Instructor Information
Dr. Hyrum D. Carroll
Center for Computational Science & Department of Computer Science
Middle Tennessee State University
KOM 361-B
(615) 898-2801
Office Hours
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Class
2:20 - 3:45 PMMondays & Wednesdays
KOM 324
CRN: 15100
Closed Lab
3:55 - 4:55 PMMondays & Wednesdays
KOM 360
Textbook
Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, 3rd Edition by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'HallaronISBN-10: 013409266X
ISBN-13: 9780134092669
Note: Please apply the textbook's errata.
Course Description
Provides a programmer's view of how computer systems execute programs, store information, and communicate. Topics include machine-level code and its generation by optimizing compilers, computer arithmetic, memory organization and management, networking technology and protocols, and supporting concurrent computation. Three lecture hours and one two-hour laboratory. 4 credit hours.Pre-requisite: Grades of "C" or higher in CSCI 2170 and either CSCI 3130 or ET 3620 are necessary to take this course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will understand the following concepts:- Data Representation
- Linking and Loading
- Exceptional Control Flow
- Virtual Memory Concepts
- System-Level I/O
- Network Programming
- Concurrent Programming
Website
The course website is at http://www.cs.mtsu.edu/~hcarroll/3240/. Announcements and assignments will be posted there and/or emailed to your Pipeline email address. You are expected to monitor the website and your email account frequently (i.e., at least every other day). To access the slides, use the following:Username: mt Password: cs
Lecture
Attendance is required by the university. If you can not make a lecture, please inform me and get the relevant materials from a classmate.Computers are permitted in lecture for note taking. Other activities such as web surfing, stock trading, and social networking are inappropriate. Not only do they distract you but also others.
Students that do not attend both of the first two lectures may be dropped from the course.
An audible cell phone ring during class will require the possessor to bring cookies (or equivalent) to the next class.
Additionally, all views are to be heard and engaged respectively. As scholars, we are expected to analyze subject matter critically and express reasonable positions that are based on logic and fact rather than on emotion.
Performance Evaluation
| Lab Assignments | 50% |
| Exams | 20% |
| Final Project | 30% |
Grading
The following grading scale will be used in this class:|
90-100 A |
87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B- |
77-79 C+ 73-76 C 70-72 C- |
67-69 D+ 63-66 D 60-62 D- |
< 60 F |
Labs
The labs require a personal CS account. The username for your personal CS account is the same as your pipeline ID (two to three letters, a single digit followed by a letter). If you don't have a CS account that matches your pipeline ID, request one at https://mgt.cs.mtsu.edu/aru/. It may take a day or two to create your account!.Labs are due at 11:59 PM on the assigned due date. Late labs will be reduced by the following schedule (Sunday and Monday are counted as 1 day late):
| # of days late | Penalty | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -10% | |
| 2 | -30% | |
| 3 | -50% | |
| 4 | -70% | |
| ≥ 5 | -100% |
If a lab assignment contains portions that are more than 75% similar to other material (not provide by the instructor), zero points will be awarded.
Students missing two or more labs will receive an F or FA in this course.
Final Project
Due Wednesday, May 4, 2016 11:59 PMHelp Sessions: Monday, May 2, 3:30 PM and Wednesday, May 4, 12:30 - 2:30 PM
Advice for Succeeding in this Course
- Attend EVERY class.
- Be prepared for class by reading assigned material before class.
- Take notes in class.
- Review notes taken in class.
- Start working on the labs as soon as possible, and seek help as soon as needed. Do NOT wait for the last minute to work on your labs.
- Ask questions during class or after class. Do NOT wait until test time to ask all of your questions.
- Find study buddies to study together (but do your own work).
- Do your own work; zeros can drastically hurt your grade.
Debugging Protocol
General steps for addressing a coding challenge:- Use a debugger to investigate the issue (e.g., what are the values of the variables when the problem occurs)
- Isolate the problem and replicate it in the simplest form possible
- Search for answers (e.g., in the book, on-line, etc.)
- If you've already spent an hour trying to solve the problem, contact me during office hours or via email. (Note, if you email me a question, and then later figured out a solution, please send a second email indicating that it's resolved :)
Honor Code
It is expected that all work for this class (including exams, homework and labs) is your own. The university policy for academic misconduct is as follows:
Middle Tennessee State University takes a strong stance against academic misconduct. Academic Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, and fabrication.
Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, or facilitating any such act. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
To summarize, turning in someone else's work and saying it's yours is academic misconduct.
This includes using code or answers from a webpage and other student's work.
Do NOT give other students your work (including code)!
You are responsible for facilitating others.
Academic Misconduct: Plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, or facilitating any such act. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
- Plagiarism: The adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, statements, images, or works of another person as one's own without proper acknowledgment.
- Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted for credit or hours.
- Fabrication: Unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
All cases of academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs for violating the academic honesty requirements in the student handbook. They may also result in failure in the course. Remember, ignorance is NOT a defense. For more information, please refer to the following links:
| Computer Science Department Policy on Academic Integrity |
| MTSU's Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy |
Financial Aid Notice
Students receiving any form of financial aid should always consult the Financial Aid Office before dropping a course. For additional information, contact the Financial Aid Office (615 898-2830) or see http://www.mtsu.edu/financialaid.Lottery Scholarship Information
Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, FA, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.
For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form (http://www.mtsu.edu/financial-aid/forms/LOTFOD.pdf) or contact your MT One Stop Enrollment Counselor (http://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/counselor.php).
Reporting of Unofficial Withdrawals
Federal regulations require that students who cease class attendance but do not officially withdraw from the University must be reported so that future financial aid will cease and/or the student will be required to return funds. Therefore, during the term I will be required to complete a roster indicating those students who have stopped attending class without officially withdrawing. Faculty members are not required to check attendance each day; however, I may use project submission deadlines, exams, quizzes, advising appointments, or other methods I choose to determine unofficial withdraws.Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible. Students may also contact the Office of Disabled Students Services (898-2783) with questions about such services.Accreditation Activities
Samples of graded work may be collected for our accreditation team. Identifying information will be removed from any such work collected.Note: This syllabus is tentative and is subject to change.