Computer Operating Systems

Office Hours: M/W 1:00-3:00 PM, and by appointment.  In-person, or via Zoom, but including by Skype and Discord.
(These times are subject to change.) Please see my web site, http://emunix.emich.edu/~mevett for up-to-date hours.) See Canvas's Syllabus link for the Zoom link to my office hours.

Textbooks:

• Silberschatz, Galvin & Gagne, Operating Systems Concepts (10th edition) , Wiley, 2018 and Zybooks. This is an online, enhanced, e-book. There are abridged paperback versions, as well, but the ebook is cheaper, and has some nifty interactive features.  This book is required for the course!!  You must have a copy.
  
• Recommended (but not required): Any Java reference book from within the last five years, so long as it covers multi-threading.

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Course Summary: Students successfully completing the course will have learned the basic components, requirements and capabilities of operating systems.

Course Calendar:

All dates listed below are tentative. See Canvas for all actual due dates. Beware Canvas due dates not for this semester. If you see a due date not in this semester, I have not yet assigned that work!!! The assignment may well change before I give it out (or may not be assigned at all), when I will set an actual due date.

Exams will be held online via Canvas's LockDown Browser and the Respondus Monitor (which will record your face as you take the exam).  The exams are scheduled to be on the dates indicated in the calendar below.  You can take the exam anytime  during the ten hour period 11am to 11pm, but I will be reachable online from 11am-1pm during the exams.          

Grading Policy:

The final course grade will be a weighted average of the grades received in each of the following categories, as specified: Online participation 2%, Small projects & homeworks 18%, Programs 40%, Midterm exam 20%, Final exam 20%.  Participation will be measured by the quality and frequency of your interactions with Canvas, especialy any threaded discussions.

Students entrolled in COSC525 (i.e., graduate students) are required to complete all "extra credit" components of assignments, but will not actually receive extra credit. Exams for such students will also be graded on a separate, more difficult grading scale.

Tardiness Policy: Programming and other homework assignments will be due at 11:59PM on their due date. After that, assignments will be accepted up until 11:59PM of the following Sunday, but will suffer a full grade penalty. E.g., if a late programming assignment is worthy of an 'A', I will mark it a 'B'. Assignments more than one class late will not be accepted, and will receive a grade of 'F'. Missed assignments, and exams shall only be excused by a doctor's written note, verifying that the student was medically indisposed to participate on that day.

Grading of Programs: Programs shall be submitted to the Canvas "dropbox" corresponding to each assignment and will consist of a zip file of the source code or of an Eclipse project directory. The zip file should also contain a file named "README.txt", a simple text file, containing any directions I might need to run your program, as well as a description of any known bugs in the program. Grading of programming assignments will reflect three factors, weighted as shown.

1. (80%) Correctness -- does the program run correctly.
2. (10%) Style -- does the code adhere to class documentation standards? Is the code indented properly? Are the variable names mneumonic? How well has the student followed the basic formatting characteristics for the language?
3. (10%) Design -- is the program adequately decomposed (i.e., are the functions and procedures small enough to be comprehensible)? Are the class and structure definitions well chosen? How well has the student taken advantage of the language's capabilities?

Exams and Quizzes Online

All online exams/tests/quizzes will be conducted using the Respondus Lockdown Browser. You will be required to use a video camera for this. The system will record video as you take exams and track the orientation of your face to the camera as a way to ensure that students are not referencing notes during exams. The system also locks out other applications from using your screen during the exam. If you do not have a camera, please reach out to me well before the first exam/test.

Announcements and the Web Page:

Students should view Canvas regularly for announcements regarding programming assignments, readings, etc. I update course web pages frequently!

COVID-19 Situation

Because this is a fully online course, changes to the COVID situation hopefully won't have much impact on the course. Nonetheless, you should be able to find the latest requirements and recommendations regarding on-campus life at https://www.emich.edu/emusafe/.

Course Accessibility and Disability Statement

It is my goal that this class be an accessible and welcoming experience for all students, including those with disabilities that may impact their learning in this class. If anyone believes they may have trouble participating or effectively demonstrating learning in this course, please meet with me (with or without a Disability Resource Center (DRC) accommodation letter) to discuss reasonable options or adjustments. During our discussion, I may suggest the possibility/necessity of your contacting the DRC (240 Student Center; 734-487-2470; swd_office@emich.edu) to talk about academic accommodations. You are welcome to talk to me at any point in the semester about such issues, but it is always best if we can talk at least one week prior to the need for any modifications.

Other Resources

University Writing Center: The University Writing Center (UWC) offers writing support to all undergraduate and graduate students. In doing so, we value the diversity of our campus and honor all students and the languages they bring with them to the university.

Holman Success Center:  Provides Academic Support through a variety of virtual and in-person services.

University Library: Research support is available to all students, 24/7. This includes getting started with research, identifying sources to search, developing search strategies, evaluating resources, and more. See https://www.emich.edu/library/help/ask.php for all of the ways in which you can get help with research. Some University Library services have changed, and may continue to change, in response to the pandemic. Please check for current information at https://www.emich.edu/library/news/covid.php 

Student and Exchange Visitor Statement (SEVIS): For international students, the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) requires F and J students to report numerous items to the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS)

Title IX: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex under any education program or activity receiving federal financial aid. Sexual assault and sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX. What you need to know about Title IX 

Academic Irregularities

In addition to the articulated course specific policies and expectations, students are responsible for understanding all applicable university guidelines, policies, and procedures. The EMU Student Handbook is the primary resource provided to students to ensure that they have access to all university policies, support resources, and student's rights and responsibilities. Changes may be made to the EMU Student Handbook whenever necessary, and shall be effective immediately, and/or as of the date on which a policy is formally adopted, and/or the date specified in the amendment. Electing not to access the link provided below does not absolve a student of responsibility. For questions about any university policy, procedure, practice, or resource, please contact the Office of the Ombuds: 248 Student Center, 734.487.0074, emu_ombuds@emich.edu, or visit the website at www.emich.edu/ombuds. CLICK HERE to access the University Course Policies