No lectures this week.  We've already covered the text, so now we'll just spend time this week working on the final exams and tending to the few assignments that are assigned.

Final Exam

It's that time in the course folks, time to get started on your final exam.  Your final exam will consist of a research paper covering one of the following topics:

1.  Pentium III processors vs. Celeron processors vs. AMD K-6 processors (how do they differ; how are they the same; what are their components, how much do they cost, etc.)

2.  A comparison and contrast among 3 different programming languages.

3.  A specific discussion in memory (RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, cache, virtual, etc.)

4.  The maintenance utilities in Windows 95/98--how to use them and what they're for.

5.  Busses, slots, and Plug-n-Play--what they are and how they work together.

6.  The future of artificial intelligence--what can we expect?

7.  Commercial programs, shareware and freeware--a comparison and contrast among the three.

8.  Multimedia--what it is and the hardware/software involved.

9.  An indepth discussion of virtual reality--what it is, what it's used for.

10.  A comparison and contrast between Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98, and Windows ME.

11.  The mobility and portability of today's computer systems (laptops, cellular modems, PDAs, etc.)  Where are we and what does the future hold?

12.  Advances in hardware/software to aid the handicap or other special interest groups.

13.  Bill Gates vs. Steven Jobs--a comparison and contrast between these two computer giants.

14.  Program design/flowcharting--a discussion in it's content and use.

15.  The Internet as a commerce tool.

You may pick any one of the topics, but cannot combine topics to create a new one.

Exam Paper Requirements:

Your paper must be completed in Word 2000 or lower, Word Perfect 8.1 or lower, or Wordpad, submitted as an attachment to my personal email by Sunday of week 8.  The paper must include:
 

• 3-5 pages
• 1 inch margins
• Double spaced
• Title page (not included as one of the 3-5 pages)
• Minimum 3 references
•      Web pages may be used as references.  You must provide the address.
•      Your text can also be used as a reference.
• Spelling and grammar are important

IMPORTANT:  Exams can only be submitted once.  You cannot send it to me a few days early and ask that I review it and suggest changes for an improved grade.  NO late exams will be accepted. The final exam is required to pass the course.

Try to provide as much information as possible using terms that everyone can understand.  Do not simply throw in a bunch of computer lingo that looks good but that the average computer user could not understand.  You can download the link below of a sample paper that I consider an "A" paper.

Sample Final Exam Paper