Hardware & Software
Concepts
CS 332
FALL Semester 2003
Instructor:
Prof. Judy
Hansen-Childers
Office: Room 209
Office
Phone: 859-1335
Office
Hours:
Mondays
1 PM to 4 PM
Wednesdays
1 PM to 3 PM
Friday
1 PM to 2 PM
Other
times by appointment
Home
Phone: 582-7632
E-Mail: hansenj@thomas.edu
Snow
Phone / Cancellation Line:
859-1140
Class Schedule:
Tuesdays and Thursdays - From
Text and
Materials - Required:
Introduction to PC
Hardware and Troubleshooting (ISBN 0-07-222632-3), by Mike Meyers (McGraw Hill/Osbourne)
Tool
Kit (Available at Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, and Computer Stores)
3-Ring
Binder
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Prerequisites: CS 115 and sophomore
standing
This course is designed to
introduce microcomputer hardware and software concepts. It will provide a
strong foundation for maintenance and troubleshooting. The student will have
hands-on applications of basic troubleshooting and will develop the ability to
recognize common sources of problems and adopt solutions / preventive
maintenance techniques.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To introduce
the student to basic microcomputer components.
To provide the
student with experience in preventive maintenance procedures for personal
computers and peripherals.
To familiarize
the student with methods and overall operations of diagnostic and utility
software.
To provide the
student with a basic understanding of the concepts of troubleshooting
microcomputer systems and determination of problem sources.
To demonstrate
repair techniques for the most common failures of microcomputer equipment.
To understand
how to analyze computer components, systems and peripherals for acquisition.
To understand
the process of building a computer.
To understand
the terminology, functions and concepts of computer hardware and operating
systems.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Students will
have assigned readings from the text and handouts. Students will be expected to complete the
assigned readings and lab projects by their due dates. A short quiz will be given every other
Tuesday covering the concepts addressed the week before. There will be two exams, each covering
one-half of the course.
GRADING
SYSTEM:
A (94 - 100) A-
(90 - 93) B+ (87 - 89) B (83 - 86) B- (80 - 82)
C+ (77 - 79) C (73 - 76) C- (70
- 72) D+ (67 - 69) D (63 - 66)
D- (60 - 62) F (below 60)
GRADING:
Lab
Projects
..40%
Quizzes
..
.
.30%
Exam 1
...
.
15%
Exam
2
.
. 15%
ATTENDANCE:
Students
are expected to attend all class sessions and to be prepared to either discuss
the assigned readings or engage in class projects. If a student must miss a
class session, it is the students responsibility to arrange other ways of
obtaining the information covered in class. Please notify the instructor in
advance if you have
to miss a class. Students with excessive absences may not receive a passing
grade.
INTEGRITY OF SCHOLARSHIP:
Students who plagiarize papers and
projects or cheat on exams will receive zeros for the work in question and may
fail the course.
OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES:
·
Changes
in the syllabus and assignments may be modified as deemed appropriate by the
instructor. All changes will be
announced in class.
·
Students
with a disability who are requesting academic accommodations should contact
SYLLABUS ALERT!!
This is a dynamic document. Since this is a rapidly changing field, I often run
across something interesting during the course and add it on. J
Important Links
Final Exam Study Guide
SCHEDULE
|
DATE |
TOPICS |
|
|
9/2, 9/4 |
Introduction to How Computers
Work, Computer Safety and the Toolkit |
|
|
|
(Chapter 1) |
|
|
9/9, 9/11 |
Central Processing Units (CPUs) |
|
|
|
(Chapter 2) |
|
|
9/16, 9/18 |
Random Access Memory (RAM) |
|
|
|
(Chapter 3) QUIZ 1 9/16
(CH. 1 & 2) |
|
|
9/23, 9/25 |
Motherboards and BIOS |
|
|
|
(Chapter 4) |
|
|
9/30, 10/2 |
Expansion Buses |
|
|
|
(Chapter 5) QUIZ 2 9/30
(CH. 3 & 4) |
|
|
10/7, 10/9 |
Power Supplies and Cases |
|
|
|
(Chapter 6) |
|
|
BREAK! |
Columbus Day
Weekend October 10 - 13 |
|
|
10/14, 10/16 |
Removable Media |
|
|
|
(Chapter 7) QUIZ 3
10/14 (CH. 5 & 6) |
|
|
10/21, 10/23 |
Hard Drives |
|
|
|
(Chapter 8) |
|
|
10/28, 10/30 |
CD Media (Chapter 9) QUIZ 4
10/28 (CH. 7 & 8) |
|
|
10/30 Midterm Exam |
MIDTERM EXAM (CHAPTERS
1 8) |
|
|
11/4, 11/6 |
Small
Computer System Interface (SCSI) |
|
|
|
(Chapter 10) |
|
|
11/11, 11/13 |
Video |
|
|
|
(Chapter 11) QUIZ 5 11/11
(CH. 9 & 10) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11/18, 11/20, 11/25 |
Input Devices |
|
|
|
(Chapter 12) |
|
|
BREAK! |
Thanksgiving Break November 26 - 30 |
|
|
12/2, 12/4 |
Sound |
|
|
|
(Chapter 13) QUIZ 6
12/2 (CH. 11 & 12) |
|
|
12/9, 12/11 |
Printers |
|
|
|
(Chapter 14) |
|
|
Week of December
15th |
FINAL EXAM (CHAPTERS 9 14) |
|
This syllabus may be changed at the discretion of the
instructor
Last
Updated: August
29, 2003
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