CMSC 102 - Introduction to Information Technology : Spring 1999

Instructor : Evan Golub                    Office : 1115 AVW    (301)405-0180
Teaching Assistant : TBA                   Office : 1151 AVW
Office Hours : TBA and posted on office doors

Course Description : An introduction to computer terminology and
concepts of computing.  Hands on experience with tools available on
the Internet to find information, as well as microcomputer
applications such as a word processor and a spreadsheet package.

Student Goal : To be able to use the tools and information available
on the Internet to gather ideas and facts, and to then organize and
format gathered information (both on and off the net) in a
professional manner using the software packages for the personal
computer.

Required :
	- Nothin' But Net w/OnLine Guide by Evan Golub & Jandelyn Plane
		Available at the University Book Store in the Stamp Union
	- Blank Diskettes : Four 3.5 inch high density
	- Brown Envelopes (letter sized) : Four
	- A WAM print account [you should already have a WAM login account]

Also required will be one of :
	- The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll
	- Where Wizards Stay Up Late by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon
	- Net.Wars by Wendy Grossman
	  (who needs which book will be discussed in class)

Grading :
	Semester Exams - 2
		Exam 1			(15%)
		Exam 2			(15%)
	Projects - 6
		Editor and UNIX		( 3%)
		Word processor and FTP 	( 4%)
		Searching for information
			Part 1		( 3%)
			Part 2		( 5%)
		Web page creation      	( 6%)
		Spreadsheet            	( 6%)
		Internet research      	( 3%)
	Paper				( 8%)
	Online Skills Exam		( 4%)
	Final Exam			(28%)

  Assignments will be due at the beginning of class time of the section
for which you are registered on the date specified in the project
descriptions. Assignments will not be accepted at a later time without a
VALID MEDICAL EXCUSE.  NOTE: Since you are g iven an extended period of
time in which to work on a given assignment, the medical excuse will need
to cover an extended period of time as well.  A letter from your physician
with his/her phone number and the dates for which you were incapacitated
WILL b e required at a minimum. Even with a valid excuse, you will still
be expected to hand in your assignment, but will be given appropriate
time.  Any assignment handed in late, after class, in a class section
other than the one for which you are registered, in my office, at the
undergraduate office, in my mailbox, or place other than at the start of
class will receive a grade of zero. Assignments are to be done
INDIVIDUALLY.  Working in ANY way with other students will be considered
cheating.  Cheating is (o f course) PROHIBITED.  A student found to be
cheating on a project, paper or exam will receive a zero for that project
and will be reported to the honor council for an academic review. 

  The semester exams will be given during the normal class period.  The exam 
will be given at the beginning of the period.  The second half of the period 
may be a class session.  University IDs must be available for inspection 
on exam day.  You should bring a blue or black pen with you to your seat 
on an exam day.  

  With acceptable documentation of medical excuse a make-up exam will be
given at the instructor's convienence.  This documentation must be provided
at the class session following the exam, or in the case of extended absense
due to medical reasons, the class session immediately following the end of
the excused period. A medical excuse will need to be documented by your
physician or from the University Health Center's Social Services Department
in the health center.  If a student expects to miss an exam for
a university function they are REQUIRED to attend, an explanation from a
faculty member will be required IN ADVANCE.  As with projects, cheating on
exams is PROHIBITED.  This includes looking at another student's exam, showing
another student your exam, using any notes during the exam.  Students caught
cheating in any way will receive a zero on the exam and will be reported to
the honor council for an academic review.


Topics
 Hardware/Software/Operating Systems/Networks : Introduction and Terminology
 Introduction to the Internet
 The UNIX Operating System
 Brief introduction to the PC, Windows and WordPerfect
 Using on-line Resources via Telnet
 Exploration of On-line Library Resources
 Introduction to Database Theory and Some On-line Databases
 The World Wide Web : Accessing, Searching, Creating
 Introduction to Spreadsheets and Quattro Pro
 Some Basic Concepts in Statistics
 Issues in Credibility and Reliability of Sources on the Internet
 Social and Legal Issues Relating to the Internet


Projects & Papers
  There will be six projects during the semester.  Several of the
projects will have multiple parts each of which may have a separate
due date.  On average, you can expect to have a project due every
other week.

  There will be a paper assigned during the semester.  It will be based on 
one of the books listed above and will be assigned near mid-semester.  It 
is recommended that you do not begin reading the book until the paper is 
assigned.  The paper will be due approximately three weeks after it is assigned.

Exams
The (probable) semester exam dates are March 16th and April 29th.

The final exam will be on Wednesday May 19th at 4:00 P.M.

There will also be an on-line skills exam at the end of the term.  The details 
of this will be given in class.