| Instructor | Tom Gutnick tgutnick@nvcc.edu tom_gutnick@principia.edu (alternate address) 703.450.2506, ext. 37208 (NVCC voice mail) 571.449.6775 (Google Voice) Instant messaging: mluleki [AOL], 259577982 [ICQ], tomgutnick [Yahoo!], emakati@hotmail.com [MSN], sanibonani@gmail.com [Google] |
|---|---|
| Course objectives | To be able to create, update, and query databases using Structured Query Language. (See the college-wide course content summary at www.nvcc.edu/depts/academic/coursecont/ summaries/ITD132.pdf.) |
| Prerequisites | ITE 115 or introductory knowledge of database application software |
| Class location and hours | Room LW 224, Tuesdays 7:00–9:40 PM |
| Office hours | By appointment, Tuesdays 6:30–7:00 PM. (Other times may be arranged.) Consultation also available by phone, e-mail, and IM. If you are having problems with the class material, you are encouraged to contact me right away. |
| Text | Oracle 10g: SQL, by Joan Casteel, 2007, ISBN 0-4188-3629-X. |
| Grading | 20% quizzes 20% homework 10% class participation 25% mid-term exam 25% final exam Grading scale: A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, F=0-59% |
| Class web site | Available through your college
Blackboard account. I will post relevant materials here, including updated versions of this syllabus and class schedule, details on class assignments (homework and projects), the PowerPoint slides used in class, additional reference material, etc. |
| Assignments |
All written assignments and projects are due at the beginning of class on the due date; if you will be absent, assignments may be turned in via e-mail. Late submissions will not receive full credit. |
| Attendance & help | Your presence, regular and thorough preparation, and participation in class are expected. If you are unable to attend a class, contact me in advance. Class sessions will often cover material beyond what is covered in the textbook. This is a very fast-paced class; if you do not attend regularly and do all the assignments, you are likely to have difficulty completing the course successfully. If you find that you are floundering, please don't just stop coming to class. Talk to me and, together, we'll work on getting you through the semester successfully. On the other hand, if you decide to drop the class, it is your responsibility to deal with the necessary paperwork on a timely basis. Having trouble making sense of your assignments? The Counseling Center will lend you a video on how to develop better note-taking skills. Go to room LR 253. Need more help? The College will try to provide free tutoring to any student requesting it. Further information and application forms available at the Counseling Office. NVCC provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure that they enjoy an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs available at the College. If you need such an accommodation, it is your responsibility to process your request through the Counseling Office and to provide me a copy of the appropriate form ahead of time. |
| Classroom decorum | Civility is expected at all times. Civility includes leaving class only at scheduled break times, silencing all electronic devices during class, and being awake and attentive. Any student behaving inappropriately will be dropped from the course. If in doubt about what is appropriate by college standards, consult the NVCC Student Handbook. |
| Academic integrity | It is expected that your submitted assignments and tests be your own work. Cheating and plagiarism are not acceptable. When appropriate, use footnotes; icons, images, and graphics used in your web pages should be appropriately credited. Any submissions found to be in violation will receive no credit. |
| Emergency closings | The College may decide to close due to bad weather or other circumstances. Sometimes, only evening classes are cancelled. (The College decision may differ from the decisions made by the Fairfax or Loudoun County school systems.) Be sure to check the College web site or phone 703.323.3770 for current status, or sign up for text alerts. There are no make-up days available, so we will juggle assignments as best as we can. In the event of an unscheduled closing, I will update our Blackboard site as soon as possible with information regarding assignments. |
| Computer lab | The open computer lab is located in room LW 230.
The computers are loaded with the same software as in our classroom.
The lab phone number is 703.450.2521. Printing in the lab
costs 10¢/page, using your student ID card.
(No charge for printing in the classroom.)
Hours are: Monday–Thursday, 8 AM–10 PM Friday–Saturday, 8 AM–4 PM Sunday, 1 PM–4 PM |
| Class schedule | This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Refer to
the class web site for the latest version. The numbers in the Reading column represent textbook chapter sections which should be read before the class session. Be sure to check the Assignments page of the class web site every week for full details of the assignments. |
| Session | Date | Topics | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 August | Introduction to database concepts | |
| 2 | 1 September | Basic select | 1, 2 |
| 3 | 8 September | Table creation & management | 3 |
| 10 September | Last day for schedule adjustments with tuition refund | ||
| 4 | 15 September | Constraints | 4 |
| 5 | 22 September | Data manipulation, transaction control | 5 |
| 6 | 29 September | Sequences & indexes | 6 |
| 7 | 6 October | User management | 7 |
| 13 October | No class — enjoy the break! | ||
| 8 | 20 October | Mid-term exam Restricting rows, sorting |
8 |
| 9 | 27 October | Joins | 9 |
| 2 November | Last day to withdraw without grade penalty |
||
| 10 | 3 November | Single-row functions | 10 |
| 11 | 10 November | Group functions | 11 |
| 12 | 17 November | Subqueries & merges | 12 |
| 13 | 24 November | Views | 13 |
| 14 | 1 December | Output formatting | 14 |
| 15 | 8 December | Other RDBMSs | (TBD) |
| 16 | 15 December | Final exam |