Course Description:

The MET CS 101 course, entitled “Computers and Their Applications”, is intended for students majoring in disciplines other than Computer Science. The course is also useful for students who are exploring various subjects in order to determine their future major.

The focus of the course is on the organization and function of computer hardware, software and systems; essential computer applications and their relevance in today's society; the impact of networking, telecommunications and the Internet; how Information Systems are developed, managed and utilized; the affect of computers on work, home and school. This course requires laboratory work.

The course examines:

• Processor, storage, and I/O hardware components and their functions,
• Computer system taxonomy (e.g. supercomputer, mainframe, PC),
• File organization and management,
• Backup and recovery approaches,
• Operating system features and commands,
• Common office application software features and uses,
• Data Base Management Systems (DBMS),
• Internet features including e-mail, WWW, FTP and Telnet,
• Network components and architectures,
• E-Commerce business models,
• Approaches to computer and network security,
• Algorithms and basic programming,
• Systems design and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC),
• Web servers, web pages and e-Commerce,
• Societal impact of computers and the Internet.

Results:

• Identify basic hardware components and their purpose,
• Awareness of the advantages of various types of computer systems and their inter-relationship,
• Understand operating system and office software fundamentals,
• Familiar with elementary commands of operating system and office software,
• Create web pages, documents, worksheets, and presentations using office software,
• Create a basic program,
• Appreciate the benefits DBMS' provide,
• Understand the relationship between algorithms, programming, and the SDLC,
• Identify the various network models and architectures and their benefits,
• Understand the necessity of computer and network security,
• Recognize the changes in global business brought about by the Internet and e-Commerce,
• Awareness of the changes to society brought about by computers and the Internet.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Textbook:

The textbook used in this course is Tomorrow’s Technology and You, Complete, (Eighth Edition) by George Beekman and Ben Beekman. Published by Prentice Hall, the textbook is accompanied by a web site ( http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_beekman_tomtech_9 ) containing student materials (e.g. quizzes, references, and presentations), which will be utilized during the course.

Attendance:

Regular attendance and participation in each class and lab is expected, and will contribute heavily toward the Class Participation grade contribution.

Grading:

Your final grade will be determined based on the following contribution percentages:

• Midterm Exam 30%
• Final Exam 30%
• Assignments 20%
• Participation/Web Quizzes 10%
• Student presentations 10%

Grade ranges are as follows:

Midterm and Final Exams:

The Midterm and Final exams will consist of a mixture of fill-in, multiple choice, true-false, and essay questions. Exams will be closed book, and will be two hours in duration. Makeup exams will be more essay oriented, and will be scheduled for sometime prior to the start of the next semester. No Incomplete grades will be given for this course.

Assignments:

You will have seven assignments during the semester to complete, involving the development of a web site on BU's people.bu.edu hosting site.  Assignments will be done individually. Students are to email me when they have completed a given assignment.  Assignments passed in late (past the next class) will be penalized 10%, per week

Class Participation:

Participation is vital to the success of this course, and in order to participate, students must be present. So, first and foremost, participation means being in class! Other components of class participation include assignment discussions, lecture interaction, quiz involvement, and presentation of material related to the class (see below).

On a weekly basis, students may volunteer to present, for 5 minutes, an article, event or announcement related to the material covered in the course. Students will make an electronic version of the article available to me (via email), will give a synopsis of the article, and will engage the class in a discussion.

Student Presentations:

Student groups will be required to prepare and deliver a 20 minute in-class presentation and demonstration of a topic of their choice. I will provide a list of topics that you may pick from, but you are free to choose one on your own. Topics must be approved by me, and only one group may present and demonstrate a particular topic. The presentation will be done as part of a group of 2 or 3 students.

Quizzes:

Web based quizzes will be assigned as homework after most class' (excluding exam nights). Quizzes will cover the classroom material covered that evening, and will be used by me to determine how effective the coverage of the material was. Quizzes will be for grade, and make a contribution to the Class Participation grade contribution.  Quizes passed in late (past the next class) will be penalized 10%, per week

Academic Conduct:

Metropolitan College at Boston University has a well-documented Academic Conduct Code. The code defines violations (e.g. cheating on exams), documenting and hearing procedures, and disciplinary actions. Bottom line? You are here because you are capable of doing the work, and are interested in learning. Don’t put your academic aspirations at risk!

Spring 2009