1. ICS 324 Database Systems Second Semester 2007 - 2008 (072) Information & Computer Science Department

2. Instructor Information: Dr. Talal H. MaghrabiOffice: 22-308Phone:2083 Office Hours:11:00 - 11:50 S. M. W.(Or by appointment) E-Mail: maghrabi@.kfupm.edu.samaghrabi@.kfupm.edu.sa Web Page: http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/ics/maghrabi/http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/ics/maghrabi/ Experience: more than 15 years. Taught this course several times in different offerings (411and 334). Member of the developing team for the On-Line course Role Teaching and Assessment Expectation Students are encouraged to read the material before the class Students must always read the covered material after the class Grades are the responsibility of the student.

3. Course – ICS 324 “Database Systems” Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the course, students will be able to: 1.understand the basic concepts of databases, RDBMS and database theory. 2.understand and apply database design, development, and implementation. 3.understand advanced topics like query processing and optimization, concurrency and database recovery. 4.get an experience to work in a team environment

4. Course (Contd.) Details  ICS 324 - “Database Systems” Section: 02 (072)  Class Time: 10:00 - 10:50 S. M.W. Room: 24-128  Textbook: Fundamentals of Database Systems, by R. Elmasri and S. Navathe, Addison Wesley, 5th Edition, 2007.  Web Page: http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/ics/maghrabi/Teaching_Folder/ Database/ics324.htm http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/ics/maghrabi/Teaching_Folder/ Database/ics324.htm  WebCT: http://webcourses.kfupm.edu.sa/http://webcourses.kfupm.edu.sa/  Course Syllabus

5. Course (Contd.) Methodology  We will be mainly using the learner-centric methodology. While the instructor may still perform his traditional teaching, but students are expected to be more active and participative in learning the required material.  The course will be three 50-minutes classes a week, a total of 45 lectures. It will be used for lectures, exams and assignments discussion.  This course covers the basic concepts of Database Systems. These include the Architecture of database systems, database models, database languages, database design methodology and Transaction processing

6. Course (Contd.)  Methodology (Cont)  Enough time will be spent for every topic so that it will be covered thoroughly. Examples will be done in the class. PowerPoint slides will be used to save the time of writing. Students should bring their books to follow up. Exams, Quizzes and assignments will be given to complement what the student learns in the lecture.  To do well, the student must study and read the material explained in the class before attending the next class. This will help the student in understanding the material on time and also help him in asking related questions immediately. It will be better if the student can read the material before the class.

7. Expectation  This course carries 3-credit hours. It is an important course introducing several aspects of Database Systems as evident from the course-objectives section. All these factors make it a necessity that on the average about 3 hours/week/credit-hour of effort is expected from the student.  The student is expected to interact with the instructor on a frequent basis and review the difficulties he is facing and get the material clarified. Such an effort will bring the student back to the flow of course; otherwise he will lag behind and even the new material will become difficult to follow.  Reading/Writing assignments will be given on a regular basis. A team will consist of 3-4 students.

8. Tips to the Students In order to do well in this course the following points are to be noted and considered in your planning:  Your attitude to learn and the effort you put in for this course alone will be the primary agents that guide you in this course.  Taking notes is important. Once you take a note of what you consider to be important bits and pieces of information, write it down in your notes. On the same day after the class, review the relevant material and then prepare detailed notes. Such regular recollection, review, revision, and documentation will turn out to be very important in grasping the material and doing well in quizzes and examinations.

9. Tips to the Students (Contd.)  Regular interaction during the class & during the instructor's office hours is encouraged. There is nothing as a silly question. By raising doubts and posing questions, you will be helping yourself, others in the class, and the instructor in steering the coverage towards the weak points. So keep one thing in mind during this course: “ it is better to raise a doubt or pose a question, rather than suppressing it and face difficulties later on.  If you do not follow the instructor's pace/language, request him to slow down. Likewise, when you do not understand certain words or sentences request for an alternative explanation.

10. Tips to the Students (Contd.)  Reading, written & assignments as well as quizzes & examinations are part and parcel of the course. They are expected to supplement the coverage in the class/lab. So treat them that way instead of facing them just as tests for evaluating your performance.  There is no substitute for a regular (daily) preparation for this course. It will be far less effective, even if you spend two times more effort just before the examination days. Good luck and best wishes for a good semester.