IUP Computer Science Department, Dr. Cross
CO 201 Fall 1999, Sections 1 and 2

* SYLLABUS *

I. Catalog Description: CO 201 Internet and Multimedia.                            3c-01-3sh

The major focus will be on the evaluation of information and multimedia resources available on electronic networks when doing research in an area of one's choice. This information literacy course is designed for students to gain a more in depth understanding of the information resources available electronically and of how to utilize them more effectively in communicating. Students will learn how to access and utilize these resources for two way communications and support for decision making while incorporating selected elements in multimedia presentations of their own design.

Equivalent courses: BE/CM/CO/IM/ LB 201 may be used interchangeably for D or F repeats and may not be counted for duplicate credit.

Prerequisites: BE/CO/IM 101 or prior exposure to word processing and electronic mail

Notes: CO 201 is a Liberal Studies elective, although only one course with the CO prefix may be counted as a Liberal Studies elective. CO 201 may also be used as part of a "Computer Literacy Certification" that is awarded by  the Computer Science Department is developing. If you plan to use this course as part of a Minor in Computer Science or as an elective for a major in Computer Science, some restrictions may apply. I recommend that you obtain a written plan for your coursework and have a Computer Science advisor sign it.

II. Course Objectives.

Students will explore the role of electronic media in acquiring, structuring, analyzing and synthesizing information. Students will:

  1. Investigate the culture of the Internet and the social and economic phenomenon that it represents.
  2. Examine issues including but not limited to: freedom of access to information, the right to privacy, gender and equity issues, the ethics of information use and security.
  3. Analyze and use the tools and techniques for searching electronic resources effectively.
  4. Evaluate the validity of various information sources.
  5. Analyze and synthesize information for distribution by means of a unifying multimedia presentation.

III. Detailed Course Outline

A. Access to the Internet: 1 week

History and evolution of the Internet. How it all works. The value and importance of standards and protocols (TCP/IP, URL, OLE). The development of the required infrastructure.

B. Social Justice and Cultural Issues in Internet Access: 1 week

Patterns of Access to the Internet with particular emphasis on gender and race. How are people getting connected and who will pay? Information rich vs information poor. Is there an explicit connection between gender and economic privilege? Impact of multimedia and graphical user interfaces. Impact of the Internet on our personal and professional lives.

C. Critical Evaluation of Information Resources on the Internet: 5 weeks

Students will look at the different information services for quantity, quality and ease of use as they gather information on a particular issue using the various search tools including boolean and probabilistic models, Intelligent Agents and Knowbots. They will be exposed to the following:

  1. Information Exchange Services. e.g. Mail, Listservers and Threaded Discussion. Students will explore the cultural environment through a series of forums. They will look at flame wars, various forms of bashing and review netiquette rules. They will evaluate the need for filters and the value added by peer review, digests and other screening devices.
  2. Creating an information ecology. Issues of copyright and intellectual property particularly with regard to MP3 content as well as ethics will be discussed as students learn to download and install files and plug-ins. Issues of copyright and intellectual property as well as ethics will be discussed as students learn to download and install files. Students will learn about and consider the significance of emerging technology such as streaming audio and video.
  3. Hierarchical Information Services. e.g. Campus Wide Information Systems, Gophers and Veronica. Questions of information privacy--how to protect confidential information vs. the right to know. Security issues and the problem of viruses. Freedom of speech vs. Pornography and sexual harassment.
  4. New ways of Communicating through channels, on-line chats, whiteboarding, groupware and videoconferencing. Questions of information privacy--how to protect confidential information vs. the right to know. Security issues and the problem of viruses. Freedom of speech vs. Pornography and sexual harassment.
  5. Electronic Commerce on the Web. Students will look at the impact and issues involved in commerce on the Internet. They will design an interactive web site for a small business. They will use search engines to evaluate the competition. Issues to be discussed: How will government tax or indeed regulate this commerce. Fee or Free? Who Pays? The role of advertising. Have we found another way to exclude the disadvantaged from full participation in our society? What are the international ramifications?

D. Analyzing and synthesizing information and technology for accomplishing goals. 7 weeks

A semester long multimedia project will be the vehicle by which students will learn techniques for gathering information then organizing it to inform, provide services, implement commerce, persuade, advocate or challenge using different distribution channels. Students will present their plans and their final projects to a live audience (presentation) and a cyberspace audience. Students will:

  1. Analyze the audience in both live and cyberspace. The Internet is now recognized as a new communication medium that is affecting our views and use of previous communication methods. We will consider creative and inventive ways that it is being used and their impact on our communication and information ecologies.
  2. Select from a variety of delivery techniques after examining a wide range of Web sites and computer-supported live presentations.
  3. Organize their ideas using story boarding.
  4. Apply principles of design, layout, and navigation.
  5. Make effective use of sound, graphics animation and special effects to enhance the message.
  6. Enhance interactivity with forms and scripts.
  7. Synthesize all the design, and technical detail with task-specific information to accomplish goals.

IV. Textbook and Readings

The text for this course is: Elderbrock, David and David Karlins. Microsoft Front Page 98 Bible. IDGBooks: 1999. This is a how-to manual with considerable detail. The liberal studies reading is: Nardi, Bonnie A and Vicki L. O'Day. Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999.

Additional readings are in my online bibliography and the online resources which are linked to in my Web support site and Dr. Micco's Web support site.

V. Special Resource Requirements

I require you to obtain AND LABEL at least two 3.5 micro floppy diskettes, high density (HD), for your class projects. You may also need zip disks and other removable media as the course and your needs develop. You are not required to purchase or lease a personal microcomputer for this course or for your IUP studies, but it would help. If you decide that you want to acquire some personal computing equipment during the course, feel free to talk about your interests with me.

V. Office Hours, Class Schedule, and Help Outside Class

My office hours are posted on the Web. You may ask for an appointment by e-mail, phone (357-4478), or contacting the Computer Science Department (357-2524). I encourage you to use E-mail to contact me at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (Address mail to: jacross.) There are many of you and only one of me, so please attempt to practice e-mail on yourself and with each other. Note: I prefer e-mail for short questions, notes, and thank you's, but complex problems or negative feelings of any sort should be worked out face-to-face.

We are scheduled to meet MWF. I am responsible for 2 sections of this course, 8:00-9:00 and 9:15-10:15. Occasionally, you may attend another section.

VI. Evaluation Methods

I will assign final grades on the basis of 60-70-80-90% levels of achievement, or something slightly lower. Points may vary, but the graded activities will include labs, forums, projects, and exams. All assignments are due in class as specified on the assignment. I will assess late penalties for EACH DAY that an assignment is late. Late points are assessed as follows: One day 15%; two days 25%; three days 50%; more than three days; no credit. I am unlikely to grade a late handin in a timely fashion. In fact, I tend to lose late handins. Procrastination or deadline behaviors of any kind are likely to be unproductive. This course requires consistent, timely effort, even for students who enter it with significant prior experience in computing. I do not give make-ups for labs, quizzes and exams.

Any notes that you want to be taken into account when your work is graded must be WRITTEN on the handin. Any face-to-face, oral communications that you attempt to make about your handin will probably not affect your grade. All grades in this course may be appealed, but all appeals must be in writing on the day you are shown the graded activity. Keep a portfolio of all your work for reference and reuse in the future. Keep all your graded documents until you have completed the course and received your final grade.

Note that this is a liberal studies elective, so you should expect some graded activities that require your professor's professional judgment of the quality of your answer. For example, you may be asked for your opinion about an issue related to computers in society. If your opinion does not show understanding of the issues involved, or is unsupported or poorly stated, your response should not be graded as well as stronger responses.

Note that this is my first time teaching this course and I may need to arrange special responsibilities for teamwork that can affect your grades for projects and labs. To help students prepare for exams, I have used short, graded quizzes in other classes and I may use them in this class if it appears that they will help you prepare better for exams.

VIII. Class Attendance

According to university policy, you are responsible for all class activities, including quizzes, exams, and handouts. I reserve the right to grade on attendance. All class absences jeopardize your chance to benefit from this course and achieve a good grade.

Interaction with your colleagues will be an essential part of your work life; interaction with classmates is expected of university students and it can be very helpful. At this time, set yourself up with a "buddy" like you might do when a group of people go swimming. If your buddy misses class or is late, pick up an extra copy of handouts and take notes more carefully. Keep your buddy informed of special arrangements for where the class will meet. If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of the buddy system, see me TODAY!

IX. Academic Conduct

Computing technology presents unique opportunities for inappropriate academic conduct, including plagiarism, ghost-writing and piracy. Because these behaviors are uniquely harmful to the goals of the course and the university, we must deal with them in ways that may seem uniquely harsh to you. If you are concerned about anything that happens in this course relative to possible charges of academic misconduct, contact me immediately and in writing. E-mail is uniquely well suited to immediate contact that can be used as a formal record if there is a possibility that you may be accused or implicated in unethical use of computing or other forms of academic misconduct.

X. What I expect from you.

I expect you to be on time and on track with the various elements in this course. Our activities will come together to make up your projects, give you some technical confidence, and also provide insight into the human concerns of the Internet and multimedia. Please come to the labs prepared with a good idea of what you intend to accomplish. Bring your disks, your head set when needed, and your lab manual. Each week we will consider different aspects of the Internet and multimedia, so you need to keep up. If you find yourself getting behind, get help promptly. Keep up with the readings in both the "Front Page Bible" and the "Information Ecologies" book. Front Page will do a lot of things for you if you let it. For now, accept the defaults and don't get try to get too fancy. I know many of you would like to create your own original graphics and other multimedia, but your primary goal with your projects is to design and develop a well organized website.