BA131 Home Page -- Spring 2007

BA131, Business Productivity Software, teaches students how to use a computer as a powerful tool in completing everyday business and analytical tasks. This class teaches you how to use office productivity software so that you will be prepared not only to learn the office software for your future employer, but also so that you can produce effective and professional course work.

Announcements:

June 6th: Right now, 28 students have completed the Fluffy Activity, and 17 students have not successfully completed it. If you are in the group of 28 students -- congratulations. If you are in the group of 17 students, you should complete this task soon. If you need help with it, I want to work with you to master this basic skill. Please keep in mind that the Fluffy Activity is this course's competency exit hurdle. That means you must successfully complete the activity in order to pass the class. Anyone who is unable to build the Fluffy model and arrive at a correctly working model will receive an F in the course overall.

May 9th: I've adjusted schedule to include various due dates for the Fluffy Competency Video activity. The revised schedule suggests,

• I will accept submissions anytime before the end of the 9th week of the term without penalty.
• Any submissions or "redo" efforts received during dead week will incur a mild grading penalty.
• Any submissions or "redo" efforts that are received during finals week will result in a substantial grading penalty.
• Anyone who is unable to complete this activity by the end of finals week will receive an F in the entire course this term. Thus, this is not an optional activity -- you must demonstrate your ability to complete a basic spreadsheet model in a competent manner in order to pass BA 131 this term.

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April 30th:

I decided for several reasons to hold the midterm on Monday, May 7th rather than Friday. Given that class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, it seems strange to hold the exam on Friday.

Arrive at the basement computer lab anytime between 10 a.m. and noon on Monday, May 7th. You will have a maximum of 90-minutes to complete the exam after you arrive and begin. When the time runs out, your work must be attached to an email message and sent to my mailbox according to the instructions.

April 11th, part 2:

The students who attended class today agreed to change this term's grading system to include some Participation points. Students would earn their Participation points by volunteering to work at the front of the room with the mouse. Volunteering once to work at the front would earn full participation points for the term ... never volunteering would leave you without any Participation points. Based on these discussions, I've decided to include 50 Participation points in the course grading system. Katie Quigley volunteered during the 11 o'clock hour, and Catherine Freeland volunteered during the noon hour, so that have earned full Participation points this term.

April 11th, part 1:

OSU Career Services is offering students an opportunity to participate in mock interview sessions on Tuesday April 24th. Students need to call and make an appointment to set up a mock interview - please see the information below.

M.O.C. -- Making Outstanding Connections

• Practice interviewing with experienced recruiters and receive valuable feedback so you can make outstanding connections in your future interviews.
• Contact Career Services, 737-4085 to schedule your 30-minute MOCK INTERVIEW
• For Tuesday, April 24th, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Participating Organizations: PeaceCorps, Weyerheauser, Target, Enterprise

April 9th: Intellectual Property Guest Speaker -- this Thursday (April 12th) @ 1 p.m.

There is a unique opportunity this week to hear a speaker who is an acknowledged expert in the field of intellectual property protection. Elmer Galbi will be a guest speaker this Thursday, 4/12/2007 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, in Kelly Engineering Center 1003. A short Bio follows:

Elmer W. Galbi

Elmer's focus is primarily on patent matters in the computer systems and programming area. As a former patent department manager for major corporations --including IBM, Advanced Micro Devices, and Seiko Communications Systems -- Elmer brings a rich background in all aspects of IP law. He's overseen and handled patent procurement in the U.S. and overseas, and has a significant amount of experience analyzing IP portfolios for licensing and infringement. Elmer has managed interference proceedings and litigation, served as an expert witness in litigation, and served as a member of an arbitration panel.

Clients:  Elmer works for industry leaders such as Cisco Technology, Inc., Cypress Semiconductor Corporation and various Seiko subsidiaries. He also works with start-up companies that are aiming to become established leaders in their technologies. His clients provide a wide array of products from computer systems and semiconductors to novelty toys.

Saturday, April 6th:

I've rewritten the Syllabus information about how this course will be graded this term. The revised system removes the rather scary system of forcing people to pass the final exam in order to pass the entire course.

Monday, April 2nd:

• I, Dave Sullivan, will be the BA131 instructor for Spring term, 2007. I feel fortunate to have inherited such a well organized course from Ray Tanner, the person who taught this class for the past ten years or so.
• You can find more information about me by clicking on the [Dave Sullivan] button in the link bar at the top of this page.
• I will use this BA131 Home Page to make announcements throughout the term. Please check this page whenever you arrive at the BA131 website. You are responsible for checking for new announcements at least once a week.