Introduction

If you have never participated in an online learning course, then this will be a new an unique experience for you. With online learning everyone participates at their own speed and time. What makes online learning exciting is that you experience a new way of learning and you will be truly amazed at how much you will learn. Online learning requires that each student maintains a weekly schedule for completing assignments. All assignments are due within one week after they have been assigned. When students maintain a weekly schedule and complete all assignments within the one week period they normally have little or no difficulty completing the online course successfully. Students also have easy access to the instructor. The instructor is only a click away. All responses are answered online and are private between the instructor and the student. Working online is like having a private tutor. Please ask your instructor any and all questions. No one else in the class sees your questions. There is no smiles and laughter when a question is asked. The instructor doesn't roll his/her eyes as if to say "I answered that question before." Ask your questions, this is a truly neutral environment. Another exciting aspect of online learning is the large amount of help that is available from the students in the class. Online students take advantage of the help available from both the students and the instructor. Students can post questions for only the instructor or for any student in the class to answer. When a student has a question and they need help answering it they can post the question in the FORUM part of the course as a NEW TOPIC. As soon as a student or the instructor sees the question they will answer it. The exchange that happens between students in the class as they discuss online the answer to a posted question stimulates learning and encourages student participation. Many students find the online discussions to be the best part of attending an online course.

The Instructor for this Course

Hello, my name is Philip Marsh and I will be the instructor for this class. I received my BS degree from Cornell University, my Masters in Computer Science from Marist College and a second Masters from Capella University in Education Technology. I retired from the IBM Corporation in 1992 and began a second career as an Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems with Dutchess Community College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York. I have programmed extensively in many languages including COBOL. I presently live in the Hudson Valley just a few miles from Marist College. I have been developing and teaching online courses for the last 8 years. In my opinion and the opinion of many others, attending an online learning is as effective as attending a traditional classroom course. My conclusion is that a motivated student will do well in either learning

environment. I have included below information on how you can contact me regardless of the reason. I am here to help and assist you in your learning of the COBOL programming langauge. faculty.sunydutchess.edu/marsh Instructor: Course: Semester: Mailing Address: Philip H. Marsh Introduction to COBOL for IBM z/90 Mainframe Fall 2008 Marist College South Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12006 Philip.Marsh@Marist.edu

Email:

For private communications between a student and instructor please click the "Message" link located on the left side of the iLearn screen and enter the private message. Phone: (845) 431-8392 Fax: (845) 431-8985 Instructor Logon On The instructor will logon every 24 hours Schedule

COBOL - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

In 1959 COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) was designed by representatives from business, government, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Their goal was to design a programming language that could be used on all business computers. You may question why the government was involved in designing a business programming language but, less face it, there is no bigger business in this world than the U.S. Government. Today, COBOL is available on all the major computer platforms. In general, you can think of a platform as a unique combination of computer hardware and operating system. Both main frame and PC platforms have the same basic input, output and processor components. The primary difference between a mainframe computer and a PC is that a mainframe serves many users on a single processor while a PC serves only one. The most widely used COBOL platform is the IBM mainframe running under the OS/390 or MVS operating system. IBM AS/400 systems that run under the OS/400 operating system and mid-range computers that run under the UNIX operating system are two other common COBOL platforms. COBOL can also run on the PC.

Software Emulator
During the TSO labs for the class, you will need a 3270 emulator to access TSO. If you have and are familiar with an emulator already (e.g. Hummingbird), you should be able to use it. If not, you may want to download and install the Vista TN3270 emulator (available at: www.tombrennansoftware/download.com) even though we won't be using it for a couple of weeks. When you do the download and install, the following information will be of use: The ID is: Marist College Student License The Key is: 844E6D2164 (case sensitive) The above information will allow you to use the emulator beyond the trial period.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to...

use the principles of structured programming to develop COBOL programs. using Job Control Language, successfully execute COBOL programs on an IBM mainframe computer. design, code and test COBOL programs involving... o moving data in RAM o editing both input and output data o adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing numbers. o input and output operations o control break techniques o table processing techniques o sorting data using both a bubble sort and COBOL SORT o performing internal subroutines (paragraphs) o calling external subroutines successfully complete COBOL programs using the statements... o MOVE o ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY and DIVIDE o COMPUTE o IF....ELSE o PERFORM o PERFORM VARYING o CALL o SEARCH successfully design, code and execute a structured COBOL

program containing multidimensional arrays, I/O, math operations, searches and sorts.

Required Textbook
The textbook for this course is... TITLE: Murach's Mainframe COBOL AUTHORS: Mike Murach, Anne Prince and Raul Menendez PUBLISHER: Mike Murach and Associates, Inc. ISBN: 1-890774-24-3 The textbook may be purchased either new or used from any online bookstore like... www.amazon.com Note: This instructor suggest that you purchase a used textbook. Realizing that everyone has a very busy schedule, reading in the textbook will be recommended based upon the usefulness to the student. Time permitting, you are encouraged to read the entire book. The book should be placed on a shelve where it can be quickly referenced. It contains a great deal of useful information for both beginning and experienced COBOL programmers. After completing this course it is recommended that the book become a resident member of the student's library.

Course Learning Activities

To successfully complete this class you must logon at a minimum 4 times each week to participate in the online discussions. You must also complete all assignments. Completing all assignments will require 6 to 8 hours each week, at a minimum. If you miss a week the work load increases dramatically from 12 hours to16 hours because the student now has two weeks of work to complete. Some students who have taken traditional classroom courses may not be accustomed to this level of class participation and will have to adjust their study habits to be successful. Online courses help students improve their study habits which will help them in future online and traditional courses. Because this course is teaching how to design, code and successfully execute COBOL programs, completion of the assigned programming projects will be the most important assessment for successfully completing this course. Most of our learning will occur from the readings, Module test, programming assignments, and online discussions. Our online discussions will reinforce the

readings. The online discussions are important both as a learning tool and for student and instructor interaction. The programming assignments will be completed on the Marist College IBM mainframe computer. Each student will receive a logon ID and Password for the Marist College mainframe. The Marist College mainframe will be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The discussion forums will be used for both questions posted by the instructor and questions posted by students. First, the questions posted by the instructor will be used to review the material studied during each week. Students are required to respond to all questions posted by the instructor. Students are also required to evaluate the response to the instructor's question posted by at least one other student. The evaluation of a student's response will be posted as a New Thread. As time permits, students are encouraged to evaluate the responses to the instructor's questions of more than one student. The student's forum grade will be determined by the amount of participation demonstrated by the student in responding to questions as well as questions posted by the student. Secondly, whenever students have questions on the material being studied they should post these questions in the forum as a new topic. The advantage of posting these questions in the forum as a new topic is that another student may be able to post an answer to these questions before the instructor responds. This instructor fully supports students answering other student's questions because that is how learning happens. The forum is an excellent tool for the exchange of information between students and other students and between the instructor and the students. Students will be first evaluated on their participation and then the correctness of their postings. Forums begins on a weekly basis. Each week's forum will be open for two weeks. After two weeks, a Forum will be closed for further postings. The reason for this is that the majority of the class will have moved on the the most recent week's forum and will not be looking back at past forums. Please stay current with each week's forums. If you need any assistance in completing the above activities please contact your instructor immediately.

How you will be evaluated

Graded Assignments Number of Assignments Programming Projects 10 Quizzes 10 Percent of Grade 60 20

Forums

(Many)

20

All quizzes will be open book. The quizzes are intended to help the student review the topic presented for the week. Students should feel free to ask questions concerning quiz questions that they would like to better understand. When the student completes a programming project he/she will notify the instructor that the project is complete. The instructor will logon to the student's ID and will review and test the completed programming project. When necessary, the instructor will insert comments into the code for the student's reference. All review of programming projects will be done on the Marist Mainframe. The forums are a special category for evaluation. The student grade for the forum will be determined by the student's participation in both responding to questions and the posting of questions. Although correctness of responses is important it will not carry as much weight as participation. Please use the forums as a medium for the exchange of information between two people. Use the forums to receive answers that may help clarify the material being studied.

Grade Assignment Scale

Final grade assignment scale: Points 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 <60 Grade A B C D F

Grades and the z/OS Certificate

GRADES Students receive individual grades for each z/OS Certificate module (or course). The final grade for a z/OS Certifcate module is used to determine whether or not a Certificate is issued to the student upon completion of a Certificate module sequence (see table below). Grading is an objective measure of a students mastery of a selected body of knowledge contained in a specific Certificate module. This mastery involves the elements of memory, understanding, and expression. Memory refers to retention of certain items of information. Understanding implies insight into the interpretation of these facts. This insight would include the meaning of the thing

itself, its relationship with other things or data, and the ability to apply this information or data to new situations and problems. Expression is the ability to convey this assimilated knowledge to others. In assigning a grade to a student, the instructor must function as a judge in a courtroom: examine thoroughly all the evidence involved in the case, weigh the evidence, and make a decision on the basis of this evidence. In a similar way, the basis of the instructors judgment is the concrete evidence the student himself provides. Formal examinations are only part of this evidence; questions asked by the student, individual and group projects, quizzes, hands on labs and the students participation in module discussion each sheds light on the students development in mastering a subject and is therefore pertinent to the instructors grade evaluation of the student. Viewed in the light of the preceding statement, the grading system is as follows: C To earn a C grade a student must be able to recall the basic elements of a module, understand the essential background and materials of a module, apply the basic principles involved, and express them intelligibly. A minimum grade of C in each Certificate module in the Certificate sequence is required for the student to be awarded a Certificate (refer to the table below). B To earn a B grade a student must manifest all the qualities characteristic of a C student and in addition reveal a memory that encompasses more than the basic elements of a module; he or she has a more personal grasp of the principles of the module and perceives wider application of them. The student should be able to discuss the subject matter of the module with ease. A An A student is one who, in addition to all the qualities manifested by a B student, seeks mastery of a special field by reason of individual interest; he or she has initiative and originality in attacking and solving problems; he or she shows ability in rethinking problems and making associations and in adapting to new and changing situations; moreover, he or she has an appropriate vocabulary at his or her command. D A student who is deficient to some degree in any of the areas that are characteristic of a C grade will earn a D. A grade of D in any z/OS Certificate program module will render the student ineligible to receive a Certificate in that area of specialization. (e.g., receiving a D in the z/OS Networking module would render the student ineligible to receive the z/OS Associate Certificate). Students receiving a D in one module may elect to continue subsequent Certificate module(s). Students receiving a D may elect to retake the module at a later date, but will be subject to any new fees and tuition increases. F The student has failed to show mastery of the basic subject matter for the module. Students may elect to retake the module at a later date, but will be subject to any new fees and tuition increases. Module failures will render the student ineligible to receive a Certificate in that area of specialization. B+, C+ /A-, B-, C- The grades of B+, C+, D+, A-, B- C- are used to indicate that a student has shown more or less than the usual competency required for that grade. The z/OS modules do not use plus or minus grades (see table below). I The temporary grade of I (incomplete) may be given by an instructor when a student has not completed the requirements of the module at the end of the session for serious reasons beyond the individuals control. It becomes the students

responsibility to resolve this grade within four weeks after the end date of the module by completing the module requirements. Failure to conform to this time limit results in a final grade of F. The student must contact his or her instructor not later than one week before the end date of the module to request the grade of incomplete. The final decision to grant an incomplete rests with the faculty member teaching the module. Students will be awarded the appropriate z/OS Certificate when the temporary grade of I is replaced with a satisfactory grade of C or higher, assuming all other requirements for the Certificate have been met. z/OS Certificate Program Grade Summary Module Final Grade (points) Module Effect on Eligible Letter Earning a to Grade Certificate apply for College Credit 90-100 A Pass Yes Certificate Eligible 80-89 B Pass Yes Certificate Eligible 70-79 C Pass Yes Certificate Eligible 60-69 D Fail No ineligible for Certificate <60 F Fail No ineligible for Certificate Module Withdrawals If at any time during the course of a z/OS module the student needs to withdraw from the module, the student should contact the instructor to make appropriate arrangements. All withdrawals from modules require a communication in writing (hardcopy, fax, or email) to both the module instructor and IDCP administrators. Failure to provide such notice may result in the posting of a failing grade to the students academic record. CERTIFICATES Individual program certificates are mailed to recipients upon successful completion of their z/OS Certificate module sequence.

Course Calendar
Week 1 Topics Assignments Due Introduction to Main Frame Program Project 1: programming Execute Sample Program On Marist Main Frame Quiz 1 Forum 1 The four divisions of a COBOL program Program Project 2: Defining data in the DATA DIVISION Employee Report Executing the MOVE statement Quiz 2 Forum 2 Performing Math in COBOL Program Project 3: (ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, Payroll 1 DIVIDE) Quiz 3 Forum 3 Performing Math in COBOL Program Project 4: Using the COMPUTE statement Payroll 2 Quiz 4 Forum 4 Using the basic IF statement Program Project 5: Stock Broker Quiz 5 Forum 5 Using nested IF statements Program Project 6: Mailing Labels 1 Quiz 6 Forum 6 Using nested IF statements Program Project 7: Auto Parts Table Quiz 7 Forum 7 Editing input data Program Project 8: Mailing Labels 2 Quiz 8 Forum 8 Basic Table Processing Techniques Program Project 9: Clerks Quiz 9 Forum 9 Multi-Dimensional Table Processing Program Project 10: NBA Report

10

Quiz 10 Forum 10

Office Hours
I will be in my office everyday at 2PM Eastern Daylight Time. Feel free to call (845) 431-8392.