Course Objective

This course will provide students the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to solve problems in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access. Lecture sessions and hands on tutorials will be used to introduce students to the Excel and Access platforms and to help them build proficiency in those platforms. Assignments will challenge students to apply those skills to solve real world problems and prepare them to transfer their knowledge of Excel and Access to new situations. It is vital for students to understand what Excel and Access do and why they are used to solve certain problems in order to prepare them for real world scenarios and help them retain their knowledge and skills beyond the classroom. (3 Credit hours, 2 Lecture hours)

Corequisites for this course: CpSc 2201 lab.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to create well formatted, advanced, work sheets in Excel that include formulas, functions, logical functions, PivotTables, PivotCharts, and macros.
• Students will be able to use Excel to analyze data, both visually and statistically.
• Students will be able to manage and analyze large datasets in Excel.
• Students will be able to design a database using Entity-Relationship diagrams and translate that diagram into a database in Access.
• Students will be able to insert, update and query a database in Access.
• Students will be able to create forms in Access to insert, update and query a database in Access.
• Students will be able to generate reports in Access that analyze the data stored in an Access database.

Course Delivery Plan

Portions of this semester will consist of virtual classes, and portions may also consist of a hybrid teaching approach, where different groups of the class attend on different days. Whether the student is expected to attend in-person or online, attendance for each class meeting will be expected and taken.

The rule of thumb with computer science classes is that for every hour of lecture, 2-3 hours of out-of-class work is expected in order to understand and retain the material. With that in mind, the content for each lecture (whether fully virtual or hybrid) will be provided online as pre-class asynchronous instruction that students will be required to watch prior to class. There will also be slides provided on Campuswire (assuming the approval to use that comes in soon), which will include polling questions for you to answer. These will be graded on participation.

The “in-class” meetings (whether fully virtual or hybrid) will be conducted using Campuswire (instead of Zoom). Details about Campuswire will be shared via a Canvas announcement. During hybrid portions of the semester, the groups who attend on a different day will be able to also participate and ask questions using Campuswire. The real-time meetings will be for question/answer sessions, if students have any questions or need any clarifications. For the lecture sessions where students do connect and ask questions, those will be recorded and posted so that students can go back and re-watch the class sessions and see what questions students had. If you miss a live meeting, you will be able to watch the recorded one via a link on Canvas.

All quizzes/exams will be given using Canvas. Canvas quizzes can contain multiple choice, matching, fill-in the blank, and T/F types of questions. CampusWire provides a lecture platform, live video (instead of Zoom), discussion boards (instead of Piazza, for questions, office hours), real-time chat rooms (instead of email); it also keeps track of the number of interactions (questions posted, responses to posts, etc) by each student. Your participation in the polling questions will be used toward a participation grade.

Student Requirements and Expectations

Students are required to:

• have a functioning laptop computer with a webcam and microphone for this course. Your laptop should be running Windows 10 or MacOS X 10.14 or later. You are also strongly encouraged to have a working set of headphones with microphone for engaging via remote technologies, especially in situations where privacy may be warranted (such as discussing course grades with your instructor).
• have a reliable broadband internet connection so that you may engage in the remote delivery components for this course; if your internet is unreliable, you should email ithelp@clemson.edu and ask for assistance.
• have Microsoft Office 2019 with Excel and Access, though you may be able to get by with older versions. Note that MS Access is not available on a Mac. You may connect virtually to your account at Clemson via Citrix at https://cuapps.clemson.edu (Links to an external site.) choose “Desktops” at the top, then “CU Virtual Desktop”.

Students are expected to:

• attend the virtual class meetings during designated times during the fully virtual portion of the semester if/when there are questions or the student needs help
• attend the in-class meetings during designated times during the hybrid portion of the semester and virtually otherwise if/when there are questions or the student needs help
• actively participate in course interactions such as discussions and synchronous sessions
• log into Canvas at least once a day to check for announcements and other materials being added to modules, which might include lecture materials as well as homework and quiz information
• communicate with the instructor, TAs, and each other as a learning resource

Fall 2020 Books and Technologies

Textbooks
No required textbook I may ask you to complete readings or watch videos on your own outside of class, but those will be freely available and posted on Canvas.
Campuswire (or Zoom) for live synchronous class meetings and office hours. More info on Campuswire will follow via a Canvas announcement. If/when it is approved for use, you will be able to subscribe. It costs $20 per student for Campuswire.

Tentative Topical Outline (the order of some topics may change)

• equations in Excel
• functions in Excel
• logic in Excel
• logical functions
• practice logical functions
• large datasets
• data tables
• what if and scenarios
• pivot tables
• pivot charts
• problem solving
• Excel review
• intro to Access, what is a database?
• ER model
• ER model 2
• covert to schema
• build schema in Access
• queries
• advanced queries
• queries practice
• forms
• reports
• databases, a retrospective

Attendance

Studies have found that the single most important factor that contributes to success in a course is class attendance. With this class, like others, each lecture builds upon preceding lectures. Missing even a single class can make it difficult to keep up with the course material. Regular and punctual attendance at all class sessions is required and expected. Roll will be taken daily via Campuswire along with polling question participation. If you do not sign in to Campuswire and/or do not participate in any polling or quizzes, you will be counted as absent.

Attendance is not recorded for a grade; however, the polling questions must be answered in order for you to get credit for the participation for that day. If you do not sign in to Campuswire, you will not be able to complete the polling questions. Being absent, excused or not, does not change the responsibility for material covered during the class, assigned work, announcements, and/or assignment modifications. For University-sponsored events, students must provide written notice prior to the event. For all other excused absences, students should provide to the instructor as soon as possible, written documentation from an acceptable outside source (e.g., school administrator or physician).

Attendance is mandatory on exam days. No make-up exams or quizzes will be given. If you arrive late (or log in late) to the quiz or exam, you will be allowed to participate, but will not be given additional time to compensate for being tardy.

For in-class meetings, if I am more than ten (10) minutes late, you should assume that I am dealing with an emergency and will not make it to class. Check your email in those circumstances for further explanation.

In the event the university should cancel classes, inclement weather, power outage, etc., any exam that was scheduled will be given at the next class meeting unless contacted by the instructor. Any assignments due at the time of the class cancellation will be due at the next class meeting unless contacted by the instructor. Students will be notified of extension or postponement of assignments or exams through Canvas.

Lab attendance each week is mandatory.

Lecture Notes, Assignments, Homeworks

You are responsible for keeping up with the lecture material and taking notes when needed. Course materials will be posted in the modules on Canvas. My notes and slides are only references. It is your responsibility to take notes and ask questions if you need clarification.

Homeworks will be posted on Canvas.

If you miss a class, you are responsible for the material and/or announcements covered during the missed class. Check your email and Canvas announcements daily. “I didn’t see this until today” is not an acceptable excuse for missing an email/announcement.

Grading

You are responsible for keeping track of your grades. I will post grades on Canvas, but Canvas may distort the way that the grades are weighted until the very end of the semester when all grades are entered. Therefore, you will need to do so yourself in order to have an accurate picture of your grade in the class.

Any emails regarding your grade must be sent from your Clemson.edu email address. I cannot discuss grades with an unverified email without risk of violating FERPA laws.

Laptop Policy

A functioning laptop with a webcam and microphone are required for this class. A reliable broadband internet connection is required for students engaging in the remote delivery components for this course. If your internet is unreliable, you should email ithelp@clemson.edu and ask for assistance. The tests and exams will be require a laptop as well.

Additionally, there are rules with regards to electronics in class that you are required to observe not only as a courtesy to your classmates but also to assure that you have the best opportunity for a positive learning experience:

1. Laptop, phone, and alarms MUST be set to mute or off before the start of class.
2. All social media sites, games, etc. MUST be turned off during class. If you engage in unauthorized communication or entertainment during class (e.g. surfing the web, instant messaging, playing games, etc.), you will be asked to close your laptop. If this activity occurs during an exam or quiz, it constitutes academic dishonesty (see following).
3. The use of earphones is prohibited during class.

Academic Integrity

Unless specified otherwise, all work for this course must be completed on your own. It is acceptable to discuss topics you do not understand with other students in the class, but do not discuss the specifics of any assignment or share assignments. Any specific questions regarding the assignment should be directed to the instructor or TA for the course.

If an assignment is assigned as a group assignment, it is only acceptable to work on the assignment with members of your own group. Any collaboration between groups would count as an academic integrity infraction.

“As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a “high seminary of learning.” Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form.”

Academic integrity is taken very seriously. The University’s Academic Integrity Policy is here. Unless otherwise instructed, you are expected to work independently on projects and labs. The instructor may use automated tools to look for similarities in code which could indicate plagiarism. Instances of copying or sharing, or cheating in any way will result in an academic dishonesty charge, which can lead to an F in the course or expulsion from the university. Each student is responsible for protecting his or her files and work from access by others. Work that is essentially the same and submitted without proper attribution is considered to be a violation of academic dishonesty policies by all those submitting the work, regardless of who actually did the work.

Lack of knowledge of the academic honesty policy is NOT a reasonable explanation for a violation.

Homework Assignments (30%)

Throughout the semester there will be several homework assignments. These will usually be assigned during the lab and are meant as a follow up to the lab assignment. They will normally be due the Thursday night before the next week’s lab. Late assignments will not be accepted. Homework assignments may build off of previous assignments or off of lab assignments.

Assignments are to be turned in no later than 11:59 pm on the date specified on the assignment handout. Late submissions will be accepted but points will be deducted according to the formula (3n)³ where n is the number of days late. Example: assuming assignments are due on Wednesday, the point deduction is as follows:

Max points possible	Day received	Days late
100	Wed	0 (due date)
73	Thu	1 day late
0	Fri	2 days late

Questions regarding assignments should be posted on the discussion board part of Campuswire (be sure to choose the category corresponding to assignments). Most emailed questions that can be posted/answered on Campuswire will likely not be responded to via email. Also, depending on the influx of last minute questions, I may not be able to answer all questions sent within the 24 hour period before the assignment is due.

Please get started early on assignments, and take advantage of the TA’s office hours that are offered.

Lab (15%)

This course does have a lab component (CPSC 2201) that meets every Friday.

• 1: CRN 89496 11:15 pm – 1:05 pm F ONLINE
• 2: CRN 89497   1:25 pm – 3:15 pm F ONLINE

Unless otherwise instructed by your lab ta, attendance at every lab session is expected and REQUIRED.

Labs for this course start Friday, August 28th. More lab details and lab syllabus information will be given at the first lab meeting.

Lab Quizzes (10%)

Most labs will begin with a short quiz over the recent material covered in lecture or the activity from the previous weeks lab and homework. You will need to be present for lab (logged in to Campuswire if online or the lab machines if in person) and logged on to Canvas to complete the quiz. No notes or outside resources will be allowed to be used during the quiz. The quiz could be proctored on Canvas and contain multiple choice and short answer questions or it could require you to complete some process in an Excel or Access file. There are NO make-up quizzes.

Please note that the lab periods are only one hour and 50 minutes long. Because of this time limitation the quiz will start as soon as class starts, and will only be available for 15 minutes. Please be in the lab (i.e. logged on to Campuswire or Zoom, whichever is used), and logged into Canvas, and ready to start the quiz at the start of class. If you are late, you will not be given extra time on the quiz.

At the end of the semester the lowest two (2) lab quiz grades will be dropped for each student. This will allow for one unexpected technical difficulties or illness in a lab.

Polling Questions / Participation (5%)

There will be some polling questions during the asynchronous lecture delivery. They will be done on Campuswire, and are intended to be used as recall exercises and as a way for everyone to gauge their progress in learning the material. They will be graded based on participation (rather than on correctness). A grade of zero will be given to those who are absent or do not complete them by the end of the day for that lecture. The three lowest grades will be dropped, however, to allow for unexpected technical difficulties or illness.

There are no make-ups for the graded polling exercises as they are attendance based.

Tests (10% each)

There will be two tests during the semester.

Each exam will be cumulative and will cover topics discussed in both lecture and lab. Notice of the exam dates will be given in advance to allow for plenty of time for preparation.

The first test will tentatively be towards the end of Sept/early Oct; the second test tentatively be late Nov/early Dec.

Attendance is mandatory on exam days. A missed exam will receive a grade of zero (0). Because writing exams is time intensive, I do not give makeup exams. If you must miss an exam for a university approved event, you must inform me at least one week in advance and you must have a university issued letter. If you miss an exam due to medical issues, you must contact me prior to or on the day of the exam. Upon recovery, we will discuss a plan to make up the exam.

Lab Exam (10%)

During the last lab meeting you will be given a Lab Exam. The Lab Exam will be one or more Excel or Access prompts that you will need to complete on your own. Unlike a normal lab, the TA will only be able to answer clarifying questions about what the prompt is asking you to do, and not actually help you complete the assignment.

Final Exam (10%)

The final exam will be cumulative. You may exempt the final exam if you have a 94 or above average and did not miss either of the two regular exams. The 94 average is based on the work graded at the time I calculate the exemption average. If you missed one of the two midterm exams you are NOT eligible to exempt the final exam.

This semester, the final exam will be on Tuesday, Dec 8th from 8-10:30 am.

Grading Scale

Performance in this course will be evaluated by homework assignments, lab, lab quizzes, class participation (polling questions), exams, lab exam, and the final exam, computed as follows:

Grading	Grading Scale
Homework Assignments 30% Lab 15% Lab Quizzes 10% Participation 5% Tests 20% (10% each) Lab Exam 10% Final Exam 10%	90 – 100 A 80 – 89.999 B 70 – 79.999 C 60 – 69.999 D Below 60 F

These percentages are tentative. I reserve the right to adjust the percentages within each category by up to 20%.

Grade Appeals

After receiving a grade from lab work, if you have a grade dispute, hold off on emailing the lab TA for 24 hours. After receiving a grade from lecture work, if you have a grade dispute, hold off on emailing your instructor for 24 hours. No grade will be discussed with students within 24 hours after the graded work has been returned to students. After that “cool off” period, any grade challenges regarding assignments, or exams, etc. must be emailed to the TA/instructor with the subject “2200 lab or quiz (etc.) regrade request”, with detailed justifications, within one week of the date the grades are available. After the one week period, no re-grade requests will be entertained.

Syllabus Modifications

Lecture topics are subject to change. The course syllabus is a general plan for the course. Deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. Deviations will be announced verbally in class and posted via an announcement on Canvas.