Texas
A&M University-Commerce
Department
of Secondary and Higher Education
This course examines similarities
and differences between computer operating systems often used in educational settings. Experiences with DOS, Windows, UNIX, and the
Macintosh operating systems will be provided.
Emphasis will be on hardware, software, and training issues related to
these systems and to the networking of computer resources.
| Term: | Spring 2005 | Credits: | 3 hours |
| Section: | 001 | Format: | Traditional/Web Enhanced |
| Day: | Monday | Time: | |
| Location: | Sowers Education South #125 (ETEC Advanced Lab) |
| Instructor: |
Dr. Jason Lee Davis |
||
| Office: |
Young Education North – Room 114 |
||
| Phone: | 903-886-5598 | FAX: | 903-886-5603 |
| E-mail: | Jason.Davis@tamuc.edu | ||
| URL: |
http://faculty.tamuc.edu/jdavis/ |
||
| Courseware URL: | http://online.tamuc.edu/ |
||
| Office hours: | See website for current instructor schedule. Other times by appointment. | ||
One graduate ETEC course or
permission of instructor.
Upon completion to this course, the
learner should be able to…
1.
demonstrate an understanding of computer
hardware components: motherboard, CPU,
RAM, expansion bus, I/O devices, etc.
2.
demonstrate an understanding of memory storage
devices: hard drive, tape, portable
(floppy, ZIP, Pen, CF, SM, etc), optical (CD-RW, DVD-RW), etc.
3.
demonstrate an understanding of computer
networking: topologies, infrastructure,
cabling, network operating systems (NOS), etc.
4.
demonstrate knowledge and skills involved in
computer and network troubleshooting.
5.
recognize, describe, compare, and use
different operating systems on a variety of computer platforms including DOS,
Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX variants.
6.
recognize, describe, compare, and use common
computer interfaces and ports: parallel,
serial, USB, IDE, SCSI/SCSI-2, IEEE1394 (FireWire), infrared, etc.
7.
demonstrate an understanding of issues related
to system security, viruses, privacy, and compatibility.
8.
demonstrate an understanding of device drivers.
9.
connect, configure, and use common
peripheral devices: printers, scanners,
etc.
10. demonstrate an understanding of file structure
and its relationship to physical memory.
11. utilize File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to
move files between computers over a network.
12. utilize telnet applications to gain command
line and application access on remote computers over a network.
13. use various utility programs specific
to different operating systems.
Article Reviews – 15%: Students are
required to identify and review three (3) journal articles directly related to
the stated goals and objectives of the course.
The student will select three different objectives, from those listed
above, as topics for the articles for review.
Reviews should be comprehensive, in your own words, and must demonstrate
appropriate writing skills. The source
of the article reviewed MUST be cited completely and the objective addressed
must be identified. Do not post the original
article. Reviews must be
posted in the identified Discussion/Groups section in the online courseware for
group discussion by the day/time indicated.
Credit will be based on inclusion of required information as well as
quality of review and personal analysis.
Follow-up Discussions/Responses – 10%: Each student
is required to participate in self-directed, on-line discussion groups focusing
on the article reviews. On-line
discussions will be organized in groups for each of the three rounds of
reviews. One student in each group must
submit a follow-up, reflection report to the instructor in each of the three rounds of reviews. Each group member must submit at least one report
during the semester. The follow-up must address the specific articles
reviewed AND a identify topics brought out in the group’s on-line
discussion regarding that round of articles.
Discussions may include articles reviewed by members of any group.
Discussion logs will be examined by the instructor to verify full and active
participation by all group members.
Credit will be based on quality and thoughtfulness of contributions and
responses, both in on-line discussions and postings, and on reflection report
submissions.
Participation – 25%: All students must be active
participants in class activities. All
students must contribute to discussions on article reviews. Students may not use computers for non-class
activities while class is in session.
The use of computers for playing games, chatting, e-mail, or working on
assignments or discussions in other on-line courses is prohibited and will
result in a reduction in participation credit.
Students must be in attendance to earn participation credit. An occasional quiz may also be administered
with the score contributing to participation credit.
Tech Notes – 25%: Students will participate in a
number of activities designed to build skills and understanding related to the
stated course objectives. Each student
will author a one page reflection on each daily activity. Tech Notes are informal writings and may
appear in a variety of formats consisting of diagrams, procedure lists,
step-by-step directions, etc. This will
document the day’s activities and serve as the student’s opportunity to make
notes regarding the activity for future reference. The Tech Notes should be compiled in
electronic format as the semester progresses and should be e-mailed directly to
the instructor as a single file (Word document preferred) on the last day of
the semester. Credit will be based on
thoroughness and organization.
Daily Assignments - 15%: Following each physical class meeting, each student will post one question, with the corresponding answer, to the designated location within the courseware environment. The Q/A is to be taken from the class lecture/activities. Also, for each physical meeting, each student is to post an assessment of the session's content in terms of possibilities for on-line delivery of the lesson. The assessment should identify whether or not you believe the content could effectively be delivered in an on-line format and how the material/activities could be organized and conducted to facilitate such delivery if possible. (Why or Why not? How?) Daily assignments are to be posted within two days following the class meeting. On-line discussion weeks are exempt.
Assignments MUST be
completed and submitted by due date.
Full credit cannot be earned by late or incomplete assignments. 10 points will be deducted for each class day
an assignment is late. Late materials
may be rejected at the discretion of the instructor.
|
Assignments |
Weight |
Grading |
Scale |
|
Article Reviews: |
20% |
A |
90-100% |
|
Follow-up Discussions/Responses: |
15% |
B |
80-89% |
| Participation: | 25% |
C |
70-79% |
| Tech Notes: | 25% |
D |
60-69% |
| Daily Assignments: | 15% |
F |
59% or less |
| Final Exam: | 10% |
A tentative class schedule will be maintained on the class’ public
website, accessible via the instructors’ homepage. It is advised that the refresh/reload button
is clicked upon each visit to a class page to ensure that the most recent
version of the page is displayed. The
schedule is subject to change throughout the semester to accommodate and adjust
for the progress of the class, unforeseen events, etc. Check for modifications frequently. This is the student’s responsibility.
Regular class attendance is very
important. Class participation requires that
students be present. Class discussions
and activities that take place during class cannot be made up. If you do miss a class, it is your
responsibility to notify the instructor in advance, to contact class members to
find out what occurred in that class and to make up that work. For computer work, it is your responsibility
to check for compatibility if you wish to use computers other than those
provided in the lab. If you have any
questions, contact your instructor. No
make-up work will be given.
Students requesting accommodations for disabilities must go through the Academic Support Committee. For more information, please contact Disability Resources & Services, Halladay Student Services Bldg., Room 303D, Frank Perez 903-886-5835 or Phyllis Fink 903-886-5150
All students enrolled at the
University shall follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior
conductive to a positive learning environment (see Student’s Guide Handbook, Policies
and Procedures, Conduct).
The classroom is NOT the place to
make and receive personal phone calls.
This distractive activity is extremely disrespectful of the instructor
and other students and is disruptive to the classroom environment. Cell phones may not be used during class and
should be turned OFF upon entering the classroom. Emergency exceptions must be approved by the
instructor prior to the beginning of class.
Violation will result in significant loss of participation credit.
All works submitted for credit must be original works created by the scholar uniquely for the class. Plagiarism: Using works created by others without proper citation is not tolerated and may result in expulsion from the course and the graduate program. Auto-plagiarism: It is considered inappropriate and unethical, particularly at the graduate level, to make duplicate submissions of a single work for credit in multiple classes, unless specifically requested by the instructor. Work submitted at the Graduate level is expected to demonstrate higher order thinking skills and be of significantly higher quality than work produced at the undergraduate level. Writings must exhibit correct form, style, and grammar and demonstrate the student’s ability to communicate clearly and effectively in the English language. (Also see Student’s Guide Handbook, Policies and Procedures.)
Bourne, S. R.
(1983) The UNIX system.
Boyce, J., Tidrow,
R., et al. (1996) Inside Windows 95
Deluxe Edition.
Capron, H. L. (2000) Computers: Tools for an information age.
Glass, G., & Ables,
K. (1999) UNIX for programmers and users.
Gorman, M. S. & Stubbs, S. T.
(2001) Introduction to operating systems:
A survey course. Thompson
Learning/Course Technologies.
Lin, F. (1993) The DOS 6 coursebook.
McMullen, J. (1995) The complete idiot’s guide to UNIX.
Nemeth, E.,
Snyder, G., Seebass, S., & Hein, T. R.
(1995) UNIX
system administration handbook.
(2nd ed.)
Phillips, H. L. (2001) Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional for
power users: New perspective series.
Schumer, L. & Negus, C. (1995) Special edition using UNIX. (2nd ed.)
Shelly, G. B., Cashman,
T. J., Vermaat, M. E., & Walker, T. J. (2000) Discovering Computers 2001: Concepts for a connected world.
Topham, D. (1990) The first book of UNIX.
Rev. 1/21/2005