Administrative Preliminaries Computer Architecture

Class Schedule & Office Hours Class Schedule (12-12:50 PM) –Monday and Wednesday: BEN 100 –Friday: BEN 008 Office hours –Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (EST) –By appointment: Drop me an 24 hours in advance. Unless you get a response from me, do not assume that the meeting is setup. –I have a open door policy. If you stop by and if I am not busy I will gladly help you and answer your questions.

Official Communication All official communication will be electronic –Blackboard will be the primary mechanism Course materials Announcements Schedule changes, and other information that pertains to the whole class – s For reminders and information requiring immediate attention Via your MU address only. It is your responsibility to check your MU everyday.

Reference Materials Study Materials –Textbook: Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, 3 rd Edition, published by Morgan Kaufmann/Elseiver (ISBN: ) –Success Strategy: You need to attend class regularly and diligently take notes –Other reference material are electronic and free Online E-books Presentations in class Handouts (Electronic only posted on Blackboard) Freely available manuals –URLs to various web sites

Grading Grade distribution –Homework: 50% Includes programming projects Take home Exercises In-class Exercises and In-class Pop quizzes! –No make-ups for in-class activity –Consider this as attendance –Exams (50%) Policy –Closed book. No reference material or discussions permitted –Only electronic device permitted is a “simple” calculator. Exam 1 (Thu, Oct 9 th 2008 from 7-9 PM): 15% Exam 2 (Thu, Nov 20 th 2008 from 7-9 PM): 15% Final exam (Wed, Dec 17 th 2008 from 5:30-7:30 PM): 20% –Final exam is comprehensive

Grading (Contd.) Exam grading policy –Partial credit for incorrect answers only if intermediate steps are clearly illustrated –Example What is the sum of (1+1)+2? –Case 1: »Answer = 5 »Points awarded = 0% –Case 2: »(1+1) = 2 »2+2 = 5 »Points awarded = 50%

Late Submission Late submission will NOT be accepted! –Unless prior permission is obtained via Unless you hear from me via , you may not assume you have an extension Maximum extension is 3 days Extensions cost 25% of points each day –Unless you have written documentation –For University related activities –Due to Medical reasons or funerals Maximum extension is 3 days No penalty for in this case

Programming Programming homework policy –Program compiles and executes as expected for valid inputs:100% –Program does not compile and/or link: 0% –Failure to adhere to stipulated submission procedures Lose 10% of the points Submission procedure includes: file naming conventions, directory organization, documentation, and uploading to Blackboard by the stipulated deadline.

Programming (Contd.) Programming homework policy (Contd.) –Program compiles and partially runs: 0-90% Partial credit depending on extent to which it runs –Zero for skeleton programs even if they compile & link –Loose approximately 10% for each defect or line of code that needs to be modified to resolve bug(s) –Defects include (but are not limited to): »Deviation from stipulated instructions »Algorithmic problems, logic and/or semantic errors »Incorrect instructions or inconsistent memory access »Incorrect data types »Errors in handling edge cases. Detailed In-line documentation reduces penalty. –Documentation should clearly highlight algorithm or strategy

Final Grades No grade curves! –Your grade does not depend on somebody else’s efforts or lack of it Your grades are solely determined by your efforts –Reserve right to assign +/- grades Grades will be assigned at the end of the semester

Detailed Policy Refer to Blackboard for –General information on the course –Links to reference materials –Policies Homework Exams –Grading –Tentative schedule List of topics, chapters in the textbook to review, and timelines