Weekly outline

  • Week 0

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    Course Rules:

    Website:

    • When you sign up, please use the same name you have in your AASTMT records, and include your AASTMT ID. This how I can migrate your grades to the AASTMT system.
    • Login often to follow up with assignment deadlines and announcements. Its your responsibility to keep up with the course. Failure to receive emails or notifications is no excuse. Everything is announced in class and then published in moodle.

    Academic Honesty:

    • Please confirm with the AASTMT policies regarding plagiarism and cheating. A zero grade for the violating submission will be given the first time, then reported to the department for further action.
    • Please ask questions in the online forum to allow everyone to join and benefit from the discussions, and avoid private emails to the lecturers and TAs. Contact the teachers privately only about your personal grades or circumstances, not about the course content.

    How to score A+ in this course?

    • Please do all practicals and assignments and study regularly. In case of problems, please ask questions. Accumulating problems will make things worse as the semester goes by.

    Course Description:

    This course provides an introduction to computers and computing .Topics of interest include the impact of computers on society, ethical issues, and hardware /software applications, including internet applications, system unit, storage and input/output devices, numbering systems, system and application software, presentation skills, program development, programming languages, and flow charts, Visual Basic, web page design using HTML, and communications and networks. 

    Learning Outcomes:

    The student will be able to:

    • Identify computer hardware components and their specifications and types.
    • Use Windows, MS PowerPoint, HTML, and Visual Basic.
    • Understand and use numbering systems. 

    Course Topics:

    • Introduction to the World of Computers Input and Output.
    • The System Unit: Processing and Memory.
    • Storage and Input/Output Devices
    • System Software and Application Software
    • Program Development, Programming Languages, and Flow charts
    • Visual Basic
    • Web page design using HTML
    • Communications and Networks
    • Ethics, Computer Crime, Privacy, and other Social Issues

    TEXT BOOK

    Charles S. Parker, Deborah Morley, “Understanding Computers Today and Tomorrow”, Course Technology 2009, latest edition. 

    Grading Scheme:

    Week 7
    Quizes 5%
    Lab Submissions 2.5%
    Assignments 2.5%
    Midterm 1 20%
    Week 12
    Quizes 5%
    Lab Submissions 2.5%
    Assignments 2.5%
    Midterm 2 10%
    Project 10%
    Final Exam 40%

  • 20 September - 26 September

    Week 1: Chapter 1: Introduction to the World of Computers

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Explain why it is essential to learn about computers today and discuss several ways computers are integrated into our business and personal lives.
    2. Define a computer and describe its primary operations.
    3. List some important milestones in computer evolution.
    4. Identify the major parts of a personal computer, including input, processing, output, storage, and communications hardware.
    5. Define software and understand how it is used to instruct the computer what to do.
    6. List the six basic types of computers, giving at least one example of each type of computer and stating what that computer might be used for.
    7. Explain what a network, the Internet, and the World Wide Web are, as well as how computers, people, and Web pages are identified on the Internet.
    8. Describe how to access a Web page and navigate through a Web site.
    9. Discuss the societal impact of computers, including some benefits and risks related to their prominence in our society.

  • 27 September - 3 October

    Week 2: Chapter 2:  The System Unit: Processing and Memory

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Understand how data and programs are represented to a computer and be able to identify a few of the coding systems used to accomplish this.
    2. Explain the functions of the hardware components commonly found inside the system unit, such as the CPU, memory, buses, and expansion cards.
    3. Describe how new peripheral devices or other hardware can be added to a computer.
    4. Understand how the computer system’s CPU and memory components process program instructions and data.
    5. Name and evaluate several strategies that can be used today for speeding up the operations of a computer.
    6. List some technologies that may be used in the future computers.

  • 4 October - 10 October

    Eid Al- Adha Holidays

  • 11 October - 17 October

    Week 3: Input/Output Devices Chapter 4

    Learning Objectives:

    • Different types of keyboards and pointing devices
    • Types of scanners, readers, and digital cameras
    • Audio input devices
    • Types of display devices and how they work
    • Types of printers and how they work
    • Audio output 

  • 18 October - 24 October

    Week 4: Computer Storage (Chapter 3), System Software and Application Software (Chapter 5 and 6)

    Learning Objectives:

    • Examine the characteristics common among all storage systems.
    • Discuss the primary storage for most personal computers— the hard drive.
    • Discuss how optical discs work and the various types that are available today.
    • Discuss flash memory storage systems.
    • Discuss network and online/cloud storage, smart cards, holographic storage, and storage systems used with large computer systems.
    • Evaluate storage alternatives for a typical personal computer. 

    • Understand the difference between system software and application software. 

    • Explain the different functions of an operating system and discuss some ways that operating systems enhance processing efficiency.
    • Today’s most widely used operating systems for personal computers and servers.
    • Characteristics of application software in general

  • 25 October - 31 October

    Week 5: Program Development + Programming Languages + and Flow Charts (Chapter 13)

    Learning Objectives:

    • Understand the differences between structured programming, object-oriented programming (OOP), aspect- oriented programming (AOP), and adaptive software development.

    • Identify and describe the activities involved in the program development life cycle (PDLC).

    • Understand what constitutes good program design and list several tools that can be used by computer professionals when designing a program.

    • Explain the three basic control structures and how they can be used to control program flow during execution.

    • Discuss some of the activities involved with debugging a program and otherwise ensuring it is designed and written properly.

    • List some tools that can be used to speed up or otherwise facilitate program development.

    • Describe several programming languages in use today and explain their key features.

  • 1 November - 7 November

    Week 6: Revision

  • 8 November - 14 November

    Week 7: 7th Week Exam + Quiz 1

  • 15 November - 21 November

    Week 8: Visual Basic 1

    Learning Objectives:

    • Become Familiar with the Generation of computer Languages.
    • Understand High level languages' translation 
    • Become Familiar with the Visual Basic Environment.
    • Become Able to build a simple Visual Basic Application.

  • 22 November - 28 November

    Week 9: Visual Basic 2 - Visual Basic Variables

    Learning Objectives:

    • Familiar with the Programming Variables Declaration and Initialization.
    • Effective Choice of Data Types
    • Appreciate the benefits of using Constants.
    • The Assignment Operator and Type Casting
    • Understanding of Operators and Operators Precedence.

  • 29 November - 5 December

    Week 10: Visual Basic 3 

     Learning Objectives:

    • Use Visual Basic Input/Output
    • Understand Errors
    • Understand Event Driven Programming
    • Use Conditions & If statements
    • Use loops
    • Be Able to build a simple Visual Basic Application.

  • 6 December - 12 December

    Week 11: Quiz 2 + Web Page Design using HTML 1

     Learning Objectives:

    • Getting Started.
    • What is HTML?
    • How to create and View an HTML document?
    • Basic HTML Document Format
    • The HTML Basic tags

  • 13 December - 19 December

    Week 12: 12th Week Exam

  • 20 December - 26 December

    Week 13: More on HTML

    Learning Objectives:

    1. Special Characters
    2. HTML Tables.
    3. Interactive HTML.
      – Form Tags
      – Input Tags
      – SELECT, OPTION Tags
      – TEXTAREA Tags

  • 27 December - 2 January

    Week 14: Communications and Networks (chapter 7)

    Learning Objectives:

    • What Is a Network?
    • Get Familiar with the various Networking Applications
    • Understand Network Characteristics, Protocols, and Standards
    • Get familiar with Network Hardware

  • 3 January - 9 January

    Week 15: Ethics, Computer Crime, Privacy, and other Social Issues (sections from chapter 15 and 16)

    Learning Objectives:

    • Various types of intellectual property rights
    • A discussion of ethics, including ethical use of copyrighted material, ethical uses of resources and information, unethical use of digital manipulation, and ethical business practices
    • The impact of computers on our physical and emotional health
    • Issues related to the access of technology
    • The impact of computers on our environment
    • A look at legislation related to these issues

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Good Luck with your Finals.