Our Learning Community:
CA 302, Getting Started Using Windows, English 340, and Guidance 95

Welcome to our Learning Community to help you read, study, and use a computer more effectively. By enrolling in these courses, you can complete your educational program by linking several related courses together. Your instructors will combine the objectives and content so that each course reinforces the skills learned in the other courses. You will have a network of support not only from the students in these classes but also the instructors who have designed these courses to increase your fundamental skills and help you complete your general education requirements.

Some of the benefits you will gain from enrolling in this Learning Community include the following:

· Complete recommended basic skills courses

· Arrange a convenient class schedule

· Make friends with students enrolled in a similar group of classes

· Enjoy a variety of classroom environments

· Reinforce learning in one class while working on projects in another class

By enrolling in this Learning Community, you will have a head start when you seek employment in the computer field. After you finish the course work associated with these courses, you will be more familiar with how computers are used in industry, what the basic terms mean, how to use a computer to find information and how to describe these tasks to others. And, most importantly, you will be able to write and explain to others what computer tasks you perform each day on your job. This ability will help to ensure your continued success in finding and keeping a job in the "high-tech" field. We believe you will find the time spent in this Learning Community to be both exciting and profitable.

As students in this Learning Community, you are expected to enroll in the following classes:

· English 340, Communication Skills

· Guidance 95, College Study Techniques

· CA 302, Getting Started with Windows

CA 302 Getting Started with Windows

Course Information

RECOMMENDED TEXT: The Getting Started with Windows manual you will use for the class will be provided for you. If you wish to complete additional projects, you can purchase the following book that's recommended for our class: Carey, Johnson, Salkind, Swanson. Microsoft Windows (Illustrated Brief Edition). Cambridge: International Thomson Publishing Company. This book is available in the campus bookstore.

CLASS HOURS & LOCATIONS: See the class sessions listed on the SJCC Web Site at www.sjcc.edu and on the class web site at xxx The class meets in GE118.

INSTRUCTOR: Lucy Dodge

OFFICE HOURS AND LOCATION: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 – 12:00PM and Wednesday 2 to 4 PM. I am also available other hours by arrangement.

TELEPHONE: GE118 298-2181 x3951

Instructor's 24-Hour Voice Mail: (408) 298-2181 X3978

E-MAIL address: LED511@yahoo.com

Class Web Site: http://www.sjcc.edu/title3 You can find information about this course and similar Getting Started courses that you might like to take to increase your skills in using additional computer applications.

COURSE GUIDELINES:

This is a basic computer skills course designed to teach you fundamental computer skills such as using the mouse, opening and closing programs on the desktop, and saving information in electronic format in folders. The course includes an orientation session, a workbook containing exercises to complete, and a competency assessment at the end of the course.

Although there are no prerequisites for this course, you are expected to have enrolled in English 340 and Guidance 95 as part of the Learning Community. You will be expected to attend two 4-hour orientation sessions during Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. To complete the course materials, you will also be expected to have accumulated at least 20 hours using a computer. You will most likely be spending the majority of this time using the computers in the Technology Skills Center (TSC) in GE 118. Except for unusual occasions, the TSC is open from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Thursday and from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday.

PROCEDURES YOU SHOULD FOLLOW:

Please familiarize yourself with the College's policy on attendance. You can read the policy in the Schedule of Classes and the College Catalog, available in the bookstore and online at www.sjcc.edu . If, for any reason, you decide that you no longer want to continue the course, please understand that it is ultimately YOUR responsibility to go to the Admissions and Records Office and complete the necessary paperwork to drop the course formally.

GRADING and SKILLS ASSESSMENT:

This is a self-paced, credit/no credit course. If you complete the Getting Started booklet and assignment sheet and attend one orientation session and the lab for a total of 24 hours, you will receive credit for the course. Each time you enter the lab after the initial introductory session, log into the timekeeper so that your hours are recorded on the computer.

In addition, you will be asked to take a skills assessment at the beginning and the end of the course. In this way, you will be able to determine how much progress you have made toward understanding how to use Windows.

COURSE CONTENT:

Course content includes either exposure to or experience using the following computer technologies and concepts:

¨ Windows programs

¨ Windows terminology

¨ Program icons

¨ Windows desktop objects

¨ Mouse and keyboard skills

¨ Program menus and options

¨ Dialog boxes, buttons, and scroll bars

¨ Files and folders

¨ Documents

¨ Printers and other peripheral devices

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Because the technology surrounding computer work of all kinds is changing so quickly, much of what you learn about specific hardware or software this semester may well be almost obsolete by next year or sooner. By the time you finish the class, though, you should have acquired several skills which will help you use Windows. Toward that end, it is expected that by the end of the course, you will be able to:

¨ Use and understand basic Windows and computer terms

¨ Use the correct names to refer to Windows interface elements, such as scroll bars, icons, and so on

¨ Open and close programs on the Windows desktop from the Start menu and the desktop

¨ Use mouse and keyboard shortcuts to open and close programs

¨ Use the maximize and minimize boxes to manipulate the size of application windows

¨ Use buttons and icons to open and close dialog boxes

¨ Use scroll bars, boxes, and arrows to scroll through documents

¨ Select options from program menus

¨ Open, close, and locate files on the Windows desktop

¨ Store files and move files from one folder to another on the Windows desktop

¨ Use the Windows Explorer and My Computer to locate files

¨ Format floppy disks

¨ Store information on floppy disks

¨ Copy files from the hard drive to floppy disks

¨ Open Microsoft Word

¨ Create and rename a document

¨ Store a document on the hard disk and on floppy disks

¨ Select a printer and print a document

In addition, some of the skills learned in this class will be a direct result of your having enrolled in this Learning Community. Toward that end, you will learn how to apply the following skills to your computer work:

· Organize your tasks so that you can complete them within the required period of time

· Set reasonable goals for the tasks you are going to complete each time you attend the computer lab

· Interact effectively with others in the computer lab so as to both give and receive help in a computer lab environment. Learn how to concentrate on your work in spite of distractions that might occur in a classroom environment.

· Read carefully, outline tasks, and ask precise questions so that you can later apply what you learn to similar situations.

· Identify relationships and find connections among the information you’re learning so that you don’t have to spend time re-learning the same skills (also known as re-inventing the wheel.)

ENGLISH 340 CONTACT INFORMATION:

ENG 340, Communication Skills, .5 – 6.0 units

Instructor: Celia Cruz

Room X-10 Phone Messages: (408)298-2181x3855

Office Room: GE 209A

Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 11:00-12:00PM.

Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 1:45-2:45PM

GUIDANCE 95 CONTACT INFORMATION:

Guidance 95, College Study Techniques, 1.0 unit

Instructor: Judy Rookstool

Room B203

Phone Messages: (408)298-2181x3149

Office Room: C-6

Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs.

Office Hours: Mon. & Wed.

Ten Tips for Success:

Keep up-to-date with your assignments. Complete assignments by or even before the due date.
Think of questions to ask about your assignments. Ask why something happens or what causes the computer to respond in a particular way.
Be prepared to learn new ways of doing things. And, think of new ways to complete a task.
Allocate enough time to complete assignments so you can think of questions to ask or ideas you want to discuss in class.
Read and re-read your classroom material. Practice tasks on the computer many times so you become confident about performing a particular task.
Don’t be afraid to take a short break before returning to a task. Sometimes a breath of fresh air or a walk helps to clear the mind. (Maybe the computer needs a rest, too!)
Think of how to apply what you learn in one class to another class. Make suggestions to your instructors about how to apply the new material or concepts you have learned.
Take notes. Use that computer to keep track of your ideas and organize your reading materials.
Think of original ways to reinforce what you learn. Find a new website, for example, that may have information about what you’re reading. Use the computer to create a poster that shows what you’ve learned. Try a new way of applying what you’ve learned. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.
Study the objectives and content for the class before you begin so you know what you’re expected to learn by the end of the semester. Then, focus on those goals, and, try helping others to become successful in achieving these goals.

10+. Keep your sense of humor, and you’ll be amazed how much easier it is to finish your work. As someone once said, “You don’t stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing.”

IMPORTANT CLASS DATES

September 23 Last day to add classes without signed add forms

October 12 Turn in petitions for Graduation and Certificates to Admissions and Records

Nov. 22-24 Thanksgiving Break - LABS CLOSED

Nov. 26 Last day to drop a class and receive a "W" grade on a transcript

Dec. 20 Official end of Fall 2002 Semester

January 9, 2003 Grades available by phone: (408-223-0300)