Integrated M.Sc. Curriculum Document for IT


Semester I


Course Title: Introduction to Computational Tools

Type of Course: Lab Course (Both Windows + Linux)

Number of Credits: 2 (3 hrs contact with the faculty)


This course will introduce the student to some of the productivity tools as well as Linux operating system. The following are the modules to be taught in the course:


  1. MS-OFFICE: Focus is on teaching how to use Office suite properly.

  1. MS-Word: The following features are explored for MS-Word – Templates – Using existing templates and creating new templates, Complex Tables, Use of Pictures with text flowing around the picture, Sectioning, Captioning, Cross-Referencing, Table of Contents, Using Equation editor for complex equations, Multiple Column format documents.

  2. MS-Excel: Using complex equations for combining data, VLOOKUP function, Excel charts, Excel Sort, Excel Filter, Pivot Table.

  3. MS-PowerPoint: Using Animations and Transitions.

  1. Linux: Basic commands in Linux such as listing files, viewing contents in files, creating and deleting directories, moving and copying files and/or directories, man pages, pipes, ps and top commands, killing processes. Basic philosophy of the Unix operating system's view of access rights on files/directories, setting permissions on files/directories, vi/emacs editors.

  2. Latex: Understanding how to use latex for document preparation – exploring the same features as in MS-Word.

  3. Beamer: Understanding how to do slides with beamer and use some of the features of beamer.

  4. gnuplot: Given data files, understanding how to use gnuplot to draw different types of graphs as in Excel.

  5. Xfig: Understanding how to draw pictures using Xfig.


References:


  1. Online Resources for MS-Office.

  2. Linux manual pages and help documentation for gnuplot and Xfig.

  3. A Document Preparation System: LATEX: User's Guide and Reference Manual: Leslie Lamport, Pearson Education.

  4. Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition,  Ellen Siever, Stephen Figgins, Robert Love, Arnold Robbins, O'Reilly.

  5. The Linux Command Line, A Complete Introduction: William E. Shotts Jr., O'Reilly.

  6. Beamer: http://www.tex.ac.uk/CTAN/macros/latex/contrib/beamer/doc/beameruserguide.pdf

  7. Beamer Tutorial in Beamer: http://www.uncg.edu/cmp/reu/presentations/Charles%20Batts%20-%20Beamer%20Tutorial.pdf