St. Charles Community College
CPT 201 Database Management
Mrs. Heckel
Tech 105 A
sheckel@stchas.edu
636.922.8568
www.stchas.edu/faculty/sheckel

General Course Information

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:   Provides a solid and practical foundation for the design, implementation, and management of database systems. This course includes sections on the Internet's impact on how databases are designed, implemented, and used.

Credit Hours:        3

TEXT (required):    Pratt & Adamski,Concepts of Database Management, Sixth Edition
                                    Thomson Course Technology, Boston, MA; 2008

                                  
Time of Class:         Fall 2008   Sec 01  
                                    (This course will be managed as an independent study class, with a limited number of class meetings)


Instructional Goals:  This class will provide an environment where the College's goals for students in the areas of High Order Thinking and Managing Information are practiced.  These will be utilized in a variety of ways throughout the course.


Course Objectives:

What the teacher expects from each student

Attendance Policy :  Each student is expected to attend all on-campus classes.  The fact that the on-campus sessions are hands-on makes attendance at these classes even more important.

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.

 

Course Requirements

What the student can expect from the teacher

Office Hours:

Monday 8:00-10:00 am
 Tuesday/Thursday 6:30-7:00 am & 10:00-11:20 am
Also available by appointment

Returning assignments/tests to the student

Every effort will be made for all assignments to be returned to all students within one week of the test date or assignment’s due date.  

Grading Scale:
A
 93-100 Review Questions (Homework)
 30%
B
 85-92
 Hands-On Exercises
 30%
C
 75-84
 Chapter Exams*
 30%
D
 65-74 Final Project
 10%
F
 below 65%

                                                          *the lowest grade will not be calculated
 

All written work


Homework Assignments / Hands-On Exercises / 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.


Homework:

Use complete sentences to answer only the even-numbered Review Questions for each chapter.  You will use the Assignment feature in WebCT to submit this homework.

Absolutely no homework will be accepted after December 4, 2008.

Hands-On Exercises:

Most chapters will include hands-on exercises to reinforce learning.   You are to do the Henry Books Cases at the back of each chapter as your hands-on exercises.  You will use the Assignment feature in WebCT to submit this homework.

Absolutely no homework will be accepted after December 4, 2008.

Exams:

Most chapters will include a test you'll find in WebCT.  The Tentative time Table (below) includes the weeks you should complete each test.  The lowest test grade will be thrown out, so missing one will not directly affect your grade.

Final Exam Project:

In lieu of a final exam, I will give you a database (different from the two you'll use during the regular semester) with specific instructions for a project.  This project will be available by mid-term, so you'll have lots of time to work on it.  The assignment will include a rubric that I will use for grading the project, so you'll know those details.

Withdrawal dates and related policies

Last day to apply for December 2008 graduation Aug 22
Last day to change from credit to audit or audit to credit Sep 12
Last day to drop and receive a "W"
 Oct 24




Tentative Time Table


Tues Thurs Chapter Topic Tests
8/19
Introduction to the course
This chapter must be done on campus

8/21 1 Introduction to Database Management
8/26
1


8/28
 1

9/2
No classes -- Labor Day Holiday

9/4
 2
 Relational Model 1:  QBE
Class will meet on campus Thursday 9/4
9/9
2
1

9/11
 2

9/16
3 Relational Model 2:  SQL
Class will meet on campus Tuesday 9/16 and Thursday 9/18

9/18
 3
2
9/23
3


9/25
 No class -- Outside Assignment
9/30
4 Relational Model 3:  Advanced SQL

10/2
 4
3
10/7
4


10/9
 4

10/14
5
 Normalization
Class will meet on campus Tuesday 10/14 and Thursday 10/16

10/16 5
4
10/21
5


10/23
 5

10/28
6 Design Method

10/30
 6
5
11/4
7 DBMS Functions

11/6
 7
6
11/11
8 Database Administration

11/13
 8
7
11/18
9 Database Management Approaches
Class will meet on campus Tuesday 11/18 and Thursday 11/20

11/20
 9
8
11/25
Catch-up Day

11/27
 No classes -- Thanksgiving Day Holiday
12/2
Work on Final Project  9

12/4
Work on Final Project
12/9
 12/11
 Final Project is due