Fully Synchronous Course | Spring 2025

1. Instructor & TA

Dr. Sonya Zhang
E-mail: [email protected] 

  • Use “CIS 1010” in the subject line, spell your full name in the email body, and send it from your cpp.edu account.
  • Do NOT submit any homework to me via email – they won’t count.
  • I typically aim to reply to student emails within 24 hours. However, please note that this timeframe does not include weekends, as we are advised not to work on weekends or outside the 8-hour weekday limit according to university policy. Therefore, I recommend emailing on Thursday or early Friday if you would like to receive a response before the weekend.
  • Office hours and the instructor’s Zoom link are provided in Canvas – Modules – Welcome to Class.

Tiffany Ma (Tutor)
Email: [email protected]  

Tutoring hours and the tutor’s Zoom link are provided in Canvas – Welcome to Class.

2. Class meetings

This is a fully synchronous course. The first day of class and lectures/workshops (1/22, 2/10, 3/3, 3/24) are mandatory attendance via Zoom (find the link and passcode in the Canvas – Modules – Welcome to class). The remaining class meetings are optional – you can join if you have questions and prefer to ask via Zoom rather than email. All learning materials and activities are online using Cengage MindTap (cost included via Instant Access, integrated within Canvas) and Canvas. The instructor interacts with students via Canvas announcements, email, and office hours.

3. Course Description

  • Subjects: Microsoft Word (3 modules, 14 assignments), PowerPoint (3 modules, 14 assignments), Excel (3 modules, 14 assignments), and Cyber Security (1 module, 4 assignments). Total 10 modules, 46 assignments. There is no midterm or final exam.
  • Lectures/Workshops: 1) Computer Technologies for Business (1/22), 2) Artificial Intelligence (2/10), 3) Excel for Data Analytics (3/3), and 4) Cyber Security (3/24).
  • To pass the class, the course average, including all trainings (30%), exams (30%), and projects (30%), and lecture/workshop attendance (10%), must be 70% or higher.
  • This is a Credit/No Credit course, i.e., Pass/Fail. Therefore, this course grade will not affect your GPA. However, failing a course may affect your academic standing and financial aid; check details here https://www.cpp.edu/financial-aid/resources/understanding-sap.shtml
  • All learning materials are on Cengage MindTap and Canvas. All projects and exams will be auto-graded, and you usually see your grades immediately after submission. Sometimes, there can be a delay in grade synchronization from Cengage to Canvas. Please use the Cengage MindTap grade book as the standard.
  • When students successfully pass CIS 1010, they get two things: (1) 3 units of college credit and (2) the Personal Computing Proficiency designation to fulfill the prerequisites of their future classes. If they do not pass CIS 1010 successfully, then they do not earn those two things, but they can retake CIS 1010 (and all of its parts).

4. Expected Outcomes

Students passing this course will demonstrate the ability to create, edit, store, and manage Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Excel spreadsheets in a Windows OS environment. They will also demonstrate knowledge in cybersecurity and safety and use such knowledge and skills in subsequent courses at Cal Poly Pomona.

CIS 1010 is a required support course for all business administration majors and minors and restricted elective, core, and prerequisite courses for many other majors. Please double-check with your academic advisor.

5. Required Course Websites

Canvas contains links to the syllabus, course schedule, and announcements – ensure you receive an email notification whenever the instructor publishes an announcement on Canvas. Canvas – Modules have links to the Cengage MindTap assignments and e-book, including training, exams, and projects you must complete.

6. Course Overview

6.1 Lectures/Workshops Attendance (10%)

Students are required to attend four lectures/workshops on Zoom in their entirety and submit to Canvas both a screenshot of the Zoom meeting and an in-class exercise afterward. Attendance will be verified using the Zoom attendance report.

6.2 Trainings (30%)

Trainings are Microsoft Office simulations designed to run in the browser, with Chrome recommended. Ensure that your browser permits pop-up windows.

You must complete training, an exam, and a project for each module. Training counts towards course grades, and it is important because it demonstrates and lets you practice the skills you need for exams and projects. Completing the training before taking the exams is best because the tasks match.

There are three training modes: Observe (watch how a task is completed), Practice (follow step-by-step instructions to complete a task), and Apply (complete a task just like in an exam). Students can skip over Observe and Practice if they don’t need it. However, to earn 100% credits, each training task must be completed in the Apply mode.

6.4 Exams (30%)

Exams are also simulations designed to run in the browser, with Chrome recommended. Ensure that your browser permits pop-up windows.

To make sure you’re thoroughly prepared for the exam, completing the corresponding training is a prerequisite for each exam. 

Each exam must be completed in one setting once started. Each exam task allows 3 attempts. The exam is auto-graded, and the result is displayed immediately at the end of the exam. 

All exams are auto-graded, so the results are displayed immediately after submission. You can also find the scores in the Cengage grade book later.

You have 50 attempts for each exam before the deadline. The highest score out of all the attempts counts.

6.5 Projects (30%)

For each project, you will 1) download a project instruction document and a start file, and 2) work on the downloaded start file on any computer with Office 365 and then submit completed project files. Each downloaded start file has a unique ID attached to it, so sharing or exchanging project files with classmates is readily detectable, and the software will reject such files.

Like exams, all projects are auto-graded, and the results (grading report displaying itemized deductions and links to corresponding training tasks and resources) are displayed immediately after submission. You can also find the scores in the Cengage grade book later.

All projects are designed for Office 365. Therefore, you could lose points if you use other versions. All projects are compatible with both PC and Mac. See below for software download information.

You have 10 attempts for each project before the deadline. The highest score out of all the attempts counts.

Projects with detected plagiarism will be declined at submission, and an explanation for the rejection will be provided. Plagiarism in projects encompasses actions such as one student sharing or copying the entirety or parts of projects from another student. Additionally, the system may identify self-plagiarism if a student duplicates the entire project or parts from a previous one they submitted. To address issues in your project and improve your grade, the best approach is to rectify problems in your current project solution or begin anew from the start file, redoing all tasks.

Because projects impact the final course grade, to ensure fairness, the TA or I CANNOT walk you through step-by-step solutions or fix problems for you before the project deadline. The TA and I will, however, help you understand expectations, clarify requirements, provide resources and examples, and help you gain knowledge and skills in critical thinking and problem-solving.

For projects, please use the project help documents (both PC and Mac versions are available), which you can download from Canvas -> modules ->[specific module]. These project help documents provide step-by-step guidance and screenshots on top of the default Cengage project instructions, so they are extremely useful for you to use side by side while working on their projects.

6.6 Use Office software to work on the projects

For Windows and Mac users:

  • You can download and install Office software on your computer at www.office.com. Sign in using your CPP login.
  • The same www.office.com portal also provides download and installation of Office for Mac users without the need to install Windows OS.
  • Do not use the cloud-based Office.com or Office 365 for projects because their features are insufficient for projects in this course.

For Chromebook users or those who cannot access or install Office software on their computers:

6.7 Cyber Security Module

The Cyber Security Module coordinates with the Cengage MindTap Chapter 6 Cyber Security covers various aspects of computer security, including threats to your digital life, understanding firewalls, managing computer security with Windows tools, tips for protecting your computer, and best practices in security and privacy.

Please note that this module is different from other Microsoft modules, so please follow the instructions: you will first Read: Module 06 Cybersecurity and Safety, which is an ebook chapter; then you will take the Skills Training Module 06 Cybersecurity and Safety, which contains 21 interactive tasks. You will watch a short lecture video in each training task and then answer a multiple-response question. Then, you will take the Skills Exam Module 06 Cybersecurity and Safety, which has 21 tasks that match the training tasks. Please make sure to allow pop-up windows from Cengage.com. Lastly, there is a Simulation 6.2 Module 06 Critical Thinking Challenge Applying Cybersecurity Techniques. In this simulation, you will read a case study applying cybersecurity technology at the workplace and answer questions accordingly.

6.9 Instant Access Program

This course participates in CPP’s “Instant Access” Program, which automatically gives all enrolled students access to their course materials in digital format by the first day of classes at highly discounted prices. The instant access digital materials fee will be billed to your CPP student account, and you are responsible for paying it by the add/drop deadline, along with your other tuition/fees for the term. You can opt out of instant access before the add/drop deadline, and the fee will be refunded to your student account. (IMPORTANT: If you do not opt out of this program by the add/drop deadline, the charges on your account for that fee will be final.) If you opt-out, you can no longer access the materials. Opt-out instructions will be emailed to you or posted to Canvas, but for most courses, the easiest way is to log into the bookstore’s Instant Access Portal and follow the prompts.

Instant Access FAQ for students: https://www.broncobookstore.com/instant-access.asp?

6.10 Cengage Tech Support

Here is a great link: MindTap Instant Access Complete Guide

You can create a tech support ticket https://help.cengage.com/salt/contact-support.html with questions or concerns. This includes the case in which you think your exam or project solution was correct but graded as incorrect. However, keep in mind that auto-grading is usually accurate. Therefore, for more efficiency, consider reviewing the related training task or consulting the e-book for solutions and then try again.

6.9 DRC Students

Students with a disability can opt to take the exam at DRC with more time, usually 1.5x or 2x the regular exam time. Please contact DRC for details. If you have received DRC approval for this course, please notify the instructor via email on the first day of class.

7. Course Schedule

Week 1 Word Module 02 + Lecture/Workshop 1 Computer Technologies for Business and Career Paths (Wednesday 1/22)

Week 2 Word Module 03

Week 3 Word Module 05

Week 4 PowerPoint Module 04 + Lecture/Workshop 2 Artificial Intelligence (Monday 2/10)

Week 5 PowerPoint Module 05

Week 6 PowerPoint Module 06

Week 7 Excel Module 01 + Lecture/Workshop 3 Excel for Data Analysis (Monday 3/3)

Week 8 Excel Module 02

Week 9 Excel Module 03

Week 10 Cyber Security and Safety Module + Lecture/Workshop 4 Cyber Security (Monday 3/24)

Week 11-15 make-ups for students with compelling reasons upon instructor’s approval