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St. Charles
Community College
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CPT 121 Data Communications
Mrs. Heckel
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Tech 105 A
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sheckel@stchas.edu
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636.922.8568
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www.stchas.edu/faculty/sheckel
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General Course Information
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Understanding and appreciation
of data communications from user’s perspective. Overview of
data communications concepts to address data communications issues in
contemporary home or business environment. The convergence of TV,
radio, telephones, and computers, as well as computer/information
security, are covered in depth.
Credit Hours:
3
TEXT
(required): White, Curt
Data Communications and
Computer Networks, 5th ed
Thomson Course
Technology, Boston, MA, 2009
Time of Class:
Fall 2008 Online Course Sec N1
Course Objectives:
- To identify the fundamentals of data communications
- To list the media, terminals, and other equipment involved in
computer networks
- To compare/contrast data transmissions and computer network
protocols
- To compare/contrast LANs, WANs and Distributed Networks
- To discriminate computer network management and software
Students
with special needs:
We all have various
channels through which we learn best. SCC has an Office of
Accessibility Services that guides, counsels, and assists students with
disabilities. It is located in Room 133 of the Student Center. It is
your responsibility (as the student) to discuss with the instructor
during the first week of class anything needed to help you succeed. If
you have special needs, please call Pam Bova (636.922.8247) in the
Office of Accessibility Services so that your eligibility for services
can be determined.
SCC also
offers mental health counseling. If you need help
with depression, anger, domestic violence, stress, addiction, eating
disorder, or anxiety, please contact Mary
Hall at 636.288.6533. Her office
is located at ADM 1204.
What the teacher expects from
each student
Attendance Policy
As an online course, no formal
class attendance is required. Completing work on time, however, is.
While online courses allow for a more flexible due date schedule,
students learn much more efficiently by staying as close to the
tentative time table as possible.
If you get behind in your work, do
not apologize to me, but DO get caught up!
Course Requirements
- Complete and turn in all assignments electronically via WebCT
- Communicate regularly with the teacher via email within WebCT (or
by phone or visit)
What the student can expect from
the teacher
Office Hours:
Monday 8:00-10:00 am
Tuesday/Thursday 10:00 - 11:30
am
Also available by appointment
Returning
assignments/tests to the student
Every effort will be made for all
grading to be posted to the WebCT gradebook within one week of
receiving each assignment. If you feel anything has been missed,
please let me know as quickly as possible.
Grading Scale:
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A
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93-100 |
Chapter
Review Questions
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25%
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B
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85-92
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Projects*
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20%
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C
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75-84
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Chapter
Exams*
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30%
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D
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65-74
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Articles/Summaries
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15%
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F
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below 65%
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Final
Exam
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10%
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*the lowest grade will not be
calculated
All written work
Chapter
Questions / Projects / Article Summaries / Tests
All written work for this class
must be done using proper grammar and punctuation. Writing skills
are crucial to your future success, and these types of assignments are
one way to practice those skills. Regardless of your personal
knowledge of any subject, if you cannot write about it using good
writing skills, then no one else can know how much you know about it.
Up to 15% of your assignment
grade could be lost if proper writing skills are not demonstrated. If
you need writing skills helps, SCC provides an excellent resource for
you. Contact the ACE Center or me if you require assistance in
this area.
Chapter Review Questions:
Write out complete answers to each
review question (at the back of each
chapter) in the text. Be sure your answer includes enough
of the question posed so that I don't have to look at the question in
the book to know which one you're answering. Writing out the actual
questions is all right, but it doesn't not replace being sure your
answer includes enough of the question posed.
The homework should be
submitted in the Assignments link within WebCT.
Absolutely
no homework will be accepted after December 4, 2008.
Article Summaries
Choose any five (5) topics from
the table below, find a current article, and write a summary of that
article. Each summary is to be 1/2-1 page long, double spaced, size
10-12 Times New Roman or Arial. On the page, put your name, then
the title of the article, then the URL where you found the article.
Then you begin your summary.
These summaries
should be posted to the discussion board within WebCT no later than November 20, 2008.
During the week of December 2-4, you
will also comment on three (3) article summaries written by
classmates. Your comments
should includes topics such as: (1) did you find the same information,
or opposite information somewhere else; (2) do you agree or
disagree with the content of the summary; (3) did you find the
student's summary particularly easy or difficult to understand--based
on how it was written; (4) any other comments you would like to make
about the topic of the other student's article or the summary
itself.
Post your comments as a reply to the summary on which you wish to
comment.
Click on the
assignment file name. Then click on the filename in the next
window. The assignment will show up on the right side of the
second window. Follow the instructions on the page.</p>
Attach your completed document using the Upload file button (below),
then remember to click on the Submit assignment file (below) for me to
actually get the file.</p>
DSL or Cable Modems
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T1, T3 Service
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Fiber Optic Technology
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Satellite Technology |
IPv6
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Frame Relay
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Information/Computer Security (non-encryption)
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Global Positioning |
ISDN
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ATM Networks |
Encryption |
WiFi |
Voice over IP
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Robotics
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Biometrics
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Cellular |
| MP3 |
WiMAX |
Bluetooth |
3G |
Some suggested starting web sites
for these articles (some of these
links may not work):
www.iec.org/tutorials
www.nwfusion.com
www.whatis.com
www.techweb.com/encyclopedia
www.howstuffworks.com
www.findarticles.com
www.networkcomputing.com
www.informationweek.com
Projects:
Most chapters will include one or
more projects. These might be a worksheet or a practice exam (the
same type of practice exam often used when preparing for certification
exams). Feel free to work with other students in the class (you
can reach anyone via the WebCT email link) to do these projects.
Group work is an excellent method of learning.
See the Assignments link within WebCT for specifics on each
project.
Absolutely no projects will be
accepted after December 4, 2008.
Exams
Chapter exams can be found in
WebCT, at the Chapter
Exams link.
As soon as you complete each test, you will see your grade, and the
grade will be posted in the WebCT gradebook.
If you have any questions or concerns about anything on any test,
please let me know.
MAKE-UP TESTS: As this is an online class, and you will have
nearly all semester to take all of your tests, there will be NO make-up
tests allowed.
Absolutely no chapter tests will be
allowed after December 4, 2008.
Withdrawal
dates and related policies
| Last day
to apply for December 2008 graduation |
Aug 22
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| Last day to change
from credit to audit or audit to credit |
Sept 12
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| Last day to drop and
receive a "W" |
Oct 24
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Tentative
Time Table
Tues
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Thurs
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Chapter |
Topic |
Test |
Summary |
| 8/19 |
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Intro to
course -- do you need help with WebCT?
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8/21 |
3
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Conducted & Wireless Media
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| 8/26 |
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3 |
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8/28
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3 |
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#1 |
9/2
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NO CLASSES --
Labor Day Holiday
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9/4
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1
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Intro to Computer Networks & Data Communications
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3
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9/9
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1+2
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Intro to Computer Networks & Data Communications
Fundamentals of Data and Signals |
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9/11
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2
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Fundamentals of Data and Signals |
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#2 |
9/16
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4
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Making Connections |
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9/18
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5
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Multiplexing and Compression |
1 / 2
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9/23
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5
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4
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9/25
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6
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Errors, Error Detection, Error Control |
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#3 |
9/30
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6
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5
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10/2
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7
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Local Area Networks: the Basics |
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#4 |
10/7
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7
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6
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10/9
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7
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10/14
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8 |
Local Area Networks: Software and Support Systems |
7
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10/16
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8 |
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#5 |
10/21
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9
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Metropolitan and Wide Area Networks |
8
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10/23
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9
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10/28
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10
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The Internet |
9
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10/30
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10
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11/4
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10
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11/6
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11
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Voice and Data Delivery Networks |
10
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11/11
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11
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11/13
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11
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11/18
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12
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Network Security |
11
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11/20
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12 |
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11/25
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12 |
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11/27
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NO CLASSES -- Thanksgiving Day Holiday
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12/2
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12/4
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Post comments to three (3) other students' article
summaries
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12
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12/9
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12/11
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Final
Exam -- in WebCT
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