(Latest Revision -- Sept 3, 2006)

Course Description
for Personal Computing: CS 4000

TERM: Fall 2006

CLASS INFO FROM SCHEDULE: 
40429 CS 4000 007 Personal Computing Lec 3.0 MW 11:15-12:13 P-102
40439 CS 4002 007 Personal Computing Lab 0.0 F  11:15-12:13 P-107
For technical reasons, you are required to sign up separately for CS 4000 (lecture) and CS 4002 (lab).

INSTRUCTOR: John Sarraille, Professor of Computer Science

OFFICE: P-286, Professional Schools Building, aka "Demergasso-Bava Hall", Cal State Stanislaus

OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday, 10:00-11:00, or by appointment

(Office hours commence on Wednesday, September 6, 2006 and end on Monday December 11, 2006.
There will be no office hours on days when classes do not meet.)

E-MAIL: john@ishi.csustan.edu

HOMEPAGE: http://www.cs.csustan.edu/~john/js.html

COURSE PEREQUISITE: Upper Division Standing

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

CS 4000 - Personal Computing is about using computers effectively for personal work. The student will learn to employ a computer as a communication device and as a processor of words, numbers and images.

REQUIRED TEXT:

"Beekman-Quinn": Computer Confluence (7th edition) ; written by George Beekman and Michael J. Quinn ; published by Pearson Prentice Hall ; ISBN 0-13-152530-1

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Portable Storage for your data and backups. For example, two 3.5" 1.44 MB diskettes or a USB Flashdrive.

(There are many brands of Flashdrive with various storage capacities and compatibilities. If you get a Flashdrive make sure it is compatible with the computers and operating systems you plan to use.)

SOME COURSE DETAILS:

Class time will be divided between lecture, discussion time, quizzes, and lab activities. You will need to spend a very considerable amount of the time outside of class doing assignments and practicing with software.

I expect that you will complete each day's reading before the class begins and I prefer that you participate in class discussions.

There are lots and lots of little, yet critical, details involved in doing course projects. Many of those details are not mentioned or explained in assignment documents. I will spend time during the lecture part of the class covering such things. Please be on hand for those presentations.

Students may use a Macintosh, Windows, or other type of personal computer for doing assignments.

For those who need it, I'll be available during the weekly lab time to give instruction on the basics of using a Mac or Windows computer. Students will have the opportunity to get step-by-step help on parts of their projects. However, the time for such activity will be limited. Most students will find that they have to do a lot of this work outside of class. Forming a study group with other students is a good way to get additional help. I can help you during my office hours too.

COURSE COVERAGE: We will read all of Beekman-Quinn and discuss parts of it in lecture, as time allows.

TESTS & GRADING:

You will need to: Each of these items will be graded on a 100-point scale and each will contribute equally to your final grade. You will lose a significant number of points on any assignment that does not completely satisfy its requirements. Read assignment announcements carefully and attend class to get other essential information. If you have questions, please raise them in class or office hours, well before the assignment is due.

COMPUTER LABS:

We'll meet in P-107 on Fridays. "Wintel" computers available there for you to work with. There are "Macs" and "Wintels" available in the open lab L-145, and also in the Computer Science Lab in P-288.