Reading Area Community College

PRG 140 Visual Basic Course Syllabus

Instructor:                              Mr. Curt Minich

Office Phone Number:         (610) 374-4031, ext. 202

Email:                                   

Office Hours:                         before and after class and by appointment

Course Number & Title:     PRG 140-494, Visual Basic

Prerequisites:                        IFT 100 and IFT 120 or permission of the instructor

Credit Hours:                         3.0

Course Description:

This course is designed to teach the basic language elements of the Visual Basic programming language and to provide experience in communicating with a computer in this language. Visual Basic will be used to create innovative and useful Windows programs.

Class Location:                   Penn Hall, Room 127

Meeting Time:                     Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:10 p.m. - 10:10 p.m.; Spring Term, 2002

Required Text:  

Programming in Visual Basic 6.0 by Julia Case Bradley & Anita C. Millspaugh, published by McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-231190-8 

Disks:

You will probably need at least five floppy disks.   One floppy should contain your working files. Another should be used to backup your working files regularly. The others will be used to submit program assignments to the instructor.

Internet Access:

You may be expected to communicate with the professor and/or classmates via email. You should check your email frequently since the professor may make important class announcements via email.   You can obtain free email at many Web sites including http://mail.yahoo.com .  You will also be expected to regularly visit the class Web site at http://minich.com/education/racc/visualbasic for announcements, lecture notes, and assignment information. You can do this from any computer at home or on campus.

Methods:

Classes will usually  meet in the computer lab, however exams may be given in another  classroom. Lab assignments must be completed outside of class. You will have to spend a significant amount of time in the computer lab completing the assignments. Although, if you have a PC at home, you will be able to complete much of the work there with a copy of Visual Basic.

Most exercises and assignments will be taken from the text, supplied handouts, or Internet resources. Students are liable for any class work or class announcement such as exams, due dates, assignments, and lecture material. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor in advance of any inability to take tests or to meet due dates. Late program assignments may not be accepted and, if they are, will incur a severe penalty. Late programs will definitely not be accepted after graded ones have been returned to the rest of the class. Students should make every opportunity to have questions answered either during class lectures. There will be a comprehensive final exam.

Most assignments will be returned during class. Keep all assignments returned to you. The instructor will not change a grade without seeing your graded paper. Also, keep the source files for your assignments on your working disk and your backup disk for the rest of the semester. Do not change a source file after handing in the assignment.

Grading:

The make up of the final grade will be approximately as follows: 60% Exams, 15% Homework & Quizzes, and 25% Programming Assignments. All programs and/or labs assigned for completion outside of class are intended to aid the student’s understanding of the chapter content. Although it is often beneficial for students to work together, duplicate or group programs may not be submitted. All students submitting duplicate programs (or slight variations) will be penalized. It is expected that each student will endeavor to make his or her work unique, regardless of any collaboration. Students guilty of cheating on a test or program assignment will receive a zero for that grade. There may be a fair number of quizzes administered at the beginning or end of a number of classes. Students who are not present for a quiz will receive a zero. The quizzes are meant to reinforce concepts illustrated in class. Often, students find that the quizzes help boost their grade as well. The grading scale is A, A-: 90 - 100%, B-, B, B+: 80 - 90%, C-, C, C+: 70 - 80%, D-, D, D+: 60 - 70%, and F below 60%. Note that you cannot pass the course if you don’t turn in any programming assignments or if your exam average is below 50%.

Academic Integrity Statement:

All work submitted (programs, tests, quizzes, homework assignments) must be your own and not copied in whole or in part from another student or textbook. In addition, all material that is not your own (ideas or words) in papers must be properly cited. If you are not sure how to cite material in your paper, see your instructor. It is your responsibility to avoid plagiarism. Failure to comply with this rule could result in a failing grade and disciplinary procedures.

Make-Up Opportunities:

Students are expected to make-up all work that they miss. Make-up exams and tests will be given only for emergency circumstances. The instructor reserves the right to make a decision in all such cases. If an emergency does arise, see the instructor as soon as possible before the test or exam in order to arrange for a make-up.

Class Attendance Policy:

Class attendance is mandatory and will be recorded by the instructor. Students will receive a zero for any unannounced quizzes missed for whatever reason. Quizzes missed due to absence or leaving a class early cannot be made up. Handouts will only be distributed once. Should an emergency arise, notification must be given to the instructor within 24 hours of the class period missed.

Tentative Assignment & Exam Schedule:     

See the course home page at http://www.minich.com/education/racc/visualbasic

Performance Objectives & Competencies:

See the list of objectives & competencies at http://www.minich.com/education/racc/visualbasic/visualbasicobjectives.htm