PLS 21 and PLS 21V

Applications of Computers in Technology

ü George Sellu, PhD

ü Lecturer,
ü Department of Plant
Sciences,
ü gssellu@ucdavis.edu
 PLS 21 and PLS 21V
Applications of Computers in Technology

ü George Sellu, PhD

ü Lecturer,
ü Department of Plant
Sciences,
ü gssellu@ucdavis.edu
 Welcome to PLS 21
Spring Quarter 2024!
Overview of the Course
This course will teach you valuable general computer skills
that will help you as a student, and maybe more importantly
in your career.
Whether you are a computer novice or expert, you will almost
certainly learn a lot of new and useful skills you can start
using right away.
 Introduction to the
PLS21 Staff

We have a team of 7-8 graduate TAs

and about 20 undergraduate interns
here to help you be successful
zoom
Introduction to the
PLS21 Staff- By Dr.
Bailey

zoom
Overview of the Course
The course consists of a lecture component, and a lab
component.
The lecture will focus on providing context, and help you to
understand when and why to use particular computer
software and hardware.
The lab is hands-on, and will teach you skills on how to use
an example of software for a particular topic.
The course is compressed into 8 weeks of instruction
instead of the usual 10 weeks.
History/Evolution of
PLS 21

zoom
MS DOS Version 1.25
Copyright 1987.1988 Microsoft, Inc.

Command v1.17
Current Date is Tue 10-12-1988

*********************************************
* *
* Why is PLS21 a “Plant Sciences” Course? *
* *
*********************************************

C:\ Many years ago, PLS21 was created to introduce plant sciences students to cutting-
edge computer technologies, such as programming dataloggers in MS DOS.

C:\ However, as computer technology evolved, so did PLS21. The course began including
more general computer skills.

C:\ Students across the university got word of the value behind PLS21, and it grew into
what it is today.
Getting Help:
Lecture Material: I am your primary contact for lecture-
related questions. You may receive a reply from one of the
head TAs if they get to it first.
Lab Material: Your lab TA is your primary contact for lab-
related questions. You can also pop into any of the many
office hours (NOT LAB SESSIONS) scheduled throughout
the week (see Canvas for schedule and location).
Communication
We usually use the Canvas “Announcements” feature to
communicate with students.
It is critical that you set up notifications for Canvas
announcements, and completely read all announcements.
If you send me an email, include “PLS21” OR “PLS21V” in
the subject line. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours,
please resend your message.
We will do everything in our power to help you be
successful - you just need to communicate.
Getting Help:
Maintaining your Mental Health
Student Health and Counseling Services
shcs.ucdavis.edu (530) 752-2349
• COVID-19 information for students
• Racial trauma resources
• Online counseling - anxiety, depression, etc.
• Podcasts, workshops, mindfulness
Student Disability Center (530) 752-3184
Course Procedure
• The course materials/resources are organized
into weekly Canvas Modules. This will be your
"home base" for the course.
• Each module will usually have:
• Two lectures (Video lectures will be posted after
every class session)
• An ungraded lecture exam study quiz
• A hands-on lab and homework
• A graded lab quiz covering the previous module
Course Procedure
Lab Homework and Autotutorial Assignments
• Lab homework is due 4 days after your lab. The final deadline is
before you begin your next lab session.
• Autotutorials are due 11 days after your lab [No late
autotutorials]
• Everything is submitted electronically and primarily via Canvas
• Late Work Policy: You can submit late work until 11:59 pm the
day before your next lab session (30% reduction). Any late
submissions after you begin your next lab session will not be
accepted. You will be allowed one free late homework
submission during the quarter.
Course Procedure
Lab Quizzes
• Weekly lab quizzes are administered at the beginning of each lab session, and
they cover the previous week’s material.
• You will have 15 minutes to finish each lab quiz.
• TAs send out hints on what exactly you will need to know for each quiz. Also
note that you will typically need to use the previous week’s lab software for
the quiz, so be sure you have that ready (i.e., don’t do the quiz on your
phone/iPad if you need to use Excel).
• Quiz Make-Up Policy: Quizzes cannot be made up. Instead, we will
automatically drop your lowest quiz score.
Course Procedure
Lecture Exams
• There are two lecture mid-term exams that will be administered
in person/In Class for PLS 21 & Virtually/Online for PLS 21V.
For PLS 21V students with schedule conflict, we can reschedule
• Each weekly module has an ungraded lecture exam study guide
– those are your ticket to success!
• Exams cannot be made up, so please mark your calendars and
plan accordingly.
Lecture Exam 1: October 24, 5:10PM-6:00PM (Thursday)
Lecture Exam 2: November 19, 5:10PM-6:00PM (Tuesday)
Academic Misconduct
Students suspected of cheating will be referred to OSSJA. This includes:
• Copying another student’s lab assignment: from the time you create a
document to the time you turn it in, all work must be 100% your own.
• Plagiarism of online materials, including submitting assignments from a
previous quarter.
• Intimidating or threatening the TA or instructor.
• Misuse of lab computers (if you are using Virtual Lab).
• Lying or giving false excuses.
• Distributing, archiving, or using course materials online without instructor’s
consent, such as through sites like Course Hero.
•Submitting fake doctor’s notes
 Grading Breakdown
Component Number Percentage of Grade

Lab Homework 8 assignments 20%

AutoTutorials 3 assignments 15%

Lab Quizzes 7 quizzes 15%

Lecture Exams 2 exams 30%

Lab Final 1 exam 20%

Textbooks (optional)
Introduction to Information Systems, 9th ed
Rainer and Prince

Microsoft Office 365: In Practice, 1 st ed

Randy Nordell

Instructions for accessing the textbook are on

zoom
Canvas under the “Bookshelf” tab, then click on
the “Attachments” tab.
PLS21V (“Virtual”) Lab Sections
• PLS21V lab sections will be broken up into two sub-
sections with different meeting times:
Synchronously online-Wednesday 9:00-10:50am
and Friday 12:10-2:00pm. Please check your lab
schedules for more details.
• The TAs for these sections have already sent out an
announcement with details about their sections.
Mac vs. PC Labs
• You have been separated into labs primarily Mac vs.
PC. Please stay in the lab that you have been assigned
because there is a cap on the number of students in lab
sections based on the number of computers.
• All lab switching must be done officially through
Schedule Builder. If there is not a waitlist, you can use
the “swap” option to change sections.
• If you are in a PC lab but you use a Mac at home, you
should be fine (differences are minor).
PLS 21V (“Virtual”)Sections
• Lecture sessions for PLS 21V will be asynchronous and
recorded lectures will be posted
• Lab sessions for PLS 21V will be synchronous (see lab
schedule).
• Video lectures will be posted on canvas for PLS 21 V
after the in-person lectures for PLS 21
COVID Protocols
• You are encouraged to report your COVID status if you
test positive
• Consider using a mask if you have any flu-like symptoms
• Everyone should comply with the UC Davis vaccine policy
(which includes current vaccine status, religious or
medical exemption)
• All office hours will be fully in person except for PLS 21V
Course Material
Networking, the Internet, and the Cloud
• How computers talk to each other and how
the internet works
• Contrasting options for cloud storage and
cloud computing

No lab
Course Material
Introduction to Web Design
• How websites work
• Basics of designing your own webpage
• Explore the features of some of the most widely used web development
software

In lab, you’ll use google sites

Course Material
Operating Systems and Software Suites
• Contrasting operating systems and how
they work
• Contrasting software suites

No lab
Course Material
Word Processing
• Software options for word processing
• Features of most commonly used word
processing software
• Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced word
processing skills

In lab, you’ll use Microsoft Word

Course Material
Spreadsheets
• When you might need to use a
spreadsheet
• Software options for spreadsheets
• Advanced spreadsheet skills

In lab, you’ll will use Microsoft Excel (two

labs total)
Course
Course Material
Material
Photo Processing and Editing
Photo Processing and Editing
• Software options for photo editing
• Software options for photo editing
• Intermediate photo processing and
• Intermediate
editing skills photo processing and editing
skills
• Photo/video editing for communication
In lab, you’ll work with Pixler
In lab, you’ll work with Pixlr
Course Material
Computer Hardware
• Common computer hardware components
• “Spec’ing” a computer system

No lab
Course Material
Intro to Computer Programming
• How are computers programmed?
• Contrasting computer languages

No lab (sort of)

Course Material
Computer Programming in R

• Intermediate skills in R programming

• Basic techniques for data analysis using R

In lab, you’ll work with Rstudio

Course Material
Network security
• Network vulnerabilities
• Keeping networks secure
• Considerations for improving network security

No Lab
Course Material
Databases
• When might you need a database?
• Software options for databases
• Database skills

In lab, you’ll use Microsoft Access

(two labs total)
Course Material
Presentation software
• Contrasting presentation software
options
• Presentation software skills

In lab, you’ll use Microsoft Powerpoint

Course Material
Advanced Business Software Applications
Artificial Intelligence in Sales &
Marketing
Electronic money and e-trading
Data Science & Big Data

No lab
Accessing Software For the Course
(PLS 21V)
There is no Mac version of Microsoft Access.
Your options:
1. Use VirtualLab to remotely log in to the campus computer labs:
virtuallab.ucdavis.edu
2. Install BootCamp (free) or Parallels (free trial) and run Windows on
your Mac
For this reason, we will not make you use Access on the timed quizzes or lab
final (only homework)
Accessing Software For the Course
The computer labs have all the software you need for
this course.
If you want to do additional practice at home, you could
use virtual lab or install bootcamp
However, there is one minor complication for Mac
users…
Questions??