Course Syllabus
Hardware and Operating Systems – INFT130
Winter 2009 (updated
1/11/2009)
Course
Syllabus in Microsoft Word is available at:
www.fineberg.com/INFT130/syllabus-inft130.doc
Instructor: Jeff Fineberg
Email: st.fineberg.jeff@mail.bryantstratton.edu
Course URL: www.fineberg.com/inft130
Course Time: Thursday 6:25pm-9:45pm
Course Location: Room B06 –
Office hours: Room B06 – Thursday 5:55-6:25 (or by
appointment)
Biographical
Information: I have 20 years of professional IT experience. I have held various positions including Software
Development, Systems Administration, Database Administration, Project
Management and Teaching. I have worked
on platforms including Mainframe MVS, Unix, Linux, and various flavors of
Windows. Regarding formal education, I
received a Diploma in Data Processing from Bryant and Stratton in 1983, a
Bachelors Degree in “Music and Media Studies” from the University at Buffalo in
1992, and a Masters Degree in Computer Science in 2004.
Course Description: This course gives an overview of both
computer hardware, computer software and the interoperability that is necessary
for these two areas to work together. In
order to gain this understanding, we will look at the details of various operating
systems and computers. The most critical
aspect that we will gain an understanding with is the problem solving that is
necessary to solve computer issues. We
will also look at current issues that affect hardware and software, such as
viruses and spyware, as the impact of these problems is significant. In addition to covering the Windows operating
system, (based upon class interest) we may also discuss another operating
system, Linux.
Course Outcomes: Configure operating systems and
application software, and demonstrate an understanding of computers, input, output
and storage devices. Identify,
troubleshoot, and upgrade major components of a computer system. Demonstrate an ability to properly configure
system settings, and be able to read, understand and modify system files. Properly maintain components of a computer
system. Assess, prioritize, and
communicate in a troubleshooting environment.
We will also look at some of the current issues affecting software and
hardware, such as viruses, spyware, etc.
Prerequisites: INFT111 (or equivalent
experience)
Textbook: “A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining
Your PC” (sixth edition) by Jean Andrews (Thomson)
Text and Lab manual: “A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining
Your PC” (sixth edition) by Jean Andrews / Todd Verge
Interesting
Websites (picked by students and instructor)
Time
Management and Study Skills Resources
Class Date |
Topic(s) Discussed / Activities |
Assignments / |
Jan 15 |
Introductions
and Course Overview. Course Survey |
-
Read
Chapter 1 |
Jan 22 |
Chapter 1 -
Introducing Hardware Lab
exercises |
-
Read
Chapter 1 |
Jan 29 |
Chapter 1 -
Introducing Hardware (continued) Lab
exercises |
-
Assignment from Chapter 1 -
Read
Chapter 2 -
Study
for Quiz 1 |
Feb 5 |
Chapter 2 – Introducing Operating Systems
Lab
Exercises Quiz 1 – covering Chapter 1
|
-
Read
Chapter 2 |
Feb 12 |
Chapter 2 – Introducing Operating Systems
(continued)
Lab
Exercises |
-
Assignment from Chapter 2 -
Read
Chapter 3 -
Study
for Quiz 2 – Chapter 2 |
Feb 19 |
Chapter 3 –
PC Repair Fundamentals Quiz 2 – covering Chapter 2
|
-
Read
Chapter 5 |
Feb 26 |
Chapter 5 –
Processors and Chipsets Midterm Grades
Available |
-
Assignment from Chapter 3 & 5 -
Read
Chapter 6 |
Mar 5 |
Chapter 6 –
Configuring and Supporting a Motherboard |
-
Read
Chapter 7 |
Mar 12 |
Chapter 7 –
Upgrading Memory |
-
Assignment from Chapter 6 & 7 -
Read
Chapter 8 |
Mar 19 |
Chapter 8 –
Understanding and Installing Hard Drives |
-
Read
Chapter 11 -
Study
for quiz 3 – Chapters 3,5,6,7 |
Mar 24 |
Portfolio Development Day – don’t forget
to attend! (not part of our class) |
|
Mar 26 |
Chapter 11 – Installing Windows 2000/XP
Quiz 3 – covering Chapters 3,5,6,7
|
-
Final Project Assigned -
Read
Chapter 12 -
Read
Chapter 13 -
Review
Appendix E – Linux (pg 1251)
for class discussion |
Apr 2 |
Appendix E
– Linux Chapter 12
– Maintaining Windows 2000/XP Chapter 13
– Supporting Windows 2000/XP Users and their Data |
-
Work
on final project (don’t
wait) -
Study
for Quiz 4 – Chapters 8,11,12,13 |
Apr 9 |
Troubleshooting
and prevention of common external problems – REGEDIT, software firewalls,
Adware, viruses, programs in startup sequence, etc. Quiz 4 – covering Chapters 8,11,12,13 |
-
Work
on final project |
Apr 16 |
Final Project
presentations
|
-
final
project due April 7
|
Apr 23 |
Course and
Testing reinforcement Course
conclusions – miscellaneous topics |
-
Have
a nice break! |
(Bold items
in schedule are of high importance)
The following
parameters are *generally* being used for grading assignments and projects are:
Grading
Aspect |
Level 1:
5-10 points |
Level |
Level |
Organization |
Difficult
to follow and understand. |
Some
aspects could use further clarification. |
Easy to
understand points that were made. |
Accuracy |
Several
inaccuracies were found in the work. |
The work
was generally good, but at least one inaccuracy was found. |
All work
was found to be correct from the standpoint of accuracy. |
Completeness |
The work
was not complete, therefore the usefulness of it was low. |
There was
at least one aspect to the work that wasn’t completed. |
The work
covered all the required aspects and could be used in a ‘real world’ setting. |
Citing
of sources |
Unpublished
Source used for the work. No Published
sources used. |
Published
sources used mainly, however there were some unpublished sources. |
All sources
for the work were from well-noted published sources. |
What is meant
by the use of the term *generally*? If
there is a deviance from this Rubric, it will be provided on the assignment.
Authentic assessment: Comprehension of the material will be
assessed through homework assignments, quizzes and a final project, using the
following grading policy:
Quizzes |
20% (4 @ 5%
each) |
Assignments |
40% (4 @
10% each) |
Final
Project |
25% |
Class
participation (labs, quizzes, contributions) |
15% |
A |
90-100 |
B |
80-89 |
C |
70-79 |
F |
Below 70 |
Comments regarding grading criteria
and material:
-
Quizzes
are given to help you gauge your understanding of the material. They consist of material covered within the
period since the previous quiz. Since
some material builds on previous topics, quizzes may be somewhat
comprehensive. Advanced arrangements must be made if a quiz is to be missed (unless a
documented emergency exists).
-
Projects
consist of writing programs to implement elements from the material covered in
class and from reading assignments. Note
that the final project is worth 25%.
Portfolio Inclusion – the written assignments and final
project are both good candidates for your portfolio. It is important that your work be well
formatted for this purpose.
Critical Workplace Skills – this course will have an emphasis
on persistence, a sense of quality,
problem solving, processing information (utilizing past experience to
enhance your knowledge – the ability to learn new information) and systems
thinking (realization of how a current task fits into a larger picture).
Lifelong Learning Competency
Development – this
course will help with the development of lifelong learning through knowledge
discovery, research and problem solving activities.
Make-up Policy / Late Work
-
Assignments/Projects
not submitted in by the due date will be penalized by 20% per day. If a test is missed with no advanced warning,
it is the instructor’s discretion as to whether or not a make-up test will be
allowed.
Incompletes: under normal circumstances these are
not given. Where appropriate, any
special cases need to be approved by the Dean’s office.
Student Support Services (SSS): Specific blocks of time are set aside
in the morning, afternoon and evening when both students and instructors are
available. Please take advantage of this
valuable resource. Please refer to my
office hours for times to obtain any additional help you may need.
Class List by email: Periodically messages may be sent via
email to everyone regarding assignments, etc.
Also, please feel free to email me directly with any questions or
suggestions at: st.fineberg.jeff@mail.bryantstratton.edu
Attendance: attending class is critical in order
to gain an understanding of the material.
In addition, there is material that you will be responsible for that is
covered only in class (in addition to the text).
Class participation: This portion of your grade is
composed of attendance, class activity work, answering questions in class,
suggesting useful / interesting resources, URLs, etc.
Classroom Etiquette: please exercise good judgment during
the class. Make sure that your cell
phones aren’t set up to ring. During
class lecture, conversations should involve the topics being discussed and
should be shared with the class. Also,
it is the school policy that food and drink should not be brought into the
classroom.
Academic Integrity /
Plagiarism: It is
expected that each student perform his or her own work. Any acts of plagiarism will be dealt with
according to the policy of Bryant and Stratton.