CISC 186 Visual Basic Programming Syllabus
(updated: August 27, 2008)

This course is an introduction to computer programming using Microsoft Visual Basic 2008. This course covers the fundamentals of object oriented event driven (OOED) programming in the Microsoft Windows environment. This is an online course using Blackboard WebCT Vista.

Advisories & Prerequisites

This is an introduction to computer programming, so no computer programming experience is required. However, you are expected to know how to use a Microsoft Windows-based computer and the Internet. This course is not an introduction to computers.

Students must have completed English 051 or higher with a grade of  C or better or have an Assessment Skill Level W5.

Textbook

The textbook for this course is available from the campus bookstore as well as other bookstores.

Starting Out with Visual Basic 2008 - Fourth Edition by Tony Gaddis and Kip Irvine. Copyright © 2009, Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 0-321-53135-3.

The book is available from the City College bookstore or you can buy it from the City College Online Bookstore.

An optional eText version is available from www.coursesmart.com (ISBN 0-321-55804-9) that is accessible, online, for 180 days (our course is 112 days) at about half the price of the printed textbook. You cannot print this book nor can you save it for future reference, but it is an alternative to buying your textbook.

Software

You will not need to buy any software for this course. We will be using Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express and Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express. This software is available free from Microsoft. A copy of this software is included with the textbook. If you use your own computer, you will have to install this software, but make sure that your computer meets the recommended system requirements. See www.rpinfo.com/vstudio2008/sysreqs for more information.

USB Flash Drive

If you use the computers on campus, only computer labs in rooms R-107, T-301, and T-331 have the necessary software installed. You will need a USB flash drive to save your work. You cannot use floppy disks to do Visual Basic programming.

Class Format

This is an online course using Blackboard WebCT Vista as our virtual classroom. You must log in at least once a week. I recommend that you log in three times a week to keep up to date on the latest information.

This class is not a self-paced class. This class is an online class that uses the WebCT to deliver its content. Unlike a traditional classroom-type class, this class does not meet at a specific time, so you are free to log in and do your work at your convenience, as long as you meet the posted due dates.

If you have any questions or need help, you can contact me by instant messenger using AOL IM, Yahoo! Messenger, or MSN/Windows Messenger. All of these are connected to my cell phone. Use the instant messenger to page me and if I am near a computer, I will switch over to it and continue the conversation online. See How to Contact the Professor for details.

You can email me through WebCT email. I will check my email Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For a more immediate response, you should use an instant messenger.

There are computers in the City College Learning Resource Center in room R-107. These computers are available in the day and evening. Visit the Learning Resource Center for the schedule. Some computers may also be available in the T-building lab in room T-301 and T-331.

If you want to use a computer from home, work, or other place, make sure that the computer meets the necessary system requirements (www.rpinfo.com/vstudio2008/sysreqs).

Attendance

I expect you to log in to our WebCT web site at least once a week. I recommend that you log in three times or more per week just to keep up to date on what is happening in this course. WebCT keeps a log of the times that you have logged in.

According to district policy, students must not be absent for more than twelve percent of the total class hours in order to receive credit for the course. Since this is a web based course, I will use weeks as the unit of measure. Twelve percent comes to around two weeks for a 16 week course. If you don’t log in to this course for a week, I will consider that an absence of a week. After another week of absence, you may be dropped from this class.

If you plan to drop this class, do so officially. It is your responsibility to drop yourself from classes before any deadlines. If you stop coming to a class without officially dropping yourself from the class, you may find an F grade on your student record.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to...

1. Create simple to intermediate level Windows applications using the common controls found in the current version of Visual Basic.

2. Create applications that follow the programming conventions as presented in class and the textbook.

3. Create applications that follow the programming conventions for designing a user interface for Microsoft Windows programs.

4. Create Windows applications that store and access data to and from files and databases.

5. Create applications using basic object-oriented event driven programming techniques.

Course Topics

These are the topics to be covered in this course (not necessarily in this order)...

1. Introduction to Computer Programming
   1. Machine Language
   2. Procedure Oriented Programming
   3. Object Oriented Programming
   4. Event Driven Programming
      
      

2. Introduction to Visual Studio & Visual Basic
   1. Solution, Project, and Forms
   2. Properties, Methods, and Events
   3. Online Help
   4. Turning in an Assignment
      
      

3. Constants, Variables, and Data Types
   1. Naming Conventions
   2. Option Strict
   3. Scoping Rules
   4. Data Type Ranges
   
   
   

4. Expressions
   1. Arithmetic Expressions
   2. Character String Expressions
   3. Relational Expressions
   4. Logical Expressions
   5. Shorthand Expressions
   6. Order of Operations
      
      

5. Conditional Statements
   1. If-Then-Else
   2. If-ElseIf
   3. Select Case
   4. Nested If Statements
      
      

6. Loop Statements
   1. Pretest/Posttest Loops
   2. Do While Loop
   3. Do Until Loop
   4. For Loop
      
      

7. Counters & Accumulators

8. Visual Basic .Net Controls
   1. Check Boxes vs Radio Buttons
   2. Labels vs Text Boxes
   3. List Boxes vs Combo Boxes
   4. Group Boxes
   5. Menus & Menu Items
   6. Forms
   7. Control Collection
      
      

9. Sub Procedures & Functions
   1. Arguments: ByVal vs ByRef
   2. Calling a Sub Procedure
   3. Calling a Function
      
      

10. Object Oriented Programming
    1. Using Classes & Objects
    2. Using Properties
    3. Using Methods
       
       

11. Data Files & Databases

Method of Evaluation

Your grade will be based on points earned from the exercises, programming assignments, and quizzes. Exercises and programming assignments will be graded on a 10 point scale. Quizzes will be graded on a 100 point scale. The average score for all of your exercises will be multiplied by 10 and weighted by 20%. The average score for all of your programming assignments will be multiplied by 10 and weighted by 40%. The average score for all of your quizzes will be weighted by 40%. Then all of the weighted scores will be added together to produce a total score score from 0 to 100 that will be your final grade.

For programming assignments, excellent work is work that has very few errors and follows my programming specifications. Good work is above satisfactory work. It may have a few errors, but no serious errors. It must follow the programming specifications. Satisfactory work is work that has a few errors and may deviate from the programming specifications, but is a good indication that the student understands Visual Basic.

Responsibility to Add, Drop, or Withdraw

It is your responsibility to add, drop, or withdraw from classes before the deadlines stated in the class schedule. Petitions to add, drop, or withdraw after the deadline will not be approved without proof of circumstances beyond the student's control which made the student unable to meet the deadline. Lack of money to pay fees is not considered an extenuating circumstance. Students anticipating difficulty in paying fees before the add deadline should check with the Financial Aid Office about sources of funds or other alternatives for which they may be eligible.

Classroom Behavior & Student Code of Conduct

Students are expected to respect and obey standards of student conduct while in class or on the campus. The Student Code of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedure, and Student Due Process (policy 3100 and procedure 3100.2) can be found in the college catalog, student handbook, and the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs (room D-106). Charges of misconduct and disciplinary sanctions may be imposed upon students who violate these standards of conduct or provisions of college regulations.

Academic Integrity

This class will be conducted in accordance with the college Student Code of Conduct and basic standards of academic honesty. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Violations of standards of academic honesty will be reported to the college disciplinary office for appropriate action.

Accommodation of Disability

Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations should discuss options with me sometime during the first two weeks of class.

Changes to This Syllabus

From time to time this syllabus may need to be changed. Students will be notified of syllabus changes during a regularly scheduled class meeting. It is your responsibility to make sure that you possess the latest version of this syllabus.