CST8207 Introduction to the Course, Outline, Timetable, Marks

Ian! D. Allen – www.idallen.com

Fall 2018 - September to December 2018 - Updated 2018-11-28 14:32 EST

1 Course DescriptionIndexup to index

This is not a practice semester

From the Course Outline:

Students learn the basic concepts and features of the GNU/Linux operating system and utilities, the world’s most well-known Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) project and the underlying technology supporting Google, Facebook and Android smart phones. Students examine the power of the GNU/Linux command line and the basics of shell scripting and task automation are studied. Students perform file system searches, full-text searches, and data-mine system log files to generate analyses of network attacks and intrusion attempts. Students also customize their shell programming environment to simplify repetitive tasks and support system administration functions.

Read All The Words in the Syllabus

1.1 CST Laptop Machine RequirementsIndexup to index

This is a Mobile Program Course – you must have with you in classes and labs a portable (e.g. “laptop”) machine capable of connecting to the Internet. Bring your machine to all your labs and classes so that you can participate in exercises.

For first-term CST8207 alone your mobile device requirements are minimal. You only need simple text-based Internet access for the course; most any machine built in the last 20 years can do that. (Other courses may require a more powerful machine.)

Read the answer to “What if my laptop breaks” in the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section before you need it: Mobile Learning Support for Current Students

2 Course Home PageIndexup to index

The Course Home Page is located off-campus, on the public Internet. You can link to it indirectly via the Algonquin Brightspace system or quickly and directly via either redundant link below:

The pages are indexed by search engines, but make sure you find the page for this term, not previous terms! Bookmark both the .com and the .org page locations for the current term.

Read the Course Home Page carefully and note the important dates. Write down in your notebook on paper the location of the Alternate Web Notes. (You won’t be able to load this page if the site is down!)

3 Course Documents on BrightspaceIndexup to index

4 Finding Course Documents on the InternetIndexup to index

5 Course Textbook and ReadingsIndexup to index

There is no required textbook for this course. Web-based class notes will be provided on-line.

We have selected some recommended (not required) textbooks for this course; the titles and purchase information are given in the Course Outline. The optional textbooks are a reliable, comprehensive sources of accurate GNU/Linux information. Motivated students may choose instead to discover and use free Internet resources instead of a purchased textbook.

Follow the course outline and keep up-to-date with the reading in the web notes even when specific reading assignments are not provided in class. Ideally, to optimize your understanding of the lecture material, read the course material prior to the class in which it is covered.

Note that just printing the class notes on paper is no substitute for actually reading and understanding them. Also, none of the web hyperlinks work in the printed copy, and in many cases the printed copy is missing text that is wider than the printed page. Print less and read more!

6 Course HandoutsIndexup to index

7 Course Hardware and SoftwareIndexup to index

This Linux course requires no specialized hardware or software. You only need simple text-based (command line) Internet access for the course; most any machine built in the last 20 years can do that.

Most work is done by Remote Login to a central Course Linux Server; almost nothing is stored on your own device, so your own device doesn’t matter.

You can access the server using any device capable of running a text-only SSH session, and that includes Macintosh, Android, Linux, Windows, etc.

For this Linux course, what you run on your mobile device doesn’t matter.

8 Laboratory Work – “Labs”Indexup to index

An assignment isn’t like a job. It’s a completely artificial setup. But so is an elliptical trainer. No one criticizes gym equipment because it doesn’t mirror real-world situations. – Prabhakar Ragde, University of Waterloo

Labs and assignments are hands-on opportunities to experiment with the theoretical material that you have learned through reading and lectures. Laboratory assignments will be closely integrated with the theoretical material.

Assignments typically require you to do things without telling you how to do them. The “how” is covered in the class notes and reviewed in the lectures. If you don’t know how to do something, check your notes.

Starting work on an assignment just before the due date limits your ability to get help with the assignment. Start your assignments early and use your in-class lab time to get the help you need.

(You can always try to get help by EMail just before an assignment is due, but there are no guarantees that your instructor will be online to help you at that time. You can always try…)

Your are expected to perform initial assignment reading before your scheduled lab period, to take advantage of the limited lab time. You will not have enough time to do all the reading and the lab work in the same lab period. Most lab work will require additional time outside of scheduled lab hours – check the number of homework hours assigned to each of your courses.

Your ability to successfully complete the assigned exercises will directly correlate with your level of success on tests and the final exam. Much of the Test and Exam material will be based on the skills developed doing the lab work.

Knowing the specific answers to assignment questions is not as important as knowing how to generate the answers. You need to know how things work!

9 The Classroom is a Work EnvironmentIndexup to index

Generally, the use of mobile computing devices in the classroom is limited to note taking, accessing course materials, and performing a variety of independent or collaborative exercises assigned by the professor. Unless approved by the professor before the class starts, the use of mobile computing devices for personal surfing of the web, downloading of non-course related material, use of messaging software, or gaming is not to take place. – Algonquin College Policy AA32

Tell your instructors if you find yourself being distracted by people in front of you who are browsing the web or watching movies during class time. They will be asked to move.

9.1 Limiting use of devices in classIndexup to index

Your instructors may propose limiting the use of devices in lectures due to unavoidable cognitive distraction problems for yourself and other students.

Read Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away.

In the comment section in Why a leading professor of new media just banned technology use in class, you will read this:

I usually end up choosing to use my laptop – and I almost always regret it. I sit through a whole class and realize I have taken two notes and that I know nothing about what we just spent hours learning; and as I look around, nearly every person is as lost as I am. It’s not that we don’t want to listen or pay attention, it’s that we can’t.

The mere presence of your smart phone near you reduces your cognitive capacity.

Your cognitive capacity is significantly reduced when your smartphone is within reach — even if it’s off. […] The researchers found that participants with their phones in another room significantly outperformed those with their phones on the desk, and they also slightly outperformed those participants who had kept their phones in a pocket or bag.

The findings suggest that the mere presence of one’s smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity and impairs cognitive functioning, even though people feel they’re giving their full attention and focus to the task at hand.

Is your device furthering your education or hindering it? Turn it off! Better still – don’t even bring it into the room.

9.2 Talking and/or watching videos during lecturesIndexup to index

Talking in class or watching movies on your device while an instructor is lecturing is disruptive to the lecture and to the students around you. Your instructors are authorized by Algonquin Policy SA07: Student Conduct to ask that you leave the classroom if you are disrupting other students.

You don’t have to attend lectures. Please don’t disrupt class for those who do.

10 Course Marking SchemeIndexup to index

Tests and exams will be based largely on modified assignment questions. A majority of the material for each test will come from material covered in the immediately preceding weeks, but material is cumulative and many questions (especially on the Final Exam) will be based on material covered earlier in the course.

Midterm and Exam dates will be posted on the Course Home Page. Put these dates in your own personal calendar and agenda!

For full mark credit, read and understand the Test Instructions for important directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.

Your instructors will not answer questions about the test instructions during the test; ask your questions before you arrive in the classroom.

The following marking scheme is from the Course Outline:

Assignments and Homework – 30%
Assignments are made available weekly. Each is available online and you will submit your finished work electronically through Brightspace. Assignments that are not submitted by their due dates may not be marked. Bonus assignments may be available that can increase your Assignments mark or replace missed assignments.
Two Mid-Term Tests – 10% + 15% = 25%
Each Mid-Term Test is cumulative, with some emphasis on material covered after the previous Midterm Test. For full mark credit, read the Test Instructions for important directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.
Quizzes – 5%
Some quizzes are based on previous lecture and assignment material. Some are taken from the practice question pools for the tests and exams.
Final Exam – 40%
The Final Exam is cumulative, with some emphasis on material covered after the last Midterm Test. For full mark credit, read the Test Instructions for important directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms.

For full mark credit, read and understand the Test Instructions for important directions on how to enter your answers on the mark-sense forms. Your instructors will not answer questions about the test instructions during the test; ask your questions before you arrive in the classroom.

11 Instructor Contact Info and TimetableIndexup to index

Use EMail not Social Media

11.1 Send EMail only from your Algonquin EMail accountIndexup to index

Use your official Algonquin College EMail address to contact me, otherwise your EMail may be thrown away or ignored as unsolicited EMail spam.

Do not send me EMail from personal Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail accounts.

  1. I am not allowed to reply to a non-Algonquin email address with any information that personally identifies a student. Student information is confidential, and I cannot be sure that the non-Algonquin address you are using is actually you. You must use your Algonquin email address to send me email so that I can reply to you in confidence.

  2. I have white-listed only your Algonquin official email address. I have not white-listed any non-Algonquin addresses. Non-Algonquin messages may never arrive in my email Inbox due to my spam filters.

  3. I give priority to student email in my Inbox, but not to random email from addresses I don’t know. I may ignore your non-Algonquin message for weeks or months. Use your Algonquin email address in the “From” line and I see it right away.

Please ensure that your EMail to me has your official Algonquin College EMail address in the “From:” line. You can configure various EMail providers (e.g. Gmail) to send outgoing EMail using a validated Algonquin “From” address.

11.2 Social Media and UsIndexup to index

I will not be Facebook or Twitter or whatever personal social media friends with you until after you graduate from Algonquin College, and even then only if we are actually, you know, really friends in real life.

You can connect with me on LinkedIn at any time to stay in touch professionally.

12 Attendance, Attention, and Success FactorsIndexup to index

As noted in the Course Outline, this course contributes to your CST program by helping you achieve the following provincial Vocational Learning Outcome (#10):

VLO 10 Conform to workplace expectations found in information technology (IT) environments.

Workplace expectations include the ability to to keep commitments (hand in assignments on time) and show up for work (attend classes and labs on time).

Regular attendance is critical to course success (and to job success). If you already know all the material and don’t need to come to classes, ask for a Prior Learning Assessment course exemption. If you paid to be here, please be here.

12.1 Focus your AttentionIndexup to index

If you are in class, shut your laptop, turn off your phone, and pay attention to your lecturer. The person at the front of the room cannot compete with the entire Internet and your personal phonebook for your attention – he doesn’t have the budget.

If you’re bored or falling asleep, take notes by hand. The whole point of lectures is to help you learn and remember the course material so that you don’t sound like an idiot at your job interview. Focus!

12.2 Lecture Attendance in this courseIndexup to index

Lecture Attendance in this course is recommended but not mandatory. Lecture attendance may be recorded. In a laptop/mobile course, I often ask you to log in to the Course Linux Server as a way of indicating your lecture attendance.

Not everything that happens in lecture is found in the course notes. You do need to contact fellow students to find out what content you missed when you miss a lecture. Your instructor will not have time to give you a personal make-up lecture after missing a class; talk to your fellow students.

You don’t need to notify your instructor if you miss a lecture; please don’t send email about missed lectures.

This applies to this course only; other courses have different policies.

12.3 Lab Attendance in this courseIndexup to index

As long as there is room for you, you may attend another lab period if you have to miss your scheduled lab period in a week. Send email to the instructor of your scheduled lab period, letting him/her know that you are attending a different lab period.

Lab Attendance in this course is always recorded but not mandatory. If you fail to show up for a lab period, your lab instructor will record you as “Absent” and we will then have to EMail you to ask you why you missed your lab period and whether you are still in the course. If you don’t respond to the email, we will then have to give your name to the Department Chair as a “missing student” and they will have to track you down to find out what is happening.

Always EMail your lab instructor first, before your lab period, to tell them you won’t be in the lab (or to tell them you will be attending some other lab period), so that you won’t be listed as “Absent”. You don’t need to give a reason why; you don’t need any documentation or note; just let your lab instructor know ahead of time that you won’t be in the lab. You must notify the lab instructor before the lab period starts.

Do not notify your lecture instructor, if different from your lab instructor. Notify only your lab instructor before the lab period starts.

You don’t have to attend lab periods, but you do have to tell your lab instructor ahead of time if you are missing a lab period (or if you are attending a lab period other than the one that you usually attend). Always EMail your lab instructor before missing a lab.

If an employer calls us up and asks us about your reliability, your unexplained lab absences will count against us giving you a job recommendation as a reliable person. If you want a recommendation from your instructor, keep us informed by EMail ahead of missing a lab period.

To avoid being marked absent, send us email before you miss a lab period. (Do not send email about missed theory/lecture classes.)

This applies to this course only; other courses have different policies.

12.4 Missed Lectures in this course – Catching UpIndexup to index

Material is cumulative. Missing one lecture may mean you don’t understand the content of the next lecture, which now means you are two lectures behind. This can cascade into an ever-growing pile of not-understood material.

If you miss a lecture, get the lecture notes from another student right away and get caught up before the next lecture or you’ll fall even farther behind.

You can’t ask your instructor to re-do the missed lecture just for you. You can use some of your lab period time to ask questions, but your instructor doesn’t have two hours to give you a private lecture.

Missing a week or more of classes requires you to be an exceptional student, able to work independently and double-time on the course to catch up. You may find getting a tutor helpful!

13 How I See My Job – When you Ask for HelpIndexup to index

Read my notes on The roles of professor and student in modern education. I cover these important topics:

13.1 How to ask questions by EMailIndexup to index

If you want to ask a question about an assignment by EMail, first read how to Ask Questions and Report Problems so that your question can be answered.

14 Take Notes in ClassIndexup to index

You will need to take notes in class. Multiple research studies show that hand-written notes work better for remembering than typed notes:

Not everything I say ends up in these online files. Passing the information through your brain onto paper helps you remember it, even if you never read the notes later. The whole point of lectures is to help you learn and remember the course material so that you don’t sound like an idiot at your job interview.

If you have a question about course content, the first thing I will ask is to see your notes, to see what you wrote down about the topic. Often the answer is there!

Take Notes in Class

15 Plan your WorkloadIndexup to index

The overall term workload usually overwhelms students who try to leave everything to the last minute. You need to put in approximately an extra hour per day, per course, to keep up (about five extra hours per week, per course). There aren’t enough hours in a day to catch up in mid-term.

Assignments are made available approximately weekly, but many assignments may have the same due dates. Start working on the assignment when it is released, not the day before the due date!

15.1 Fifteen minute rule: don’t waste your timeIndexup to index

Your time as a student is valuable. If you come up against a tough problem and make no progress in fifteen minutes despite best efforts, don’t keep going. Change things up:

Often, the solution to the problem is a small thing you overlooked. Spending three hours working on a problem only to discover that you typed a comma instead of a period is not good use of your time.

Spending too much time on a problem happens to all of us, and we need to watch out for it when it happens.

But what about when it’s midnight before the assignment is due?

Remember the “Don’t Leave Things to the Last Minute” rule!

16 Read All The WordsIndexup to index

User Friendly Web Comic: Who has time to read?

When you are given an assignment, read all the words. Read all the words of a question, including the hints, before you answer a question. Read all the words before you ask anyone for help. Years of students have passed before you; the answers to most of the questions you might ask are already written in the assignment. Read all the words.

Please do not ask your instructor to respond to questions whose answers are obviously given in the course materials, e.g. “When is this assignment due?” or “When is the midterm test?” or ““

Happle Tea Web Comic: Attention Span

17 Read or Forward your Algonquin EMailIndexup to index

EMail is a critical part of course delivery for this course. You must have a working Algonquin EMail address for this course. You must read EMail sent to your Algonquin EMail regularly (at least daily) during the school term.

Your instructors will only send email to your Algonquin EMail address.

17.1 Basic EMail EtiquetteIndexup to index

Your use of EMail demonstrates your skill as a communicator and aligns with Vocational Learning Outcome (#10):

VLO 10 Conform to workplace expectations found in information technology (IT) environments.

In this course, use EMail correctly, as if you were in a work environment:

  1. Send using the correct From: address – your College email address.
    • Do not use GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo or other personal accounts.
    • I have only white-listed your Algonquin email address to pass through my spam filters.
    • I am not allowed to reply to a non-Algonquin email address with any information that personally identifies a student.
    • I give priority to student email in my Inbox, but not to random email from addresses I don’t know.
    • If you use your correct College email address, you do NOT need to include your name or student number in your message; my email client automatically adds all that. (Other teachers have different requirements.)
  2. Make the Subject: of each message match the message body.
    • Don’t hijack one subject to reply about some other subject.
    • Don’t leave the Subject blank.
  3. Don’t quote material that is not relevant to the message body.
    • Edit your quoted message text down to the minimum needed to communicate.
  4. Do not top-post messages unless you are simply forwarding the message.
  5. Spell like a pro. Talking to your instructors using “u” instead of “you” makes you sound like a teenager.
  6. Be professional in your email messages, but not like this (parody).

EMail messages that don’t meet the above professional standards will be returned to you for a second try.

18 Assignment policies for this courseIndexup to index

This is how assignments are handled in this course. Other courses may do things differently.

18.1 Assignments have variable due datesIndexup to index

The due date for each assignment is given in the assignment. Due dates are also posted on Brightspace.

Not every assignment is due on the same weekday or at the same time; pay attention and record each due date in your weekly calendars.

18.2 Two assignments may be due on the same dateIndexup to index

Assignments are made available approximately weekly, but many assignments may have the same due dates. Start working on the assignment when it is released, not the day before the due date!

18.3 Assignments allow multiple submissionsIndexup to index

Almost all assignments will allow you to submit the assignment as many times as you like. Only the most recent submission submitted before the due date is marked. Previous submissions are not marked (and you can’t delete them).

If you’re short on time, you can submit a partially-completed assignment now and complete and re-submit it later if you have time. A partial assignment with part marks is better than no assignment and no marks.

18.4 Assignments are marked onceIndexup to index

Assignments are downloaded from Brightspace and marked shortly after their due dates. Late assignments may or may not be downloaded and marked:

If your boss asks you to deliver a document before a client meeting, having the document ready after the meeting is over is not useful. Assignments submitted after the due date are given the same consideration; they aren’t useful. Being on time is part of VLO 10: Conform to workplace expectations found in information technology environments.

You may usually submit an assignment late; however, it may or may not be downloaded and evaluated for partial marks.

In the real world, if you don’t get things done on time, your business (or your employer’s business) suffers. You try not to make the same mistakes again, but you can’t take back the fact that you made them in the first place. Submit on time.

One or two bonus assignments are given during the term that let you make up for having missed an assignment deadline.

18.5 Requesting an extension or deferralIndexup to index

College Policy AA21: Deferred Evaluation lists the for grounds for requesting a deferred evaluation of an assignment or test.

18.5.1 Extensions due to illness or accidentIndexup to index

In accordance with Policy AA21, I give students extensions for assignments or tests delayed due to illness or accidents. Contact me before the due date to get an extension. It is usually too late to ask for an extension after the due date has passed.

18.5.2 No extensions due to your part-time jobIndexup to index

“There is no provision for granting extra time for assignments due to work commitments.” – Andrew Pridham, Academic Chair, ICT

If your work interferes with your schooling, either reduce your course load or reduce your work load.

18.6 Completing missed assignmentsIndexup to index

In this course (but not other courses) missed assignments and/or tests do not need to be completed; they are simply worth zero and do not need to be submitted. (Other courses treat missed assignments differently; pay attention.)

18.7 Bonus AssignmentsIndexup to index

Bonus assignments may be available that can increase your Assignments mark or replace or improve poor marks from missed assignments or assignments with low marks. Bonus assignment marks add to the numerator, not the denominator, of the Assignment score. There is no penalty for failing to do a bonus assignment.

Your overall Assignment score cannot exceed the course maximum score. “Extra” marks from doing bonus assignments do not carry over into other areas of the course, e.g. into Tests. Your Assignments score cannot improve your Tests score.

19 Missed Classes, Labs, and TestsIndexup to index

Contact me before you miss a test or lab period due to accident or illness.

College Policy AA21: Deferred Evaluation lists the for grounds for requesting a deferred evaluation.

This memo is from Claude Brulé, Vice-President Academic, October 21, 2013, re-issued January 15, 2018:

With the flu and cold season upon us, it is unavoidable that some students will miss classes due to illness. In order to avoid the unnecessary spreading of diseases, the College has adopted in consultation with faculty and academic staff, since the H1N1 crisis of 2009, the practice that faculty not ask in every instance of student illness for a Doctor’s note.

The purpose of this memo is to remind you that the College continues to support that faculty not request a doctor’s note when a student misses a class, lab or other learning activity.

College Academic Council has endorsed the following policy statement on student absences and this is supported by Deans and Directors Council:

Addressing student absence from class requires a common sense approach, assumes honesty, and allows faculty to exercise judgment while keeping student success foremost in mind.

  1. The student is asked to contact the course professor before the class takes place to indicate that he/she is ill. If the student does not make the attempt, then they may be subject to whatever penalty is outlined in the course outline.
  2. For prolonged illness, or where more than one assessment is missed, the course professor can request the student to provide a doctor’s note in order to help accommodate the situation.

Frivolous cases of abuse are to be avoided, yet not make the environment such that students who are clearly not well feel the need to still come to class for assessments for fear of negative consequences on their academic progress.

As always, faculty retain the responsibility and right to manage their classes in a way that ensures students demonstrate the learning outcomes of each respective course.

It is usually too late to arrange a deferral after the due date. Contact me before you are going to miss a test or lab period due to accident or illness.

20 Plagiarism and Working TogetherIndexup to index

You must develop your own answers to assignments. You go into your job interview alone, not with your study group.

No unauthorized copying! Restricted group work! Restricted working together!

You may not sit down as a group of students, work together an assignment, then each submit that group assignment as if you were the only author.

Group work and Working together is not permitted except in assignments specifically labelled by the instructor as group assignments. Share your ideas, never your answers.

Do not help other students do their assignments by giving them answers. When you do the work for another student, your mark goes up (because you practice the commands twice) and their mark goes down (because they did nothing and can’t remember anything on the tests and exams).

Make sure you are not helping another student to fail the course!

To really help other students, tell them where in the course notes they can find out how to do something. Don’t give them the answer so that they never read the course notes.

Copying-and-pasting an answer from someone else is not solving a problem. Do your own thinking and type your own answers. No copying-and-pasting. Assignments containing group work or cut-and-paste answers from other people will be subject to plagiarism charges.

20.1 Giving credit to sources in group workIndexup to index

Even where using another person’s material is permitted (from other students, books, the Internet, or even from the blackboard or posted course notes), copying material from other sources and submitting it without proper credit to the author is an academic offence called plagiarism. You must credit the source of material that you did not write yourself, no matter from where it comes!

Students working together without authorization or submitting work containing cut-and-paste or plagiarized material will be charged with academic fraud under Algonquin Academic Regulations. Read the plagiarism document for details.

You may not copy material from any other person without clearing the copying with your instructor and identifying the source, in writing or by EMail, first. If your submission resembles that of another person, anywhere in the class or anywhere on the Internet, I am required to inquire whether you are the actual author. Copying-and-pasting from someone else is not solving a problem. Do your own thinking and write your own answers. No copying-and-pasting.

If I authorize copying, and only if, you must attribute the source of copied material that you use that isn’t yours. Most coursework does not permit copying, group work, or working together on a common answer. Do your own work unless the assignment permits group work.

You earn marks for the new material that you write, not material that comes from other people and other sources (e.g. from me, your friends, or from the Internet). Copying-and-pasting from an existing answer is not solving a problem. Do your own thinking and write your own answers. No copying-and-pasting.

20.2 Consequences of plagiarismIndexup to index

A warning not to give your your answers, from a previous student:

From: xxxxxxxx@algonquinlive.com
Subject: RE: CST8207 lab plagiarism
We were talking on facebook and he was having trouble with lab 7 and 8. I tried explaining them to him but was unsuccessful. I offered to put lab 8 on Dropbox as a reference, which I completely forgot about as it’s not something I normally do. When I confronted him he said he didn’t have time to complete the work himself and handed in my answers.

Both students received zero and were charged with academic fraud (plagiarism). Share your ideas, not your answers! Don’t help other students fail the course!

20.3 Plagiarism references: Policies AA18 and AA20Indexup to index

For the modern student, plagiarism isn’t all it used to be. In fact, many don’t see it as an issue in the least. According to the New York Times, technology has fostered a laissez-faire attitude towards the practice. Many students plagiarize – and many don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. More Students Misunderstand The Fundamentals Of Plagiarism

See also: More Students Misunderstand The Fundamentals Of Plagiarism, Universities need to tell students the rules about plagiarism, Internet plagiarism rising in schools

21 Install LibreOffice or OpenOffice into WindowsIndexup to index

When you have your Windows base system Installed (in your Desktop Operating Systems course), go to the private Algonquin URL http://cstech/ on campus (it only works on campus) and find and download LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) for Windows and install it on your base Windows system, so that Windows can read and print the few Open Office documents (e.g. Worksheets) used in this course.

To find the office software on the local Algonquin http://cstech/ web site, click on any room in the left side-bar and look under Drivers and Downloads.

22 Turn off Smart Quotes for Linux workIndexup to index

Based on information from Nathalie Casar:

To avoid quote-character errors when coping from Microsoft Word to other programs you need to disable Microsoft “smart quotes” in Word.

Enter Microsoft Word > File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat and uncheck “Straight quotes with smart quotes”.

Now you should be able to write and copy over or submit plain text documents without having non-ASCII characters in them.

For full marks, do not submit files with non-ASCII (non-English) characters in them. Make sure your computer is set to use English letters and don’t copy text from word processors into your text files. Not all non-ASCII characters are obvious!

23 Your Security and the USA Patriot ActIndexup to index

You have already agreed to this (from http://www.algonquincollege.com/its/files/2012/10/Revised-Terms-of-Use.pdf?file=2012/10/Revised-Terms-of-Use.pdf):

USERS ARE ADVISED THAT SOME OF THE COLLEGE NETWORK’S RESOURCES ARE PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES, WHO MAY BE LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR OTHER JURISDICTIONS. BY USING THE COLLEGE NETWORK, USERS ACKNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTAND THAT, ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION POSTED OR SENT THROUGH THE COLLEGE NETWORK MAY BE HOUSED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND THEREFORE SUBJECT TO THE USA PATRIOT ACT AND OTHER APPLICABLE LEGISLATION AND THAT THERE MAY BE REQUIREMENTS TO DISCLOSE SUCH CONTENT.

In other words, anything you disclose to the College – before, during, or after registration – may be sent to the Government of the United States. This includes all your College EMail, which is hosted by USA corporation Microsoft.

24 Put Your Name On All Your StuffIndexup to index

Students often leave behind in classrooms laptops, power cables, and hard drives.

Put your name and contact information on all your books and hardware, including your external hard disks and power supplies. The name has to be clear enough that the office can contact you to give you back your hardware when you leave it behind somewhere.

Your instructor may have some masking tape that you can use to write on.

25 AODA AccommodationIndexup to index

From the College AODA training materials (PDF):

Professors may make a general announcement at the beginning of each semester to:

Students with College-documented disabilities and Individual Student Plans should arrange private office appointments with their instructor in this course to present and discuss their individual accommodation plans. Most specific accommodation arrangements require at least one week advance notice, sometimes more.

25.1 Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) Directives on Student Academic AccommodationIndexup to index

February 6, 2018

Algonquin College always welcomes the opportunity to continuously improve and enhance support to our students and their success. The Ontario Human Rights Code provides further opportunities to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities to ensure equal access to educational services.

In accordance with the direction provided by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) in March 2016, Algonquin College has implemented guidelines to remove potential barriers that may be experienced by students with disabilities, including mental health disabilities. These revisions apply to medical documentation guidelines, medical documentation forms, and procedures currently in place and are being addressed by the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) and the Academic Area. A brief summary of the major changes in practice that were implemented at the College last academic year to comply with the OHRC directive are outlined below:

http://www.algonquincollege.com/pd/files/2018/02/OHRC-Directives-on-Student-Academic-Accomodation-February-06-2018.pdf

26 Religious Observance AccommodationIndexup to index

“For a deferral request related to religious observance, a minimum of 10 working days prior notification must be provided to the professor.” – Policy AA21: Deferred Evaluation

Extensions to due dates for religious observance must be be arranged well before the affected dates. You can read the details in Policy AA21: Deferred Evaluation. As the policy says, religious extensions are not granted after the notification dates have passed.

27 Brightspace never loses AssignmentsIndexup to index

To date, in our limited experience, Brightspace has never lost a submitted assignment. With the previous LMS (Blackboard), many students have failed to complete the submission process and have tried to claim that they submitted the assignment but the LMS lost it.

Nobody has ever proved that Brightspace has lost an assignment.

Follow all the directions when you submit an assignment and keep a screen capture of the submitted assignment page as proof that you submitted it.

Without the screen capture as proof of submission, missing assignments are presumed not submitted and are worth zero.

28 Term Start ChecklistIndexup to index

You must find the answers to these questions if you don’t know them yet:

  1. Are you registered in exactly one lecture and one lab section? You should have three hours of theory lectures, spread over two classes. You should have exactly one lab period.
  2. Do you know how to read your Algonquin EMail daily, or Have you forwarded your Algonquin EMail address to your personal account?
  3. Do you know how to log in to ACSIS and find your timetable?
  4. Do you know how to log in to Brightspace?
    • Can you find the CST8207 Brightspace Page?
  5. Can you find the EXTERNAL (public Internet) Home Page for CST8207?
    • Record two web URLs for this EXTERNAL Home Page, so you can find it.
  6. Have you turned on Show File Extensions in Windows?
    • Failure to do this may make your Brightspace assignment uploads invalid.
  7. Do you know where and how to submit your assignments on Brightspace?
  8. Do you know what a Plain Text file is, and how to create one?
    • What program(s) create plain text files in Windows? in Mac OSX?
  9. Do you have a regular backup plan for your mobile device?
    • What happens if the disk fails in the middle of term? Will you lose all your assignments and have to start over?
  10. Can you follow the directions to log in to the Course Linux Server (CLS)?
    • You will need to get your special Course Linux Server password from your instructor, first.
    • Your CLS password is posted in the Course Announcements on Brightspace.
  11. Can you do a File Transfer between the CLS and your local machine?

See your instructor for help with any of the above items, or with anything else here at Algonquin College.

29 TutoringIndexup to index

Many students find that hiring a personal tutor helps them get through the first term. Financial assistance is available. See Algonquin Peer Tutoring

Author: 
| Ian! D. Allen, BA, MMath  -  idallen@idallen.ca  -  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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