Computers and Management Information Systems (CMIS) 214
Custom Applications with Visual Basic (Revision 3)
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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Applied Studies
(Business and Administrative Studies)
Prerequisite: CMIS 245 or COMP 200 or COMP 210 or professor approval.
Precluded Course:CMIS 214 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CMIS 313.
Requirements: Prior computing experience using Windows on a PC.
Faculty: Faculty of Business
CMIS 214 is not available for challenge.
Overview
CMIS 214 will help you learn about the many features you can build into Windows-based business applications using Visual Basic (VB). You will be introduced to related tools and technology, and you will explore applications programmed with these tools. This course is not intended to provide an exhaustive study of VB Windows programming as this is well beyond the scope of a single course. However, once you complete this course you will have a good foundation to enable you to continue to develop these skills. Follow-up CMIS courses build on this knowledge and explore Web-based business applications built with VB.
This course uses custom built, online material, including a course website and multimedia presentations. In addition, a reference textbook is provided for additional background material, along with resources from the Microsoft website. Each of the seven units includes theory as well as practical tutorials and hands-on activities.
The reference text uses the Visual Basic programming language within the Visual Studio for Windows Desktop programming environment, part of the Microsoft .NET architecture. Visual Studio is a proprietary product. The Express Edition is available online from the Microsoft site. We use the Express Edition of Visual Studio because it is easy to use, and because it represents the current state of software technology used by most software manufacturers. The knowledge and skills you develop in this course can easily be adapted to other programming environments. The reference textbook provides extensive coverage of the Visual Basic (VB) language and includes many code fragments to illustrate the topics. The course website will direct you to the specific pages in the reference textbook that relate to the topic being covered. As you explore VB topics after completing this course, you will continue to use this reference textbook.
Outline
This course has been organized into seven units as follows:
- Unit 1: Introduction to Visual Basic
- Unit 2: Working with Objects and Properties
- Unit 3: Decision Logic in VB
- Unit 4: Repetition Logic in VB
- Unit 5: Procedures in VB
- Unit 6: Arrays and Collections in VB
- Unit 7: Objects, Classes, Inheritance, and Polymorphism in VB
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, you will submit four assignments (two parts to each) and write a Final Examination. You will also be graded on your participation in online discussions. You must achieve a minimum grade of D (50%) on the examination, and a minimum overall course grade of D (50 percent). The chart below describes the credit weight associated with each course requirement.
Course Assignments: Each assignment is based on work covered in this course website, the multimedia presentations, and resources from the reference textbook. Each assignment has two parts. Part A consists of at least one practical exercise, and Part B is an online quiz. To complete the practical exercises (Part A) you will develop applications and submit these applications by uploading .zip files.
| Assignment | Weight | Due | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 (1A and 1B) | 10% | After Unit 2 | One practical exercise (8%) and an online quiz (2%) |
| Assignment 2 (2A and 2B) | 20% | After Unit 4 | Two practical exercises (16%) and an online quiz (4%) |
| Assignment 3 (3A and 3B) | 20% | After Unit 6 | Two practical exercises (16%) and an online quiz (4%) |
| Assignment 4 (4A and 4B) | 15% | After Unit 7 | One practical exercise (13%) and an online quiz (2%) |
| Online Discussion | 5% | ongoing | Post five messages (from at least three units) before submitting your last assignment or writing the Final Examination. |
| Final Examination | 30% | after Unit 7 | Multiple-choice and short answer questions |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Note: The final examination for this course must be taken online at an invigilated location. It is your responsibility to ensure a computer with an Internet connection and a current web browser is available for your use at the invigilation centre.
Course Materials
Textbook
Boehm, A. (2013). Murach's Visual Basic 2012. United States of America: Mike Murach & Associates, Inc.
Inc. ISBN 978-1-890774-73-8
Other Materials
Student data files are provided (as .zip files) on the course website for some tutorials and hands-on activities.
Software Requirements
The minimum computer requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 7 (or higher)
- A 1.6GHz or faster processor
- At least 2 GB RAM
- 5GB of available hard disk space
- Internet connectivity
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 3, November 3, 2015.
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