Heidelberg

2002-2003 Term 1

Instructor. Dr. Susan T. Dean

Phone: 06224/929773

Email: sdean@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

Text. Stephen D. Burd, Systems Architecture. (3rd Edition)

Description. This course provides an overview of the basic computer concepts as they apply to MIS professionals. Emphasis is on basic machine architecture including data representation and manipulation; principles of operating systems; software algorithms and programming languages. In addition, the basic concepts of data organization, file structures, and principles of networking are examined. Emerging trends in computer technology and their impact on organizational information systems are also discussed. Students will be required to complete a significant programming project, and a written paper.

Prerequisites. All undergraduate prerequisites or permission of the instructor.

Objectives. Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students should understand:

1. Basic principles of computer architecture.

2. Major operating system concepts.

3. The interrelationships between operating systems and computer hardware

4. Concepts of programming languages, including machine, assemble and high-level languages.

Course Requirements and grading.

Midterm exam 25%

Final exam 35%

Programming project 15%

Paper and presentation 15%

Participation 10%

All exams will be closed-book, in-class. There will be a major programming project and research paper, with significant effort expected outside of class time. Students will be expected to regularly contribute to the class by researching topics outside of class and bringing the knowledge gained into the in-class discussions.

Programming may be done in any language, provided it is approved in advance by the instructor. This should be addressed in the initial project proposal (see below).

Grading Standards. 90-99% A 80-89% B 70-79% C < 70% F

Projected Schedule of Topics and Assignments

(All references to Burd, Systems Architecture, 3rd Ed.)

Date	Topics	Assignment Due
Tu 20 Aug	Introduction, Computer Technology (Ch. 1), Intro to Systems Architecture (Ch. 2); Modeling and Simulation (not from text)
Th 22 Aug	Data Representation (Ch. 3)
Tu 27 Aug	Processor Technology and Architecture (Ch. 4)	Project Proposal
Th 29 Aug	Data Storage Technology (Ch. 5)
Tu 3 Sep	System Integration and Performance (Ch. 6)	This week – informal verbal reports on literature research on projects
Th 5 Sep	Input/Output Technology (Ch. 7)
Tu 10 Sep	Review session based on student questions, Midterm Exam – Chapters 1-7, project work
Th 12 Sep	Data and Network Communication Technology (Ch. 8)
Tu 17 Sep	Computer Networks (Ch. 9)	Paper – Discussion of literature relating to project, and detailed design plan for student project. Submit this as hard copy.
Th 19 Sep	Application Development (Ch. 10)
Tu 24 Sep	Operating Systems (Ch. 11)	This week – informal verbal reports on progress of project
Th 26 Sep	File Management Systems (Ch. 12)
Tu 1 Oct	Internet and Distributed Application Services (Ch. 13)
Th 3 Oct	System Administration (Ch. 14)
Tu 8 Oct	Review session based on student questions, FINAL EXAM – cumulative, but heavier emphasis on chapters since midterm
Th 10 Oct	Project Presentations	Final Written Report on project, submitted in electronic form. Include program source and runnable module, and test data, on diskette or other electronic medium.

Late Work

The standard rule is that late assignments will be penalized by 10% for each week that they are late.

Attendance

Students are expected to be in class unless it is unavoidable (e.g., TDY, family emergency). If you must miss, you are responsible for getting information from other students regarding what was covered in class (which may well not follow the textbook!), and for submitting assigned work according to the published due dates. If you are not here to participate by reporting on information researched outside the text, you should share what you would have brought to the class via the webboard.

Project and Paper

The course project is to design a model of a system (possibilities include, but are definitely not limited to, traffic in a network of computers, flights in and out of an airport, servicing of customers in a business such as a grocery store, and many others!), and to implement a computer-based simulation of the system. Primary objectives here are to become familiar with the use of computers as tools for decision-making in the design of systems, and to become more proficient in the use of programming as a problem-solving tool.

Required components of the project are:

Initial proposal, which I will then approve or disapprove, subject to modifications designed to make the project’s scope reasonable given the length of the term. This proposal should include a description of what is to be modeled, discussion of how the modeling will support decision-making (for example, deciding how many checkout lines would be needed when constructing a grocery store), and discussion of how the programming language you plan to use is suitable.
Written paper discussing work by others on similar projects, and giving detailed discussion of your plans for implementing and testing the simulation program.
Source code and compiled, runnable version of the program, and relevant test data.
Written final report on the project, and on the results it produced.
Presentation, with PowerPoint or other visual aids, to the class on the problem being modeled, and on the outcomes of your simulation runs.

Getting help

I will try to check my email every day, and welcome questions via that mode about your programs. Some of you have my Samford University address, but I would prefer to use my UMUC address for all email related to this course: sdean@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

When you send questions via email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., don’t just say it doesn’t work, tell me the text of the error messages or specifically what results you are seeing, from what inputs, that are incorrect). Also, please attach a copy of the .java file(s) and any input data files that I did not give you.

Plan to check the web board frequently, as I will use it to post information of potential interest to all of you. For example, it is possible that as I help solve a problem that one of you has sent via email, I will realize that there is something that I should tell all of you It is your responsibility to check the web board – I will not notify you when I put information there.