Succeeding in BA271

Most people do well in BA271—but some fail miserably. Since I want you to succeed, this page contains information about how to earn a good grade.

This class does not follow the usual "cram-and-flush" model of college learning. You will not be tested on your mastery of computer jargon or understanding of theoretical models. Instead, you will be asked to complete realistic tasks in front of a computer during "hands-on" exams. This means you will not be able to guess the right answer on true-false or multiple-choice questions. Instead of reading books, you should spend your time interacting with a computer. In that sense, this class is more like a tennis class than one in calculus or geology. You need to develop practical skills that you can demonstrate.

An analogy with riding a bike may be useful. When I first learned to ride a bike, my attention was so focused on making my feet stay on the pedals and keeping the bike upright that I ran into a parked car. With more practice the mechanical part of riding a bike became second nature, and I began thinking about rules of the road and the scenery. In a similar way, when you use a computer, you should not think consciously about which command to give next—that should come naturally. Instead, you should think about what you want to accomplish and how you want things to look. The best strategy for developing this sort of skill is to practice, practice, and spend yet more time practicing.

OK, enough general philosophy. Here are practical tips to help you succeed

• Read the syllabus. It contains basic ground rules about how the course will be conducted.
• Know the due dates. Complete the assignment at least one day before the due date. Keep in mind that assignments received after the due date will be given half credit—up to a week late—and none thereafter.
• When you encounter dialog boxes or error messages in software, read the message, and try to figure it out. The key is to think about it this way: "What's the worst that could happen if I choose incorrectly, given this error message?" (Usually the answer is: Not much, or I can't go any further until I figure it out....) Respond accordingly.
• Practice, practice, and practice.  If your goal is to get through the assignments as quickly as possible, you are likely to find exams confusing and lengthy. Most people require more than one repetition before they become comfortable using a new idea. A particularly useful exercise for most assignments is to do them twice. This might sound silly, but it's not. The second time through the assignment your attention will be on entirely different aspects of the work. The first time through, you will be trying to figure out how to do the work.  The second time through, you can think about doing it comfortably and efficiently.
• Attend the lectures in Wigand 115. These lectures will describe learning objectives and provide context about how to use personal computers effectively. While these lectures should provide many helpful ideas about using computers effectively, their goal is not to provide keystroke-level instruction. 
• Attend lab sessions. While the lab sessions do not cover exactly the same material as the assignments, they provide detailed examples showing how to complete similar tasks. 
• Use the Bexell Computer Lab. The computer labs in the basement of Bexell Hall have software specifically configured to work well for BA271. The college has put a lot of money into buying many workstations, linking them together with a robust network, and installing software. I recommend working in these labs.
• When you have questions, ask for assistance. The lab monitors in the basement can often answer about the software used in BA271. Alternatively, come to the help sessions in Bexell 324. Also, feel free to drop by Dave Sullivan's in Bexell 406 to ask questions.
• Use the video clips. We recorded many video clips about how to use the software on the College of Business network. Each clip is a few minutes in length and covers a specific topic. The video clips offer an excellent way to learn at your own pace because the slide bar at the bottom of each clip lets you jump past material you already understand or repeat ideas that moved too quickly on the first viewing.
• Sit near the front of class. Sitting near the back of the class makes it harder to see and hear but easier for your attention to wander.
• Begin work on each assignment immediately after the relevant lab session. If you wait even one day, most of what we did in class will have faded from your memory.
• Work with a partner. That way you both can explore how to complete tasks together. Although you are to do your own work on the assignments and projects, most people learn best when they exchange ideas and explore solutions together.  Take pride in your personal mastery of the skills--don't depend on your colleagues as a proxy for your own mastery of a skill.
• Talk with Dave Sullivan if things aren't going well. Often I can make adjustments or provide guidance that will get you back on track.

Prerequisite Skills

If you enter this class with the right set of prerequisite skills, this class should go smoothly for you. However, if you begin with major deficiencies, watch out! I will quickly review—but I will not teach—the prerequisite material covered in the college's BA131 class. I do not care what sort of prerequisite classes you may have taken. For example, if you took a BA131 class somewhere else and you learned about programming in BASIC, that may not help you with this class. Alternatively, if you have never had a computer class in your life, but you understand how to use a word processor and spreadsheet program, then that should be enough. Finally, I have found students often have relatively poor self-assessment skills about their computer background. Some folks are quite humble, yet they can get all sorts of work done quickly. Others are brash, but clueless.

• Conclusion: You should understand exactly what prerequisite skills this class requires. If you don't have these skills and you can acquire them quickly: great.  If not, then you should consider dropping the class and taking BA131. For your own protection, I will validate everyone's skill set during the second week of class by asking everyone will take this prerequisite exam.

Resources and Learning Strategies

We continue to make changes in BA271 to improve its effectiveness.   Specifically, many students will want to attend all the lectures, help sessions, and offices hours, read all the web pages, and watch all the video clips--however, many will not.  This model recognizes that students have varying skills and learning styles and we want to accommodate these variations as much as possible.

This places responsibility on your shoulders to make astute and appropriate decisions about how you learn best.  In general, if you are having problems completing assignments or understanding the course skills and concepts, you will improve your situation by taking advantage of the lectures, lab sessions, and help sessions.

An important goal of BA271 is to teach you how to answer your own questions. You should make a serious effort to find answers on your own before resorting to outside help.  Explore the pull-down menus and the program's help system. Next, make sure your question isn't answered in the class website or a video clip. 

Bexell Hall Lab Assistants

The Lab Assistants in the Bexell Computer Lab can answer many questions about the sort of software used in BA271. These people are selected because of their interest in computing — not because they are experts in the software used in any specific class. Thus, although they are generally knowledgeable, you may find they don't know how to use a particular program or feature required by an assignment. Above all, you should remember that they are there to help you past the rough spots, not to complete your assignments for you.  The Lab assistants are not a replacement for the lectures, lab sessions or help sessions.

Valley Library Computers and Computers at Other Locations

Many assignments can be completed from the computers in the Valley Library — or from computers in other locations. You should expect to encounter problems when you attempt to work outside the College of Business. For example, you will need to move data files back and forth, and you may find software on computers elsewhere hasn't been installed or configured correctly. Feel free to ask us about how to solve these problems; we want to be generally helpful. But you should know that beyond being helpful in an a general and theoretical way, we do not provide consulting or support for using computers outside Bexell hall.

This website was created and is maintained by Dave Sullivan.
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