OUTLINE Introduce instructor Introduce the TA Introduce yourselves Homework Take roll Grades Go over syllabus How to get a passing or better grade Posting of grades, assignments and lecture notes Use of Excel Why are we here? Expectations The big picture

Grades Grades vary from class to class. The overall numbers and percentages for my 22 ISE310 (2003-2017) classes are shown below (GPA=3.39):

How to get a passing or better grade Everyone has their own way of studying and dealing with a class The following slides have suggestions of methods that could improve your performance in this or any other class

How to get a passing or better grade (continued) Create an organized three ring binder or similar resource Read ahead for every class session - material is provided in the assignment and on the web and you are responsible for it Spend some time on the class on most days of the week (Example 1.5 hours per day for 5 days) Come to class on time and for the whole session Bring your laptop, text, class notes (from the web) and notebook to class Stay awake and participate Ask questions (there are no stupid questions!!) If I don’t get any questions, I have to assume that all of understood all the material! Take notes on the provided notes

How to get a passing or better grade (continued) Do homework after you have studied the material. Do homework at leisure and early in the week. Make sure it is correct. Revisit it at least once. If you have trouble with the homework (in this order): Ask a classmate (be sure you get to know as many as possible) See and/or e-mail the TA E-mail the instructor (Do not ask about material that is already in the syllabus!) Go to the instructor’s office hours Compare your returned homework to the provided answers and resolve any differences Reread the material after the class for understanding, do the examples in the book Learn Excel – if you already know some, learn more.

How to get a passing or better grade (concluded) Work hard early in the semester instead of scrambling at the end Start your project in plenty of time, rewrite and edit it several times Don’t let either the simplicity or apparent complexity of the material fool you Check the web page for current information

Posting of grades, assignments and lecture notes The following items will be available on the website each week: Lecture notes at least up to and including the notes for the current week Assignments up to and including the current assignment Solutions to previous assignments, quizzes and exams Grades will be posted most weeks. These will include items for the previous two weeks. Please check them for accuracy -- you have two weeks to have corrections made

Use of Excel Spreadsheets are the mainstay of many analyses Excel is the most widely used, and most powerful of the currently available spreadsheets We will use Excel to demonstrate some of the material in this class and to solve some homework problems You will find that Excel is also very useful for all your other classes and will be an invaluable aid on your first job So – learn it as fast as you can. We will assist you with demonstrations and answer your questions about it

Why are we here? Class discussion

What are my objectives when I prepare a lesson plan? To make sure that you are sufficiently proficient to enhance, and certainly not to damage the reputation of USC That you learn enough to function in a professional job with material that will be useful to you Help you all get a good grade Make each of the 80 minutes a pleasant experience for all of us

Expectations Ethical behavior. Effort. Contribute to the classroom experience. Understand the big picture. Awareness of current events. Develop technical competence.

THE BIG PICTURE Products and services must come from somewhere What is your potential place in that process? We all work somewhere How will you influence those places and conditions?