Course Description The course description and objectives are contained in the AIST3720 Common Syllabus. This term syllabus focuses on deployment of the course for Spring 2024.
Texts and Materials
All text and video reference materials will be available online at no cost to students with links to the materials posted in the Agenda when they are assigned or on the links page as a reference.
To complete work outside of campus labs students will need access to a reliable computer running running a relatively recent, mainstream operating system; a reliable, moderately speedy internet connection is also required. Getting appropriate IT infrastructure for the course is a student responsibility but by all means contact the instructor with questions or if something isn't working.
Instructor: Todd A. Schultz, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Since we are online I don't hold normal office hours (i.e., where I am in a particular place on campus at particular times). Please reach out immediately via email or Teams message with questions or issues; I typically get back within an hour or two (though a contact at, say, midnight may not get a response until the following morning). We can make an appointment, if needed, to use Zoom or Teams but reach out early with questions or issues.
Contact: Visit my Contact Page at https://tschultz.azurewebsites.net/contact.html
Course Mechanics Visit either the course root page at https://tschultz.azurewebsites.net/courses/AIST3720 or using the link at the Desire2Learn course page at https://lms.augusta.edu/d2l/home/455241 for details. The Agenda link provides the best outline of what to expect. Please check the agenda regularly for the latest content, comments, assignments and due dates.
Assignments and Grades Course grades are derived from scores of several Technical Practice (TechPrac) assignments due every two weeks -- by midnite on Sundays -- during the term. TechPrac details and due dates are available via links from the Desire2Learn site and the course Agenda. In completing TechPracs students develop assets which they upload when completed through Desire2Learn. There are no traditional exams -- including midterm or final -- in AIST3720 although some of the TechPracs will include online quizzes over reading material.
Course point values accumulate to 1000 points with course grades broken down as follows:
Assignment deliveries should be the right items in the right place at the right time with the right count and in the right condition (e.g., see the "rights of logistics"). Pay attention to which TechPrac you upload to; do not cut it so close that time runs out on you; double-check that you submitted all required files and used correct file names.
As to late work: Getting work done on time is part of the course and professional training; consider that a client is counting on your product at the due date for their operations so we fail our client by not delivering when expected. That said, things happen. If something arises -- technical, personal -- contact the instructor when it comes up. We can arrange a one-week extension when needed -- no grade penalty -- but getting work done completely and on-time is part of the course's learning. Please do not use D2L assignment comments or deliverables to explain issues you ran into or why something didn't work; communicate directly and immediately with the instructor when that happens.
Attendance: This course is delivered in a face-to-face section and an on-line section. Physical attendance is not checked as a routine matter during scheduled class periods but attendance is encouraged (even for on-line students) especially if you have questions or issues. Close attention to content and due dates as articulated in the Agenda is a student requirement whether a student attends physically or virtually.
Workload: Students should anticipate that consuming lecture and content, reading and studying, and preparing assignments will require as much as eight hours per week total for this course; this is based on the rule-of-thumb suggesting that a university course should require 2 to 3 hours outside of class for every contact hour. It is important to find two or three regular times during the week for study and preparation focused on this course.
Students with disabilities: Augusta University is committed to ensuring all students have equal access to all services and benefits of Augusta University. If you are a student with a disability and require accommodations due to a diagnosed disability, you must register with Testing and Disability Services (TDS) and submit the appropriate documentation. Requests for accommodations should be made as early in the semester as possible, as accommodations are not retroactive. Contact us at tds@augusta.edu or by telephone at 706-737-1469, for additional information. All accommodations are confidential.
Academic honesty: Students are also expected to understand and follow the academic honesty policy. In particular, artifacts prepared as part of TechPrac assignments must be the students' own work from download, into development, and through upload. Collaboration on process and resources for completing the work is encouraged but the at computer work must be completed by individual students.