Syllabus for COS-330-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

These guidelines are produced jointly by the Computer Society of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

This course should also provide a foundation for your studies of operating systems and other areas of computer science.

Advisory: It is advisable to have completed two computer science courses before taking this course. Also, it would be helpful (but it is not required) for students to take a course in discrete mathematics as co-requisite. However, it is expected that all students who are taking this course have the mathematical maturity gained in a year of college-level mathematics (such as calculus or discrete mathematics).

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COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

All computer science is based on the computer. Thus, to be a computer professional requires an understanding of what makes up a computer. This course provides an introduction to a computer’s components, characteristics, and interactions. The course deals with the interactions of programming with the underlying hardware. Tradeoffs, for example, among various components, such as CPU clock speed versus memory size, are covered.

Your overall goals will be to:

• Evaluate a computer system’s architectures.



• Compare and contrast computer architectures.



• Design circuits at the gate level using and/or/not/multiplexors/decoders/encoders.



• Design microcode sequences that implement machine level instructions.

After completing Computer Architecture, you should be able to:

• Use mathematical expressions to describe functions of simple combinational and sequential circuits.



• Describe the physical limitations of electronic circuits.



• Explain the pros and cons of using different formats to represent numerical data.



• Convert numerical data from one format to another.



• Discuss effects of fixed-length number representations on accuracy and precision.



• Describe internal representation of characters, strings, records, and arrays.



• Explain the basic organization and major functional units of the von Neumann machine.



• Comprehend how an instruction is executed in a von Neumann machine.



• Summarize how instructions are represented at machine levels and in context of a symbolic assembler.



• Identify different instruction formats, such as addresses per instruction and variable length versus fixed length formats.



• Write simple assembly language program segments.



• Demonstrate how fundamental high-level programming constructs are implemented at the machine-language level.



• Comprehend basic concepts of interrupts and I/O operations.



• Explain how interrupts are used to implement I/O control and data transfers.



• Identify various types of buses.



• Describe data access from various drives, such as magnetic disks, optical disks, magnetic tape, and RAID drives.



• Compare alternative implementations of datapaths.



• Discuss control points and the generation of control signals using hardwired or microprogrammed implementations.



• Explain basic instruction level parallelism using pipelining and describe hazards that may occur.



• Implement parallel processing beyond the classical von Neumann model.



• Describe alternative architectures such as SISD (Single Instruction, Single Data), SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data), MISD (Multiple Instruction, Single Data), and MIMD (Multiple Instruction, Multiple Data), and VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word).

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course.

• The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture, 2d ed., by Linda Null and Julia Lobur (Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett, 2006).
  ISBN-13: 978-0-7637-3769-6

Accompanying Software

Several types of software are available as downloads from the textbook's companion Web site.

• MARIE Simulator Software: Allows you to assemble and run MARIE programs.

• CAMERA Memory Tutorial Software: Allows you to apply concepts on cache and virtual memory.

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COURSE STRUCTURE

Computer Architecture is a three-credit online course consisting of textbook readings, six written assignments, a proctored midterm examination, and an unproctored online final examination. You are also required to participate in six graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum.

For the course's assignment modules, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. See also the course Calendar.)

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POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

You will find PowerPoint presentations, prepared by the authors of your text, for each of the chapters covered in this course. One way to access these presentations is through links within the Assignment Modules area. All of the presentations can be found together in the Slide Shows area of the course.

Special Note: These presentations were built at the time of the publication of the first edition of this book. However, very little has changed within the information given in the chapters covered. So these will continue to serve as excellent resources with the current text.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Computer Architecture requires you to participate in six graded class discussions.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and ideas as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.

Review Forums

Each module of this course includes a Review Forum. This provides you with the opportunity to work collaboratively with your classmates to review material. This activity is carried out on the class Discussion Board. Directions for the activity are found in the Assignment Modules section of the course.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Computer Architecture has six (6) written assignments. For the assignment topics and questions, see the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. Take the time to familiarize yourself with this area of the course Web site, and read through the written assignment questions before you begin each reading assignment.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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EXAMINATIONS

This course requires you to take two examinations: a proctored midterm examination and an unproctored, online final examination.

Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material in Modules 1 through 3. It consists of both objective (true/false, classification, multiple choice) and short answer/essay questions. The essay questions focus on major course concepts while the objective questions are more closely tied to topics covered in the "Review of Essential Terms and Concepts" sections at the end of each chapter.

You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).

If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Online Student Handbook.

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments from Modules 4–6 of the course. It consists of both objective (true/false, classification, multiple choice) and short answer/essay questions. The essay questions focus on major course concepts while the objective questions are more closely tied to topics covered in the "Review of Essential Terms and Concepts" sections at the end of each chapter.

The final exam is taken online in Blackboard. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course site at the start of the final week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

Sample Examination
You will find a sample online examination in the Tests & Quizzes area of this course site. Use this sample exam to familiarize yourself with the online testing setting and format before you take your online exam. Keep in mind the following potential differences between the sample exam and your online exam:

• The content of your exam will match the content of your course; the sample exam has some generic questions on art history, world history, and environmental science.
• Your exam is will include three types of questions (multiple choice, identification, and essays). The sample exam includes all the types that you might encounter in an online assessment at Thomas Edison State College.
• You will be able to enter and take your exam just once—once you have entered the exam you must complete it. The sample exam may be taken as often as you like.
• There will be a penalty for exceeding the time limit in your actual midterm and final exams (see the "Statement about Cheating" below), whereas there is no corresponding penalty with this sample exam.

Statement about Cheating
The final examination in this course is an unproctored exam. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:

• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Please also note that the exam is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete the exam. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit. This may also result in your failing the course.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and the examinations are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

You may find the following resources helpful as you move through this course. None of the following are required resources, however, and material from them will not be tested in the examination.

Computer Systems Organization and Architecture, by John D. Carpinelli (Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2001).

Schaum’s Outline of Computer Architecture, by Nicholas P. Carter (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002).

Computer Architecture and Organization, 3d edition, by John P. Hayes(Boston: WCB/McGraw-Hill, 1998).

Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, 3d edition, by John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson (San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann, 2003).

Computer Systems Design and Architecture, 2d edition, by Vincent P. Heuring and Harry F. Jordan (Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004).

Computer Organization and Architecture: Designing for Performance, 6th edition, by William Stallings (Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2003).

Structured Computer Organization, 3d edition, by Andrew S. Tanenbaum (Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1990).

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule your midterm exam and arrange for proctors, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Arrange to take your midterm examination by following the instructions in the Online Student Handbook. Then complete the "Proctor Request Form" and submit it to the Office of Test Administration (OTA). You must make arrangements to take your examination and send in your "Proctor Request Form" to OTA before the end of the first week of the current semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site.)



4. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking your examinations. For details on each assignment module and a complete listing of learning activities, go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.



2. Check the Announcements page and class Discussion Board regularly for new course information.

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