All assignment Due Dates are posted on the course Syllabus page.
To be successful in this class read everything thoroughly.
Please Check In!!!
IMPORTANT! If you are enrolled in a Face-to-face version of this course, then skip this section - for online students, follow these instructions for checking-in to your online class. Go to the Student Check-In discussion forum in Canvas and "Officially" check yourself in. You must check-in by the end of the second day (11:59 P.M.) of this class or you will be dropped by the instructor and replaced by a student on the Wait list.
No class meetings or online meetings are required for the fully online version of this course.
Introduction
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the inner-workings of the Internet including the hardware, software, protocols, organization and career opportunities associated with the Internet. Thanks to many other wonderful students like yourself who have previously participated in this course it has evolved into what you will be journeying through this semester. Which means I value your input very much as to the clarity of the instruction and your interest in the materials you find in this course. I welcome your input and feedback, via email or Canvas messaging at any time. I also give extra credit to students who submit errors they find including: typos, grammatical errors, or the like.
I think that learning should be an exciting and invigorating experience for everyone; so, email me at any time if you see something you think could be improved in order to enhance your experience in this class.
I wish you good luck, and I hope you enjoy this online educational experience!!!
If you have any questions I will be more than happy to answer them; just send me an email at BBennett@msjc.edu (and please be sure to adhere to the CIS Email Policy) or a make a post using Canvas messaging.
There's lots of cool stuff to learn, so get started right away!!!
What To Do on the First Day of Class
- Finish reading all of this Start Here page,
- Read the Syllabus, it will inform you of:
- Course Objectives
- Reading Assignments
- Due Dates for the all assignments, quizzes, and exams
- There is no textbook required for this class. However, if you would like to get a deeper learning experience, see Purchasing the companion textbook for this class.
- Once you have completed the items listed above go to the Learning Units/Modules page and complete the remaining items listed in the Prep Unit.
⇑ Table of Contents Typographical Conventions
To assist you to visually recognize key components within the online text, I have done my best to be consistent in using four main visual indicators as follows:
- Light Green Italics - text with this appearance is text that refers to one of the links in the Canvas course menu.
- Green Text - are hyperlinks within the text you are reading, when moving your mouse over the text the text will become underlined. By clicking on these links you will be provided additional information about what you are currently reading.
- Bold White Text - is very important information; read it two or three times if you must, to be absolutely sure you understand what it says.
- Bold Italic Text - Is used for the names of course objects like: the Lesson 1 folder, a Quiz, a Learning Unit Exam, and to emphasize key terms like a Web browser's Back button, or a Submit button used in an exam or form.
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How Does This Course Work?
This course consists of a Prep Unit and 4 Learning Units. Each learning unit is broken down into Modules, each of which correspond to one chapter in your textbook. In the short-term (8-week) version of this class, you will be completing the reading and assessments at a pace of two Modules per week or one module plus a culminating Learning Unit exam and assignment. See the Syllabus for the due dates. Each Module entails reading a chapter in your textbook and completing a practice Quiz to help you prepare for the corresponding Learning Unit exam. At the end of each Learning Unit there will be an exam which will assess how well you learned the subject matter covered in the Learning Unit's Modules and an Assignment related to what you learned in the unit.
All modules and assessments will need to be complete by 11:59 PM of the due date listed in the Syllabus under the Due Dates heading.
In the full-term face-to-face version of the class you would be attending class 3 hours per week with about 3 hours per week of homework assigned (6 total hours per week). In this online version of the course, you should allow approximately that same amount of time, 6 hours, each week to complete the assigned reading, quizzes,
assignments, and/or Learning Unit exam. This is a college level course and just because you are taking it online makes no difference in the workload. Please note that in the short-term (8 week) version of this class your workload will be double that of the full-term class, meaning you should allow 12 hours per week to complete your reading and assessment activities.
You can access the Learning Units using the course menu on the Home, Start Here, or Syllabus pages in Canvas or by clicking on the Modules link in the course's global navigation system (on the left of every page, quiz or assignment in the course). Once on the Learning Units (Modules) page, to open a Learning Unit and view the contents contained within, simply click the title of the title of the Learning Unit. You will then be viewing a a list of content links that make-up that Learning Unit. To access the individual content links which make-up a Learning Unit simply click on the name of the item to view its contents.
For example, during week 1 click on the Learning Unit 1 folder which contains three Module 1 items each one corresponding to a content or assessment page. The first page is an overview of what you need to do to complete the module and it includes links that take you to each item for completion. Complete all the items listed for each module and you will have completed all the requirements for that module. Refer to the class Syllabus for a quick view of what module assignments are due on which dates.
Be sure that you complete all of the required assignments for a given tutorial by 11:59 P.M on the Due Date shown in the Syllabus. I encourage you to complete the assigned tasks as early as possible in case you run into problems and require some assistance from me or your fellow students.
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How Quizzes and Exams Work
Quizzes are designed to be used as a tool for you to assess how well you are understanding the material you are reading in each Tutorial of your textbook. You can access the Quizzes from the course menu in Canvas on the left side, or from within the Learning Units modules which you can access using the Modules liink in the Canvas course menu on the left. You are encouraged to take each Quiz many times (10 or more). Each Quiz is randomly generated for each student from a large pool of questions selected for the particular Tutorial being covered. By taking each Quiz several times, after about nine or ten times, you will likely have seen most of the questions contained in the question pool for that particular Tutorial. Your Quiz points DO count towards your grade, so be sure to get as high a score as you possibly can for each Quiz.
Canvas will record your highest score in the grade book, so you don't have to fear losing points by taking the Quiz again after you've already gotten a high score. Your ability to access a particular Quiz will expire on the date listed in the Syllabus.
The Learning Unit Exams can also be accessed from the Modules link in the Canvas course menu on the left-side listed at the end of the Learning Units folder. The Pop Quiz and the Learning Unit Exams can only be taken once. Be sure you are prepared to take them before you begin each one. If you have read all of the materials included in or linked from the Start Here and Syllabus pages, you should be ready to take the Pop Quiz. If you have read all relevant chapters in your textbook, completed all relevant assignments, and really worked the relevant Quizzes (as discussed above), then you should be fully prepared to take the Learning Unit Exams and do well on them.
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When are Assignments Due?
ALL ASSESSMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED by 11:59 P.M. on it's DUE DATE! See the Due Dates column in your class Syllabus.
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Assignment Revisions
Sometimes it takes some practice to nail down the skills we are learning. That’s okay!
I’m more concerned with you leaving the course with the skills than how many times it
takes us to get there. Any of the assignments in this class (excluding deductions for
missed peer reviews, lateness, plagiarism, or a failure to meet the minimum
qualifications of the assignment, including but not limited to length and source
requirements) may be resubmitted for a revised grade. To resubmit an assignment, read the comments I posted in the scoring rubric for your assignment on what needs to be fixed. Resubmissions are due one week
after your assignment score is posted. Resubmit the assignment using the same link you used in Canvas for the initial assignment post.
Late Assignments
All assignments must be completed by 11:59 P.M. on the
due date listed for the assignment under the Due Date column in the Course Schedule section of the Syllabus. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED without extenuating circumstances. “I had to work,” “I was sick,” or “I didn't understand the instructions” are NOT extenuating circumstances. Hospitalization or death of an immediate family member are, but will require supporting evidence. This does not exempt you from completing any assignment which MUST be submitted by the last day of the class.
With that said, I do understand that life can throw roadblocks at you. If you encounter health issues, family concerns, or other challenging situations while completing this class, please contact me if you would like an extension on an assignment or exam; please do not give up. There are opportunities to still turn in your work, but please reach out to me to let me know how you are doing and how I can support you. Although I will not be able to relieve you of the responsibilities of course assignments, I can suggest strategies to help you prioritize the work you have remaining. Please also do your best not to fall too far behind in this class as it may impact your ability to receive timely feedback.
Note: Due Dates for all
Assignments, Exams and/or Quizzes
are listed in the Syllabus for this class.
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Student Drop Policy
Any student who fails to complete three or more assignments,
exams or quizzes may be dropped from the course by the instructor. If you enrollment status in this class warrants it, you will be notified via a Canvas message sent to your Inbox or an email sent to your MSJC email address with a drop warning and given one week to contact me and demonstrate your desire to stay in the class. At that time I will work with you to help you get back on track.
Should you decide that you want to drop or withdraw from the class, you should consult with a counselor first to learn how this action could impact your scholarship at the college.
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How To Get Help?
There are two ways to get help in this course:
- Post your question or problem in the Discussions forum titled Help!. I encourage you to check this forum frequently, as you may find answers to your questions or problems already posted by other students. I also encourage students to help out other students in this forum. The first student who posts a correct answer to a particular question or solution to a specific problem for another student will receive 5 extra credit points. Every time you do this you will get 5 extra credit points - this is a good way for you to really rack up a lot of extra credit points!
Note: Be sure to Subscribe to the Help! discussion forum so that your will be notified each time a user posts to the Help!.
- The second method of resolving your question or problem is to email your question or problem description at BBennett@msjc.edu. I will usually respond to your email within 48 hours, Monday through Thursday at 5:00 P.M. Emails I receive after 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, or on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, will be responded to the following Monday.
Note: Please type your course number and section number in the Subject field of all emails you send me (see CIS Email Policy).
⇑ Table of Contents What is the Resources Module For?
The Resources module contains links to resources used in this class, links for Visual Studio Community users, links to resources to answer your questions about the Internet Authoring program, and a huge list of Web Development links of interest.
The best and most successful application developers thrive on learning as much as they can about computer programming, the Internet, and Web technologies. To help you get the most out of this course as possible, you will want to check out the Resources module's Web Development links of interest which will expose you to some of the best resources the Web has to offer regarding Web application development. The more you learn about Web application development the more successful you will become and the more likely it is that you will be able to compete with the Amazon's, Google's, and Microsoft's in the world. Explore as many of the hypertext links as you can and the Web will be your oyster.
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The Web presentation for this course is jammed pack with information, most of it I have created and typed myself. Being human, I do make mistakes - just ask my wife! While you read through the online course materials, if you find a typo, a misspelled word, or a grammatical error, I would very much appreciate it if you would call it to my attention. All you have to do is tell me which page you found it on (email me the URL) and give me a general description of the error (where to find it on the page). For each one you submit I will award you 5 extra credit points and offer you my deepest gratitude.
There is a Help! forum link on the Discussions page for students to ask questions and post problems they might have regarding an assignment. If you post an appropriate answer or the correct solution to a problem before I do then you will earn 5 extra credit points for each answer or correct solution you post - so keep an eye on the Help! forum by subscribing to it right away.
These are the only ways to earn extra credit in this class, please don't ask me if you can earn extra credit any other way. As long as you do the required work in this class, assignments, quizzes and exams, there should be little to no need for you to earn points by way of extra credit.
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MSJC's Internet Authoring Program
The course you are enrolled in is part of Mt. San Jacinto College's
Internet Authoring program. The goal of the program is to get students prepared for high-paying information technology jobs, specifically jobs which involve or require Web development skills of the highest caliber. By completing courses in the
Internet Authoring program you can earn up to two certifications and one A.S. degree - an Employment Concentration certification
(Apprentice), a State of California Certification (Journeyman), and an
Associate of Science Degree in Internet Authoring. For more details about the
Computer Information Systems (CIS) department's Internet Authoring program and its related courses, view the
Internet Authoring Web site.
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CIS Degrees, Certificate Programs, Employment Concentrations, and Industry Certifications
For those of you interested in pursuing either a more in-depth understanding of a particular IT (Information Technology) subject or perhaps even an IT career certification, you'll find that MSJC's CIS department has many courses to suit your needs. Below is a table that shows the Certification programs offered by our department on the Menifee campus. Click on the links in the left-hand column to view the courses you need to pass to earn each certificate.
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Closing Comments
As always if you have any questions I am happy to answer them; just send me an email: BBennett@msjc.edu.
IMPORTANT!!! Please include the course number "CSIS 103" & your class section number in the subject of your email so that it won't be lost amongst all the spam I receive each day (see CIS Email Policy).
Have fun learning in this class; if you put forth the necessary effort to study the information presented in this class, you will gain a lot of insight to how the Internet can benefit you personally as well as professionally.
Bill Bennett, Instructor
BBennett@msjc.edu
MSJC CIS MVC
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