Database Design and Management

Course Syllabus

Instructor: Marsha Salyer

Office: Gym, Room 815

Phone: 232-2190

E-mail:

Web Page: http://users.adelphia.net/~salyer87/homepage.html

Textbook: Microsoft Access 2003 by Hutchinson and Coulthard

Online Learning Center: www.mhhe.com/cit/advantage2003

Materials Fee: $10

Course Description

This course is designed as a Business and Information Technology Advanced Placement course. Students will learn effective strategies for designing and maintaining databases using Microsoft Access. The course will move quickly as it is designed to train students in the competencies required for Microsoft Certification. This is an internationally recognized certification obtained directly from Microsoft after successfully completing the required exams. Certification exams are typically $65 and can be scheduled through Mrs. Salyer. The exams are NOT required for credit in the course and, therefore, not covered by fee waivers. However, students who successfully complete the Access certification exam will receive documentation from Microsoft that can be included in their employment portfolios. For more information on Microsoft Office certification, visit the class page and follow the link to Microsoft Specialist Certification.

Course Content

All timelines given are estimated and will remain flexible.

Timeline / Topic / Std. / Chapter/Pages
Week 1 / Working with Access and Creating a Database / 1 / Chapters 1-2
Week 2 / Organizing and Retrieving Data / 5 / Chapter 3
Week 3 / Presenting and Managing Data / 3 / Chapter 4
Week 4 / Relational Databases / 1, 4 / Chapter 5.1
Week 5 / Customizing Fields and Data Integrity / 4, 5 / Chapter 5.2-5.4
Week 6 / Creating Select Queries / 6 / Chapter 6.1-6.3
Week 7 / Performing Calculations in Queries / 6 / Chapter 6.4
Week 8 / Creating Advanced Select Queries / 6 / Chapter 7.1-7.2
Week 9 / Special Purpose and Action Queries / 6 / Chapter 7.3-7.4
Week 10 / Creating Forms, Reports, and Pages / 3, 7 / Chapter 8
Week 11 / Building Custom and Complex Forms / 3, 7 / Chapter 9.1-9.2
Week 12 / Building Custom and Complex Reports / 3, 7 / Chapter 9.3-9.4
Week 13 / Creating Data Access Pages for Internet Delivery / 3 / Chapter 9.5
Week 14 / Integrating Access w/ Word, Excel, and
other Databases / Chapter 10.1-10.2
Week 15 / Automating and Securing the Database / 4, 8 / Chapter 10.3-10.5
Week 16
Week 17 / Access Final Project / 2, 9
Week 18 / Comprehensive Final Exam (Objective)


Daily/Homework Assignments

Students will normally be assigned activities from the textbook as they relate to class. Because these assignments are directly related to the topic of that day’s class, it is important that they are completed on time. There will be open lab hours scheduled before and after school for students who need additional time to complete assignments. Some assignments will be graded individually while others will be graded as a group. The class moves VERY quickly. Students should take great care to not get behind.

Quizzes

Quizzes may be given following the completion of a particular topic or daily/homework assignment. The purpose of quizzes is to check for understanding before moving to the next topic. There will also be regular vocabulary quizzes since much of the vocabulary related to a database management system is technical and specific to the subject. Quizzes may or may not be announced. However, students should expect them and may not make them up unless the student brings documentation of an excused absence within two days of returning to school.

Tests

There will typically be a test following two chapters of study. Each test will have two parts: objective and application. On the objective part of a test, students will answer traditional-type questions (true/false, multiple choice, etc) to check their understanding of key concepts. The application part of each test will require students to perform the skills they’ve learned in that unit of study.

Final Exam

The final exam will be comprehensive. The final database project will be included in the exam grade.

Final Project

Your final project will be a fully functioning database with an attractive and intuitive user-friendly interface.

Grading

The Final Exam will be 15% of the course grade and the term averages will each be 42.5% of the course grade. Term grades will be determined as follows:

Chapter Exercises 40%

Chapter Quizzes 40%

Chapter Tests 20%

If a student misses more than eight class periods, the student will have to appeal for credit in the class regardless of his or her current average. Please see the Student Handbook for the school’s policy on absences.