Summer Course Overview
You have the unique opportunity of completing your C@CM coursework over the summer before the fall semester even begins. Taking the course early will not only free up your time for other classes once the semester begins, it'll also teach you about the resources that will be available once you arrive on campus so that you can take advantage of them immediately.
You will have from July to August to complete the required coursework and take the Final Exam. (Specific dates and deadlines will be detailed in Canvas.)
If you choose to wait until the fall semester to take the course, don't worry! You'll simply complete the course over the standard 7-week schedule during the fall semester instead.
Note: Any coursework that is started but not completed during the summer course offering WILL NOT carry over to subsequent semesters. The fall- and spring-semester versions of the course have different course requirements and a separate grading rubric that includes attendance at a weekly recitation.
Curriculum
The course is comprised of four primary units. A description of what's included in each unit is below. While you may have been exposed to some of these topics in the past, the curriculum is specific to the CMU environment making it highly unlikely that you have sufficient prior knowledge, particularly to the depth and complexity that is required for collegiate-level work.
Responsible Computing
Identify the computing privileges and responsibilities that apply to you as a member of the CMU community, including specific issues involved with protecting information and resources and the associated penalties/impact if you fail to do so.
Effective Computing
Learn about the most commonly used electronic tools and services that the university offers. Regardless of major, every student will need to complete work that requires specialized software and hardware, printing services and online file storage/sharing/collaboration.
Information Literacy
Whether it's writing a paper, preparing for a role or conducting an experiment, you'll do some sort of research while at the university. In this unit, you'll learn how to define the information that you need, how to locate the best sources and how to appropriately use the information in your work. The unit also presents critical information on academic integrity issues related to finding and using information.
Safe Computing
Recognize online threats that can compromise your own and the broader community's information and resources, along with protective measures you can take to prevent such attacks and what you need to do should a compromise occur.
Structure & Expectations
The C@CM summer course offering is delivered entirely online. This approach enables you to work through the material at your own pace, removes the constraints of a conventional in-class lecture, and allows you to complete the course before the fall semester even begins. Even the Final Exam is delivered through a secure online exam proctoring service.
C@CM offers you a great deal of flexibility, but this means that you have more responsibility for directing your own learning.
C@CM offers you a great deal of flexibility, but this means that you have more responsibility for directing your own learning.
Communication
We will use Canvas for all course-related communication and it will serve as the central landing page for C@CM. Here you'll find important announcements, a link to the online course materials housed in OLI and your official course grades. We'll also use email frequently as a means of distributing pertinent information to you all. It is your responsibility to check Canvas and email no less than once per week.
Professional Conduct
While there are no required live sessions during the summer course offering, we expect you to be respectful of the C@CM staff and your fellow classmates with any and all communications. This includes, but is not limited to discussion items, surveys, announcements and email messages.
Attendance
The C@CM summer course is delivered entirely online. There are no attendance requirements.
Note: Fall and Spring versions of the course will have a separate and unique grading rubric that includes attendance at a weekly recitation.
Academic Integrity
You are encouraged to work with others to complete the inline learning activities and when reviewing the explanatory content. Collaboration is NOT permitted on the Pre-Assessments, Module Quizzes, Exam-Readiness Quizzes or the Final Exam. If you are found to be collaborating or consulting outside materials on the Pre-Assessments, Exam-Readiness Quizzes or the Final Exam, you will be subject to academic discipline. Supplying and/or using answer keys from previous course offerings, whether your own or another students', is expressly prohibited. Please see the university's standards on Academic Integrity for more details.
Support for Learning & Well-Being
Universities are in general vibrant communities, places of tremendous vitality and richness that offer abundant opportunities for meaningful work and play. This abundance brings with it the challenge of maintaining a healthy, balanced life – a life characterized by productive tension among such competing needs as work and play, sleep and wakefulness, solitude and sociability. Exercising two skills – (1) avoiding imbalance through careful planning and (2) managing and containing imbalance when it occurs – can help you achieve this balance.
As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere with learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, substance use, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. CMU services are available, and treatment does work. We all care about you and are committed to connecting you to many of the helpful resources available on campus. All of us benefit from support and guidance during times of struggle. An important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. We encourage you to take the time to learn about all that's available and to take advantage of it.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the C@CM staff if your course work is the source of your stress. Recognize that problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance. It is not our intention to know the details of what might be bothering you, but simply to let you know we are concerned and that help, if needed, is available. Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do -- for yourself and for those who care about you.
Students with Disabilities
Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational opportunities for all students. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please notify the C@CM staff, and we will work together to ensure that you have the correct access to resources on campus to assist you through your coursework and time at CMU.
Respect for Diversity
It is our intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is our intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let us know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let us know so that we can make arrangements for you.
Prior Knowledge
While you may have been exposed to some of the C@CM topics in the past, the curriculum is specific to the CMU environment making it highly unlikely that you have sufficient prior knowledge of the concepts covered throughout the course, particularly to the depth and complexity that is required for collegiate-level coursework.
Advisory Committee
The C@CM curriculum is determined by an advisory committee comprised of deans, department heads, and faculty from every academic department.
The concepts taught in the course represent the requisite skills you must learn in order to be successful in your academic career at CMU, regardless of major.
The concepts taught in the course represent the requisite skills you must learn in order to be successful in your academic career at CMU, regardless of major.