Center for Learning and Technology

COURSE SYLLABUS
OPERATING SYSTEMS

COS-352-GS
 Course Syllabus
OPERATING SYSTEMS
COS-352-GS
©Thomas Edison State University
January 2017
 Course Essentials

Operating Systems provides an understanding of operating systems, and therefore, an

understanding of the workings of the entire computer system, because it is the operating
system that manages each and every piece of hardware and software. In this course you
will learn what operating systems are, how they work, what they do, and why.
Comparison of the major operating systems is included. Due to the nature of this course,
it is advisable for you to have already taken an introductory course in computers and to
have experience with programming in at least one computer language.

Objectives
After completing Operating Systems, you should be able to:

• Explain the structure of an operating system.

• Describe the memory manager.
• Describe the processor manager.
• Describe the device manager.
• Explain the user command interface.
• Describe network organization in hardware and software.
• Compare network and distributed operating systems.
• Explain security measures in use to protect systems against security breaches.
• Evaluate and compare operating systems.

Course Materials
In addition to the Course Syllabus, you will need the following textbook to do the work
of the course. It is available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Textbook

McHoes, A.M. & Flynn, I.M. (2014). Understanding Operating Systems (7th ed.). Boston,
MA: Cengage Learning.

ISBN 13: 978-1285096551

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Course Structure
Operating Systems is a three-credit, 12-week course consisting of weekly study
assignments from the textbook, ten written assignments, and two examinations.

Each week you will complete a written assignment and send it to your mentor for
correction and grading. In addition, the course requires you to take two examinations—
a midterm exam and a final exam.

Written Assignments
Operating Systems has ten (10) written assignments. The “Course Calendar” lists
specific exercises taken from your textbook that you are to work on and submit to your
mentor as part of the written assignments. The boxes in the “Written Assignments”
section of the syllabus also list the exercises. The first nine assignments are based on
these exercises.

Assignment 10 requires you to write a report comparing and contrasting different types
of operating systems. This assignment should be four to six typed pages in length.

Examinations
You are required to take two (2) proctored online examinations: a midterm exam and a
final exam. Both exams require that you use the University's Online Proctor Service
(OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student
Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information
about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You
are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the course
Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.

Midterm Examination

The midterm is a two-hour, closed-book exam. It covers the material from chapters 1–8
of the textbook. The midterm exam consists of multiple-choice and short essay
questions.

Final Examination

The final is a two-hour, closed-book exam. It covers the material from chapters 9–16 of
the textbook. The final exam consists of multiple-choice and short essay questions.

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Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
• Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on
the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
• Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from
any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying
and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself
or anyone else.
• Plagiarizing answers.
• Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the
exam.
• Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
• Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at an exam because your
connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be
declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Grading
Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Written Assignments (10) 50 percent

Midterm Examination 25 percent
Final Examination 25 percent

Letter grades for assignments and examinations equate to numerical grades as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any
work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade
equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A = 93–100 C+ = 78–79
A– = 90–92 C = 73–77
B+ = 88–89 C– = 70–72
B = 83–87 D = 60–69
B– = 80–82 F = Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of
study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the
weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion
postings, etc.).

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Strategies for Success
To succeed in this course, consider following these steps:

• Read carefully the entire “Course Essentials” section of this syllabus, making
sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the
materials required for the course.

• Take the time to read the entire Student Handbook section of the Course Manual.
The handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the
course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational
experience at Thomas Edison State University.

• Before you begin working your assignments, take the time to fill in the dates for
the current semester on the “Course Calendar.” The Week-by-Week dates you
will need to plan your semester’s work are located within the first section of this
Course Manual. Once you fill out the calendar, you will know exactly when to
begin your reading assignments, when your written assignments are due, and
when to schedule your examinations.

• Each week, consult the “Course Calendar” in the syllabus to determine which
chapter in the textbook you are to read and what exercises or essays you are to
do for your assignments. It is essential that you follow the “Course Calendar”
each week to ensure that you stay on track throughout the course.

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 Course Calendar
Using the table of week-by-week dates in the General Course Instructions, write the
dates for the current semester in the second column. In the last column, fill in the actual
date for sending each assignment and taking examinations.

Textbook Due Date/

Week Dates Chapter(s) Exercises Assignme Exam Date
nt

1 (Send by
2-9
1 1 Monday of
Pages 26-27
Week 2)

1-3, 6, 10, 12, 2 (Send by

2 13 Monday of
2 Pages 53-54 Week 3)
3, 5, 6, 13
3
Pages 96-98

3 (Send by
1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12
3 4 Monday of
Pages 134-136
Week 4)

2, 6, 10 4 (Send by
5
Pages 165-168 Monday of
4
3, 5, 8, 14 Week 5)
6
Pages 204-206

2, 3, 4, 8, 11, 5 (Send by
5 7 12 Monday of
Pages 250-253 Week 6)

6 (Send by
1, 2, 6, 8, 9
6 8 Monday of
Page 287
Week 7)

MIDTERM EXAMINATION
7
(covers Chapters 1-8)

8 9 5-7, 11, 12, 19 7 (Send by

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 Pages 322-323 Monday of
Week 9)

Textbook Due Date/

Week Dates Chapter(s) Exercises Assignme Exam Date
nt

1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 8 (Send by
9 10 12 Monday of
Pages 349-350 Week 10)

1, 2, 4, 5 9 (Send by
11
10 Page 377 Monday of
1, 3, 11, 14 Week 11)
12
Pages 401-402

10 (Send
by
11 13-16
Monday of
Week 12)

FINAL EXAMINATION
12
(covers Chapters 9-16)

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 Written Assignments
The first nine assignments consist of exercises taken from your textbook. Assignment 10
requires you to compare and contrast operating systems; this assignment should be four
to six double-spaced, typed pages.

Assignment 1: Week 1
(Due Monday Week 2)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

1 26-27 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Assignment 2: Week 2
(Due Monday Week 3)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

2 53-54 1-3, 6, 10, 12, 13
3 96-98 3, 5, 6, 13

Assignment 3: Week 3
(Due Monday Week 4)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

4 134-136 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12

Assignment 4: Week 4
(Due Monday Week 5)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

5 165-168 2, 6, 10
6 204-206 3, 5, 8, 14

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Assignment 5: Week 5
(Due Monday Week 6)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

7 250-253 2, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12

Assignment 6: Week 6
(Due Monday Week 7)

8 287 1, 2, 6, 8, 9

Assignment 7: Week 8
(Due Monday Week 9)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

9 322-323 5-7, 11, 12, 19

Assignment 8: Week 9
(Due Monday Week 10)

10 349-350 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12

Assignment 9: Week 10
(Due Monday Week 11)

Textbook Chapters Page(s) Exercises

11 377 1, 2, 4, 5
12 401-402 1, 3, 11, 14

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Assignment 10: Week 11
(Due Monday Week 12)

Textbook Chapters 13-16

Choose THREE operating systems below and describe the major advantages and
disadvantages of each:

• MS-DOS operating system

• Windows operating system
• UNIX and Linux operating system
• Android operating system
• iOS operating system
• macOS operating system

Your essay should be four to six pages in length. Do not merely copy from your reading
materials. Creative thinking and your own words are important aspects of an effective
answer. When it is appropriate to use quotations or paraphrase from your text or study
materials, be sure to cite your sources properly using APA format.

Web Resources

The Web resources listed below are offered as a supplement to your reading activities.
They may be helpful for you to complete assignments 9 and 10.

Feel free to explore these websites as your time permits. If the links become unavailable
or dead, you can search the web using the key topics.

• Computer Software Information and Help with Microsoft DOS (Computer

Hope)
This site contains some general and command specific information about MS-
DOS.
http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm

• Windows 10 (Microsoft)
This is the Windows 10 home page. Links are available from this page to assorted
types of information about this popular operating system.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

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• Mac System Software (operating-system.org)
You will find a brief history of macOS and other operating systems.
http://www.operating-system.org/betriebssystem/_english/bs-macos.htm

• Operating System Security

This is a brief introduction of operating system security based on Chapter 15 of
Silberschartz, Gagne, and Galvin’s book, Operating System Concepts, 7th.
https://www.cs.uic.edu/~jbell/CourseNotes/OperatingSystems/15_Security.html

• Operating System - Security (tutorialspoint.com)

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/operating_system/os_security.htm

• UNIX Tutorial for Beginners

A beginners guide to the Unix and Linux operating system. Eight simple
tutorials which cover the basics of UNIX / Linux commands.
http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/

• What Is Unix? (The Open Group)

You can read about the history of the UNIX system over the past 40 years or
more.
http://www.unix.org/what_is_unix.html

• Linux Guide/How Linux Works (WikiBooks.org)

“Linux is built with a certain set of unifying principles in mind. Understanding
these principles is very helpful in understanding how the system works as a
whole.” This site gives a brief introduction of Linux and its principles.
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Linux_Guide/How_Linux_Works

• The Complete Beginner's Guide to Linux (Linux.com) The site includes all the
information you need to get up to speed on the Linux platform.
https://www.linux.com/learn/complete-beginners-guide-Linux%20

• Android Tutorial by Larry Walters (2011) This tutorial is a brief overview of

some major concepts of Android.
http://pl.cs.jhu.edu/oose/resources/android/Android-Tutorial.pdf

• Android concepts and programming by Kartik Sankaran (2014) These slides help
you quickly get started with Android programming.
http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~kartiks/nusdtn/Tutorials/Android_Tutorial1.pdf

• The 12 Best Android Tutorials for First-Time App Developers by Ada Ivanoff
(2015). https://www.sitepoint.com/12-android-tutorials-beginners/

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• Windows tutorials at http://www.top-windows-tutorials.com/

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