CSSE1000 - Sem 2 2008 - St Lucia - Internal

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Printed: 21 July 2008, 03:20PM
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1. General Course Information

1.1 Course Details

Course Code: CSSE1000 Course Title: Introduction to Computer Systems
Coordinating Unit: School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
Semester: Semester 2, 2008    Mode: Internal
Level: Undergraduate
Location: St Lucia
Number of Units: 2    Contact Hours Per Week: 2L1T2P
Recommended Companions: CSSE1001
Incompatible: COMP1300 or COMP2300 or COMP2302 or CSSE7035 or ELEC2002
Course Description: Digital logic & digital systems; machine level representation of data; assembly level machine organization; memory system organization & architecture; interfacing & communication; microcontroller and architecture and usage; functional organization; case studies & laboratory experiments.
Assumed Background: There are no prerequisite courses, however programming experience is advantageous. If you have not previously taken CSSE1001 (or equivalent), it is highly recommended that you take it as a companion course during this semester.

1.2 Course Introduction

CSSE1000 is is an introduction to how computers work at the lowest levels and will cover topics from binary numbers and logic gates to assembly language and basic C programming. After this course you'll have a basic understanding of how computers work and you'll be able to develop programs for a microcontroller based computer system.

1.3 Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Peter Sutton
Phone: 3365 4854     Email: p.sutton+csse1000@itee.uq.edu.au
Campus: St Lucia Building: General Purpose South (Map)   Room: 628
Consultation: Wednesdays 11:30am to 12:30pm or at other times by appointment.


1.4 Timetable

Timetables are available on mySI-net.

Additional Timetable Information
Sign-up will be required for CSSE1000 T and P sessions (all held in the laboratory 47-401). P and T sessions start from week 2. There are two optional "C" (contact) sessions - Thursday 1-2pm is a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Session) for those students who feel they need extra help; Friday 2-3pm is a question and answer session. More details will be provided at the first lecture.

2. Aims, Objectives & Graduate Attributes

2.1 Course Aims

The general aim of this course is for you to understand how computers and software work at the lowest levels (binary numbers, logic gates, memory, assembly language etc.) and be able to program a microcontroller based system using both assembly language and the C programming language. (Such systems make up the vast majority of computing systems in the world.)

A low level understanding of computer hardware helps you to understand the implications (e.g. performance) of software design and implementation decisions. The course also prepares you for various possible follow-on courses, including COMP2303 (Network and Operating Systems Principles), CSSE2000 (Introduction to Digital Systems) and ENGG2800 (Engineering Team Project 1).

2.2 Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

1  understand number representations and be able to perform operations on and conversions between various representations
2  understand the operation of digital logic gates
3  understand various representations of logic functions (equations, truth-tables, schematics, simple timing diagrams) and be able to perform manipulations on and conversions between various representations
4  understand the operation of simple combinational logic circuits (e.g. decoders and multiplexers) and how such logic circuits can be constructed from simple logic gates
5  understand the operation of flip-flops and their usage in logic circuits
6  understand the operation of simple sequential logic circuits (e.g. counters and shift-registers)
7  understand how arithmetic and logical operations are performed by computers
8  understand the memory hierarchy that exists within computers (from registers to secondary storage) and the characteristics of the different types of memory, and be able to perform calculations using those characteristics
9  understand the principles of computer input-output (e.g. polling vs. interrupts, serial vs. parallel, synchronous vs. asynchronous)
10  understand the general architecture of a processor - the components that make it up and the communication used between the components (e.g. buses)
11  understand the difference between macroarchitecture and microarchitecture of a CPU and the operation of the fetch-execute cycle
12  understand the concept of an Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)
13  have an understanding of the functionality, use and architecture of the Atmel AVR microcontroller family
14  understand the different types of instructions an ISA may contain (e.g. data movement, arithmetic, branching etc) and what they're used for
15  understand why different machine instructions have different formats (e.g. opcode plus some number of operands)
16  understand the different types of addressing modes a microprocessor may support and when and why they might be used
17  understand the use of a stack in making procedure calls
18  understand the concept of interrupts and how they're supported in hardware, and understand the requirements of an interrupt service routine
19  understand the concept of assembly and assembly language and the relationship between assembly language and the underlying machine instructions
20  understand the concepts of interpretation and compilation and the differences between them
21  understand the principles of good assembly language programming
22  write, modify and debug AVR assembly language programs: specifically, programs which control AVR hardware and process data from and control devices external to the AVR
23  have an understanding of how to use the AVR microcontroller to build simple digital systems
24  be familiar with the basic concepts of the C programming language
25  write, modify and debug simple C language programs (including some targeted to the AVR microcontroller)
26  have a basic understanding of the concepts of linking and loading and the use of libraries
27  understand the concept of a virtual machine, in particular virtual memory
28  identify similarities and differences between several microprocessors and microcontrollers, and be familiar with the format and content of microprocessor and microcontroller datasheets
29  neatly wire-up and operate simple digital circuits, and use the LogiSim software application to draw and simulate digital circuits
30  use Atmel AVR Studio and other tools to write, assemble, simulate, debug and download programs to an Atmel AVR Project board, and use the GNU C cross-compiler with AVR Studio to write, compile and debug a C language program for an Atmel AVR Project board.

2.3. Graduate Attributes

Successfully completing this course will contribute to the recognition of your attainment of the following UQ (Undergrad Pass) graduate attributes:

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTELEARNING OBJECTIVES
A. IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD OF STUDY
A1. A comprehensive and well-founded knowledge in the field of study.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30
A4. An understanding of how other disciplines relate to the field of study. 
A5. An international perspective on the field of study. 
B. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
B1. The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas and to convey those ideas clearly and fluently, in both written and spoken forms.28, 30
B2. The ability to interact effectively with others in order to work towards a common outcome. 
B3. The ability to select and use the appropriate level, style and means of communication.3, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29
B4. The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and communication technologies.22
C. INDEPENDENCE AND CREATIVITY
C1. The ability to work and learn independently.28, 29, 30
C3. The ability to generate ideas and adapt innovatively to changing environments. 
C4. The ability to identify problems, create solutions, innovate and improve current practices.7, 22, 23, 25, 29, 30
D. CRITICAL JUDGEMENT
D1. The ability to define and analyse problems.6, 8, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30
D2. The ability to apply critical reasoning to issues through independent thought and informed judgement.9, 16, 21, 28
D3. The ability to evaluate opinions, make decisions and to reflect critically on the justifications for decisions.18, 22
E. ETHICAL AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING
E1. An understanding of social and civic responsibility. 
E2. An appreciation of the philosophical and social contexts of a discipline. 
E4. A knowledge and respect of ethics and ethical standards in relation to a major area of study. 
E5. A knowledge of other cultures and times and an appreciation of cultural diversity. 

Successfully completing this course will contribute to the recognition of your attainment of the following Engineers Australia graduate attributes:

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTELEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Ability to apply knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 18, 20
2. Ability to communicate effectively, not only with engineers, but also with the community at large 
3. In-depth technical competence in at least one engineering discipline13, 21, 30
4. Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution14, 24, 25, 29, 30
5. Ability to utilise a systems approach to design and operational performance19, 22, 23, 29
6. Ability to function effectively as an individual and in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams, with the capacity to be a team leader or manager as well as an effective team member 
7. Understanding of the social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities of the professional engineer, and for the need for sustainable development 
8. Understanding of the principles of sustainable design and development 
9. Understanding of and commitment to professional and ethical responsibilities 
10. Expectation and capacity to undertake life-long learning 


Additional Course Information on Graduate Attributes
Students should notice the presence of the word "understand" in the list above. It is not expected that you memorise numerous facts and figures to pass this course - in fact the exams and tests are all open-book.  The emphasis is on understanding and application of knowledge.

3. Learning Resources

3.1 Required Resources

Tanenbaum, Andrew S., Structured Computer Organization (5th edition), Prentice-Hall, 2005.

  • This is the main textbook for this course.
  • Tanenbaum covers all of the course material except C programming. It is expected that students will have access to this text in the semester.
  
 
The course web site is available at http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~csse1000. The course web site will contain copies of relevant handouts, lecture notes, tutorials and notices and will allow students to view their progressive results.
URL
 
Students are expected to borrow a personal response device ("Clicker") from the Biological Sciences Library during week one of semester. Clickers will be used during lectures to test student understanding and to seek student feedback. Each clicker has a unique ID which is associated with the student who has borrowed it. This information will be used to generate a lecture participation mark for each student (see section 5 below). The device must be returned to the library at the end of semester.  
 

3.2 Recommended Resources

Kernighan, Brian W. and Ritchie, Dennis M., The C Programming Language (2nd edition), Prentice-Hall, 1988.

  • This the classic book on the C Programming Language.
  
 

Harbison, Samuel P. and Steele, Guy L., C: A Reference Manual, Prentice Hall, 2002.

  • This book is recommended for those students who will continue to study in Electrical/CSE/SE area and some previous programming experience, because it covers more advanced material and it is used again in COMP2303. It is an excellent reference book, but probably not the best for learning the language from scratch.
 
 
  • Gadre, Dhananjay V., Programming and Customizing the AVR Microcontroller, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2000.
  • Katz, Randy, Contemporary Logic Design, Benjamin/Cummings, 1994.
  • Kuhnel, Claus, AVR RISC Microcontroller Handbook, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998.
  • Mano, Morris, Digital Design, Prentice Hall, 1984 or 1991.
  • Patt, Yale N. and Patel, Sanjay J., Introduction to Computing Systems: from bits and gates to C & beyond, McGraw Hill, 2004 (or earlier edition).
  • Stallings, William, Computer Organization and Architecture, Prentice Hall, 2000.
 
 

3.3 University Learning Resources

Access to required and recommended resources, plus past central exam papers, is available at the UQ Library website (http://library.uq.edu.au/search/r?SEARCH=CSSE1000).

The University offers a range of resources and services to support student learning. Details are available on the myServices website (https://student.my.uq.edu.au/).

3.4 School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Learning Resources

Students enrolled at St Lucia who wish to retain a hard copy of this profile can use the free print quota provided each semester to students enrolled in courses in the School of Information Technology & Electrical Engineering. For information on how to use this print quota, see the School Policy on Student Photocopying and Printing (St Lucia) (http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/about_ITEE/policies/copy-print.html). Students enrolled at the Ipswich campus will either be provided with a hard copy or given directions in class on how to obtain a free copy.

ITEE course websites can be found at http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~COURSECODE. Many ITEE courses also have Usenet newsgroups, named uq.itee.COURSECODE. Instructions for accessing newsgroups are available at http://studenthelp.itee.uq.edu.au/faq/1stYearFAQ.html#accessnews.

4. Teaching & Learning Activities

4.1 Learning Activities

Date
Activity
Learning Objectives
22 Jul 08 - 21 Oct 08
 Weekly Lecture (Lecture Series):
Readings/Ref: Course Web ; Tanenbaum ;
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27
28 Jul 08 - 24 Oct 08
 Pracs (Practical):
Readings/Ref: Course Web ; Tanenbaum ; K&R ; Harbison&Steele
22, 23, 25, 29, 30
28 Jul 08 - 24 Oct 08
 Tutorials (Tutorial Series):
Readings/Ref: K&R ; Harbison&Steele
24, 25, 30
1 Aug 08 - 17 Oct 08
 Weekly Contact (General Contact):
7 Aug 08 - 23 Oct 08
 PASS help sessions (General Contact):

4.2 Other Teaching and Learning Activities Information

A more detailed teaching plan will be provided on the course website.

Lectures

Lectures provide an introduction to the course material and present examples to help students understand the principles and techniques. Students should prepare for lectures by undertaking the recommended reading or other recommended activities. Please note that the lecture slides in the course notes will NOT be a complete record of the lecture. Examples will be worked through and exercises undertaken which may not be shown on the slides. Personal response devices (clickers) will be used to assess understanding and get feedback from students. All students are expected to obtain such a device (see above) and participate in lectures.

Pracs

Students should sign-up for and attend a weekly two-hour prac (P) session. Pracs are performed individually although discussion and collaboration is encouraged. The pracs are designed to reinforce your learning of the course material. They are also designed to build the practical skills of students in prototyping logic circuits, using the LogiSim application and writing, assembling, compiling and running code on a microcontroller. There are ten weeks of pracs (weeks 2 to 11, including two prac exams which are described in the Assessment section below). In the last two weeks of semester, prac times are available for project work. Attendance is expected at all pracs.

You should obtain a workbook in which to write your prac notes. The workbook should be an A4 bound notebook. All preparatory exercises, working notes and diagrams, code listings etc should be included in your workbook (as glued-in printouts if necessary). Your workbook will not be directly assessed, however, it is the only item you may take into the prac exams, so it is in your best interests to make it as complete as possible. 

Keeping a workbook is a good introduction to professional practice. Many people working in industry or research are required to keep workbooks. These fully document the thoughts and steps behind any experiments or development. It is common commercial practice that each page of a workbook is signed and dated at the end of each day and often that this is witnessed by some independent person. Some organisations require that workbooks be kept in a fire-proof safe each night. The workbooks are legal documents which can be used, for example, to support patent claims.

Pracs commence in week 2 of semester and will be held in 47-401 - the Computer Systems teaching laboratory. Note that you MUST wear covered footwear in this laboratory (see the "Facilities" section above). Students with a Wednesday prac in week 4 (Exhibition public holiday) will need to attend a make-up session.

You may only change your prac session sign-up subject to the availability of space in the desired session and approved by the prac co-ordinator. You should only attend the session you have signed up to as lab capacity is limited.

Tutorials

Students should sign-up for a weekly one-hour tutorial (T) session. These sessions also take place in 47-401 and serve several purposes. In the early weeks, students can undertake Logisim and C programming tutorials, catch up with prac experiments, or get help with other aspects of the course. In the last few weeks of semester, the tutorial sessions are available for project work. The C component of the course is delivered as a set of tutorials and exercises available on the course webpage and some brief introductions during lectures. Attendance at these tutorials is not compulsory, but the completion of the exercises is essential for this course.

Weekly Contact

A one hour weekly contact session will be held in weeks 2 to 13 on Fridays. This session is an opportunity for students to ask questions and to see demonstrations of solutions to selected problems from the weekly problem sets. Students are strongly encouraged to attend this session to help them prepare for the final exam.

PASS Tutorial

A weekly PASS (Peer Assisted Study Session) tutorial will be held on Thursdays commencing in week 3. This session is optional and intended for students needing additional help.

Attendance

Participation will be assessed in lectures and pracs (see below) so you are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions. You are not required to attend any of the other teaching sessions (except those in which an assessment activity is taking place), however, you are strongly encouraged to do so. The lectures, tutorials and pracs have been specifically designed to aid your learning of the course material. Failure to attend a session may result in you being disadvantaged. It is up to you to find out what happened at any class session that you miss.

Should you miss a tutorial or prac, you MAY be able to attend an alternative session. See the course website for details. You should be prepared to provide documentary evidence of extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical certificate).

5. Assessment

5.1 Assessment Summary

This is a summary of the assessment in the course. For detailed information on each assessment, see 5.5 Assessment Detail below.

Assessment Task
Due Date
Weighting
Learning Objectives
Computer-based Assessment
Online quizzes
28 Jul 08 - 24 Oct 08
5%
11
Participation
Lecture Participation
29 Jul 08 - 14 Oct 08
5%
 
Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Prac Exam One
18 Aug 08 - 22 Aug 08
Held in Week 5 Prac Sessions
Pass/Fail
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 29
Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Class Test
2 Sep 08
Held during week 7 lecture
10% or 20%
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19
Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Prac Exam Two
6 Oct 08 - 10 Oct 08
Held in Week 11 Prac Sessions
Pass/Fail
21, 22, 25, 30
Assignment
Microprocessor Investigation
6 Oct 08 23:00
10%
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28
Project
Project
24 Oct 08 17:00
20%
22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30
Exam - during Exam Period (Central)
Final Examination
Examination Period
50% or 40%
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28

5.2 Course Grading


Grade 1, Fail: Fails to demonstrate most or all of the basic requirements of the course: At least one item of work submitted or exam/test attempted but cumulative percentage is less than 20.

Grade 2, Fail: Demonstrates clear deficiencies in understanding and applying fundamental concepts; communicates information or ideas in ways that are frequently incomplete or confusing and give little attention to the conventions of the discipline:

Cumulative Percentage is in the range 20 to 44 inclusive.



Grade 3, Fail: Demonstrates superficial or partial or faulty understanding of the fundamental concepts of the field of study and limited ability to apply these concepts; presents undeveloped or inappropriate or unsupported arguments; communicates information or ideas with lack of clarity and inconsistent adherence to the conventions of the discipline:

Cumulative Percentage is in the range of 45 to 49 inclusive.



Grade 4, Pass: Demonstrates adequate understanding and application of the fundamental concepts of the field of study; develops routine arguments or decisions and provides acceptable justification; communicates information and ideas adequately in terms of the conventions of the discipline:

Cumulative Percentage is in the range of 50 to 64 inclusive.



Grade 5, Credit: Demonstrates substantial understanding of fundamental concepts of the field of study and ability to apply these concepts in a variety of contexts; develops or adapts convincing arguments and provides coherent justification; communicates information and ideas clearly and fluently in terms of the conventions of the discipline:

Cumulative Percentage is in the range of 65 to 74 inclusive.



Grade 6, Distinction: As for 5, with frequent evidence of originality in defining and analysing issues or problems and in creating solutions; uses a level, style and means of communication appropriate to the discipline and the audience:

Cumulative Percentage is in the range of 75 to 84 inclusive.



Grade 7, High Distinction: As for 6, with consistent evidence of substantial originality and insight in identifying, generating and communicating competing arguments, perspectives or problem solving approaches; critically evaluates problems, their solutions and implications:

Cumulative Percentage is greater than or equal to 85.



Other Requirements & Comments :

Your cumulative percentage will be the sum out of 100 of your assessment marks rounded to the nearest whole percent. Assessment items will be weighted as listed in the table above, with your class test/final exam marks being weighted 10/50 or 20/40 depending on which gives you the greater overall mark. If you have failed both prac exams (after any supplementaries), your cumulative percentage will be capped at 44 and your maximum possible grade is a 2. If you have failed one of the two prac exams (after any supplementaries), your cumulative percentage will be capped at 49 and your maximum possible grade is a 3. In order to achieve a grade of 4 or better in the course, you must pass both prac exams (after any supplementaries).


Your final grade for CSSE1000 will be determined based on your cumulative percentage according to the criteria above.


5.3 Late Submission

No extensions will be granted except in exceptional personal circumstances (documented medical reason or family emergency). Personal hardware or computer failures are not grounds for extension.

5.4 Other Assessment Information

Having Troubles?

If you are having difficulties with any aspect of the course material you should seek help. Speak to your tutors and/or the course co-ordinator.

If external circumstances are affecting your ability to work on the course, you should seek help as soon as possible. The University and UQ Union have organisations and staff who are able to help, for example, UQ Student Services are able to help with study and exam skills, tertiary learning skills, writing skills, financial assistance, personal issues, and disability services (among other things).

Complaints and criticisms should be directed in the first instance to the course coordinator. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may bring the matter to the attention of the Head of School.

5.5 Assessment Detail

Online quizzes
Type: Computer-based Assessment
Learning Objectives Assessed: 11
Due Date:
         28 Jul 08 - 24 Oct 08
Weight: 5%
Task Description: At the completion of each prac, students are expected to complete a brief online quiz (whilst still in the lab). Each quiz will be worth 0.5 mark.  Prac quizzes can only be completed in the lab, during the week of the prac. Similarly, after some of the C tutorials and before some lectures, students will be expected to complete an online quiz or submit a brief C program, each of which is also worth 0.5 mark. There will be at least 12 such assessments. If more than 5 marks are earned over the course of the semester, than the mark is capped at 5. If you're unable to attend a prac or complete a quiz due to extenuating circumstances (supported by documentary evidence, e.g. medical certificate), then the weighting and mark cap for this item will be reduced by 0.5 per quiz missed after the first two. The weighting associated with the final exam will be correspondingly increased. (In other words, you will need documentary evidence supporting the missing of at least 3 quizzes before any reduction in requirements will apply.)
Criteria & Marking: The criteria for the awarding of the 0.5 mark for each quiz/exercise will be made clear on the quiz/exercise. There will usually be a minimum percentage of questions you must get right in order to earn the 0.5 mark.
Lecture Participation
Type: Participation
Due Date:
         29 Jul 08 - 14 Oct 08
Weight: 5%
Task Description: Students will be rewarded for participating in lectures using personal response systems (clickers). There is no expectation that students will get the questions right, but an attempt at answering the questions is expected.
Criteria & Marking: The mark awarded (out of 5) will be based on the proportion of the questions that are responded to using the student's individual clicker. Marks will be scaled so that a 90% (or greater) response rate will result in full marks. No such questions will be asked in weeks one, seven (mid-semester exam) or thirteen (review lecture). If you're unable to attend a lecture due to extenuating circumstances (supported by documentary evidence, e.g. medical certificate), then the required response rate for full marks will be scaled appropriately and the weighting of this item will be reduced by 0.5 per lecture missed. The weighting associated with the final exam will be correspondingly increased.
Prac Exam One
Type: Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Learning Objectives Assessed: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 29
Due Date:
         18 Aug 08 - 22 Aug 08     Held in Week 5 Prac Sessions
Weight: Pass/Fail
Duration: 50 minutes
Format: Practical
Task Description: A prac exam covering material and ideas from pracs 1 to 3 and associated lectures/exercises will be held during prac sessions in week 5. Prac examinations are individual. You may bring your workbook (see description above) into the prac exams but no other written or electronic material (e.g. USB flash drives) may be brought into the room. You WILL have electronic access to the course website including prac resources (e.g. prac handouts, template code for pracs, datasheets).

Prac examinations are marked on a pass/fail basis. You must pass both prac exams to be awarded a passing grade (i.e. 4 or higher) for the course. Should you fail a prac examination, you may undertake a supplementary prac exam (at a time to be scheduled - possibly during the examination period). 

Failure to attend a scheduled prac examination will be considered failure of the exam unless you submit a request for a special prac exam (using the form available from the course web site). The request for a special examination should be accompanied by supporting documentary evidence of extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical certificate) and must be submitted to the course coordinator no later than four working days following your scheduled prac examination. Failure of a special prac exam will be treated the same as failure of the original prac exam and will entitle you to a supplementary prac exam. Failure of a prac examination through non-attendance (where a special exam is not awarded) will NOT be considered grounds for awarding a supplementary prac exam, i.e. you will not pass the course.

You must only attend the prac session you are signed up for. You may not change your signup during prac exam weeks.

Prac examinations are subject to the rules of the University (see the Assessment Rules within the General Award Rules). In particular, please be sure to bring identification (student card) and obey the instructions of exam supervisors.

As with all classes in the 47-401 labs, you will NOT be admitted to the prac exam if you are not wearing covered footwear or if you have not submitted an Occupational Health and Safety declaration.


Criteria & Marking: Prac examinations are marked on a pass/fail basis. A pass requires satisfactory completion of the assigned exam tasks.
Class Test
Type: Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19
Due Date:
         2 Sep 08     Held during week 7 lecture
Weight: 10% or 20%
Duration: 45 minutes
Format: Multiple-choice
Task Description: A class test will be held during lecture time in week 7. The test is individual and will be multiple-choice, open-book. The class test will cover material from weeks 1 to 6 (and associated readings, tutorials and pracs).

Failure to attend the class-test will result in a mark of zero for that test unless you submit a request for a special class test (using the form available from the course web site). The request should be accompanied by supporting documentary evidence of extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical certificate) and must be submitted to the course coordinator by 9am Friday the 12th of September. Special class tests will be held at 2pm Friday the 12th of September.

Open-book means that you may bring any written or printed material (including books) into the examination room. You may also bring an EPSA approved and labelled non-programmable calculator. More details on EPSA approved calculators can be found at http://www.epsa.uq.edu.au/calculators.html. The use of unlablled calculators is not permitted. Programmable calculators and other computing or communication devices are NOT permitted. You will require a HB or 2B pencil and an eraser to complete the class test.
Criteria & Marking: The class test is multiple choice. You will receive one mark for each correct answer and no marks for incorrect or missing answers.

Class tests are subject to the rules of the University (see the Assessment Rules within the General Award Rules). In particular, please be sure to bring identification (student card) and obey the instructions of exam supervisors.
Prac Exam Two
Type: Exam - Mid Semester During Class
Learning Objectives Assessed: 21, 22, 25, 30
Due Date:
         6 Oct 08 - 10 Oct 08     Held in Week 11 Prac Sessions
Weight: Pass/Fail
Duration: 50 minutes
Format: Practical
Task Description: A prac exam covering material and ideas from pracs 4 to 8 and associated lectures/exercises will be held during prac sessions in week 11. Prac examinations are individual. You may bring your workbook (see description above) into the prac exams but no other written or electronic material (e.g. USB flash drives) may be brought into the room. You WILL have electronic access to the course website including prac resources (e.g. prac handouts, template code for pracs, datasheets).

Prac examinations are marked on a pass/fail basis. You must pass both prac exams to be awarded a passing grade (i.e. 4 or higher) for the course. Should you fail a prac examination, you may undertake a supplementary prac exam (at a time to be scheduled - possibly during the examination period). 

Failure to attend a scheduled prac examination will be considered failure of the exam unless you submit a request for a special prac exam (using the form available from the course web site). The request for a special examination should be accompanied by supporting documentary evidence of extenuating circumstances (e.g. medical certificate) and must be submitted to the course coordinator no later than four working days following your scheduled prac examination. Failure of a special prac exam will be treated the same as failure of the original prac exam and will entitle you to a supplementary prac exam. Failure of a prac examination through non-attendance (where a special exam is not awarded) will NOT be considered grounds for awarding a supplementary prac exam, i.e. you will not pass the course.

You must only attend the prac session you are signed up for. You may not change your signup during prac exam weeks.

Prac examinations are subject to the rules of the University (see the Assessment Rules within the General Award Rules). In particular, please be sure to bring identification (student card) and obey the instructions of exam supervisors.

As with all classes in the 47-401 labs, you will NOT be admitted to the prac exam if you are not wearing covered footwear or if you have not submitted an Occupational Health and Safety declaration.


Criteria & Marking: Prac examinations are marked on a pass/fail basis. A pass requires satisfactory completion of the assigned exam tasks.
Microprocessor Investigation
Type: Assignment
Learning Objectives Assessed: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 28
Due Date:
         6 Oct 08 23:00
Weight: 10%
Task Description: Students will be required to undertake an assignment in which they research the architecture of various microprocessors and/or microcontrollers and compare and contrast their features.
Criteria & Marking: The assignment will be individual work. More detailed assessment criteria will be provided later in the semester (with the assignment handout). Submission of assignment work without academic merit will result in an assignment mark of 0 being awarded.
Project
Type: Project
Learning Objectives Assessed: 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30
Due Date:
         24 Oct 08 17:00
Weight: 20%
Task Description: Students, either individually or in pairs, will be required to undertake a project in which they develop a program for the AVR microcontroller which implements specified behaviour.
Criteria & Marking: More detailed assessment criteria will be provided later in the semester (with the project handout). Submission of project work without academic merit (see description below) will result in a mark of 0 being awarded. Two students within a pair will receive the same mark for the project. (A pair of students will be expected to complete more work than an individual for the same mark.)
Submission: Submit via the School website.
Final Examination
Type: Exam - during Exam Period (Central)
Learning Objectives Assessed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
Due Date:
         Examination Period
Weight: 50% or 40%
Perusal: 10 minutes
Duration: 120 minutes
Format: Short answer, Problem solving
Task Description: A two hour final examination will be held during the final examination period. This exam will be open-book and will contain written-answer questions (no multiple choice). Open-book means that you may bring any written or printed material (including books) into the examination room. You may also bring an EPSA approved and labelled non-programmable calculator. More details on EPSA approved calculators can be found at http://www.epsa.uq.edu.au/calculators.html. The use of unlablled calculators is not permitted. Programmable calculators and other computing or communication devices are NOT permitted.

6. Policies & Guidelines

 
This section contains the details of and links to the most relevant policies and course guidelines. For further details on University Policies please visit myAdvisor and the University Handbook of Policies and Procedures.

6.1 Assessment Related Policies and Guidelines

University Policies & Guidelines

An overview of the University’s assessment-related policies can be found on myAdvisor (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2910).

Academic Integrity
It is the University's task to encourage ethical scholarship and to inform students and staff about the institutional standards of academic behaviour expected of them in learning, teaching and research. Students have a responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity in their work. Students must not cheat in examinations or other forms of assessment and must ensure they do not plagiarise.

Plagiarism
The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25128) which makes a comprehensive statement about the University's approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism.

Feedback on Assessment
Feedback is essential to effective learning and students can expect to receive appropriate and timely feedback on all assessment. For a detailed explanation of the feedback you are entitled to, you should consult the policy on Student Access to Feedback on Assessment. (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25109)

As a student you have a responsibility to incorporate feedback into your learning; make use of the assessment criteria that you are given; be aware of the rules, policies and other documents related to assessment; and provide teachers with feedback on their assessment practices.

There are certain steps you can take if you feel your result does not reflect your performance. Please refer to the myAdvisor web site. (http://www.uq.edu.au/myadvisor/index.html?page=2953)

Feedback in this Course

Any feedback about this course can be submitted either by email to the course coordinator or via the anonymous feedback page on the course website.

School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Assessment Guidelines

Misconduct

Further to the statement on academic integrity and plagiarism above, students are required to read and understand the ITEE policy on Student Misconduct (http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/about_ITEE/policies/student-misconduct.html).

Late Arrival or Non-attendance at Examinations

The policy and procedure for late arrival or non-attendance at centrally controlled examinations is set out in the University's Examinations policy (HUPP 3.30.5), sections 8 and 10.2.

The way in which late arrival at a School-controlled examination is dealt with will be at the discretion of the course coordinator, who may be guided by the policy for centrally controlled exams.

In the case that a student requests a special exam for a School-controlled exam, the request will be considered and, if allowed, the timing shall be determined by the course coordinator, in consultation with the School's Chief Examiner where necessary, and in accordance with HUPP 3.30.5. Unless otherwise indicated in the Course Profile, applications must be made in writing to the Head of School no later than one week after the exam. Late applications will not be accepted.
 
Examination Feedback
 
In addition to the advice above, students wishing to view examination answer scripts and/or question papers should consult with the School office (Room 217, General Purpose South Building [78], St Lucia; Room 218, Building 1, Ipswich) regarding arrangements. The ITEE policy on exam script viewing is available at http://study.itee.uq.edu.au/current_students/exam_script_viewing.html.

Supplementary Assessment

If you fail this course you may be eligible for supplementary assessment - see the general award rules and/or your program rules for details. You should note that even though you may be eligible for supplementary assessment under these rules, in some circumstances there may be no practical assessment that can be offered to allow you to meet the minimum passing requirements. These circumstances may include failure based on:
  • group or team based assessment;
  • attendance or class participation requirements;
  • laboratory-based assessment, where laboratories can't practically be made available after classes have finished;
  • project or thesis-based assessment, where a significant period of time would be required to undertake supplementary assessment;
  • progressive assessment, where subsequent assessment items build on earlier assessment items; or
  • multiple assessment items, where it is impractical to offer multiple supplementary assessment items.
If the course coordinator determines that there is no practical supplementary assessment that can be offered to allow you to improve your grade, then you will not be offered supplementary assessment and your grade will remain unchanged.

6.2 Other Policies and Guidelines

University Policies and Guidelines

Placement Courses
Students on a placement course – also known as a work placement, internship, industry study, industry experience, clinical practice, clinical placement, practical work, practicum, fieldwork, teaching practice – should refer to the University policy, Placement Courses (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25120) for detailed information.
 
Working with Children
Students whose studies include a professional/work placement, internship, clinical practice, teaching practice or other similar activity which involves them in regular contact with children should refer to the University policy, Working with Children Check - "blue card" (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25004) to find out how to apply for a ‘blue card’.
 
Students with a Disability
Any student with a disability who may require alternative academic arrangements, including assessment, in the course/program is encouraged to seek advice at the commencement of the semester from a Disability Adviser at Student Support Services. Refer to the University policy, Students with a Disability (Disability Action Plan) (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25122) and to the policy on Special Arrangements for Examinations for Students with a Disability (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25111

Where an adjustment is made to an accredited program, it is the responsibility of the relevant Faculty to liaise with professional and registration bodies regarding the acceptability of the change/s.  

Occupational Health and Safety
Undergraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25055) and Postgraduate Students (http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/index.html?page=25057) should be familiar with the University policies on occupational health and safety in the laboratory.

Other School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Guidelines

Ethical Clearance
If your course involves assignment or project work involving human subjects or human-related materials, you must investigate the need for ethical clearance and obtain it when required. Information on ethical clearance can be found at http://www.uq.edu.au/research/orps/index.html?page=5064&pid=5256.

Other Course Guidelines

Students must complete an Occupational Health and Safety Declaration before undertaking prac work in 47-401. This declaration can be found at http://studenthelp.itee.uq.edu.au/ohs/.
Students must also wear enclosed footwear when working in this lab.

Learning Summary

 

Below is a table showing the relationship between the learning objectives for this course and the broader graduate attributes developed, the learning activities used to develop each objective and the assessment task used to assess each objective.

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

1  understand number representations and be able to perform operations on and conversions between various representations
2  understand the operation of digital logic gates
3  understand various representations of logic functions (equations, truth-tables, schematics, simple timing diagrams) and be able to perform manipulations on and conversions between various representations
4  understand the operation of simple combinational logic circuits (e.g. decoders and multiplexers) and how such logic circuits can be constructed from simple logic gates
5  understand the operation of flip-flops and their usage in logic circuits
6  understand the operation of simple sequential logic circuits (e.g. counters and shift-registers)
7  understand how arithmetic and logical operations are performed by computers
8  understand the memory hierarchy that exists within computers (from registers to secondary storage) and the characteristics of the different types of memory, and be able to perform calculations using those characteristics
9  understand the principles of computer input-output (e.g. polling vs. interrupts, serial vs. parallel, synchronous vs. asynchronous)
10  understand the general architecture of a processor - the components that make it up and the communication used between the components (e.g. buses)
11  understand the difference between macroarchitecture and microarchitecture of a CPU and the operation of the fetch-execute cycle
12  understand the concept of an Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)
13  have an understanding of the functionality, use and architecture of the Atmel AVR microcontroller family
14  understand the different types of instructions an ISA may contain (e.g. data movement, arithmetic, branching etc) and what they're used for
15  understand why different machine instructions have different formats (e.g. opcode plus some number of operands)
16  understand the different types of addressing modes a microprocessor may support and when and why they might be used
17  understand the use of a stack in making procedure calls
18  understand the concept of interrupts and how they're supported in hardware, and understand the requirements of an interrupt service routine
19  understand the concept of assembly and assembly language and the relationship between assembly language and the underlying machine instructions
20  understand the concepts of interpretation and compilation and the differences between them
21  understand the principles of good assembly language programming
22  write, modify and debug AVR assembly language programs: specifically, programs which control AVR hardware and process data from and control devices external to the AVR
23  have an understanding of how to use the AVR microcontroller to build simple digital systems
24  be familiar with the basic concepts of the C programming language
25  write, modify and debug simple C language programs (including some targeted to the AVR microcontroller)
26  have a basic understanding of the concepts of linking and loading and the use of libraries
27  understand the concept of a virtual machine, in particular virtual memory
28  identify similarities and differences between several microprocessors and microcontrollers, and be familiar with the format and content of microprocessor and microcontroller datasheets
29  neatly wire-up and operate simple digital circuits, and use the LogiSim software application to draw and simulate digital circuits
30  use Atmel AVR Studio and other tools to write, assemble, simulate, debug and download programs to an Atmel AVR Project board, and use the GNU C cross-compiler with AVR Studio to write, compile and debug a C language program for an Atmel AVR Project board.


Assessment & Learning Activities

  Learning Objectives
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Learning Activities
Weekly Lecture (Lecture Series)
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Pracs (Practical)                                          
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Tutorials (Tutorial Series)                                              
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Weekly Contact (General Contact)                                                            
PASS help sessions (General Contact)                                                            
Assessment Tasks
Online quizzes                    
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Prac Exam One  
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