CPT 211 8A: Assembler Language I
Winter, 2003-2004
W · 6:00pm-9:35pm
SYLLABUS
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SECTION I: THE CLASS AND THE INSTRUCTOR
COURSE SECTION AND TITLE:
CPT 211 8A: Assembler Language I
ACADEMIC YEAR/QUARTER:
Winter, 2003-2004
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME:
Alan R. Reinarz
LOCATION OF CLASS:
SOC 145
LOCATION OF LABS:
SOC 127
METHODS OF CONTACTING INTRUCTOR:
areinarz@metropo.mccneb.edu
http://cot.mccneb.edu/areinarz
METRO OFFICES
HOURS*
LOCATION
PHONE
FAX
T/Th: 10:00a-11:00a
T/Th: 2:00p-3:00p
T/W: 4:00p-5:00p
SOC MAH 300
738-4089
738-4553
*Stated office hours may need to be changed due to special circumstances or events. If the student wishes to meet with
the instructor at a time other than scheduled office hours, the student should make an appointment with the instructor.
Home phone:
(402) 556-3071
IMPORTANT DATES:
DATE CLASS BEGINS:
DATE CLASS ENDS:
LAST DATE TO DROP CLASS:
DATES CLASS DOES NOT MEET:
12/3/2003
2/25/2004
2/11/2004
Tuesday, December 23, 2003, through Sunday, January 4, 2004
Monday, January 19, 2004
SECTION II: THE COURSE
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course involves the study and development of programs using Basic Assembler Language for an IBM main-frame. The
student will gain detailed knowledge of assembler language by coding, testing, and debugging application programs.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: CPT 221 (COBOL I)
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
Describe binary, hexadecimal, zoned decimal and packed decimal data representations.
Code an assembler program that performs character moves, comparisons and basic input/output operations.
Perform moves, comparisons, arithmetic operations, and editing on packed decimal data.
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4.
5.
Code a control break program that uses subroutines.
Explain the assembly process and standard linkage conventions.
REQUIRED/SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
Textbook:
Assembler Language Programming for IBM & IBM-Compatible Computers
Edition: 2nd (1986); Authors: Stern, Sager, Stern; Publisher: John Wiley and Sons.
Two 3.5 " diskettes.
Students may wish to purchase the current Reference Summary from IBM. This reference is not currently available from the
Metro bookstores. It may be obtained from IBM on-line at
http://www.elink.ibmlink.ibm.com/public/applications/publications/cgibin/pbi.cgi and search on “z/Architecture” or
publication no. SA22-7871-00. An early version of the Reference Summary is available as a class handout. A Reference
Summary may be used during closed-book exams.
Another useful IBM manual is Principles of Operation, which contains the most complete description of the IBM
mainframe hardware and every individual machine language instruction. Latest versions may be found at the above URL,
again searching under “z/Architecture” or publication no. SA22-7832-00. Some editions are available for a free download.
SECTION III: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
METHODS OF LEARNING:
The student will have specific assignments to read and master. These assignments are indicated in the course schedule
and/or outlined by the instructor. The student should have read the material prior to class meeting date.
This course requires students to work an average of 1.5 hours per week in hands-on, lab activity. Students are responsible
for completing all lab work outside of the classroom. While you may choose to do this lab work someplace other than the
College, Metro provides computer labs for students who do not have the required resources or facilities available to them.
The software for this course will be available at the South Omaha Campus only. A downloadable MS-DOS version of the
software used in this class has been located on the Web, but its functionality has not been fully determined
(http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/45216.html). We also anticipate exploring an on-line IBM z-series mainframe server
provided through IBM’s University Program. This service will be available to any PC having web access and a standard
web browser.
ATTENDANCE STATEMENT:
The course will be covered partially by assigned portions of the text and may be presented in a sequence different from the
text. Material will also be covered that is not in the text. Attendance is necessary to understand the course material. Each
student is expected to recognize the importance of class attendance and promptness. CHRONIC TARDINESS AND
ABSENCES MAY RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN THE FINAL GRADE BY 10%.
Excessive absences or unsatisfactory progress will subject the student to administrative withdrawal from the course. If a
student should miss a class for any reason, he/she is expected to cover the material he/she missed on his/her own. All work
must be made up to the satisfaction of the instructor.
RETAINING COPIES OF SUBMITTED WORK:
On very rare occasion, the instructor has been unable to find any record of work that a student claims to have submitted.
There may be several reasons this has occurred, including loss or theft of the work before it gets to the instructor, or
oversight on the part of the student or instructor. The student should understand that grades are based upon achievement of
learning objectives and successful completion of assignments. If work is missing, for whatever reason, it becomes
impossible for the instructor to evaluate it and assign a grade. It is highly recommended that students keep backup copies of
all work submitted toward the unlikely event that it might need to be resubmitted.
STUDENT WITHDRAWAL:
If you cannot attend and complete this course, you should officially withdraw by calling Central Registration, 457-5231.
Failure to officially withdraw will result in either an instructor withdraw (IW) or failing (F) grade. The last date to withdraw
is identified on the first page of this syllabus handout.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT:
Students are reminded that materials you may use as sources for this course may be subject to copyright protection.
Additional information about copyright is provided on the library webpage at http://www.mccneb.edu/library, by your
instructor, or by the College's Copyright Officer.
The College imposes specific actions in response to incidents of student dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) that may
include receiving a failing grade on a test, failure in the course, suspension from the College, or dismissal from the College.
The disciplinary procedures are available in the Counseling/Advising Centers.
Please note: ANY sharing or transfer of assigned work or test contents or answers between a student and any other
person or party; in part or in whole; whether by disk exchange, E-mail, manual transcription, codevelopment of an
assignment, or any other means; unless authorized by the instructor in advance in accordance with the guidelines in
the following paragraph; will be considered academic misconduct and be sanctioned with disciplinary action in
accordance with the above paragraph. Both originating and receiving parties will be liable to such sanction.
Sharing of class notes and handouts is authorized. Obtaining assistance from others (including tutors or lab techs) for
specific programming issues or debugging is authorized. However, no further collaboration is authorized for any standard
assignment. Students wishing to collaborate further must contact the instructor for special assignments. Such special
assignments must clearly identify in advance which portions are the responsibility of each individual student wishing to
collaborate. The learning objectives, level of difficulty, and typical work involved for each portion must be comparable to
that for a single student working alone on the corresponding standard assignment. Each portion will be graded individually.
Each portion must clearly represent the competency of the individual responsible for it, and only that individual. The
instructor reserves the right to refuse any request for special assignments.
Indications of unauthorized collaboration and/or intent to defraud include, but are not restricted to, assignments, submitted
by students (not necessarily from the same section) individually under each of their respective names; but which are
essentially identical; are essentially identical except for mechanical changes such as differing variable or module names; are
essentially identical except for differing comments; or exhibit essentially identical idiosyncratic features such as errors in
syntax, style, logic, output formatting, or spelling. The same criteria apply to submissions, by one or more students, where
those submissions bear indications of copying from any other unauthorized source. Authorized sources are the student
textbook for the class, lecture notes, class handouts, and compiler/interpreter documentation and help materials.
In summary, if you want a grade attached to your name and only your name (the only way I know MCC records grades), the
work you submit must be your work and only your work.
USE OF STUDENT WORK
The ownership of student works submitted in fulfillment of classroom requirements shall remain with the student(s): By
enrolling in classes offered by Metropolitan Community College, the student gives the College license to mark on, modify,
and retain the work as may be required by the process of instruction, as described in the course syllabus. The institution
shall not have the right to use the work in any other manner without the written consent of the student(s).
Please note: Nothing in the preceding paragraph overrides the restrictions on sharing or distribution of solutions to
assignments and tests discussed above under the Academic Honesty Statement.
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING PROGRAM
Metropolitan Community College is committed to continuous improvement of teaching and learning. You may be asked to
help us to accomplish this objective. For example, you may be asked to respond to surveys or questionnaires. In other cases,
tests or assignments you are required to do for this course may be shared with faculty and used for assessment purposes.
This will be done in accordance with FERPA guidelines.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES:
As you pursue your educational objectives, you may be required to use computer information technology resources at
Metropolitan Community College. Use of these resources is a privilege and carries with it a responsibility to respect the
rights and privacy of others, the integrity of facilities, and to follow Student Conduct Guidelines and College Policies.
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By using the information technology systems at MCC (including the computer systems and phones) you acknowledge and
consent to the conditions of use as set forth in the Metropolitan Community College Procedures Memorandum on
Acceptable Use of Information Technology and Resources. It is your responsibility as a student to be familiar with these
procedures. The full text of the Procedures Memorandum may be found at the following website:
http://www.mccneb.edu/itprocedures.htm
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES PROGRAM AREA IDENTIFICATION:
Program Area
Academic Dean
Academic Dean’s office phone
Computer Technology and Visual Arts
Thos C. Pensabene
457-2660
The Office of the Academic Dean should be contacted with any questions or problems that your instructor is not able to
resolve to your satisfaction.
SECTION IV: INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
In each lecture during this course, the instructor will cover material the student needs to learn and accomplish. In addition,
written handouts will be provided from time to time. These will be used to supplement the text material and expand the
course.
Instruction will consist mainly of lecture material presented by the instructor. In some classes, group discussion and
demonstration will be utilized. In all meetings, discussion opportunities will be provided and the student is encouraged to
ask questions and clarify information as the instructor is lecturing and/or presenting material.
METHODS OF ASSESSING STUDENT PROGRESS:
Student progress is assessed through the completion of assigned projects and tests. A summary of programming assignments
and tests may be found at the end of the syllabus under the heading PROJECTED SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS.
Attendance and class participation may also be taken into consideration.
The majority of programming assignments (labs) require the student to take a basic set of program requirements and, based
on knowledge gained from reading and class, develop a program using the typical program development process. Work will
be evaluated on the adequacy of program planning; correctness of coding generated; usage of comments to describe and
clarify program logic, data element usage, and input/output requirements; adequacy of program testing procedures; and
adequacy of program documentation. Of course, the program should also run correctly. Full points are awarded for the
inclusion of the specified item(s), with points being deducted for notable problems. Typical point assignments for these
various aspects of programming, based on a 60 point total, are as follows:
Planning & external documentation:
3 input layout(s)
3 printer/output layout(s)
2 hierarchy diagram
6 flowchart or pseudocode
Usage of comments in program:
2 general description
2 misc. input/output requirements
2 identifier/symbol usage
5 program logic
5 coding style, etc.
5 methodology
10 correct assembly
15 correct run
--------60 total
Exams consist mostly of fill-in-the-blank questions and short programming segments.
CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING FINAL COURSE GRADE:
A percentage grade will be obtained by dividing the total points a student earns by the total possible points for the course.
The points for each assignment and test may be found in the PROJECTED SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS found at the
end of the syllabus. The percentage grade will then determine the letter grade for the course, according to the following
table:
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Letter Grade
Percentage Range
Point Range
A
90%
100%
477
530
B
80%
89.9%
424
476
C
70%
79.9%
371
423
D
60%
69.9%
318
370
F
0%
59.9%
0
317
MAKE-UP TEST PROCEDURES:
Students MUST be present on the day of an announced test. If the instructor is informed BEFORE THE TEST concerning a
valid absence, other arrangements MAY be made. There will be no retakes of tests. Test dates are not firm and are therefore
subject to change.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments tuned in late may lose 10% per class day for up to a week and may then receive a grade of 0. No assignments
will be accepted after the test has been given. Also, see “Attendance” above.
MAINTENANCE OF STUDENT RECORDS:
Test will be returned after grading for review in class and then recollected and retained for record keeping purposes. All
other work is graded and returned as soon as possible, usually by the following week. All grades are kept by the instructor in
a grade book and on computer, which students may see at any time by asking the instructor.
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SECTION V: SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS:
Wk
Date
1
12/3/03
2
12/10
Topics
Chapters
Introduction
Numbering Systems
Using MicroFocus Assembler
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Defining Storage
Defining Constants
Program Shell
Assignment #1 due
Chapter 3
Move Statement
Compare and Branching
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Assignments
Points
Punch and Run
Program
(Assignment #1)
50
Input, Output, &
Compares Prog.
(Assignment #2)
60
Chapter 4
3
12/17
4
1/7/2004
5
1/14
Packed Decimal Arithmetic
Advanced Packed Arithmetic
Shifting Decimals
Assignment #2 due
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 17
(pp. 474-8,
488-9)
6
1/21
Edited Printing
Floating Dollar Sign
Chapter 9
Chapter 17
(pp. 495-8)
7
1/28
Subroutines
Control Breaks
Chapter 18
Chapter 9
(pp. 265-75)
Chapter 13
Review
Exam #1
90
Branching and Looping
Assignment #3 due
8
2/4
Review
Exam #2
9
2/11
The Assembler
Debugging
Snap Dump
Assignment #4 due
Chapter 10
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
10
2/18
Standard-linkage
Misc. Topics
Appendix F
11
2/25
Review & Preview of Assembler Language II
Exam #3
Arithmetic &
Editing Program
(Assignment #3)
60
Control Break
Program
(Assignment #4)
60
110
100
530
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