Course Syllabus

Fall 2025 | CIS-1041-VO09 - Computer Applications

Online Class

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

Faculty

Mario Hankerson
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Deb Grant

General Education Requirements

Digital and Computing 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 and set appropriate permissions for cloud-based files, applying file management best practices on local and remote networks.    
2. Explain the function and primary features of a word processing program, and create, format, and edit documents appropriate for professional environments. 
3. Design and build a spreadsheet using basic formulas, functions, and formatting techniques to organize and analyze quantitative information and evaluate the reliability of conclusions.
4. Create effective, visually appealing, and professional presentations prioritizing content clarity and audience engagement.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in creating professional digital presentations that convey accurate information and are accessible, culturally responsive, and inclusive.  
6. Discuss legal and ethical issues in the use of computer applications.
7. Determine the appropriate and efficient use of software applications for a variety of tasks.  
8. Explore the emerging field of artificial intelligence and evaluate its current and potential applications in the workplace and various industries.

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 course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Integrated: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges the use of AI is an essential skill in today's world. By using genAI for specific purposes, students become equipped with relevant skills and tools necessary to thrive in a technology-driven society. Emphasizing the mastery of generative AI should empower you to harness its potential, enhancing your problem-solving abilities and preparing you for future challenges and opportunities. Be aware, however, that any time generative AI is used at any point in the assignment without attribution it may be considered a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

The instructor of this course expects students to be adept at using chatbots for assignments that do not specifically prescribe it and to provide credit when this is used either within the assignment itself or in the Assignment Comments. Failure to do so will be considered plagiarism. Students who do not know how to properly use chatbots and other generative AI tools should not use them without the necessary instruction.

This course will provide some basic instruction on effectively using chatbots and other generative AI tools but it is rudimentary and students are encouraged to use this course to help improve their professional use of these tools.

Evaluation Criteria

Assignments and Discussions: 35%
Quizzes: 25%
Projects: 30%
Self-Assessments: 10%

Attendance and Participation
This grade is based on your weekly participation in class as assigned as well as group and participatory projects. Engaging in activity that is not related to class during class will decrease your Attendance & Participation grade. Students who are late or who leave early will also see a reduction in this grade. Students may miss up to 6 hours of instruction with no impact on grade.

Quizzes
Quizzes are given online with a restricted number of attempts but a 2 week period for completion. Quizzes are based on online videos and reading as well as projects and group work.

Homework
A varying number of homework assignments are assigned weekly based on the content covered for the week.

Projects
There are three cumulative projects based on the material covered in the class allowing students to apply the skills covered in class.

Self-Assessments
Students complete web-based forms to evaluate their class and homework performance on a weekly basis.

This course is taught with textbooks and instructional materials using the Windows operating system and Windows editions of Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Microsoft Office). Students with Mac computers should either reach out to their adviser for help with obtaining a PC to work on this course or find a Windows PC for this course. Mac users who complete this course with a Mac will be responsible for looking up the differences for Microsoft 365 for Mac software.

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

Throughout this course are Demonstrate Your Learning assignments in the form of online class discussions. You will be polite and professional. You must proofread your work before you submit it checking for spelling and grammar errors. It is a very good plan to write your posts in a word processor and avail yourself of its tools then copying and pasting your posts.

You may NOT use AI tools to generate Demonstrate Your Learning responses except when specifically expected due to the assignment.

This course is designed to meet our accreditation requirements for a 3-credit class which is 135 hours of instruction and coursework. For a 15-week course, that means you're expected, on average, to engage in 9 hours of coursework per week.

Missing & Late Work Policy

This is a weekly course. The course has been designed to distribute the workload as evenly as possible over the 15-weeks of the semester, but there is some variation which is accommodated with varying deadlines.

Each class/module begins Tuesday of each week. As the semester moves on, modules will be available early. From there, different kinds of work are due after differing periods of time:

Assignments: Due noon the following Monday

Discussions: Varies. Sometimes initial post is due mid-week with replies the latter half of the week. Sometimes initial replies are due at noon the following Monday with replies the following week.

Projects: Due in 13 days - noon two Mondays from when assigned.

Quizzes: Due in 13 days - noon two Mondays from when assigned

Self-Assessments: Due noon the following Monday.

The instructor for this course will give you feedback on your projects and assignments and allow you to rework and resubmit your assignments to improve your grade. Most quizzes offer multiple attempts as well. The instructor believes that taking the time to look things up to learn about using these applications is just as important as the specific instruction provided during the course. This skill is critical for working with these applications into the future as they are updated a couple times a year and looking up better practices and better tools will make students strong users for the forseeable future.

Other guidelines on late work

• Nothing is late until it is graded.
• Late work without explanation earns 80% of possible grade.
• Instructor will work with students who are occaisionally late, but not regularly late, on possibly providing 100% credit for late work.

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.