Lecture A: Thursday 12:30 - 1:45 CODE: 90588  Hills Building Rm. 234

AGRI 85 LAB SCHEDULE:  All students are REQUIRED to attend one 2-hour lab per week during the semester.  The two labs are listed below.
 

GENERAL COURSE GOAL: To prepare students with a solid foundation of information technology skills and knowledge to enable them to use current and future software and hardware.

SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon satisfactory completion of AGRI 85, students will:
1.  Become familiar with information technology hardware including types of computers and telecommunication hardware.
2.  Understand the role of Operating Systems and demonstrate knowledge of command-line UNIX, and Windows98 and WindowsXP.
3.  Understand, detect, and eliminate Computer Viruses.
4.  Demonstrate proficiency with electronic communication: e-mail, signature files, and listservs.
5.  Be able to download and install software from the web.
6.  Demonstrate proficiency in presentation graphics applications by giving a presentation in front of a class.
7.  Demonstrate proficiency in word processing applications.
8.  Demonstrate proficiency in spreadsheet and graphics applications.
9.  Understand and demonstrate how to present and interpret data in graphic form.
10.  Explore and find useful data on the Internet and interpret those data.
11.  Create World Wide Web Pages.
12.  Understand the history and legacy of computing.
13.  Appreciate the utility, benefit and limitations of computers.
14.  Improve writing skills.

Required Text:

Graphing Statistics & Data: Creating Better Charts  by Anders Wallgren, Britt Wallgren, Rolf Persson, Ulf Jorner, & Jan-Aage Haaland.  1996.  SAGE Publications.  ISBN 0-7619-0599-5

 One copy of the text is available for 2-hour loan from the Reserve Desk at the Bailey-Howe Library.

GRADE POLICIES: The following categories contribute to your course grade as weighted below:
 

AUDITS:  Persons wishing credit for auditing the class are required to attend at least 9 of the 14 lectures and labs.

Exams will cover material from the reading assignments as well as discussion in lecture, and material from lab.  The format of the exams will be multiple choice.  You must be on time for exams.  If you are late for exams, you will lose points.  See Lecture Syllabus below for schedule.

Exam Reschedule or Make Up Policy: Any requests to take the exam at other than the scheduled time must be discussed with Jonathan Leonard at least one week prior to the exam. Only in the case of medical emergency, death in the family, or other extreme circumstance are missed exams excused and re-taken.  In such extreme circumstances you are to notify Jonathan Leonard within 48 hours of the event.  Keep your old graded exams for one year after the course.

Computer Lab Assignments vary in point value; the Final Lab Project is worth 150 points, the other assignments vary from 10 to 30 points each.  Exceptionally creative work may earn a grade above the point value of the assignment.  Lab assignments should be stapled together and handed in at the beginning of scheduled lab time.  YOUR NAME AND LAB SECTION MUST APPEAR ON ALL ASSIGNMENTS.  You may re-submit assignments for re-grading WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF THE DUE DATE (not accepted later); please include your old, already graded assignment, along with the re-done work.  The sooner you re-submit, the more generous your lab instructor will be in re-grading.  Save your graded homework assignments until August 2004.

LATE PENALTY:  10% off the value of the assignment per week, up to two weeks from the due date.  If the assignment is any later, NO CREDIT.

Attendance, Participation and Attitude:  Five percent of your grade is determined by attendance, class participation (how you contributed to the class), and your attitude.  In order to earn full credit you must attend all the lectures and labs and contribute to the class in a positive way by helping other students and participating in class discussions.  Unexcused absences will result in a deduction of 1 % of your course grade per unexcused absence.  Absences are excused only in cases of sickness (Physician's note), death in the family, or other extreme circumstances.  In such circumstances, notify your lecture and lab instructor within 24 hours of missing class.

PLAGIARISM:
It is expected that you will help your fellow students with techniques of computer use, but always hand in original work.  For example, if the assignment for the week was to write a 3-page paper, you are expected to help students who are not as familiar as you with the use of the word processor, i.e. how to re-format the page, re-arrange paragraphs, delete words, check the spelling, etc..  This does not mean that you can copy work or take it off the Internet without crediting it to the original source.  ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO HAND IN THEIR OWN ORIGINAL WORK.  Students have been severely penalized in the past for not following these instructions.

LAB USE POLICY:
Students may use the labs whenever there are no scheduled classes or workshops.  Schedules are posted on lab doors.  Morrill Hall Lab schedule is distributed in lecture every month.

LAB ROOM HOURS (Unless posted otherwise):

  http://www.uvm.edu/~jleonard/labsched.html

  http://cit.uvm.edu/labs/wat_hours.html

LAB HELP POLICY:  There will be some lab assistant help available in the lab during most hours.  Lab assistants may not be able to help you with all your problems with the course.  When not in a formal lab, you will be expected to rely on classmates, software manuals, class notes, online help, and lab assistants when available.  If you need extra help, make an appointment with your lab instructor.  Formal tutoring may be available.

WORK LOAD TO EXPECT:  In order to complete the work in this class you can expect to spend (on average) 6-10 hours per week OUTSIDE OF CLASS AND FORMAL LAB TIME studying and working in lab on AGRI 85 assignments.

HINTS ON DOING WELL IN AGRI 85:
You don't have to be a "rocket scientist" or "computer wiz" to do well in this class.  This is a course where you will do well if you go to class, follow instructions, do all your lab assignments on time and spend time reading and studying.

There will almost always be a rush on the computers the last few days before a major assignment is due.  This would be true unless we had a computer for every person in the course.  Plan ahead.  Use the lab in the off times, arrive early to be assured of a machine when the lab opens.  Don't wait to the last minute for completing an assignment.  If you have a job or other commitments outside of regular school work or a heavy course load be sure your work hours allow enough time to complete your assignments.

The instructions on how to complete lab assignments will be given in the formal labs.  It is your responsibility to take notes during formal lab time and make sure you understand how to complete the assignments.  Part of the learning experience in this class is using the software manuals and fellow students as references.  Although some of the Lab Assistants will be able to help, they will not be able to help you at all times; they will not do the assignments for you.

This course is designed not only to give you experience on the PC, but also to teach you computing concepts so you will be able to work through any software on any personal computer and many servers and host computers.
 
 

AGRI 85 LECTURE SYLLABUS OUTLINE, Fall 2003

Week / TOPIC	READING:
1. Intro to the course, Timeline 1     OS Video 1	Google article from Newsweek , How Search Engines work from Sci Am.  Use your zoo login and password to read online with Adobe Acrobat.
2.   Timeline 2       Anatomy of a Personal       Computer       Types of Computers       OS Video 2	How Internet e-mail works .  Text Sections 1-2 (pages 0-16)
3. Anatomy of the PC     Units of Memory & Storage      Everything is going digital,	Digital cameras from How Things Work ,   How digital cameras work from Sci Am .  Text Section 3 (pages 17-23)
4. EXAM  #1, 25 September	EXAM  #1, 25 September
5. Memory & Storage, Graphing     practice     Binary Numbers	Laser Printers , Scanners , Optical character readers , Finger Print Readers .  Text Sections 4-5 (pages 24-35)
6.  Programming Languages      Privacy Video	CD Players ,   Sound coded as bits .  Text Section 6 (pages 36-45)
7.  What is a byte?  ASCII, Security.       Software Licenses	Digital thermometers and scales ,  Analog to digital converters , Digital to analog converters Text Section 7-8 (pages 46-53)
9. Exam #2, October 23	Exam #2, October 23
The Web, Protocols, Error       checking,  Physical Media: Cables and       wires,.	Optical fibers , Competing technologies for broad band home access .  Text Sections 9-10 (pages 54-63)
10.   Satellite Imaging,       Error checking,       Image Compression	Voyager II article, Sci. Am. Nov. 1986 , Antenna intro , Smart Antennas .  Text Section 11 (pages 64-73)
11.  Buying a computer: pointing devices, monitors	Keyboards , How roller mice work ,   How roller and optical mice work , How touch pads work , How active-matrix screens work .  Text Sections 11-13 (pages 74-87)
12.  Buying a computer: System Unit        Network computers	How Hackers Break In  Sci. Am. October 1998 .  Text Sections 14-15 (pages 88-91)
13. Security and Risks       Giant Brains video       Putting computing in       perspective: History	Study your notes and previous readings for the Final!
FINAL EXAM: Friday 19 Dec., 12-Noon	234 Hills

DEADLINES FOR FINAL LAB PROJECT:

 Tuesday 25 November (4 pm): EARLY HAND IN FOR FINAL LAB PROJECT, 10% EXTRA BONUS  POINTS.  If later than 4pm, no bonus.

 Friday 5 December (4pm): :  FINAL LAB PROJECT DUE,  If late: 5% OFF PER DAY Including Saturday and Sunday!

 Friday 12 December (4pm): ABSOLUTE DEADLINE for all late projects (35% off).  Projects will not be accepted after 4pm.

Other courses you may wish to take after AGRI 85: