CS 273 Syllabus

• General Information, Office Hours, Etc.
• Policies
  • Grading
  • Late Homework and Makeup Exams
  • Attendance
  • Unacceptable Behavior
  • Incompletes
• Disabilities

General Information

Instructor

J. Pfeiffer, SH 136, 646-1605, pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu

Office Hours

MWF 9:30-10:30
and by appointment

Texts

• M68HC11 Reference Manual
• M68HC11 E Series Technical Data
• M68HC11 Programming Reference Guide
  The above manuals are supplied through the very generous assistance of Motorola, so there is no charge for them
• Miller, Microcomputer Engineering, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall, 1999. The book has a companion webpage. You really, really want to explore that web page, and the links from it - there is a lot of information there that will help you a lot.
• Lab manual, available in the department office when you pay the lab fee.

Prerequisites

At least C in CS 171 or EE 162

Lab Fee

Lab Fee: There is a $42.00 lab fee for each student, payable at the department office. Note: if you already have a copy of the lab manual, or you wish to share with someone in the class (not recommended), you may pay $35.00 and not get the manual.

Objectives

To learn the organization and use of general purpose computers, using the MC68HC11 as a model. We'll be focussing on real-time process control applications.

Topics

• Computer Components
• Computer Number Representation
• Computer Program Execution
• Input and Output; sensors and actuators
• Real Time Process Control
• Data Structures for High Level Languages
• Other Processors

Laboratory Facilities

• Each team of two students each will be issued a miniboard computer kit.
• There is a supply of LEGO parts and sensors from which to construct a robotic car.
• A number of the Linux computers in SH 118 are useable for this class. All necessary software (editors, the assembler, the simulator, the downloader) are available on these machines; the ones nearest the door are equipped with the necessary connector to download programs to the miniboards (the intent is to move these machines to the CS273 area in the lab. Unfortunately, some networking hardware did not arrive in time).

Policies

Grading

Your course grade will be based on three equally-weighted components:
• Assignments
• Project
• Exams

The minimum requirement for a D in this class is to turn in at least half of the homework assignments, and take half of the exams, and complete the last part of the project.

Beyond that, grades will be assigned on the following scale:

A:	81-100%
B:	61-80%
C:	41-60%
D:	0-40%

Note: this doesn't mean it's easy to get an A, it means my assignments, my exams and my grading are all rigorous

I expect partners to work together on both the hardware and software aspects of their projects (dividing a team up into a ``hardware person'' and a ``software person'' fails to give either partner the full experience of the course), and to be present in lab. If it becomes clear that a team member is not pulling his/her weight, I may allocate points for project components unequally between the team members.

A running average will be maintained showing current class standings.

Late Homework and Makeup Exams

I will be accepting late homework under the following conditions:

1. If you will be unable to complete an assignment on time, send me e-mail in advance explaining the circumstances, and the desired extension. If, in my judgement, the circumstances are unavoidable and the extension is reasonable, I will grant the extension. I reserve the right to require documentation of the circumstances.
2. If, as a result of an emergency (such as a medical emergency), you are unable to turn in an assignment on time, let me know the circumstances as soon as possible. If, in my judgement, the circumstances were an unavoidable emergency, I will take the homework late. I reserve the right to require documentation of the circumstances.
3. Note: conflicts with homework in other classes, simply failing to complete an assignment on time, and oversleeping, are not reasons I will accept for late homework.

Attendance

I do not take attendance in class, and your attendance (or lack thereof) in class will not directly affect your grade. However, you are responsible for the material covered in class, whether you are present or not. I do ask, as a matter of common courtesy, that you make every effort to be in class on time every day; while everyone has days on which they are running late, repeatedly arriving after the start of class is rude and should be avoided (if you have a time constraint that will force you to be late on a regular basis, please let me know).

However, If only one member of a team is present in lab, on a regular basis, I will regard that as evidence that the other member of the team is not contributing his or her fair share of the work.

Unacceptable Behavior

Each student in this class will be given a copy of the Rules of Conduct in Computer Science Classes, and the department's Computer Use Policy. You will be responsible for being aware of the contents of these documents, as well as in the Student Code of Conduct, and following the policies in them. In the event of academic misconduct, sanctions may be sought.

Incompletes

The University's policy on assigning Incompletes in classes is stated in the Bulletin as: ``Instructors may assign I grades only if the student is unable to complete the course due to circumstances beyond the student's control that develop after the last day to withdraw from the course. Examples of appropriate circumstances include doocumented illness, documented death or crisis in the student's immediate family, and similar circumstances. Job related circumstances are generally not appropriate grounds for assigning an I grade.'' I have discovered (somewhat to my chagrin) that I grades are being reviewed by the Dean's Office, and that these standards are being enforced at that level whether I want to assign an I or not.