CIS328 - Systems Software and Hardware

Fall 2003, Section 70, M 6:30-9:00, Curtis 110

Index: <Instructor> <Course Description> <Prerequisites> <Course Objectives> <Textbook> <Assessment Overview> <Assessment Detail> <General Policies> <Course Schedule>

Instructor

Norman Lippincott, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Mathematical and Information Sciences
Office: Curtis 105; Phone: 610-606-4666 ext. 3697
Office Hours: M 5:00-6:00, Tu 3:00-6:00, W 12:00-2:00, F 12:00-2:00
e-mail: nlippinc@cedarcrest.edu
Web site: http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/csc/nlippincott/

Course Description

This course is a study of the major features of hardware and software components of a computer system. Computer architecture topics include processor and memory organization, address and instruction formats, computer arithmetic, and interrupts. Operating systems topics include process and memory management, device and resource management, virtual memory, interprocess communication, deadlock, and security.

Prerequisites

CIS 117 and CIS 135.

Course Objectives

Textbook

Englander; The Architecture of Computer Hardware and Systems Software, 3rd edition; Wiley, 2003. ISBN: 0-471-07325-3.

Assessment Overview

Grades for this course will be based on the following assessment items with weights as follows:

A final score is calculated as a weighted average and rounded to the nearest full percent. Final grade is then awarded according to the following scale:

  • 93-100: A
  • 90-92: A-
  • 87-89: B+
  • 83-86: B
  • 80-82: B-
  • 77-79: C+
  • 73-76: C
  • 70-72: C-
  • 67-69: D+
  • 60-66: D
  • 0-59: F

Assessment Details

Assignments

Assignments will be written and will consist of textbook problems, or similar type problems.

Through assignments the student gains deeper understanding of concepts presented in class.

Tests

Tests will be written and will consist of short-answer questions, problems, and essays. On test dates, the second half of class will be allocated for the testing period.

Through tests, the student shows competence in course terminology and underlying theoretical concepts, and how those principles apply in specific situations.

Final Exam

The format for the final exam will be the same as that of the tests. About 2/3 of the final exam will be devoted to material not covered on the first two tests. The other 1/3 will draw from material included in the first two tests.

Class Participation

Students who are active and attentive members of the class may receive up to 5 points for class participation. Students who engage in side conversations during class, or otherwise routinely violate the Classroom Protocol policy should expect no more than 3 points for class participation.

For classes conducted in a computer classroom, any web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, or other non-class related computer activity is considered a violation of the policies on Classroom Protocol and Computer Classrooms (see policies below). Any violation of the policy on Computer Classrooms will result in a grade of zero for class participation.

General Policies

Due Dates and Late Work

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due. By turning in assignments on time your work will be graded and returned in a timely manner (typically within one week), and with comments as appropriate.

Late work will be accepted up to two weeks past the due date and will be subject to any or all of the following:

Any work that is not turned in within two weeks of the due date will receive a grade of zero.

Honor Philosophy

The Cedar Crest College Student Guide includes the following under Honor Philosophy, Community Standards for Academic Conduct, Academic Integrity:

Academic integrity and ethics remain steadfast, withstanding technological change. Cedar Crest College academic standards therefore apply to all academic work, including, but not limited to, handwritten or computer-generated documents, video or audio recordings, and telecommunications.

All Cedar Crest students shall:

Unless specifically designated by the instructor, assignments for this course are individual assignments, not group projects. It is reasonable and appropriate for students to discuss an assignment outside of class, particularly for programming projects. However, the actual assignment work, whether programming or written, is to be one's own. It is not appropriate to collaborate on programming assignments, nor is it appropriate to copy another student's program (or other assignment), alter the program's (or assignment's) appearance (e.g. changing formatting, variable names, output text), and present it as your own individual work. Evidence of such behavior will be considered a violation of the Honor Philosophy and will result in a grade of zero for the assignment. A second offense will result in a grade of F for the course.

Attendance

Regular attendance is an important factor contributing to the student's success in the class. Although much of the material covered in class comes from the textbook, some course content comes from the instructor's notes or other resources, and may be delivered only in lecture form. The student is responsible for all material covered in class, and should arrange to get notes from another student in the event of absence from class. The instructor's notes are not available for perusal by the students.

Your instructor keeps an attendance record for the class, however this record does not directly affect the student's grade. If a student has excessive absence and is not showing responsibility for the course material, an academic performance notice will be issued to the Advising Center.

If the student is absent on the day of a test, arrangements for a makeup must be made in advance of the test. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero for the test.

Classroom Protocol

The Cedar Crest College Student Guide includes the following under Honor Philosophy, Community Standards for Academic Conduct, Classroom Protocol:

Appropriate classroom behavior is implicit in the Cedar Crest Honor Code. Such behavior is defined and guided by complete protection for the rights of all students and faculty to a courteous, respectful classroom environment. That environment is free from distractions such as late arrivals, early departures, inappropriate conversations, and any other behavior that might disrupt instruction and/or compromise students' access to their Cedar Crest College education.

Computer Classrooms

When classes are conducted in computer classrooms, the computers are to be used only for activities directly related to the class. Use of class computers for other activities, such as web browsing, e-mail, games, instant messaging, and so on, is not permitted. Be aware that such activity not only distracts you from the class, but distracts other students as well.

Class Visitors

Anyone not registered for the course who wishes to sit in as a visitor must obtain permission from the instructor in advance. Class visitors are to adhere to the same classroom protocol as is expected from registered members of the class. For classes held in a computer classroom, visitors will not be permitted to use the computers in the classroom.

Extra Credit

Requests for extra credit will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Typically, requests for extra credit will be granted for the purpose of improving a poor test score or assignment grade. Extra credit will not be granted to compensate for any violation of the Honor Philosophy (see policy on Honor Philosophy), and will not be granted to compenstate for late or incompleted assignments. Extra credit assignments will be directly related to the material that was the source of difficulty for the student, and give the student a chance to show that she has, in fact, overcome that difficulty.

Students with Disabilities

Students with documented disabilities who may need academic accommodations should discuss these needs with their professors during the first two weeks of class. Students with disabilities who wish to request accommodations should contact the Advising Center.

Course Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule for the course and may be adjusted as necessary throughout the semester.

Date Topic
8/25 Ch. 1; Overview
Ch. 2; Number Systems (sec. 2.1-2.6)
9/8 Ch. 4; Representing Integer Data
9/15 Ch. 5; Floating Point Numbers (sec. 5.1-5.3, 5.6-5.9)
Ch. 3; Character Data (sec. 3.1-3.2)
9/22
9/29
Ch. 6; Little Man Computer
Ch. 7; CPU and Memory
9/29 Test 1; Ch. 1-5
10/6 Supp. Ch. 2; Instruction Addressing Modes
Ch. 8; CPU and Memory (sec. 8.1-8.3)
10/20 Ch. 9; Input/Output
10/27 Ch. 10; Computer Peripherals
11/3
11/10
Ch. 13; Operating Systems Overview
Ch. 14; Users View of the Operating System
11/10 Test 2; Ch. 6-10
11/17 Ch. 15; The Internal Operating System
11/24 Ch. 16; File Management
12/1 Ch. 17; Programming Tools
12/8 Ch. 18; Three Operating Systems
TBA Final Exam

Assignments

No. Assigned Due
1 8/25 9/8
2 9/8 9/15
3 9/15 9/22
4 9/29 10/20
5 10/20 11/3
6 11/10 11/24
7 11/24 12/8

Index: <Instructor> <Course Description> <Prerequisites> <Course Objectives> <Textbook> <Assessment Overview> <Assessment Detail> <General Policies> <Course Schedule>