.  We also saw the page formatting menu among other formatting menus.

UNIT VId: 11/20/2007

Tables in Microsoft FrontPage

We worked with tables and cells, and setting various properties in tables and cells.  We also worked on inserting images into tables, and using the photo-gallery feature.

UNIT VIe: 11/26/2007

Creating a Web

Students work on porting their PowerPoint presentation to a web design.

UNIT VIIa: 12/3/2007

Database design and theory using MS Access.  Storing information, from fields to records to tables to databases.

UNIT VIIb: 12/4/2007

How to create relations using Access.  Connecting tables in one-to-many, and many-to-one relationships.  How to use the SELECT statement to view desired information from one or more tables in a database.

Final Review: 12/11/2007

1. Packet switching vs. circuit switching
2. IP addresses: static and dynamic

3. Intranet’s vs. the Internet

4. URLs
5. Searching inside texts using Amazon or books.google.com
6. Microsoft Excel: Basic data entry, advanced cell formatting, multiple cell and range formatting, finding using functions especially the @IF function, sorting, naming cells. Auto-filling data in a range.
7. PowerPoint: Displaying paragraphed text one paragraph at a time. Making items appear, disappear.
8. Microsoft Word: formatting, formatting sections separately, headers and footers, outlines, inserting text, graphics, and information from Excel, mail-merge.
9. Creating a small HTML page using only notepad, including pictures, hyperlinks, colored and formatted text, and colored or formatted background.
10. CPU, storage, memory, input and output, and other parts of any computer.

Final Examination: 12/12/2007 (2 hours)

Exam, Spreadsheet Attachment, Invitation Template Attachment

Incidentals

Instructional Method:                       This course is taught using conventional lecture delivery (80%) together with group discussion (20%).

Method of Evaluation:                      2 Examinations; Midterm and Final

Criteria Used in Evaluation             Students are assessed by examinations, designed to test the student’s ability to recall facts, apply concepts, and analyze and synthesize the information (comprised of one mid-term and one final examination worth 40% and 60% respectively).

Minimum Standards for                   A minimum score of 70% (grade of B-) constitutes

Successful Completion of                 successful completion of this course.

This Course?                                    

What happens if the student            Course must be repeated.

Fails to meet the minimum              

standard?                                          

Name of Author of Course

Syllabus:                                             MG

Date of Initial Course                       September 04, 2007.

Offering: