CSCI 360 - Computer Programming In Assembler Language(4)
An in-depth study of assembler language programming on a third-generation computer, including internal and external subroutines, conditional assembly, and the macro language. Students are required to write a number of substantial programs. Extensive laboratory work.
The prerequisite for the course is CSCI 240.
The class meets on Monday and Wednesday, 2:00--3:15 in PM 253.
Course Organization
We have a web site for the course. The URL for the main page is:
http://faculty.cs.niu.edu/~hutchins/csci360/main.htm
We also have a Blackboard site for the course. You can reach it through this URL:
https://webcourses.niu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
Almost all information for the course will be on the web site. You will need the Blackboard site to submit your assignments. You can also find the grades on the assignments there.
Warning: You need to keep up with the course. This is a time-consuming class.
Please read your e-mail regularly. At some point, there could be announcements sent to the class by e-mail.
There is a great deal of information available on the course web site: notes, links to manuals, and practice exercises.
Textbooks
Definitely Required: You will need a document known as the "System/370 Reference Summary" or the "yellow card". It has recently become rather expensive, but we have a PDF version which is available through the course web site. You are allowed to use and will need a printed copy of this document when you take quizzes and tests.
Strongly Recommended: "Assembler Language with ASSIST and ASSIST/I" by Overbeek and Singletary. You might be able to get along without this, but if you don't get a copy, find a friend else who has one so you can borrow it now and then.
Recommended You can find these listed on the course web site. They are web pages or PDF files.
Assignments
There will probably be 9 programming assignments (and maybe an extra-credit assignment) and two other homework assignments that do not involve writing programs. The point value of each assignment will be announced on its web page.
You should include the following information in the documentation of each program you turn in:
To receive full credit, a program must be run by the due date and time specified by the instructor, and it must be submitted by the date and time specified by the instructor. When you run the job, the output file has a time stamp, and when you submit your work to Blackboard, the time is recorded. Up until the deadline, you may resubmit your work, and we will try to use the last version.
You should keep a backup copy of each program you hand in.
There is a penalty for late homework: 10 percent per day for up to 5 days. We will count weekends as one day. If you want to turn an assignment more than 5 days late, we cannot guarantee that it will be graded. Contact the TA to ask if you can turn it in so late. (It is probably still worth trying.) If you have a good reason for the work being late, you can discuss it with the TA or the instructor.
One exception to this policy is that you may have one (1) free extension allowing you to turn in an assignment up to one day late without penalty. If you want to use your free extension, you should state this in the documentation for the assignment and send an e-mail to the instructor or to the TA saying so. You may not use the free extension on the last homework assignment.
Please turn in the last assignment of the course on time. If the last assignment is turned in late, we cannot guarantee that it will be graded at all. The same applies to the Extra-Credit Assignment (if we have one and if you do it.)
Any program that does not show, in the instructor or TA's opinion, a reasonable attempt at completing the assignment will earn a grade of zero.
Grading of Assignments
The teaching assistant will grade all assignments. If you do not agree with the T.A.'s evaluation, you must confer with the T.A. first. If you still are not satisfied, bring your backup copy to your instructor. The instructor will examine it and give it a final grade (which could be higher, lower, or the same as the original grade). Any protest of assignment scores must be made within one week of the day the assignment is returned to the class.
Programming assignments will be graded on output, coding technique, documentation, and on the extent to which they conform to the objectives of the assignment.
What kinds of standards are used? You can be penalized for various matters including:
Exams
There will be two exams, a final exam and a series of perhaps 9 or 10 quizzes. Expect a quiz about once a week.
Exams and quizzes are given in class. If you must miss an exam due to illness, notify your instructor or the computer science department secretary, preferably before exam time. Be prepared to verify the illness with a note from your doctor. Makeup quizzes will not normally be given at all.
Any protest of exam or quiz scores must be made within one week of the day the item is returned in class.
Final Course Grade
Your final course total will be computed as:
40 * (Your Homework Total / Possible Homework Total) +
10 * (Your Quiz Total / Possible Quiz Total) +
15 * (Your Test 1 Total / Possible Test 1 Total) +
15 * (Your Test 2 Total / Possible Test 2 Total) +
20 * (Your Test 3 Total / Possible Test 3 Total)
Your grade will be based on your final course total. In the past, this has often been done using a scale such as:
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
Attendance Policy
You are responsible for everything said and handed out in class, including any modification of assignments or course requirements. If you miss a class, be sure to get notes from one or more classmates, and see your instructor for any handouts you may have missed. There will be no private repeat performances of lectures from your instructor. Reasonable questions, of course, will be answered.
Accommodations
Some students, for any of a number of reasons, may need some kind of accommodation (alternate exam conditions, note-taking assistance, sign-language interpretation, etc.).
If you need an accommodation for this class, please contact the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible. The DRC coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. It is located in Suite 180 of the Campus Life Building, and can be reached at 815-753-1303 (V) or drc@niu.edu.
Also, please contact me privately as soon as possible so we can discuss your accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs, the sooner we can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course. Do not simply wait until just before an exam as there is paperwork involved.
Academic Misconduct
You are to do your own work in this course, both in doing homework and in taking tests. Any student caught cheating may receive a grade of F in the class and will be subject to university disciplinary action. Department policy requires that any such infraction must be reported to the university's Judicial Officer.
Both "loaning" material to and "borrowing" material from a fellow student are considered cheating. Some discussions of assignments and mutual assistance normally are acceptable, but the discussion or assistance should not be so detailed and extensive that it begins to resemble collaboration.
If you feel there is possibility that what you are doing might be considered improper, do not do it! Any assistance needed should be sought from the teaching assistant or the instructor.
The Department of Computer Science has recently adopted a set of rules for conducting exams. You can find a copy here as a PDF file. Please read it.
Debugging Help
Instructors and teaching assistants are more than willing to help students. When you come for help, you are expected to have made an honest attempt to debug the abended program. We want you to learn to solve your own problems by really thinking about them and taking them as far down the path to solution as possible. Give it your best shot. Then, if you still need help, don't stew over it. Come see us.