Instructor:	Dr. Jan Pearce		C.P.O.:	1815
Office:	304-B Draper Hall (859) 985-3569		Office Hours:	MTWF 9:30 to 10:50 am
E-mail:	pearcej@berea.edu		Feel free to send e-mail for appointments at other times.

The Course Goals To become familiar with the major concepts of operating systems, including the history and purpose of operating systems; process, memory, and storage management; protection and security issues, as well as distributed vs. non-distributed systems. To become acquainted with UNIX operating systems, including history and design principles, various programmer and user interfaces, process and memory management implementations, file and I/O systems, and the impact and interplay with the Internet To gain practice working in a UNIX environment using LINUX and to come to better understand the inner workings of Windows XP. To learn to more effectively communicate computational concepts to others. To become a more independent learner and logical thinker.

The Text Our main required text is the third edition of Operating Systems, 6th Edition - with Windows XP Update by Silberschatz and Galvin. We will cover topics from the majority of the chapters in this text. Computer Work: Though our required text covers all of the major topics in the course, the majority of the learning in this course will take place in doing the assigned computer work and other homework. Thus, the assignment descriptions themselves should prove a valuable resource.

The Grading Policies For the benefit of the students in the class, all course grade computations are continually updated by the instructor, so students may check frequently on their in-progress course grade during the term.
	After having completed all work prior to the final exam and before dropping any points or receiving any bonuses, any student who is receiving a B- or better on the above maximum scale using the appropriately weighted set of tests, quizzes, and assignments and who is satisfied with her or his grade, may elect to receive that grade as a final grade and will not be required to take the final exam. So that all are in agreement, this decision must be discussed in advance with the instructor.
	For students taking the final exam, the lowest score earned on one 100 point exam score, quiz total or assignment item will be dropped before computing the final grade. If the lowest percentage score is earned on the 200 point final exam, then one half of the final exam score will be dropped.
	A student's final grade may be raised above her or his earned percentage grade if in the instructor's opinion the student shows significantly improved work in the course or on the comprehensive final exam.

The Assignment Bonus

Assignments will be assigned on a near-daily basis, since doing assignments thoughtfully and conscientiously is one of the keys to success in this course. Through assignments students get the needed practice of application of the concepts. Because the instructor desires to strongly encourage a diligent effort on assignments, students who turn in each of their assignments with no more than three assignments submitted late, will be awarded an additional 10% on the assignment grade!

The Tests and Quizzes Tests and frequent short quizzes will be given in this course. Approximately one announced quiz will be given each week in which there is no test. In general, the announced quizzes will consist of questions on the assigned text readings or assignment-like problems. The most likely time of the three tests will be:
Test 1: Week of February 21 Test 2: Week of March 14 Test 3: Week of May 2
Problems that appear on the tests will be more varied in nature, ranging from assignment-like problems to problems that require a deeper synthesis of ideas and from true or false questions to short-answer questions.

The Final Exam Because the "first hour and first day of class meeting determines the final examination hour and day", the comprehensive final exam will be during the regularly scheduled final exam period, Wednesday, May 18, from 8:00 to 9:50 am, on the third day of Spring Term finals. By Berea College policy, no instructor can reschedule a final exam on his or her own, so please plan now to take it then.

The Attendance Policy Class lectures, discussions, and in-class computer work are considered to be a vital key to success in this course. It is the hope of the instructor that class sessions are both informative and useful, therefore attendance is expected at each class session unless a specific exception is made. This policy will be enforced in several ways. Quizzes may be announced or occasionally "popped," and because the lowest quiz grade will be dropped, under nearly all circumstances, make-up quizzes will not be given. Likewise, make-up tests will under almost no circumstances be given, so missed tests will therefore count as the student's dropped 100 points. Absences from class are noted, and repeated absences will adversely affect the student's grade. The final grade may be lowered by one third of a letter grade for each absence after the fourth. Thus, it is the responsibility of the student to speak to the instructor about each absence from class. This should be done as soon as possible, and if at all possible before the absence occurs. Students who miss class are held responsible for all of the material covered, assigned, and collected during their absence.

On Assignment Collection All written work should be neat, organized, and should show sufficiently many steps to demonstrate a clear understanding of the techniques used. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the announced date due. If a student must miss class due to either a sickness or a planned absence, assignments are still expected to be submitted on time. Assignments are posted on the web and may be requested in advance. Late assignments will be accepted for reduced credit up until the assignment is returned, and late work must be labeled as late. Written or printed assignments may be turned in before class or at the instructor's office, but should NOT be sent through the CPO, attached in e-mail, or given to a student assistant. A selection of the assignment problems will be graded for credit, and assignments not meeting the above standards may receive reduced credit.

On Teamwork Learning to work in teams effectively is strongly encouraged. Some assignments may be specifically designed for teamwork, others for individual work, but on most assignments you can choose to work alone or in a team. All assignments must clearly include all of the authors' names at the top of each page. On any assignment in which half or more of the work was completed in a team, a single copy of the assignment should be handed in with all of the team's participants listed as authors. Teams can generally consist of one or two members due to the nature of the work in this course. Unless otherwise stated, teams shall not consist of more than two members for most work. On any assignment where less than half of the work was completed in a team, individual assignments should be handed in with the author acknowledging all of the help received for each problem. This includes significant help received from the instructor or in the Math/CS Lab Consultants. Note that the instructor or a Math/CS Lab Consultant may help with assignments, and while this help should not be acknowledged as co-authorship, it should still be mentioned. This is meant to be a sharing process; do not "give credit" to other students who have not attempted to contribute to the work or to the team's work, because it is ultimately not a help for the student who did not contribute to the work. Thoughtful practice, not (even mindful) copying, is ultimately the best way to learn. Note that on all team-completed assignments, students must describe the roles played by each author on the assignment. Warning: Please be careful to conform to these standards for teamwork, since they are designed to encourage good learning practices. (Furthermore, copying another's work or otherwise failing to adhere to these standards may even result in a charge of academic dishonesty.)

The Class Atmosphere The members of this class constitute a learning community. Learning in such a community best takes place in an atmosphere in which instructor and the students treat everyone with mutual respect. Students need not always raise their hands in order to ask questions or to make comments, but they should not interrupt the instructor or fellow students in doing so. Students typically find the atmosphere set by the instructor to be a sometimes playful and nearly always relaxed one, but students will still need to work hard and consistently both in and out of class in order to do well. If at anytime you have thoughts, comments, or suggestions about how the class atmosphere could be improved or made into one that is more supportive of your learning, please come by or drop me a note about it. I welcome such suggestions.

For Additional Help The teaching assistant for this course will be Matt Isaacs. He will be able to answer questions about the mathematical and computational content in the course during consultations in the Math/CS Lab. Located in Draper 302, the Math/CS Lab is open Sunday through Thursday from 7:00 to 9:15 PM (except on evenings of convocations when it closes early). Students are strongly encouraged to make use of the help available in the Math/CS Lab, as well as in the instructor's office hours. Best results are obtained trying to solve problems alone or in a group before asking for help, so in either place, students should be prepared to show what they have already tried. Topics in this course build throughout the course, so students should be sure to do their best to keep up with the class, so as to not get behind and possibly forever lost. No question to which one does not know the answer is "dumb" unless it goes unanswered because it remained unasked.