Prerequisites

No previous experience with computers is required for this course.  HOWEVER... be prepared for a steep learning curve if you truly have NO experience.  Students with no experience should come to the drop-in labs in MGH 430 for extra help. See Home page under Labs for times and days.

This 5-credit class covers a wide range of material and will require a considerable amount of time. Students unable to spend up to 10 hours a week outside of class should consider taking this course during another term when they have more time.

Course Description

The official course description states that the class:

• Introduces skills, concepts, and capabilities necessary to effectively use information technology.
• Includes logical reasoning, managing complexity, operation of computers and networks, and contemporary applications such as effective Web searching and database manipulation, ethical aspects, and social impacts of information technology.

The Fluency Vision

This course is an introductory class that implements the recommendations of the National Research Council’s study Being Fluent With Information Technology [National Academy Press, 1999]. The report describes the knowledge and experience a person should possess to be fluent in information technology, where fluency is a more ambitious goal than computer literacy.

For more information on the goals of this class and the report, read the vision statement at the course Web site.

Required Textbooks

Two textbooks are required. Both are available at Odegaard Course Reserves for 24-hour checkout.

1. Title: Fluency with Information Technology:  Skills, Concepts & Capabilities,
   Third Ed.
   Author: Snyder, L.
   Publisher: Addison-Wesley, 2006
   ISBN: 0-321-51239-1
   Useful files for this book are available at: http://www.aw.com/snyder/
   
   
2. Title: QuickStart to Javascript, 1st Ed.
   Author: Forest Lin
   Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2000
   ISBN: 1576760189

Throughout the course, additional online materials will be identified. These materials will assist with learning HTML, databases, and JavaScript. In particular, the tutorials at W3 Schools are extremely helpful.

Second Edition of Fluency

If you bought the second edition by mistake, you can review this chapter-by-chapter comparison to make sure you don't miss anything.

Textbooks on Reserve

Copies of both textbooks and the Fluency Workbook are available for 24-hour checkout from Odegaard Undergraduate Library's Course Reserves.

Workload

Attendance is expected for all lectures and labs. Each week, pop quizzes will be given in the lab and pop Quick-Writes in lecture. If you've paid attention in lecture, read the assigned chapters, and learned the vocabulary, you should do fine.

Coursework entails readings, computer labs, assignments, projects, weekly quizzes, Quick-Writes, and participation in lectures and lab sections.

We expect you to attend all lectures (MWF 12:30–1:20 PM, MGH 389) and your assigned computer lab section. For each hour of class time, plan for one 1.5 to 3 hours of work outside of class; so, roughly, 8 to 15 hours of outside work each week. Remember that this course is a five-credit class.

Computer Labs

Each computer lab section meets two times each week. Attendance is expected. The labs are integrated with the lecture material. In the labs, you will learn the hands-on computer skills that you will need to complete the projects. Important information about the projects will be discussed. Lab time is your opportunity to ask for advice from the TA and other students. The labs and the assignments that are part of them will be graded; they account for 20% of your final grade. Your two lowest lab scores will be dropped.

If you miss a lab, do not expect the TA or Instructor to provide you with an equivalent lab session during their consulting hours. Be prepared to go through the lab on your own and then, if you have specific questions not answered by your classmates, ask your TA.

Pop Quizzes

Pop quizzes will take place in the labs every week. Each quiz will have 10 true/false and multiple choice questions similar to the ones in the back of each chapter in Fluency. If you have read the readings, paid attention in lecture, participated in labs, and learned the key terms, you should do fine. Quizzes are worth 24% of your grade. Your two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.

Picture Identification

When pop quizzes are given in the labs, you must be prepared to show your Husky ID or other photo ID such as your driver’s license.

Quick Writes

Pop quick-writes will take place in lecture every week. Each quick-write will be no more than two paragraphs based on the readings and lectures.

Projects

Three projects will be completed in this course. Each project will have two parts. Projects will use the hands-on computer skillsyou have learned in the labs, require some research on the Web, and take you beyond what you have learned in class. Some lab time will focus on the projects. Bring questions about your projects to lab.

Late/Missed Policy

Late homework, labs, and quick-writes are not accepted and receive a score of zero. This class moves fast. It's better to just move on then be constantly trying to catch up. In life, sometimes bad things happen. They might take the form of a medical or family emergency. To allow for illness and other events that cause you to miss class, we will drop your lowest two scores in each of these categories: quizzes, labs, and quick-writes.

Late project parts will receive a score of zero with one exception: the 1-1-1-1 Rule (see sidebar at right).

Grading Policy

Grades will follow the University of Washington Undergraduate Grading policy. More information is available on the Grading page of the course Web site.

Your lowest two scores in each of these categories is dropped: quizzes, labs, and quick-writes. The breakdown of your grade for this class is as follows:

Percentage	Deliverable	Quantity	Points Each	Total Points
45%	Projects	3	150 points	450 points
24%	Pop quizzes	8	30 points	240 points
20%	Labs	10	20 points	200 points
8%	Pop Quick-Writes	8	10 points	80 points
3%	Participation	n/a	30 points	30 points
100%	Total possible for class—			1000 points

Course Communications

All communication is to be respectful—in lectures, labs, office hours, emails, the class listserv, and the bulletin board—whether in person or electronic.

Announcements

Every student must have a UW NetID email account to send messages to the instructors and other students. All enrolled students are automatically added to the class listServ. All important announcements will be sent to this list. The listServ may provide the only official class notice you will receive in some cases.

Be sure to read these postings regularly. You will be responsible for the content. For instance, if you do not have access to email on weekends, you must check the Home page on Monday mornings before lecture.

If you missed an announcement or you want to see an earlier announcement, check the course listServ archives or use the drop-down menu on the Home page to view this week's, this month's, or this quarter's announcements.

Anonymous Email

A link from the class Web site will allow you to send anonymous email to the Instructors, TAs, or to the class email listServ, if you wish.

Anonymous email means that you can send mail without the Instructors, TAs, or other students knowing who you are. But, it also means that we can't answer you directly if you ask a question using anonymous email! NOTE: Don't send an anonymous email if you expect a personal reply from the instructor or TAs! We won't know who to reply to!

ListServ Help

When you have a question about a lab or a project, send your question to the class listserv. Other students have probably been afraid to ask! Don't let shyness stand in your way. Use the anonymous listserv link to send your question. Likely, some other student knows the answer.

Bulletin Board Help

The answer to your question may already be posted on the class Bulletin Board. Take some time to see what others have posted. Getting a quick answer means making your question easy to find. When you post a message, be sure to include the project, lecture, or lab in the subject line.

You may post any question that a fellow student may be able to answer. The Bulletin Board will be the main communication tool between the Instructor, the TAs, and all students. Check often for new postings; they may be very helpful. The bulletin board is different from the class listserv, where the information goes directly to your email account. To see the bulletin board, you must go to it.

Email Help

When you have a question about your grade or a course policy, send an email to the TA or instructor. Monday through Friday, you will hear back from one of us within 24 hours. Do not expect an immediate reply on the weekends.

Getting Unstuck

It is the most common fact in IT that users of a particular technology WILL get stuck. It happens to everyone -- nobody is immune. However, one of the most useful skills you may learn from this course is "how to get unstuck."

In the real world, successful people who find themselves stuck do several things such as:

1. systematically play around with the technology,
2. ask a co-worker or friend for help, or
3. ask an expert for help.

Hopefully you’ll explore all three means to get unstuck in this course. This process is called “debugging” and we’ll talk more about this sort of strategy during the course. Here are some suggestions:

• Step back. When you first "get stuck," take a deep breath! Step back for a moment. Look carefully at the work you have just done. Try changing one thing and see what effect it has.
• Check the class bulletin board. Others may have encountered (and solved) a similar problem.
• Ask a classmate. Get to know two or three students in the course; exchange email addresses; ask each other for help when you get stuck. Try to share ideas about how to figure out the problem rather than telling your classmate the answer. You'll learn as much by helping others find their mistakes as you will by finding your own.
• Consult with the Instructor and TAs.
  • Office hours. Each week the instructor and TAs hold regular office hours. Come prepared with a specific question in order to make the most of your time with them. Any student may attend anyone's office hours.
  • Email help. Email your question with a full explanation of the problem, not just a vague request for help or the answer!

Appropriate Cooperation and Collaboration

It is valuable to work with a friend or classmate when learning a new application or working out a problem. However, the work that you perform in this class for a grade must be your own work unless "working in groups" is explicitly allowed. Projects in this course are meant to be done by each individual.

You must follow these rules when you are working with someone else on homework that must be your own:

• After working together no collaborators should keep any records or documents of the session ... only memories.
• It is recommended that you note on your submitted work "I talked to ____ while working on this assignment."

It is recommended that you note on your submitted work "I talked to ____ while working on this assignment."

Copying files or other documents from someone else (including the World Wide Web), and claiming they are yours is plagiarism and anyone caught will be sent to the University Conduct Committee. You are responsible for understanding the University rules concerning plagiarism.

If you have questions regarding the class policy, consult the Instructor.

Disability Accommodation

More information is available on the Accommodations page. In brief, if you wish to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact

Disabled Student Services
448 Schmitz
543-8925 (V/TTY)

If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to your instructor so that we can discuss accommodations that you might need for the class.

Success in this Course

The best predictor of success in this course is good study habits. What does that mean? It means that students who come to class prepared, who read the text, who attend the lab sections and diligently work on the assignments, and who turn in the projects on time do well. Keeping up with the work is the secret. It doesn't take a genius to do well in this class. Anyone can be successful! Good luck!