Approaching the Finish Line, Enduring Ambitions, Reaching for the Stars

The last three weeks consisted of Phase 3: Performing (Creative) and the beginning of Outperforming/Actualizing. Picking off where the previous blog post off:

Bonus Quiz 11

 Part A – The Internet, Granny, Bob, Vint, and Tim

 Part B – Mat Honan’s Epic Hack

BQ11 not only concluded the almost-semester-long arc that began with BQ2 but produced the only perfect score in the arc. This feat was accomplished by Jorge, well done Señor Lima!

A7 Mail Merge/Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) is the second of two capstone assignments from the set of signature assignments I have created and evolved in my past twenty-seven years of teaching in higher education and business world. This capstone assignment is about students developing independence by fulfilling a business need without having step-by-step instructions.

Chandler Donovan turned in a flawless A7. Upon my inquiry, the student with two first names shared with me that he has used mail merge before. Skyla, who has not been exposed to mail merge before, produced the same result with one simple but critical oversight. I hope these two top performers of A7 will do A9 Query Options and IF Statement, which is a direct continuation of A7.

Noam may have had a rough start at the beginning of the semester but she has been catching up, beginning with her A3 Slideshow Presentation. Buffering A3 and A8 Improved Slideshow Presentation is the recognition of the thirteen students who have participated at least once in the ten in-person bonus quizzes and two impromptu bonus opportunities thus far in the semester.

Paulina, Bezhan, and Ashley bedazzled the class with their optional A8 Improved Slideshow Presentation, employing what they learned from Chapter 6 Microsoft PowerPoint. Hmm... Paulina led in A3, now again in A8... Bezhan's passion for this topic brighten the classroom during the Q&A session after his presentation. Ashley impressed me with her witty and polished improved slideshow which required a few minute cosmetic fixings from me. Well done Ashley!

The top three performers of BQ2~BQ11 & IB1~IB2 are only separated by half a point in each of their total points ranking. BQ12 & BQ13 are always given as a pair and gave second & third place finishers the opportunity to join Jorge. I am proud of all students who showed up early to classroom on Saturday mornings to take bonus quizzes, especially the top three finishers for their enduring ambitions.

Bonus Quiz 12 – Microsoft Excel 365 and Spreadsheet Analysis

Bonus Quiz 13 – Apex of Excel

Christian alone earned the highest score on BQ12 while Dilanga alone earned the highest score on BQ13. When the two bonus quizzes are combined as a pair, both gentlemen tied.

Having to miss the final two class sessions due to returning to his home country of Sri Lanka, Dilanga completed tasks ahead of schedule. He was the first student from IS101-3205, Spring 2025 to qualify for, took, and pass the MO-310 PowerPoint certification exam becoming the first Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Associate.

Few days later, Chandler Donovan, Noel, and Christian followed suit, also ahead of schedule. In yesterday's penultimate class session, Katelyn, Ashley, Paulina, and Skyla joined the first quartet.

Dilanga, Chandler Donovan, and Christian began their pursuit of MOS Expert -- beyond the scope of IS101 -- with two receiving joy. Katelyn also expressed interest. I wish everyone success in their attempts and re-attempts in their pursuits.

Last night, I received A9 from Jorge.

As we approach the final class session this coming Saturday, I look forward to more students (a) earning their MOS Associates and/or more joy from MOS Expert, (b) using BQ14 & BQ15 to boost one's course grade, and (c) reaching for the stars with A9 and A10 Workbook Investigation even after our final class session :-)

i. Fathers of the Internet (TCP/IP) and the World Wide Web (HTTP/HTML)

ii. My visualization for Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)

iii. Mat Honan's Epic Hack

iv. Noam – Paranormal Investigations

v. Accolades for BQ2~BQ11 & IB1~IB2

vi. Paulina (Improved) – Mexico City

vii. Bezhan (Improved) – F1

viii. Ashley (Improved) – Let's Assemble a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

ix. Reaching for the stars

Click on the image for a larger/clearer view

Click on an image for a larger/clearer view

My first capstone assignment, A6 Spreadsheet Analysis with Trailer, utilizes a brilliant article authored by then Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Chancellor James E. Rogers in justifying Do Faculty Work? during a time of budget vetting/cutting after the 2008 economic recession. I would like to share that article and his brilliance with the world:

Click on the image for a larger/clearer view

Students,

Before commenting on this blog post, please first read the Mat Honan's Epic Hack article. Instead of using the link above and dealing with ads from the website, I have extracted the content into a PDF attached to Discussion 5 in Canvas for your ease of reading. Before you read that PDF, be sure to see Topics for Bonus Quiz 11 in [Week 11: 4/12/2025] to see which article in the PDF is required reading and which article is optional.

(1) After reading the Mat Honan's Epic Hack article, would you manage your accounts or passwords differently?

(2) How will you finish IS101-3205, Spring 2025 strong during our final week?

Please save your final thoughts, feedback, and well wishes for my next and final blog post ^_^