Instructor Information
| Name | : | Terry Sergeant | Office Hours | ||
| : | tsergeant@hsutx.edu | MW | 8:30–10:00; 2:30–3:30 | ||
| Office | : | JB 322 | Tue | 8:30–9:30 | |
| Phone | : | 670-1292 | Thu | 8:30–11:30 | |
| Web Site | : | https://josephus.hsutx.edu | Fri | 9:00–10:00 | |
Summary
| Description | : | Students will learn concepts and definitions foundational to modern database systems. Topics include the relational model, SQL, E-R modeling, and normalization. Concepts of database design and practice will be implemented using a modern database management system. |
| Textbook | : | None required. |
Course Objectives
Students who satisfactorily complete this course will (hopefully) be able to:- create, maintain, and query databases using at least two DBMS's
- understand and apply the normalization process to the design of a database
- represent a database design in accordance with the ER Modeling scheme and UML notation
- create, maintain, and query relational databases using SQL
- manipulate a database from control of a program
- design, create, and query a non-relational DBMS
- articulate understanding of related issues such as database administration, transactions, query processing/optimization, etc.
Grading
Your grade in the course will be earned / calculated as follows:| homework | 25% | |
| exam #1 | 25% | |
| exam #2 | 25% | |
| final exam | 25% |
| A |  |
90 | – | 100 |
| B | |
80 | – | 89 |
| C | |
70 | – | 79 |
| D | |
60 | – | 69 |
| F | |
0 | – | 59 |
Homework Assignments
Homework will be assigned and graded on a regular basis. Point values (and lead time) will vary in accordance with the difficulty of the assignment.Due dates and times for homework assignments are provided in Canvas. Late homework assignments will receive a 30% point penalty and must be completed within a week or the original due date. Assignments that miss the one week deadline will receive a grade of 0 (unless there are extenuating circumstances).
In order to do well on the exams it will be necessary for each student to work homework assignments independently. There are times, however, when you may become stuck and require assistance. For this reason, the standard regarding independent homework is quite loose:
When working a homework assignment you must not make any sort of electronic copy of work that is not your own. Also, you must type assignments yourself. Failure to abide by these rules is a violation of the academic integrity standards for this course.
If a student turns in work that is clearly a derivative work without violating the above policy, the instructor will discuss the issue with the student. In such a case the instructor, at his discretion, may assign a grade of zero for the derivative work or require a rewrite of the assignment. This will not be considered a violation of the academic integrity policy but will be in violation of the expectations and requirements that homework assignments be completed independently.
All assignments will be submitted in Canvas according to the instructions for that assignment.
Exams
All exams are comprehensive. The final exam will take place at the scheduled time during finals week. Exams will never be collaborative in nature so receiving any form of assistance from anyone other than the instructor is a violation of the academic integrity policy. You may only use study aids during the exam if they are expressly allowed by the instructor for that particular exam.
Students with Disabilities
An individual with a disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as a “person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Any student with a documented disability may choose to seek accommodations. Eligible students seeking accommodation should contact the Director of Undergraduate Advising and Disabilities as soon as possible in the academic term (preferably during the first two weeks of a long semester) for which they are seeking accommodations. The director will prepare letters to appropriate faculty members concerning specific, reasonable academic adjustments for the student. The student is responsible for delivering accommodation letters and conferring with faculty members. Please refer to the most recent version of the Undergraduate Catalog for the complete policy. (Carol Krueger, Director of Undergraduate Advising and Disabilities, Office: Sandefer Memorial, 1st floor Academic Advising Center, Phone: 670-5867, Email: disabilityservices@hsutx.edu)
Student Support
Peer-to-peer academic support (tutoring) is available for all undergraduate HSU students. The Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE) is open for virtual tutoring sessions via Zoom. To access instructions or make an appointment, open the ACE course on your Canvas dashboard. For additional information regarding academic support, contact the Advising Center at 325-670-1480 or tutoring@hsutx.edu.In addition, all full or part-time students are eligible to receive free, confidential, and voluntary counseling services at HSU. Services include consultation, evaluation, counseling, and crisis support services for students facing issues impacting their overall well-being. To obtain any of these services, students may call The Office of Counseling Services at (325) 671-2272, email counseling@hsutx.edu, or begin the intake process by completing our online forms at:https://www.hsutx.edu/intake.
Academic Integrity
Violations of academic integrity have been described to some degree in other sections of this syllabus.Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be handled in accordance with university policies outlined in Undergraduate Catalog and in the Student Handbook. The current catalog prescribes that “no student who has violated the Academic Integrity Policy will be allowed to graduate from Hardin-Simmons University with honors.” Penalties will be assigned at the discretion of the instructor and typically range from failure on the assignment to failure of the course. A general rule-of-thumb is that a first offense (if not too major) will result in a zero on the assignment and a second offense will result in an F for the course. The current catalog states that an F earned in this way cannot be replaced by retaking the course.
Computer Account Use
The instructor may occasionally use email to communicate with the class as a whole or with individuals. When contacting you for this course the instructor will use your HSU email account. You are expected to check your HSU email account at least once per day and you will be held responsible for any content distributed in this way.
Attendance
Regarding class attendance, the Undergraduate Catalog states:Accordingly, absence from more than 25 percent of class meetings and/or laboratory sessions scheduled for a course (including absences because of athletic participation) is regarded as excessive, and a grade of F may be assigned as deemed appropriate by the professor.
Exam Dates
| Date | Exam | |
| Wed 15 Feb | Exam #1 | |
| Wed 05 Apr | Exam #2 | |
| Wed 10 May | Final Exam |