Course Syllabus
Course Outcomes
This course is designed to prepare you for the workplace by helping you
become comfortable using a computer. When you complete this course,
you should be able to do the following:
1. Explain how a computer operates.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of laws and ethics related to computer
and Internet use.
3. Use the Internet to find information and cite sources correctly.
4. Demonstrate correct keyboarding techniques.
5. Create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Required Materials
1. A program called myitlab, which is used for some of the graded
exercises
2. A computer with Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Vista*
3. A broadband Internet connection
4. Microsoft Windows, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 or 2010 (2003
will not work for this course)
5. Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
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CTECH 41: Computer Technology
This course was created for Office 2007. You can use Office 2010 to
complete this course. There are some small differences between the course
and Office 2010 but the main concepts are same.
*The Windows Vista Operating system will work for this course; however, some of the content in CTECH 41 is based on Windows XP. You are
welcome to take this course using Vista, but you may need to get some
extra help if you are not familiar with how to save and organize files using
Vista. Most students should not have problems using Vista.
Please see the “MyITLab Setup” section for help with setting up the
myitlab software and more specific details about what type of computer
and software you will need.
Prequisites
This is an introductory computer class, so there isn’t much you need to
know before getting started. It’s a good idea to have taken a keyboarding class first, but it isn’t a requirement. BYU Independent Study offers
INFOP 41 if you would like to take keyboarding.
Course Organization
Lessons
This course consists of twelve lessons and a final exam. Lessons 5, 9, and
10 use the myitlab program required for this course. Myitlab is explained
in more detail below.
Self Checks
After the discussion material for each objective you will have the opportunity to check your understanding by completing the Self Check questions. Although these are not graded, they are an important part of the
course for two reasons: First, they let you know if you are ready to move
on. Second, they prepare you for the Speedback assignments and the
final exam. If you do not feel ready to move forward after completing a
set of Self Check questions, try reviewing the lesson material again. You
should use the grade tracking sheet at the end of this syllabus to keep
track of your scores on the Self Check questions.
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Syllabus
Speedback Assignments
You will be responsible for completing four Speedback assignments.
These assignments come from lessons 1 though 3 and from lesson 6. The
Speedback assignments are found at the end of the lesson and consist
entirely of multiple choice questions. Questions in Speedback assignments come directly from the lesson content. After completing each
Speedback assignment, pay attention to the feedback I give you for any
wrong answers. The feedback will help you understand why you got the
question wrong and how you can prepare to answer similar questions
correctly on the final exam.
Cumulative Speedback Reviews
This course includes three Cumulative Speedback Review assignments—
one in lesson 4, one in lesson 7, and one in lesson 11. These assignments
test whether you understand all of the concepts covered previously and
will help you prepare for the final. The first cumulative review is worth
four percent of your grade, and the last two are each worth five percent
of you grade. You should treat the reviews like the final exam—don’t use
your notes or any other materials.
MyITlab Activities
Myitlab is a program that provides instructional movies and also graded
software simulations. In lessons 5, 9, and 10 you will be watching short
movie demonstrations from the myitlab Web site and then completing
graded exercises, which are designed to see if you learned the skills from
the movies. Myitlab requires you to set up an account and enroll in CTECH
41 on their Web site. See the MyITLab section for instructions on how
to do this. It is vital that you set up your account before beginning the
course, because you will not be able to complete the graded exercises
without the myitlab program.
At the end of Lesson 10 you will submit a brief summary about
MyITLab. Once this summary is submitted, I will transfer your grades
from the myitlab grade book to the BYU grade book. After I have transferred these grades you cannot go back and improve your scores in myitlab
without paying a resubmission fee. Be sure you are satisfied with
your myitlab grades before submitting your summary.
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CTECH 41: Computer Technology
Portfolio Assignments
You will be required to demonstrate the skills you have learned by completing portfolio assignments as you proceed through the lessons. You
will save these assignments on your computer and turn them in during
lessons 8 and 12 for grading. Checklists will be provided in these lessons
so you will know exactly what you need to turn in. These assignments
are not optional and must be turned in to receive credit for this course.
Your grade for lessons 8 and 12 will be based on the scores you receive
for the assignments you turn in. Each portfolio submission is worth ten
percent of your grade.
You will submit your completed portfolios to Independent Study electronically through your course. To make sure that I can open the written
portions of your portfolio, please save it as an .RTF (rich text format) file.
Here’s how to do it:
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Type your paper in a word-processing program (such as Microsoft
Word).
When you save the file, click the Save as type: drop-down list.
Select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
Use the course number, your first and last name, and the
assignment name for the filename. For example, CTECH41_
DonChapman_ScienceReport.rtf.
Click Save.
Submit the lesson’s .RTF file through the course for grading.
Final Exam
You must complete a final exam at the end of this course with a score of
at least 60 percent to pass the course. The final exam is worth 20 percent
of your final course grade.
The final exam consists entirely of multiple choice questions. It is based
on everything you learn throughout the course. Don’t get too worried,
though. You can be successful on the final exam by following these steps:
1. As you work through the lessons, check your understanding by
answering the Self Check questions and by reviewing the concepts
you don’t understand before you move on.
2. As you complete the Speedback assignments at the end of each
lesson, take note of the concepts you find challenging.
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Syllabus
3. Before beginning the final exam, review the concepts covered in
each lesson—pay special attention to the Self Check questions
and Speedback questions.
If you follow these steps, you will be successful!
You can learn more about the exam by reading the section labeled
“Final Exam Information” at the end of the course.
Responsibility and Expectations
The great thing about an Independent Study course is just that—it is
independent. You can work at your own pace and learn by your own
individual methods. However, with an independent study course, you
must be responsible enough to do your own work, meet deadlines, and
stay on top of things.
I recommend that you make a schedule and stick to it so you don’t
end up cramming everything in at the end. For example, you could make
it your goal to complete one lesson every other week, which means you
would be finished with the lessons in about twenty-four weeks. Some
students have found that doing a few lessons early on and then waiting a
long time before continuing to work on the course is very difficult. If you
put some effort and organization into it, this course should be informative, educational, applicable, and fun!
Course Grade
Assignment Breakdown
In CTECH 41 you will be graded on four things: the Speedback assignments (including the Cumulative Speedback Reviews), the two portfolio
submissions, the graded exercises in myitlab, and the final. Your grade
for the myitlab assignments will be posted in the grade book on the
myitlab Web site. You will be instructed to send an e-mail after you have
finished all the assignments so that your grade can be recorded in the
Independent Study grade book.
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CTECH 41: Computer Technology
Grade Breakdown
ASSIGNMENT
% OF FINAL GRADE
7 Speedback Lessons
(including 3 Cumulative Speedback Reviews)
39%
2 portfolio submissions
20%
myitlab graded excercises
21%
final exam
20%
NOTE: You must pass the final exam with a 60 percent or above
to pass this course.
Grading Scale
The following grading scale will determine your final grade for this course:
Grade
Percentage
A
100–95%
A–
94–90%
B+
89–87%
B
86–85%
B–
84–80%
C+
79–77%
C
76–75%
C–
74–70%
D+
69–67%
D
66–65%
D–
64–60%
E (fail)
59% or below
This course also includes a discussion board for students to discuss
topics relevant to the course. The discussion board is located in the
“Course Resources” folder.
MyITlab setup
This course uses a program called myitlab. The instructions below will
guide you through the registration process. If you aren’t able to register
or view the movie in lesson 1, you need to stop and get help. Use the support tab on myitlab.com or call BYU technical support (toll free: 1-877-
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Syllabus
897-8085, local: 1-801-422-8524). You will not be able to complete this
course without the myitlab program.
What You’ll Need
1. Your confirmation number from BYU Independent Study
◊ This is the number given to you when you registered for
your course.
2. A student access code from myitlab
◊ This can be found inside your myitlab packet.
Your myitlab access code will look like this:
PSPMIL-CHUBB-SIDLE-SEWAN-FAKIR-GATED
3. The myitlab course ID number (CRSAB8E-410510)
4. The zip code for BYU and the school name
◊ The zip code is 84602. For the school name, select BRIGHAM
YOUNG UNIV-PROVO
5. A valid e-mail address
◊ You will be sent an e-mail confirming your login name and
password.
6. Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
◊ Myitlab will not work with any other browser.
Getting Started
Use Internet Explorer to open www.myitlab.com. Click on the “Students”
button under the “First-Time Users” heading. This will bring up the
registration questions.
Unless you’ve used myitlab in the past, click “No” when asked if you
have a Pearson account.
In the box that says “Create a Login Name,” enter the BYU Independent
Study confirmation number given to you when you registered for CTECH
41 on the BYU Web site. DO NOT USE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN
THIS BOX.
If you get confused about any of the steps simply click on the “help”
link for information about a particular section or the “video tutorial” link
for a walkthrough of the process.
After you have created an account, you will click on the “Students”
button under the “Login” heading to log in.
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CTECH 41: Computer Technology
Once you’ve logged in, click on the “Enroll in a Course” icon. Fill in
CRSAB8E-410510 for your course number and confirm that Moani
Revoir is the course instructor.
Click on CTECH 41 in the “My Courses” section to enter the course.
Note: You may be prompted several times with a message about
installing an “Active X” controller—allow Internet Explorer to install it
and move on.
For Mac Users
The new Mac compatibility solution supports Mac users running MyITLab
simulations on their machines. To access the Mac solution and for instructions how to use – Click Here!
MyITLab can also run on a Mac with an Intel-based architecture,
running under Windows via a program such as Boot Camp or Parallels.
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