CS 8 - Spring 2016

Instructor: Toby Gustafson
Office: Winston Chung Room 316
Office Hours: TR 2:00PM - 3:30 PM
Email: gusta@cs.ucr.edu



Lectures
Required Class Material
Grading
Labs
Midterms
Cheating Policy
Final Grades (updated June 9)



Lectures
Section Days and Times Room
001 TR 12:40 - 2:00 MSE 104
002 TR 3:40 - 5:00 MSE 104
003 TR 5:10 - 6:30 MSE 104



Required Class Material (See instructions below for each):

Textbook: Computing Technology For All (zyBooks) Labs: Learn CS8
MyITLab
 

Please read the following carefully:

Most of the material for the class can only be purchased online and is not available in the UCR bookstore. Note that none of these websites are affiliated with UCR in any way, so any online purchases must be done using a credit card or (in some cases) Paypal. I apologize if this is an inconvenience for anybody, but was done to save money.

The textbook is is an e-book and costs $23. Go to zyBooks, click on the Get Started button under the "Students" section, and follow the directions for creating an account. You will need to enter UCRCS8Spring2016 for the zyBook code. The textbook can only be purchased online.

When creating your zyBook account, you will be asked to enter an email address. You must use your UCR email address that ends in "ucr.edu" and not a personal email address.

The first few labs of the quarter will be done from a web site called LearnCS8. The cost is $15. Access to these labs can only be purchased online. Note: the site uses Paypal for payment, but you do not need to have or create a Paypal account (they have a "purchase as guest" option).

You will be asked for your Student ID number when registering for the LearnCS8 site. Please enter it as one 9-digit number, such as 860123456.

Starting in week 3, most labs will be done from a web site called MyITLab. The cost is $69.

Note that you can purchase a MyITLab access code from the bookstore or you can sign up directly from the MyITLab site using a credit card. Either way, the cost is the same.

While registering for MyITLab, you will be asked for the version of Microsoft Office being used. You should select Microsoft Office 2013. You will also be asked to enter the Course ID for this class. You should enter the following value: gustafson44963

After you have created your account, you need to enter your Student ID number into MyITLab and change the timezone settings.

Note: Failure to enter your Student ID will result in your lab scores not being included in your grade calculations. Please perform the following steps as soon as you create your account:

  1. Login to your MyITLab account
  2. Open Getting Started Tab
  3. Open Time Zone and Student ID (screenshot)
  4. Enter Student ID as one 9-digit number, such as 860123456 (screenshot)
  5. For the Time zone dropdown, select (GMT -08:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada; Tijuana)
  6. Scroll down and click the submit button to save

Warning to Mac OSX users: Some exercises cannot be completed if using a Mac. Therefore, if you have any problems, you should use a MS-Windows or lab computer.

If you have any technical issues with MyITLab, call the 24-hour Pearson tech support at 844-292-7016.

The following is a link to a mp4 video that details how to use MyITLab: HowToUseMyITLab.mp4

If you experience a Server Error in '/Pegasus' Application error, you need to perform a so-called "browser tune-up." The following link has details: MyITLab Support




Grading
Midterm 1 20%  
Midterm 2 20%  
Midterm 3 20%  
  Labs 30%  
  zyBooks Activities 10%  
 
  Note: There is no final exam.
Grading Scale


Labs

Labs are held in Winston Chung room 132 or 133 (check your class schedule). They start on Monday, March 28 (yes, the first day of instruction, even though the first lecture is not until Tuesday).

Lab attendance is mandatory for at least the first 3 weeks. After the third week, the TAs and I will evaluate whether to make lab attendance optional or not.

In the first lab, you will receive a CS8 computer account and a password that allows you to access the computers in the lab room. Make sure to write down your login and password in a place you will not lose it, but please be careful not to share your password with anyone else.

If you have any problems with your account, please go to the TA for help. If the TA cannot resolve the issue, you can go to the Systems Group office in Winston Chung Room 105 for assistance. Their office hours are from 2PM - 4PM every day, though you can knock on the door any time to see if somebody is available.

In order to save time during the labs, it is highly recommended that you register on the LearnCS8 and MyITLab sites at least a few days before the first lab for each.

For the LearnCS8 labs, you will need to show your work to your TA for grading in order to receive credit. For the MyITLabs, on the other hand, you will submit them through the website and they will be graded automatically. Please note that MyITLab allows you to save a lab without submitting so you can continue from where you left off later. However, if you forget to submit a lab, it will not be graded and you will not receive credit.

No late lab assignments will be accepted without a doctor's note or other evidence of a serious situation which prevented you from being able to do school work for several days.

The following table shows the lab assignments for each week.

Week Dates Lab Assignment
1 Mar 28 - Apr 1 Receive accounts for lab computers (can start LearnCS8 - Lab 1)
2 Apr 4 - 8 LearnCS8 - Lab 1
3 Apr 11 - 15 MyITLab - Creating Documents with Microsoft Word 2013
4 Apr 18 - 22 LearnCS8 - Lab 2
MyITLab - Using Tables and Templates to Create Resumes and Cover Letters
5 Apr 25 - 29 MyITLab - Creating a Worksheet and Charting Data
6 May 2 - 6 MyITLab - Using Functions, Creating Tables, and Managing Large Workbooks
7 May 9 - 13 LearnCS8 - Lab 3
MyITLab - Getting Started with Microsoft Powerpoint
8 May 16 - 20 MyITLab - Formatting Powerpoint Presentations
9 May 22 - 27 MyITLab - Getting Started with Microsoft Acccess 2013
10 May 29 - Jun 3 MyITLab - Sort and Query a Database

TA Lab Schedules

SectionDay / Time TAEmailRoom
21M 8-10Pritom Ahmedpahme002@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
22M 10-12Pritom Ahmedpahme002@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
23M 1-3Pritom Ahmedpahme002@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
24M 3-5Xin Liangxlian007@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
25T 8-10Sanjana Sandeepssand024@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
26T 10-12Kazi Islamkisla001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
27W 8-10Jieyang Chenjchen098@ucr.eduWinston Chung 133
28W 10-12Tanaya Vadgavetvadg001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
29W 1-3Jieyang Chenjchen098@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
30W 3-5Kazi Islamkisla001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
31R 8-10Tanaya Vadgavetvadg001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
32R 10-12Jieyang Chenjchen098@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
33F 8-10Kazi Islamkisla001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 133
34F 10-12Xin Liangxlian007@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
35F 1-3Shiva Ramachandransrama003@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
36F 3-5Reeta Kumarirkuma006@ucr.eduWinston Chung 132
37M 5-7Tanaya Vadgavetvadg001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 129
38M 7-9Ignacio de Castro PĂ©rezideca001@ucr.eduWinston Chung 129



Midterms

The midterms are not cumulative.

You must bring the following to each midterm:

Note that cell phones and other electronic devices must be put away during the midterms.

Midterm schedule:

Midterm # Date Chapters
Midterm 1 Thursday, Apr 21 1 - 3
Midterm 2 Thursday, May 12 4 - 6.3
Midterm 3 Thursday, Jun 2 6.4 - 9



Cheating Policy

Cheating on midterms or lab assignments will not be tolerated. Anyone caught cheating will receive an "F" in the class, even for the first offense.