Midlands Technical College
Information Systems Technology Syllabus


NAME OF COURSE:


Introduction to Information Technology

COURSE PREFIX:

CPT 104

PREREQUISITES:

RDG 100 and MAT 100 or MAT 039

CREDIT:

3.0

TEXT:

Technology in Action, Complete, 5th edition. by: Evans,  Martin, & Poatsy. 2007. Pearson/Prentice Hall Publisher.
ISBN#: 0-13-513720-9. 

An Introduction to Programming Using Alice. by: Herbert, Charles W. 2007.  Thompson/Course Technlogy.              ISBN#: 1-4188-3625-7


COURSE DESCRIPTION
: This is the introductory course for all IST students. It covers computer architecture, basic networking, operating system concepts, Internet concepts, PC selection issues, e-mail usage, information security issues, and relevant contemporary topics. This course also provides an introduction to computer programming.

 

GENERAL EDUCATION CORE COMPETENCY STATEMENT: This course is designed to meet the college's general education core competency for:

Computer Literacy - Graduates should possess the computer skills to locate, retrieve, and synthesize data to create a document or presentation appropriate to the area of study.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to perform the following tasks:

1. Identify the major components of a microcomputer, demonstrate data input and output operations, install and uninstall applications.
2. Use system utility programs to identify running processes and their memory use and for routine maintenance operations.
3. Explain how system software and application software differ. Describe some categories of application software and explain the benefits of using such software.
4. Demonstrate an understanding how computers store and manipulate information. Identify the storage media appropriate for specific tasks.
5. Use system utilities to perform file management functions such as creating, copying, deleting, and moving files and folders. Also be able to perform these tasks at the command prompt.
6. Be able to understand and modify environment variables such as the PATH variable.
7. Explain measures of computer system effectiveness and the relationship of these measures to computer pricing.
8. Convert between base 10, binary, and hexadecimal representations of numbers, including 2's complement representation for signed integers. Add, subtract and perform bit-wise AND and OR operations on binary numbers.
9. Carry out routine e-mail tasks, to include creating new mail, using reply and forward, creating and using mail folders, using address lists, sending attachments.
10. Be able to explain what an operating system does, and give some examples of operating systems.
11. Be able to discuss advantages and limitations of mobile computing devices.
12. Discuss basic networking concepts, identify by use and description network cables and devices, setup a peer to peer network or shared Internet connection, and explain the layers of the OSI model and their functions.
13. Discuss IT security and privacy issues and know how to utilize security features built into at least one microcomputer operating system.
14. Explain daily tasks for a variety of Information Technology careers.
15. Explain how search engines work and demonstrate the use of a search engine for complex searches.
16. Explain what the Internet and the WWW are, how documents and devices on the Internet are identified, and the difference between a dynamic and a static webpage. Build a simple webpage using a text editor and upload the page to a web server. Be familiar with several browsers.
17. Explain what an algorithm is and how information systems are developed. Write a simple program that accepts input from a user, processes that output, and displays the result.
18. Be able to instantiate objects, call and define methods with and without parameters, respond to events and use selection and iteration in a programmable system.

 

Achievement of these outcomes will be measured by a combination of class participation, and performance on projects, quizzes and examinations.

 

COURSE COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES:  As part of the Information System Technology Department’s ongoing learning outcome assessment activities, the following competencies have been developed to support the stated learning outcomes, together with performance measures to assess the students' success in attaining those competencies.

Course Competency: Demonstrate ability to instantiate objects, call and define methods with and without parameters, respond to events and use selection and iteration in a programmable system by creating a hands-on project. The project should require the creation of a program which demonstrates how to

1.    create objects given an existing class model;

2.    define new methods, with and without parameters, for an existing class;

3.    use the objects that are created to call the methods created;

4.    add an event to a program and create an event handler which responds to that event;

5.    use selection and iteration.

Measurement Instrument and Success Criteria: The project will be evaluated on a standard rubric. The success criteria is 50% of the students will score 9 or higher on an evaluation rubric with a maximum of 15 points.

 

GRADING SCALE:

  A

94 - 100

  B

87 - 93

  C

78 - 86

  F

Below 78

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY: The number of absences allowed is 15% of the number of class meetings. There will be no exceptions.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic integrity questions should be resolved by consulting the Student Code as documented in the Midlands Technical College Student Handbook. All issues of academic dishonesty will be referred to the director of Campus Life.

 

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact a counselor in the Disability Resource Center, 822-3510 and 738-7678. TTY telephone (Airport 822-3401, Beltline 738-7800)

 

The College may be closed because of inclement weather. This news should be available on the website at Midlands Technical College, at the main phone number at 738-1400, and announced on WIS-TV and radio. Please check frequently in changeable weather for closings and re-openings. If the College closing or reopening means that you will have at least 30 minutes of a class, you should come to class. Please do not call the IST Department office or the President’s office with closure questions.