BA 131
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Course Description
Course Feedback
This class is easy as long as you keep up with the material. Be VERY careful how you name your files; they have to be exactly the way he wants the names, or else you won't get any credit for the assignment when the grades are harvested. I had Ray Tanner for this course, and I believe he is the only instructor who teaches it at OSU.
Ray Tanner wants everyone to do well in this class. Make sure you correct your mistakes on the homework so that you still receive the points. You will breeze through this class if you go to the help sessions and do the practice materials.
This is a great class. Ray Tanner tells you exactly what he wants out of your assignments. There is no chance of coming out of that class confused with what to do on assignements. The class is pretty easy. There is a lot of time to get help on things if you need help. During the lecture class, Tanner goes over everything with you about the lesson. During the lab, the TA will actually do the assignment with you. Then, during the Friday Help Session, the TA is there for any questions you might have regarding the assignment. It gives you a chance to get the assignment done during class time, without having to go down to the Bexell computer lab another time.
Course feedback 10/24/06
This is a very useful and informative class. I took this course during the spring term of 2006. Ray Tanner was the professor for this course and he was extremely detailed and was always willing to help students when needed. During the monday lectures Tanner goes over several things that are involved in your activity for the week, but it is mainly how it is applied in the real business world. Wednesdays lectures are when Tanner actually goes over a very close example of what your assignment will be like. Both of these lectures are very important to a students success in this class. Friday sessions are help sessions for those who do not fully understand the assignment. The TA's are very informative and are always very willing to help.
What to Expect in BA131
The most important piece of information you need to know about BA 131 is that it is exhausting for a 2-credit course. I have heard that they changed it to be 3 credits, but it was only 2 when I took it during the fall of my freshman year.
BA 131 is much more work than a 2 credit course should be. Out of all the classes I had during that term (the others were 3 or 4 credits), BA 131 was the most time-consuming. The format involves about 7 assignments that are all due Wednesday nights at midnight. The assignments are relatively painless, especially at first, but they do take lots of time. While Dave Sullivan uses instructional videos that are useful, easy to follow, and time-saving, Ray Tanner uses what are referred to by some as “holy scrollers”. “Holy scrollers” have that name because they are one enormous page of small text that gives directions on what to do for each assignment. These can be the equivalent to 10 or more pages of pure text. If you are stuck, there are no videos to watch. There are “practice” assignments that teach students how to do the required ones. Unfortunately, these are also in “holy scroller” format – which ultimately results in exhaustion and hatred of the course by the end of each assignment.
Overall, BA 131 is a useful course. Excel and Word are very important programs in the business world, and you will understand them in great detail by the end of the course. However, you must be prepared to do several assignments that are basically assigned in a very frustrating way – and much more than 2 credits worth. In other words, if you have a full schedule already, don’t think to yourself, “I’ll just add this 2-credit course, it won’t be much work”, like I did!
