Course Syllabus

Summer 2025 | CIS-1041-VO02 - Computer Applications

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Arthur Kilkelly
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Deb Grant

General Education Requirements

VSCS Digital and Technical Literacy

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course provides a hands-on introduction to office application software designed for computers and mobile devices. Topics include cloud applications, presentations, word processing, and spreadsheets. Basic computer and internet skills are required.

Essential Objectives

1. Demonstrate the ability to create resources and set appropriate permissions for cloud-based files and applications and apply file management principles on local and remote networks.
2. Explain the function and the primary features of a word processing program and create documents appropriate for academic and business environments.
3. Design and build a spreadsheet using professional formatting, names, labels, tables, values, formulas, functions, and absolute and relative references.
4. Use spreadsheet software to present and analyze quantitative information, draw conclusions, and evaluate the reliability of those conclusions.
5. Use presentation software to demonstrate proficiency in using text, graphs, organizational charts, tables, artwork, drawing tools, animation, and multimedia.
6. Demonstrate effective, safe, and ethical searching, evaluating, communicating, and citing of digital information.
7. Discuss academic, legal, and ethical issues related to computers, artificial intelligence, and information processing, including fair use standards, academic integrity, and user accessibility.
8. Discuss how digital media perpetuates or disrupts systems of inequality.
9. Determine the appropriate devices and software for a variety of tasks and how to accurately convey information, thoughts, and ideas.
10. Demonstrate appropriate prompt engineering when working with generative AI applications for text and media.

Required Technology

Students in this course will need access to Microsoft 365. This software is available on CCV lab computers at CCV academic centers and to CCV students free of charge through a download of Microsoft 365. Information on how to download Microsoft 365 can be found HERE.

Microsoft 365 can be installed on Windows 10/11 PC and Macintosh computers and laptops. It cannot be installed on a Chromebook. Microsoft 365 on a Macintosh computer does not include all of the features supported by Windows and there are significant menu differences.

If you have difficulty in acquiring or accessing this resource for your course, please contact your advisor or financial aid counselor.

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Summer 2025 textbook details will be available on 2024-12-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

CIS-1041-VO02 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Evaluation Criteria

Grading:

Weekly Assignments (About 10) 45%

Discussions and Participation 10%

Quizzes 15%

Mid-session Word Project, Mid-session Excel Project, Final Project and presentation 30%

All assignments must demonstrate good use of English and grammar or they will be rejected. Rejected material may be re-submitted upon revision for a full mark (i.e. no late submission deductions, providing that the original was submitted on time).

Assignments:

Assignments should always be handed in on time, since they reflect the work done up to that point, and will lose points if they are late.

Since this course requires that you become familiar with on-line tools, all assignments must be submitted electronically using Canvas.

There will also be graded on-line discussions using the discussion board on Canvas.

Keeping a Record:

It is strongly recommended that you save all the work that you do, and It is strongly advised that you keep a backup of all your work on a flashdrive or external hard drive, and that you backup regularly. You may need to refer back to it later in the semester. Computers sometimes are the recipients of a wonderful cup of coffee or juice, which renders them useless!

In case of error or dispute, an assignment that cannot be produced on demand will be given a zero grade.

Plagiarism:

The college takes a dim view of plagiarism, and so do I. Frankly it doesn't do any good to anybody. If you were to get a high mark through devious or dishonest means, you may end up being asked now or later to do something that you are not capable of, with the expectation that you are competent. The resulting inefficiency could cost your job at worst, or at least a reprimand, and don't expect to get good references when you want to move on! Remember; in legal terms plagiarism is theft and fraud rolled into one.

CCV's policy is that if you are found to have plagiarized a work, you automatically fail the course and a note is entered onto your permanent record. The second offense results in expulsion from the college. In my courses if anybody is found to have plagiarized a work, a meeting will be set up with the offending student(s), their advisor(s), and myself to discuss the issue.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation will be assessed by a student's contribution to the discussion forum each week. The forum will close Sunday at midnight. Missing three (3) contiguous weeks will require contacting me to establish the commitment to continue, and the requirements for catching up, prior to returning to the course.

Please see "Discussions" above.

Please e-mail me if you have to miss a class.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Assignments are due the week after they are set. Late work will lose points after the first week. Any exercise submitted on time, but is either unreadable electronically or does not meet the criteria for that week's exercise, can be re-submitted for a better grade and practice.

All assignments will be submitted through Canvas.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.