UCC/UGC/ECCC
Proposal for New Course
Please attach proposed Syllabus in approved university format.
1. Course subject and number: CS 465
2. Units:
See upper and lower division undergraduate course definitions.
3. College:
CEFNS
4. Academic Unit:
3
Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science
5. Student Learning Outcomes of the new course. (Resources & Examples for Developing Course Learning
Outcomes)
Upon completion of the course:



The student will be familiar with concepts and abstractions of distributed systems andtheir
potential and limitations.
The student will know how to design and implement distributed applications in such
systems.
Practical exercises in the form of team programming assignments will enhance the
student’s ability to work in a team and communicate efficiently.
6. Justification for new course, including how the course contributes to degree program outcomes,
or other university requirements / student learning outcomes. (Resources, Examples & Tools for Developing
Effective Program Student Learning Outcomes).
This course will be co-convened with CS 565 "Distributed Systems". CS 565 was conceived as
a graduate level class, which would also allow for overriding undergraduate students into this
class. However, in our resource-constrained environment and our need for CS senior electives
it became the norm to override undergraduate students into the class, while CS 565 would not
meet minimum enrollment numbers on its own. Out of this reason we offered a co-convened
CS 499 for the last two offerings.
This proposal regularizes what has been common practice.
7. Effective BEGINNING of what term and year?
See effective dates calendar.
8. Long course title: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
(max 100 characters including spaces)
9. Short course title: DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
(max. 30 characters including spaces)
Effective Fall 2012
Fall 2013
10. Catalog course description (max. 60 words, excluding requisites):
The course covers important topics related to distributing state and computation across
computer networks, e.g. time in networks, distributed coordination/consistency, transaction
processing, replication, load balancing/distribution, P2P networks etc. Co convenes with CS
565. Letter grade only.
11. Will this course be part of any plan (major, minor or certificate) or sub plan (emphasis)?
Yes
If yes, include the appropriate plan proposal.
No
12. Does this course duplicate content of existing courses?
Yes
No
If yes, list the courses with duplicate material. If the duplication is greater than 20%, explain why
NAU should establish this course.
This course will be co-convened with the graduate level CS 565. Consequently, there is a
substantial overlap of the course material of these two courses.
13. Will this course impact any other academic unit’s enrollment or plan(s)?
If yes, include a letter of response from each impacted academic unit.
14. Grading option:
Letter grade
Yes
Pass/Fail
No
Both
15. Co-convened with:
CS 565
14a. UGC approval date*:
(For example: ESE 450 and ESE 550) See co-convening policy.
*Must be approved by UGC before UCC submission, and both course syllabi must be presented.
16. Cross-listed with:
(For example: ES 450 and DIS 450) See cross listing policy.
Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.
17. May course be repeated for additional units?
16a. If yes, maximum units allowed?
16b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same term?
Yes
No
Yes
No
18. Prerequisites:
CS 460 or CS 560
If prerequisites, include the rationale for the prerequisites.
Distributed Systems implicitly rely on (the mechanics of) a computer networking
infrastructure, upon which higher level abstractions are build. CS 460/560 "Computer
Networking" provides for this foundational knowledge.
19. Co requisites:
If co requisites, include the rationale for the co requisites.
Effective Fall 2012
20. Does this course include combined lecture and lab components?
Yes
If yes, include the units specific to each component in the course description above.
21. Names of the current faculty qualified to teach this course:
No
Wolf-Dieter Otte, Ph.D.
Answer 22-23 for UCC/ECCC only:
22. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
If yes, include a Liberal Studies proposal and syllabus with this proposal.
Yes
No
23. Is this course being proposed for Diversity designation?
If yes, include a Diversity proposal and syllabus with this proposal.
Yes
No
FLAGSTAFF MOUNTAIN CAMPUS
Scott Galland
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
1/07/2013
Date
Approvals:
Department Chair/Unit Head (if appropriate)
Date
Chair of college curriculum committee
Date
Dean of college
Date
For Committee use only:
UCC/UGC Approval
Date
Approved as submitted:
Yes
No
Approved as modified:
Yes
No
Effective Fall 2012
EXTENDED CAMPUSES
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
Date
Approvals:
Academic Unit Head
Date
Division Curriculum Committee (Yuma, Yavapai, or Personal Learning)
Date
Division Administrator in Extended Campuses (Yuma, Yavapai, or Personal
Learning)
Date
Faculty Chair of Extended Campuses Curriculum Committee (Yuma, Yavapai, or
Personal Learning)
Date
Chief Academic Officer; Extended Offices (or Designee)
Date
Approved as submitted:
Yes
No
Approved as modified:
Yes
No
Effective Fall 2012
CS 465 Distributed Systems
Course Syllabus
Fall 2013, 3 Credit Hours
College of Engineering and Natural Sciences
Northern Arizona University
General Information:
Time and Location:
Time: TBD
Room: TBD, Engineering Building
Instructor:
Wolf-Dieter Otte, Ph.D.
Office 219, (928) 523 0876, dieter.otte@nau.edu
Office Hours: TBD.
Class web site:
http://wolfdieterotte.com
Course Prerequisites:
CS 460 and/or 560
Course Description:
The course covers important topics related to distributing state and computation across computer
networks, e.g. time in networks, distributed coordination/consistency, transaction processing,
replication, load balancing/distribution, P2P networks etc.
Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course:
Upon completion of the course:



The student will be familiar with concepts and abstractions of distributed systems and
their potential and limitations.
The student will know how to design and implement distributed applications in such systems.
Practical exercises in the form of team programming assignments will enhance the student’s
ability to work in a team and communicate efficiently.
Course Structure/Approach:
This class is co-convening with CS 565 “Distributed Systems” - the theoretical knowledge presented will
be the same in both classes.
Material covered in the class will be backed up by practical exercises in the form of comprehensive
team programming assignments that will be led by one graduate student. There will be at least three
such projects.
Effective Fall 2012
Textbook and required Materials:
Distributed Systems: Concepts and Design, Fourth Edition, Coulouris G. et. al., A&W, 2005.
Recommended optional Materials/References:
Additional resources will be provided on my web site, see http://wolfdieterotte.com
Course Outline:
Tentative Course Coverage:
Topic(s)
Estimated # weeks
1. Introduction to Distributed Systems
1
2. System Models
2
3. Time and Global States
3
4. Coordination and Agreement
1
5. Transactions and Concurrency Control
3
6. Replication
3
7. Load Balancing/Distribution
1
8. P2P networks
1
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Grading will be based on your performance in quizzes, the team projects and the midterm/final exam, as
well as on class attention. Midterm and final exams will be scheduled compliant with the university’s
academic calendar, see http://events.nau.edu.
There will be at least three comprehensive team projects. For details, see the tentative schedule of
assignments at my site.
You are expected to come to class well-prepared, which usually means that you will have to do some
preparatory reading assignment in the text book. Normally, on Mondays and Wednesdays there will be
quizzes, that check on the level of your preparation. For details, see the tentative schedule of
assignments at: my site.
Grading System:
Breakdown of assessment components and their weight in your final grade:
Team projects
Quizzes
Midterm
Final exam
Class attention, participation in course evaluation
20%
20%
20%
30%
10%
Grading scale: A = [90—100], B= [80—90), C=[70—80), D=[60—70), and F=[0—60).
Effective Fall 2012
Course Policy:
(Note: The following are in addition to NAU’s and CEFNS’s. To conserve paper, copies of NAU and
CEFNS policies are not automatically distributed; if you have not received a copy of these policies in
other courses so far, ask the instructor for a copy.)
Material covered. Students are responsible for all material covered in lectures and, hence, students are
urged to attend regularly. Note that the syllabus is only a general guide and cannot be relied upon to alert
you to all that might be covered in lectures. Class participation is vital and, in general, students who do
not attend regularly have difficulty in successfully completing the course.
Reading assignments. Students are expected to read relevant portions of the textbook and other
assigned reading material.
Late submissions, missed exams, etc. Late submissions are not accepted. There will be make-up exams
only in case of an emergency as defined by NAU Policy. A missed exam/quiz counts for a 0 for that part
of the grade. Also see the section on “
Office Hours. My office hours are posted outside my door. If you need help but for some reason, cannot
see me during posted hours, make an appointment for some other time. I enjoy helping students outside
of class meetings and encourage you to see me if you encounter any difficulties, preferably sooner the
better.
Withdrawal Deadline. The deadline to drop with a “W” is (see announcements). Students who wish to
withdraw must complete all the relevant paperwork. Non-attendance of classes and/or non-completion of
assigned work does not constitute withdrawal from the course and will result in a failing grade.
Cheating. Copying or any other form of academic dishonesty will result in an immediate failure in the
course in addition to recommendation of other penalties. In the event of cheating, both the receiver(s)
and the giver(s) will be treated the same way.
Symptoms of flue. While class attendance is required per the [above/below] stated policy, please be
cautious about attending class if you are feeling ill. Please inform me by phone or email if you are
feeling unwell; if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, you should not attend class; please take
precautions not to infect others, and seek medical attention if your symptoms worsen.
Also see my website at http://dieterotte.com/teaching/?q=freelinking/NAU%20Policy%20Statements
for NAU policy statements.
Effective Fall 2012