TABLE OF CONTENTS

BTM 200
Fundamentals of Information Technology
Section EC
Fall 2023
This syllabus is subject to change and any changes will be posted in the Announcements section of your eConcordia portal.

Disclaimer: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University's control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

About the Course

Instructor

The instructor for this course is Raul Valverde PhD [Link].

NB: Any emails about the course should go to (btm200@[Link]) and as per the instructions below. Make sure that you insert in your email subject matter “BTM200 2022 & your student ID”

Teaching Assistants
The Teaching Assistants (TA) for this course are

Eduardo Alvarez
Diego Steiner
Kiana Sharifpour
Maria Fernanda Jarquin
Wintana Tadesse

Course Description
Today, everyone needs to have a strong understanding of the fundamentals of information technology (IT), in order to be productive in society. This course addresses the fundamental aspects of information technology that drive our
businesses and lives alike. The course does NOT deal with new technologies and innovations but rather with the primary principles and components they are built upon. Some of the concepts the course deals with includes software,
hardware, tele-communications, the Internet, ethics in IT, security, and personal productivity. The course will strengthen your fundamental knowledge related to IT and its various aspects and will prepare you not only for courses to come
but also for today's industry expectations.

The course entails fundamental subject matter: How information is stored in computers; how the internet works; issues related to security and safety of your data; ethics related to IT usage; social issues resulting from today’s information
technologies, and business productivity. As such, and in specific, the course does not deal, for example, with versions of operating systems, or state-of-the art technologies and social media, but focuses on the basic knowledge that all IT is
built on and its use for business productivity.

This course is designed to provide you with the opportunity to deal with information technology from different perspectives and focuses on practice rather than theory. To that effect, you are required to be an active participant by
engaging in a number of interactive activities and applied assignments.

As an online course, time management becomes the critical to complete all requirement (assignments, activities, and tests) on time. The format provides an opportunity to further develop your self-directed learning skills and time
management, encompassing up to 40 hours of expected interactive experience with online learning tools.

Obtaining Required Material

All you need for course material, communication and interactivity for this course will be in eConcordia. The text required for this course is available through the course website and is included in the eConcordia fee.

For ACSD Students

Please coordinate with the ACSD centre if you wish to take the exam there and notify us of your intention to do so.

Communication
Sharing Private Email Communications on Social Media WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. We will take appropriate actions to all those who violate this.
Please use btm200@[Link] for all your emails. Make sure that you insert in your email subject matter “BTM200 2021 & your student ID”
On the first line of you email include the object of your email. For example: About the final exam; For assignment 1, etc…
Expect a response within 2 business days during the week (Monday-Friday).
For any technical issues with eConcordia, please contact helpdesk@[Link].
You are required to be polite, respectful and professional at all times. See academic conduct section below. Include the following information in all your e-mail communication:
Full name
Concordia student ID number
Course name and number pertaining to your inquiry
Save a copy of all e-mail correspondence for the duration of the term and until the final letter grade for your course has been posted in your MyConcordia portal.

Announcements
Important information regarding the course will be communicated to you via the Announcements Section of the eConcordia course website.
You are required to check the announcement postings for updates at least three (3) times per week.

Course Evaluation
Approximately one week prior to the end of the term, you will receive an e-mail message asking you to complete a course evaluation. Click on the link in the e-mail and follow the instructions. Please note that all responses are completely
anonymous and will be kept confidential. We value your opinion; your feedback regarding your experience with eConcordia is greatly appreciated.

Graded Assessments
Extensions for due dates will not be accepted.

For any special circumstance, you need to contact your professor directly and provide proof.

Table 1. Course Evaluation Components.

ASSIGNMENTS Weight Date Due (23:59 EST)

Participation Tests 2.0%

Pre-Course-Test IT Knowledge 1.0% October 9

Post-Course-Test IT Knowledge 1.0% November 27

Discussion Cases [Done in Forum] 13%

Discussion Case 1 (Ethics) 2% October 27

Discussion Case 2 (IT, You & the

2% October 27
Future)

Discussion Case 3 (The Internet of

3% November 27
Things)

Discussion Case 4 (Artificial

3% November 27
Intelligence)

Discussion Case 5 (Big Data) 3% December 01

Assignments 18%

A1 [Computer Configuration] 6% October 16

A2 [Assess your hardware] 6% November 06

A3 [Assess your computer security] 6% December 01

Quizzes 7.0% Any time before Due Date

Quiz 1: Computer and Information

1.0% October 31
Ethics

Quiz 2: Computer Parts 1.0% October 31

Quiz 3: System Software 1.0% October 31

Quiz 4: Application Software 1.0% October 31

Quiz 5: Networking 1.0% November 27

Quiz 6: Assessing Hardware &

1.0% November 27
Software

Quiz 7: Security 1.0% November 27

Mini Case (Individual Work) 30% December 04

Exam Date To be Announced by Concordia

Summative Test Exam will be Online using COLE and
Will be done with examination’s 30% proctored by Proctorio
office. You must get 50% of the final exam grade
to pass the course.

Description of Graded Assessments

1. Pre-Test and PostTest IT Knowledge: This is a set of questions related to the course subject matter. Please do your best without searching for answers on the Internet. This knowledge test is to help you and the professor
evaluate how much you have learned by the end of the semester. This assessment is participation based, meaning you simply need to complete it to receive full marks. It is intended that you do the test before any readings for the
course to benchmark what you already know about the subject matter.
2. Quizzes 1-7: Throughout the semester, you will have a quiz for each unit. You will be able to access the quizzes with the units listed. The current course outline shows the deadlines at which you should complete the quizzes.
Please take note of the both the opening and closing dates of the quizzes. The quiz grades will be released at the end of the semester along with all the answers.
3. Assignments 1-3: You need to complete three assignments during the semester. Basically, you have one assignment to do per month. The detailed requirements of these assignments are available in their associated modules
and the assessment section at eConcordia.
4. Discussion Cases 1-5: You need to post 5 discussions. Basically, you have one discussion case to do per 2 weeks. The detailed requirements of these discussions will be found in the forum.

You must participate in all the discussions in the forum to get full Marks. There will be 5 cases posted by the professor. You must post your response to each case with approximately 500 words (+- 100 words) in the discussion section
for each case. Your response should engage with the teacher’s case and provide your personal thoughts/understanding.

The case discussions are a versatile learning method in an online course. It is akin to putting your hand up in class, but with a bonus: each and every student can read the comments, questions, and the various answers posted, at their
leisure. To earn your marks on “Case Discussion”, each student is expected to contribute to the discussion on cases. This can be done by providing counter-arguments, real-life example, and the like. In addition, make sure that you refer
to relevant chapters in the book to not only strengthen your argument and feedback but to process the content in the book for better understanding the concepts.

Guidelines for Posting:

Do not post your telephone number, student ID, or any other personal information on the discussion board.
Read the other postings to confirm that a question has not already been answered repeatedly. Repetitive postings will not earn marks.
The Discussion Board (Forum) is meant for the academic discussion of the course material. Keep postings pertinent to the course material and subject matter at hand. Questions pertaining to grades or questions of a personal
nature must be addressed directly to your TA via the BTM200 e-mail. Posts of this nature will be removed.
Of vital importance is respectful behavior on the discussion board. Refrain from making offensive statements and derogatory comments. For example, students must never insult another person or teaching assistant in a
discussion.
Students who fail to respect these rules will get zero mark for “Case Discussions” and will be asked to leave the discussion. It is within our discretion and authority to edit or remove any posting at any time. Please see the
[Link]

7. Mini Case:

Accessed from eConcordia website.

Further instructions will be released via the econcordia announcements section.
You will be presented with an ill-defined business problem. You will be asked to solve the problem and use Excel to support your solution. From the knowledge gained via this course’s Excel Videos you will be able to use
the program’s functions, formulas, and graphs to provide a solution to the problem or request.
You will also need to submit a Word document detailing your solution including all excel analysis, as well as some discussion responses along with your Excel file.
You can download the minicase itself once it has been released in eConcordia. Please check the econcordia announcements section later on in the semester for more details
A number of important Excel and Access videos will be made available to you and that you will be responsible to learn for the course. These videos are necessary for the minicase and may be included in the summative
exam. You can watch the videos in UNIT 8 of the course on eConcordia

8. Summative Exam:

The Summative exam will take place during the official examination period as determined by Concordia. The final exam is set to be Online through COLE with proctoring through Proctorio
The summative exam contains questions scanning through the content and topics you have seen in the book, assignments, quizzes and activities. Therefore, it is important that you complete all your assignments, activities,
and quizzes by yourself.
The exam will be conducted by the examination’s office at Concordia. Usually the dates and location of the final exam will be announced by the examination’s office towards the end of the semester. The information will
also be available to you in your Concordia SIS.
This is an exam that will cover all the course material including assignments, quizzes, minicase and videos.
NOTE: You should score at least 50% out of 100% on the final exam to pass the course. This is why it is very important that you complete all course requirements by yourself.

Grading Scheme

95 – 100% A+ 67 – 69% C+

89 – 94% A 63 – 66% C

83 – 88% A- 60 – 62% C-

79 – 82% B+ 57 – 59% D+

74 – 78% B 53 – 56% D

70 – 73% B- 50 – 52% D-

0 – 49% F

Policy on Extensions and Late Submissions

VERY IMPORTANT

Any request for an extension or inability to complete required course work must be received at least 2 days before the deadline. Extensions need to be justified and will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Please
email btm200@[Link] for any request.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignment is received before the deadline. We do not tolerate late submissions as we give a great amount of time for students to complete the Any late submission will not be
accepted
Please note that you are responsible for the correct version of your work submitted.

Technical

Technical Issues
For any technical questions or inquiries (login or account issues), or if you are having difficulty accessing the eConcordia site, please contact eConcordia's HelpDesk at: helpdesk@[Link] or call 514-848-8770

The eConcordia team takes every possible measure to ensure that your online learning experience runs as smoothly as possible. There may be times, however, when you encounter technical difficulties that are simply beyond our
control. This can include unforeseen network or server or connectivity issues.

It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that they save a copy of all work submitted through the system. This applies to any work sent via e-mail and uploads and textbox submissions to the course website. Students are required
to save copies of work both on a computer hard drive and an external storage device (CD or USB key).

In the event that a technical problem arises, please send a copy of the error message you received in the body of your e-mail to helpdesk@[Link]

Refunds

Course Material Access Fees

Requests for refunds must be made through your eConcordia portal and must meet the conditions listed below.

A full refund for the Course Material Fee will be issued to students who withdraw from the course by Concordia University's DNE deadline each term AND then request the Course Material Fee refund through their eConcordia portal.

Please visit: Concordia University's course calendar for important calendar dates.
No refund requests on Course Material Fees are accepted or processed after the DNE date.

To request a refund on your Course Material Fee, login to [Link], select My Accounts and then select Receipts/Refund Requests proceed as instructed. If the refund is approved, you are refunded on the credit card used for
the payment. If you paid in person at our offices by debit card, credit card, certified cheque or money order, a cheque is issued and sent by mail to the address listed in your eConcordia profile.

Important Information

Topic Link

Academic Integrity Academic Integrity

Concordia
Educational
Technology
Educational Technology Guidelines
Guidelines for
Faculty and Students
(the “Guidelines”)

Access Centre for Students with

ACSD
Disabilities

Concordia Library Citation & Style

How to cite...
Guides

Course Communication Tools Communication

eConcordia Policies Policies

Final Exams Information Final Exams

Helpdesk/Support FAQ

Multifactor Authentication MFA for Students

Refunds Refunds

Technical
Technical Requirements
Requirements

Tips for Studying Online Studying Tips

Tips on how to reach online learning How to Succeed @

goals (learning modules) eConcordia

BTM 200 - Fundamentals of Information Technology

Agenda
Fall 2023
All deadlines indicated are on the due date listed by 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

Week 1: September 4 - September 10

Review the course outline

Navigate the course website

Suggested readings: Unit 1: Computer and information ethics

(See computer ethics institute)

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

September 04 Labour Day, university closed

September 05 Classes begin

September 05 Discussion Board opens at 2 PM.

Week 2: September 11 - September 17

Suggested readings: Unit 2 Computer Parts

Textbook Chapter 4: Hardware: The CPU & Storage

Textbook Chapter 5: Hardware: Input & Output

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

Week 3: September 18 - September 24

Suggested readings: Unit 3 System Software

Textbook Chapter 3 [Unit 3A]: System Software: The Power Behind the Power

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

September 20 Assignment 1 Opens

September 18 Deadline for withdrawal with tuition refund (DNE) from fall-term courses

September 18 Deadline to add fall-term courses

Week 4: September 25 - October 1

Suggested readings: Unit 4 Application Software

Textbook Chapter 3 [Unit 3B]: Application Software: Getting Started

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

Week 5: October 2 - October 8

Suggested readings: Unit 5: Networking

Textbook Chapter 6: Communications, Networks, & Cyberthreats

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

Week 6: October 16 - October 22

Suggested readings: Unit 6: Assessing Hardware and Software

Notes: Assessing and Evaluating your Computer and System

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

October 16 Assignment 1 DUE

October 17 Assignment 2 Opens

Mid-term break: October 9 - October 15

October 09 Thanksgiving Day, university closed

October 10 Mid-term break begins

October 15 Mid-term break ends

Week 7: October 23 - October 29

Suggested readings: Unit 7: Security

Textbook Chapter 9 [Unit 9A]: The Challenges of the Digital Age: Security, Privacy, & Surveillance Concerns.

Suggested to do Quiz at end of week after reading the Unit

Deadline to register with the Access Centre for Students with Disabilities and receive exam accommodations for the fall 2023 final examination
October 27
period

Week 8: October 30 - November 5

Database Analysis: Unit 8: Using Microsoft Access [Study Videos and Resources]

Week 9: November 6 - November 12

Unit 8 in Econcordia – Unit 8: Spreadsheet Analysis: Using Microsoft Excel [Study Videos and Resources]

November 06 Assignment 2 DUE

November 07 Assignment 3 Opens

Week 10: November 13 - November 19

Review your course and make sure all requirements are submitted by the deadlines

Week 11: November 20 - November 26

Review your course and make sure all requirements are submitted by the deadlines

Week 12: November 27 - December 3

Review your course and make sure all requirements are submitted by the deadlines

November 27 Last day for instructor-scheduled tests or examinations

December 01 Assignment 3 DUE

Week 13: December 4 - December 5

Review your course and make sure all requirements are submitted by the deadlines

December 04 Last day of classes, fall term

December 04 Mini Case Due 11:59PM

December 05 Deadline for academic withdrawal (DISC) from fall-term courses

Examinations Period: December 6 - December 19

Final Exam date and time is posted on your Student Hub

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