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

This class is designed as a tutorial type of class. 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, details for each class date will be provided on Canvas which will include lessons, exercises, and assignments which will come from the MyLab IT course. Class time will be used for those who have questions about the simulation exercises that are assigned. Attendance for each class meeting will be taken. It is unlikely that Zoom will be used at all, only on an as-needed basis. If Zoom will be used, the meeting times and links to the Zoom classroom will be available through the Canvas course page.

There will be two regular exams will given during the semester, one on Excel and one on Access which will also use the MyLab IT course. You must be present in class for the exams.

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 10/11 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.

Students are expected to:

• attend class meetings during designated times
• actively participate in course interactions such as discussions
• 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, TA, and each other as a learning resource

Spring 2024 Books and Technologies

Required Text
MyLab IT with Pearson eText for Exploring Microsoft Office 2019 Pearson Publishers, $109.99 instant access via Canvas
Required Technologies and On-Line Accounts
Canvas for course materials, announcements, exams
Zoom for occasional live class meetings

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 Kahoot quiz participation.

Attendance is not recorded for a grade. 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.

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 exercises that are posted on Canvas. It is your responsibility to ask questions if you need clarification.

All exercises and 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.

“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 (40%)

Throughout the semester there will be simulation exercises that you can do on your own time, as well as several homework assignments. Both the simulations and the graded homework projects will come from the MyLab IT course.

Lecture class meetings will be used as help time for the simulation exercises. If you are having trouble with them, come to class so that you can get some help stepping through the simulations. All of the simulation exercises will be graded and worth 15% of your grade.

Additional homework assignments will also come from the MyLab IT course and consist of graded projects, similar to the lab projects. They will be worth 25% of your grade.

Assignments are to be turned in by 11:59 pm on the date specified on the assignment specs. Late submissions will be accepted with points deducted as specified in the assignment specs.

Depending on the influx of last minute questions, I may not be able to answer all questions sent within the 24 hour period before an assignment is due.

Lab (20%)

This course does have a lab component (CPSC 2201) that meets every Friday. There will be projects each week in lab, as well as quizzes. The lab projects will be 20% of your grade (the lab quizzes 10%).

• 1: CRN 20585   9:05 am – 9:55 pm F 112C McAdams
• 2: CRN 20586 10:10 pm – 11:00 am F 112C McAdams

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

Labs for this course start Friday, January 19th. 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 the lecture simulations and activities. You will need to be present for lab and logged on to Canvas to complete the quiz. No notes or outside resources will be allowed to be used during the quiz. There are NO make-up quizzes.

Please note that the lab periods are only 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, 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.

Tests (15% each)

There will be two exams during the semester, one at the end of Excel (tentatively scheduled on March 4), and one at the end of Access (tentatively scheduled on April 22).

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.

Attendance is mandatory on exam days. 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.

Grading Scale

Performance in this course will be evaluated by homework assignments, lab, lab quizzes, exams, lab exam, and the final exam, computed as follows:

Grading	Grading Scale
Homework Assignments: 40%      Simulations 15%      Homework Projects 25% Lab 20% Lab Quizzes 10% Tests 30% (15% each)	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.