Course Syllabus & Disclosure Statement

Class Title: Computer Fundamentals
Instructor: Jolene M. Morris (259-6909), District Technology Coordinator
URL of this Manual: http://www.grand.k12.ut.us/compfund/index.htm
Student Grades and Attendance: Available online via SIS 2000+
Copy of This Page for Printing: Syllabus & Disclosure

Daily Class Procedure:

Pick up your assignment/grading folder.
Take a three-minute timed writing (keyboarding/typing). The orange speedskin must remain on the keyboard during the timed writing. Record your speed on your daily grading sheet. Your teacher will record a technique check about once a week.
Read the daily technology news and summarize the top two stories in your news journal. (You will take an open journal quiz on these news articles at random, unannounced times -- approximately every other week.)
Work on the assigned unit in this online course manual. Place completed assignments in your assignment/grading folder.
At the end of the class period, clean up your work area. Log out of the computer system. Be sure the orange speedskin is back on the keyboard. Return your assignment/grading folder to the kitty litter box. Push your chair in under the table. Wait to be excused from class.

Scoring:

Keyboarding Technique Checks are worth 10 points each (there will be approximately one per week).
Timed Keyboarding Tests averaged weekly. The average speed is compared with last week's average:
- 3+ wam higher = 10/10 points
- 1-2 wam higher = 8/10 points
- same as last week = 5/10 points
- 1-2 wam lower = 3/10 points
- 3+ wam lower = 0/10 points
Assignments each state how many points they are worth (from 10 to 50 points)
News Quizzes are worth 50 points each (given about every two weeks).
Unit Tests (Multiple-Choice portion) are worth 50 points each.
Unit Tests (Performance portion) are worth 50 points each.
Accumulative Tests are worth 100 points each.

News Quizzes:

An unannounced quiz (open journal) will be given on the top news stories on a periodic basis (about once every two weeks). Each news quiz will be worth 50 points and will have ten questions on it (thus each question is worth five points). District discipline policy requires a score of zero for any quiz on which a student cheats, and such quizzes cannot be re-taken.

Taking Tests:

A test will be given at the end of each unit of this online manual. Each test will consist of two parts: a hands-on exercise (worth 50 points) and a computerized, multiple-choice test (worth 50 points). The area that affects the final grade the most is the unit test/exam. You may re-take either part of the unit test/exam as many times as you like until you are satisfied with the score. Test/exam retakes may only be done before school or after school. Contact the teacher for instructions. District discipline policy requires a score of zero for any test/exam on which a student cheats, and such tests/exams cannot be re-taken.

Grading Scale:

For each school grading period (midterm or end-of-term), all points will be added and a percentage will be calculated (rounded up to the nearest whole number). The grade will be based on the following scale:

95% - 100% = A
90% - 94% = A-
87% - 89% = B+
83% - 86% = B
80% - 82% = B-
77% - 79% = C+
73% - 76% = C
70% - 72% = C-
67% - 69% = D+
63% - 66% = D
60% - 62% = D-
Below 60% = Failing

Attendance Policy / Making Up Missed Work

Students are expected to make up all work missed because of activities, absences, or tardies. Work may be completed at home, before school, or after school. Contact the teacher for instructions. Making up missed work does not excuse or erase the absence/tardy, it merely recovers the lost point(s). Unexcused absences and tardies will affect the citizenship grade but will not affect the academic grade in any way (unless missed work is not made up). Missing work counts as a zero score and will affect the academic grade. District discipline policy places restrictions on making up work missed due to truancies and suspensions.

Extra Credit:

Each unit in this online manual has at least one extra credit project. You may complete as many of these projects as you like, but they must be done on your own time (at home, before school, after school). No extra credit projects may be completed unless all assignments are completed first -- extra credit is intended to supplement low scores, it is not intended to replace missing assignments. The best way to improve your grade is to retake all tests and quizzes for a higher grade then attempt extra credit assignments.

SCANS (Workplace Skills):

The term SCANS is an acronym for the Secretary’s Commission of Achieving Necessary Skills. The U. S. Secretary of Labor commissioned a task force in 1990 to examine the demands of the workplace. The Commission's first report, "What Work Requires of Schools," identified what employees need to know and be able to do in order to succeed in any occupation. In keeping with the SCANS report, students in this class will be expected to exhibit the following five competencies:

Identifies, organizes, plans, and allocates resources of time, money, materials, facilities, and human resources.
Works well with others by participating as a member of a team, teaching others new skills, serving clients/customers, exercising leadership, negotiating, and working well with diversity.
Acquires, evaluates, organizes, maintains, interprets, and communicates information. Uses computers to process information.
Understands complex inter-relationships: understands systems, monitors and corrects performance, improves or designs systems.
Works with a variety of technologies: selects technology, applies technology to task, maintains and troubleshoots equipment.

and three foundation skills:

Basic Skills: Reads, writes, performs arithmetic and mathematical operations, listens and speaks
Thinking Skills: Thinks creatively, makes decisions, solves problems, visualizes, knows how to learn and reasons
Personal Qualities: Displays responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity and honesty

Terminology:

Pay close attention to the terminology used in the online manual and in the technology news articles. Many questions on the tests/exams and quizzes will be based on the terms used in discussing technology. Your teacher strongly believes that a computer-literate individual will understand the language of technology.

Ethics & Responsibilities:

In addition to the SCANS skills, students will be expected to learn and practice the ethics related to responsible use of technology. These ethics include acceptable use, respect for the equipment, ethical standards (honesty), knowledge of and compliance with copyright laws, etc.