Course Information

Course Description:

This course provides a comprehensive presentation of Microsoft Access 2003. Topics include creating, querying, and maintaining a database; creating a data access page, reports, forms, combo boxes; using OLE fields, hyperlinks, and subforms; creating an application system using the Switchboard Manager, creating a report using design view, working with charts and PivotTable objects, administering a database system, specifying user-level security, and Access data in other applications.

Course Objectives:

In this module, a student will learn to: 

1. Define database related terms
2. Determine appropriate data inputs/outputs for a database
3. Create databases and tables
4. Enter, edit, and delete records in datasheets and forms.
5. Navigate through records in a table, query, or form
6. Modify table structures and field properties
7. Add input masks and lookup fields
8. Create and modify queries including multi-table queries
9. Find, sort, and filter records
10. Create and modify an index
11. Create and display forms and reports
12. Modify form and report properties (including font, style, font size, color, caption) of controls
13. Use and modify form and report sections (headers, footers, and detail)
14. Use calculated control in queries, forms, and reports
15. Establish relationships and enforce referential integrity
16. Print and preview reports
17. Import and export data
18. Backup, restore, compact, and repair a database
19. Create a simple data access page

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

This course covers a full semester and assumes that students have basic Windows navigation and file management skills. It would be helpful to have basic Internet skills for on-line courses.

Students will need to be motivated and self directed with the ability to follow an objective based calendar timeline.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:  http://rodp.bkstr.com

Two 3 ½" floppy disks

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

Hardware requirements for Microsoft Office 2003/Access 2003 may be found at http://www.microsoft.com/office/evaluation/fastfacts.asp#header3

Instructor Information

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

Your grade will be based on Skills (50%), Related Work(25%), and Participation (25%).

The Skills score is the average of  the Project exams in the Student Assessment Management System (SAMs). This will be 50% of your grade.

The Related Work will account for 25% of your grade. This score is the average of the discussion topics posted and are due in a timely manner. There are 6 Access discussion topics.

The Participation grade will be based on your involvement in the discussion board*, email communications, and completing discussion topics on time.You will also be required to "check in" with the instructor each Monday. If you check in after midnight on Monday, your grade will be lowered.  This will also be 25% of your score.

*Students are required to participate actively in discussions. During the course, the instructor will post questions on the discussion board concerning a specific topic. Students will have the opportunity to respond to these topics and to other students' responses. Students may also begin their own discussion.

93-100--A
85- 92-- B
77- 84-- C

A score of 77 or better must be achieved to receive credit for this course. 

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Project information is located in each course module.

Students are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource and must check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements. Students must also participate in threaded discussion events with the instructor and other students. The instructor will post topics for students comments.

Students will email the instructor at the beginning of the course using the WebCT email to notify the instructor they are in the system and have master this communication medium.

There are specific discussion completion dates posted on the calendar. Assignments are required to be turned in by these dates. 

Course Ground Rules

Guidelines for Communications

• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor 

• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support