COSC 1301 Basic Lab Instructions
Getting Started With Your Lab Assignments
Read or review the assigned chapter and the complete laboratory assignment before beginning the lab assignment. Any computer having Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013 can be used to complete the assignments.
Caution: If you have Microsoft Office 2007 or earlier versions, you are strongly urged to find a computer resource that has Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013, as older versions of Office are different. No help is available for students using old versions of Microsoft Office, nor can we guarantee that the lab assignments in this course can be completed correctly using old versions. The same applies to Apple versions of Microsoft Office. If you want to use a word processor other than Microsoft Office 2010 or 2013, you are on your own.
Main campus students who would like assistance in completing the assignments can utilize the "COSC 1301 Open Lab" during its normal operating hours. This lab is available for about 15 hours per week - the exact schedule will be provided by your professor. Assistance may also available at other times at other DBU locations, so ask your professor for details.
Responsibilities of the Student Using a DBU Lab
To utilize the Open Lab, or any DBU computer resource, you should bring these items:
Students are expected to do the pre-lab reading assignment and come to lab prepared to begin work. The lab tutor is not there to do all the work for the student or to explain the entire assignment. The lab tutor's role is to assist the student when the student has a question or encounters a "rough spot". Each student is expected to complete the lab assignment on their own.
Plagiarism
While students are permitted to ask the "Open Lab" tutor or any other students for occasional assistance, under no circumstances may a student copy another's work and turn it in under their own name. Copying another's lab and submitting it as your own is plagiarism and is strictly prohibited by the DBU academic conduct policy, which includes very substantial penalties for violators. Helping others is encouraged. If you want to help another student with their lab, the correct way is to explain how to do it but never, ever, do it for them or give them a file.
For example, two or more students cannot "work together" on a single computer and then turn in the result as different submissions with different names. In addition, if you allow another student to copy your work (for any reason), you will receive the same penalty as the student who copied it. If you use a shared PC for your work, be sure to delete your work from the PC before you sign off.
The Standard Lab Header
Unless otherwise directed by the lab assignment, put the following Standard Lab Header information at the top of the page on a single line [supply the additional information in the brackets – but do not show the brackets]. You may either type it directly on the assignment page (using the header/footer option available in all the Office products) or if so directed by the lab assignment, write this information on the page. (Note: some labs may direct you to put the Standard Lab Header somewhere other than at the top of the page.) In-class or hybrid students must always turn in paper – multiple pages must be stapled together before the assignment is turned in. Online students should submit their lab work per their professor's instructions (typically email).
[Your Name; Due Date]
Labs submitted without the Standard Lab Header will lose points. To save time, and avoid wasting paper, always use the "print preview" feature to check your work. When you save a file, save it as: lastname_firstintial_Application prefix plus lab# . For example: for Fundamentals Lab 1, student John Smith would use the file name Smith_J_F1,for Word Lab 1: Smith_J_W1; for Excel Lab 1: Smith_J_E1, and for PowerPoint Lab 1: Smith_J_P1, This will make it easy for your professor to identify your file. Never use the starting file name when saving a file.
Late Submission of Work
You are responsible for turning in all assigned work on the lab due dates. Work turned in after the lab due date may be accepted late but significant late penalties will apply (this is at your professor's option -- see course syllabus for details). You must turn in each complete lab assignment in one single submission (lab assignments cannot be turned in piecemeal). You can either turn in an incomplete assignment on time (for partial credit) or turn in the fully completed assignment late and accept the late penalty (see syllabus). For in-class or hybrid courses, the lab assignments must be turned in on the due date only, they may not be turned in early. Online course students need to submit their lab work electronically on or before the due date given in their schedule.
Grading
Each lab or application is scored on a scale determined by your professor. See your syllabus for details. Typically, a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being the highest score) is used. If a scale of 0 to 10 is used, then lab work grades are assigned as follows:
10: Outstanding (no errors)
9: Excellent (very few minor errors or omissions)
8: Good (many minor errors or omissions)
7: Fair (a few significant errors/parts of assignment or pages missing)
6: Acceptable (many significant errors/parts of assignment missing)
5: or less: did not meet the basic requirements of the lab assignment
0: did not submit the assignment
Lab assignments should be done neatly and accurately. When grading lab work, points will be deducted for things such as:
Lab Attendance
For this course, no attendance record is kept at any DBU computer lab. Attendance at any of these labs is not required and is completely up to the student.