CSC 213, Fall 2006 : Course Mechanics
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At times, we will supplement the text with annotated code examples and research papers. I will provide these materials when they are required.
Lectures are held three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. It is your responsibility to be on time to lectures and to be an active participant during the lectures.
Because the design of operating systems is concerned with performance and functionality, work in operating systems happens in many modes: for example, clarifying our understanding of systems, simulating their operation, modeling and analyzing system performance, experimentally measuring performance, questioning assumptions made by system designers, and making arguments about what functionality the system should provide, as well as actual implementation of systems and applications. Rather than spending precious class time repeating what you will read in the text, I want to engage you in these activities through our lectures and laboratory exercises.
Therefore, it is imperative that you come prepared to lecture. This means you must already be familiar with the material that will be covered in lecture that day (see below). You should also bring paper and a writing instrument to every lecture.
Before each class, you should check the class schedule for updates and do any reading that has been assigned. Reading the assignment entails
the following. You should skim through the reading
once to get an overview of the material to be covered. The
first reading can (and should be) very quick. (Expected time for this quick
scan is 10 to 15 minutes.) Next, read through
much more carefully. Not everything will make sense at this point, but
hopefully many things will. (Estimated time for this more
careful reading is 30 to 45 minutes.) After
having read this material, try making a few notes to yourself about
what you think are the most important concepts being covered, as well
as any questions you have. (Estimated time for making quick
notes is 5 to 10 minutes.)
To encourage preparation for class, the class schedule will specify
several class
periods for which students are to prepare discussion questions. For
such classes, students will be expected to
submit (via Pioneer Web) one or more questions on the readings by 5:00
pm on the day
before class. While many types of questions are appropriate (e.g.,
clarifying, open-ended, connective and relational, or regarding design
trade-offs or value conflicts), simple factual questions should be
avoided (unless the facts
are in dispute).
This course includes formal laboratory meetings on Tuesdays from 11:00 to 11:50 (section A) and 2:15 to 3:05 (section B). These laboratory meetings will be a time for you to experiment with, reason about, and write code using operating system abstractions.
Our time in laboratory is limited, so you should aim to hit the ground running. To prepare for laboratory, you should read the laboratory assignment, which will be posted on the web, as well as any additional materials it refers to. The suggestions for active reading above are an excellent guide.
You will conduct laboratory exercises in teams of 2-4 that I will assign on a rotating, weekly basis. You will begin the exercise in our meeting; you will complete the exercise and write up your findings over the following week (or sometimes two weeks). Lengthy exercises may be divided into two parts to help you manage your time. Reports will typically be due on the Friday and/or Monday after the laboratory meeting. Each team should turn in one report which you will all be responsible for. I will provide additional details in the schedule and in the assignment for each laboratory.
Collaboration on laboratory exercises is not limited to your teammates. Because we understand material in different ways, I encourage you to discuss concepts and problem solving strategies with your CSC 213 classmates, as well as with me. Furthermore, debugging concurrent programs can be tricky and often benefits from a fresh set of eyes. In the spirit of academic honesty and in compliance with Grinnell policy, you must acknowledge any such contributions in your written report.
All work you turn in should be your own. With the exception of code from provided by the instructor or the textbook, which must be properly attributed, you should neither share nor copy code or written work of any kind. If there is any question about what is permissible and what is not, ask me.
You will have opportunities to demonstrate what you have learned through written, in-class exams on Friday, October 6 and Friday, November 10.
In accordance with the schedule issued by the Committee on Academic Standing, the final examination for this course will take place at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12. Do not make travel arrangemetns that would prevent your presence. The final exam will be cumulative; you will be responsible for the content of the entire course.
You may prepare one, double-sided, 8.5" x 11" sheet of notes to consult during each test. You will turn in this sheet with your exam and it will be returned to you later. One of my reasons for this policy is that computer scientists often use reference materials in their work; I would rather have you learn to apply principles and formulas than memorize them. However, I also find that preparing such notes---and in particular, deciding what is most important to include---can be a very effective way to study.
Because I intend the in-class exams and final exam to assess your own individual understanding of the material, collaboration on exams is not permitted. Of course, I encourage you to collaborate while studying for exams.
I expect you to come to class on time, prepared, and ready to work.
Since our lectures will take place bright and early at 8 a.m., everyone gets one "oops," one free day off while still getting full credit for participation.
Because you will work in teams, attendance at lab meetings is crucial. No "oops" here.
Beyond your one "oops," each additional unexcused absence will lower your participation grade by 10%. To have your absence count as excused, you must either (a) contact me to make suitable arrangements at least 7 days in advance, or (b) ensure that I receive documentation of the circumstances of your absence from Health Services or Student Affairs.
Because I care about you, if you miss class unexpectedly, I would also appreciate a quick call or email as soon as you are able. Don't be surprised if I email to make sure you are OK.
When you do miss class, it is your responsibility to talk to a classmate about what you missed and then to see me to discuss any further questions or concerns.
Work is due at the start of class on the date specified in the assignment. A penalty of 33 1/3% per class meeting will be assessed on any work turned in late, even work turned in at the end of class. Thus, work turned in 4 class meetings late will be weighted -33 1/3%; since a negative score reduces the cumulative total, it is better not to turn in the work at all.
Similar to the attendance policy, to avoid the late penalty when circumstances prevent timely submission of your work, you must either (a) contact me to make suitable arrangements before the lab is assigned, or (b) ensure that I receive documentation of the circumstances from Health Services or Student Affairs.
Exception:
Deadlines for
exercises involving programming will automatically be extended by at
least one class period if MathLAN is down for an unscheduled period of
3 or more hours during the week preceeding the assignment due date.
No such extension will be granted for exercises not involving
programming.
Absolute deadline:
All homework must be turned in by Friday, December 9 at 5 p.m.
If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accomodations, let me know early in the semester so that we can work together to meet your learning needs. You will also need to provide documentation of your disability to the Dean for Student Academic Support and Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the 3rd floor of the Rosenfield Center (x3702).
My grading philosophy dictates that the final grade should ultimately be based on each student's demonstration of his or her understanding of the material, not on the performance of the class as a whole nor rigidly on a percentile basis. I will use this scheme as a base for weighting course work grades in the final grade:
I expect to stay in touch with students throughout the term. Please come by during my office hours to discuss course content, get extra assistance, or talk about how the course is going. My office hours will be posted weekly outside my office (Science 2412); if you wish, you may sign up for one or two 15-minute slots. You may also email me (davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu) to schedule an appointment outside of office hours; please include 3-4 possible meeting times so that I can pick one that works for me.
Although I very much enjoy getting to know my students, I prefer to reserve office hours for academic matters. If you would like to have a conversation in a more informal setting, please consider inviting me to lunch; I also invite you to join me on my walk. I also read plans, though I intend to limit my time spent doing so.
As a rule, email is the most reliable way to get in touch with me. However, please allow 24 hours for my response. You may also call me in my office (x4306) for more urgent matters (e.g., if you will miss lab due to illness).