To understand the basic operation of computing systems. Upon completing this course, students should have a high-level understanding of the role played by each major component of the system, including compiler, operating system, assembler, instruction set, and hardware. Programming assignments will be conducted on the departmental PCs running linux. You may also find the tools available on the departmental PCs running windows or you may install the tools on your own computer. However, you must ensure that any programming assignment you turn in functions correctly with the linux installation of the tools.

Student Evaluation

Your performance in this class will be evaluated through homework assignments, programming assignments, three quizzes, final exam, and participation in your discussion section. Each student's lowest quiz score will automatically be dropped. The weights of each of these components is listed below:

• Quizzes (3): 30% (15% each for best 2)
• Homework/Programming Assignments: 25%
• Discussion Section Participation: 10%
• Final Exam: 35%

The assignments will be a combination of written work and programming work. The written work will help you pace yourself in the reading and in your understanding of lectures. The programming components will teach you how to think like a computer and is vitally important to your understanding of this course.

Assignments will be due at the beginning of your assigned discussion section. Your programming assignments will be submitted electronically and will require you to use your departmental Unix account. You may not email your assignments to the teaching staff. Programs will be graded on correctness, readability, style, and documentation.

You have a "late account" of 4 days for the term which you can spend as follows on your assigments. In general, an assignment is one day late until 5pm of the day after it is due, two days late from then until 5pm of the second day, etc. No more than 2 of these late days can be spent on a single assignment. Weekends count as a single day, so once 5pm on Friday has passed, you will spend one additional day if you turn your assignment in on time on Monday. No assignment can be turned in after the start of class on the Monday on which the solutions for that assignment are handed out. So for a typical homework, it's due on a Thursday in discussion section, it's one day late as of Friday afternoon, it's two days late as of Monday before class starts, and it cannot be turned in after the start of class on Monday.

Once you have exhausted your late account, no late assignments will be accepted. You are responsible for turning in your assignment to your discussion section TA. The departmental homework drop box will not be used.

Academic Misconduct Policy

You are free to discuss the course material with your classmates and are encouraged to form study groups for the exams. However, collaboration on homework or programming assignments is not permitted unless explicitly stated by the instructor. Helping a friend understand the intent of a homework or programming assignment specification is permitted. Students who work together too closely (e.g. design their solution together) should be aware that this is a form of cheating called COLLUSION and is subject to academic penalties. Penalties for academic misconduct include a failing grade in this course.

The homework, programs, and exams must be the work of students turning them in. University policy (see Dean of Students' policies on academic integrity) will be followed strictly.

Acts that exceed the bounds defined by the approved collaboration practices will be considered cheating. Such acts include:

• Copying solutions, code, or programs from someone else or giving someone else your solutions, code, or programs
• Participation in a discussion group that develops a solution that everyone copies

Studying for tests together is permitted and encouraged. Please come talk to us if you are unsure about how to work together with your friend in a legal, helpful manner. Remember, it is always ok to "work together" with your professor or TA!

Your Responsibilities in This Class:

• You are expected to show up on time for lecture and discussion sections.
• You are responsible for all material posted to the web site and sent to the email list. Ignorance of such material is no excuse.
• You are responsible for obtaining a departmental Unix account, and learning the Unix operating system sufficiently well to meet the demands of the course. You can find on-line unix guides - a place to start is here.
• You are responsible for all material presented in lecture and in discussion sections. We advise you to attend all discussion sections so as not to miss out on material that will be covered in assignments and on exams.
• You are expected to attend the discussion section for which you are registered. This is important to allow all students equal access to the TAs. Furthermore, all assignments and exams will be returned in discussion sections by your TA.
• Your performance in this class will be determined by you! It will require a strong dedication to learning the material and may require a substantial time commitment to complete the programming assignments.
• You are responsible for turning in your own work on all assignments. Unauthorized collusion is not allowed and constitutes a violation of the university's policies on academic integrity. See above guidelines for more information on what is or is not allowed.
• You are responsible for protecting your work from being copied by others.

Other General Information

The programming assignments will require use of the Department of Computer Sciences instructional computing resources. All CS students who meet the prerequisites for CS310 are eligible for a CS departmental Microlab account and undergraduate Unix account.

Important links:

• CS Computing Accounts
• UTCS Public Computer Laboratories
• UTCS Computing FAQ