GCO9802 Computer Technology , Unit Information Guide (Semester 1, 2006)

GCO9802 Computer Technology will introduce students to basic computer hardware and operating systems software with emphasis on the concepts required to understand the low-level and internal operations of computer systems.

In particular, this includes study of data representation, simple digital logic, computer organisation including CPU, memory and input/output devices, as well as machine-level and assembly language programming, and operating system concepts with examples of process management, file system structures and user interfaces. The intention is to provide opportunities for students to relate the hardware knowledge covered in this unit to the concepts learned in their introductory programming and systems analysis classes and to give a more complete understanding of how hardware and software are used to build systems.

This provides opportunities for students to relate the use of programming languages and studies of system design and project management to their implementation on computer hardware.

ASCED Discipline Group Classification: 031305 Computer Engineering.

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:

• understand basic Computer Structure and Operation and demonstrate use of the associated vocabulary.
• demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of Data Representation, Computer Arithmetic and Boolean Algebra using appropriate methods of implementation.
• demonstrate detailed knowledge of Internal Bus, Memory, I/O organisations and interfacing standards.
• describe the internal operation of the CPU and explain how it is used to execute instructions.
• differentiate between machine language and assembly language and write assembly language programs to solve simple problems.
• demonstrate an understanding of the basics of operating systems software using examples from File Systems, User Interfaces and Software Development Tools.
• identify factors that affect computer performance.
• use various simulators to demonstrate the operation of simple computer architectures.

Required text(s)

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Software requirements:

MultiMedia Logic, ver1.4, SoftTronix, 2004
MARIE, ver1A, Jones&Bartlett, 2003
CAMERA, v1, Jones&Bartlett, 2003
Memory32P,v0.9,Monash University, 1999

Hardware requirements:

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate time per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

A. S. Tanenbaum, Structured Computer Organization, 5th Edition, Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2006, ISBN 0-13-148521-0
W. Stallings, Computer Organization and Architecture, 7th Edition, Pearson Prentice-Hall, 2006, ISBN 0-13-185644-8
S. D. Burd, Systems Architecture, 5th edition, Thomson Course Technology, 2006, ISBN 0-619-21692-1
W. Stallings, Operating Systems Internals and Design Principles, 5th edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005, ISBN 0-13-127837-1
A. Silberschatz, P. B. Galvin and G. Gagne, Operating System Concepts, Wiley, 7th edition, 2005, ISBN 0-471-69466-5
M. Palmer, M. Walters, T. Badgett and N. Jonker, Guide to Operating Systems, 3rd edition, Thomson Course Technology, 2004, ISBN 0-619-21347-7
A. S. Tanenbaum, Modern Operating Systems, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, 2001, ISBN 0-13-092641-8
W. S. Davis and T. M. Rajkumar, Operating Systems - A Systematic Approach, 6th edition, Pearson Addison Wesley, 2004, ISBN 0-321-26751-6
I. M. Flynn and A. M. McHoes, Understanding Operating Systems, 4th edition, Thomson Course Technology, 2006, ISBN 0-534-42366-3
J. L. Ford, Windows Shell Scripting and WSH, Premier Press, 2002, ISBN 1-931841-26-8
M. G. Sobell: A Practical Guide to Linux, Prentice Hall, 2005, ISBN 0-13-147823-0
I. Englander: The Architecture of Computer Hardware and Systems Software, 3rd Edition, Wiley, 2003, 0-471-07325-3

Study resources for GCO9802 are:

A printed Unit Book containing 12 Study Guides (175 pages) distributed to student at the first lecture or mailed to off-campus students.

A printed Reader containing short extracts from a number of text books and required to support parts of the study guides.

The GCO9802 web site on MUSO, where lecture slides, weekly tutorial exercises, assignment specifications, sample solutions, software and supplementary material will be available.

Newsgroups and eMail discussion lists available via the GCO9802 unit web site.

The timetable for on-campus classes for this unit can be viewed in Allocate+

Assessment for the unit consists of 4 assignments with a weighting of 30%, a class test with a weighting of 10% and an examination with a weighting of 60%. Read this section VERY carefully.

To pass this unit you must:

• On campus students must attend 80% of all tutorial classes (except where special consideration is granted eg. on medical gounds)
  
• Achieve a minimum of 50% overall
  
• The final mark cannot be more than 10 marks higher than the assignments and test percentage
• The final mark cannot be more than 10 marks higher than the exam percentage

Your score for the unit will be calculated by:

Final grade = min (A+10, E+10, E*R+A*(1–R))
A = overall assignment and test percentage
E = examination percentage
R = exam weighting (0.6)

Assessment Requirements

Assignment specifications will be made available on the GCO9802 web site. Information about assignments will be published on the Unit's Notices Newsgroup.

Assignments will be submitted in electronic format to the location defined in the assignment specification. All students will make an online submission for class tests and assignments.

Late submission of assignments

Assignments submitted after the due date will be accepted only in exceptional circumstances. If an assignment will be late, it is necessary to contact the lecturer at least 2 days before the due date and submit a written application for extension. You should provide documentation to support a request for late submission (Eg. Doctor’s Certificate). The application for extension form is available from the unit web site. At the discretion of the lecturer, assignments submitted after the due date may incur a penalty for lateness. An assignment submitted more that seven days after the due date will be given a score of zero.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment. 

Extensions

It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. 

Requests for extensions must be made by completing a copy of the application for extension form which is available from the unit web site, at least two days before the due date. Please not e that your tutor cannot approve a request for extension. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Grading of assessment

Assignments, and the unit, will be marked and allocated a grade according to the following scale:

It is anticipated that all assignment results will be returned within two weeks (of your submission). It is a students responsibility to ensure that they have submitted assignment correctly and received an assignment receipt.

You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This feedback may be provided through your participation in tutorials and class discussions, as well as through your assignment submissions. It may come in the form of individual advice, marks and comments, or it may be provided as comment or reflection targeted at the group. It may be provided through personal interactions, such as interviews and on-line forums, or through other mechanisms such as on-line self-tests and publication of grade distributions.

You will be asked to provide feedback to the Faculty through a Unit Evaluation survey at the end of the semester. You may also be asked to complete surveys to help teaching staff improve the unit and unit delivery. Your input to such surveys is very important to the faculty and the teaching staff in maintaining relevant and high quality learning experiences for our students.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem with your study. The semester is short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Preferred communications is via newsgroups for assignment / material related questions. Communications of a personal nature, which may include requests for assignment extensions, special consideration requests, or the need to discuss your personal progress can be emailed directly. You are not asked to put anything of a personal nature into your newsgroup postings. You can discuss matters over the phone but email is preferable.

Some students may feel a little uncertain about their assignment submissions and request if the assignment can be looked over prior to submission. Unfortunately this is not possible (and disadvantages other students). Use the assignment newsgroup to place a question related to your area of uncertainty.

Newsgroups allow student interaction between all tudents and the lecturer. The lectuerer will moderate the newsgroups twice a week. Students are welcome and encouraged to support other students by answering postings. A full list of newsgroups for this unit can be found on the unit website.

Communication Details:

• Name: Mr Adrien Driver
• Location: Gippsland Campus, building 4N
• Room No: 4N-245
• Email: Adrien.Driver@infotech.monash.edu.au
• Telephone: +61 3 5122 6856 from Gippsland, +61 3 9902 6856 from Melbourne or other location
• Fax: +61 3 5122 6879 from Gippsland, +61 3 9902 6879 from Melbourne or other location

Notices related to the unit during the semester will be placed on the Notices Newsgroup in the Unit Website. Check this regularly. Failure to read the Notices newsgroup is not regarded as grounds for special consideration.

Consultation Times

Monday 2AM-4PM

Friday 11AM-1PM

If direct communication with your unit adviser/lecturer or tutor outside of consultation periods is needed you may contact the lecturer and/or tutors at:

Mr Adrien Driver
Assistant Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26856
Fax +61 3 990 26879

All email communication to you from your lecturer will occur through your Monash student email address. Please ensure that you read it regularly, or forward your email to your main address. Also check that your contact information registered with the University is up to date in My.Monash.