3 credits | Prepared by Ronnie W. Smith, August 2018 |
P: CSCI major; CSCI 2410. Organization of basic elements of computer system, including processor, memory, control unit, and I/O units.
This course builds on the knowledge gained from the Digital Electronics course (CSCI 2410) to cover the design of the major subsystems of computers: memory, CPU, and I/O.
Computer Systems: Organization & Architecture , John D. Carpinelli Addison Wesley, 2001.
A somewhat older text, but serves nicely for a course that must cover machine organization and assembly language as well as introduce computer architecture. The course should thoroughly cover the first seven chapters along with an introduction to parallel processing. Compressing the review of the first two chapters to less than three weeks can enable more time for advanced topics.
Grading is a based on a combination of homework assignments, quizzes/exams, and a comprehensive final exam. Representative weightings are 20% for homework, 50% for the quizzes/exams, and 30% for the final exam.
Grade | Meaning |
---|---|
A | Achievement substantially exceeds basic course expectations |
A− | |
B+ | |
B | Achievement exceeds basic course expectations |
B− | |
B+ | |
C | Achievement adequately meets basic course expectations |
C− | |
D+ | |
D | Achievement falls below basic course expectations |
D− | |
F | Failure – achievement does not justify credit for course |