Course Objectives

As computing systems become increasingly interconnected with all electrical systems (from smart power grids, to wearable electronics, to medical devices), both electrical and computer engineers need an understanding of how computing systems work. This course gives an introduction to the design and programming of computing systems. Throughout the course, we will discuss the connections between hardware and software, exploring the engineering trade-offs in using each platform to develop computing systems as well as how those systems may be used.

This course is the beginning of a three course sequence designed to reinforce this systems approach to computing. In this course, we begin by designing the building blocks of a computer architecture while introducing concepts of programming. By the end of the course you will know how to construct a computer architecture and how to program it in assembly language. In the next course (ECE 220), you will focus on developing your programming skills. Finally, in the third course (ECE 385), you will refine your understanding of computer hardware.

We will explore hardware topics through three modalities: describing circuit behavior with technical specifications using Boolean algebra, simulating circuits using digital design software, and building physical circuits that perform real-world tasks. By using the three modalities (Boolean expressions, circuit drawings and simulations, and actual hardware implementation), students are exposed to the digital systems design cycle, from the problem formulation stage to the actual hardware implementation and verification stage.

After completing this course, students should develop the skills required to solve engineering problems:

understand the role and importance of abstraction in computing systems,
recognize and be able to make use of standard digital components in designing simple combinational logic,
be able to design and implement a simple finite state machine (FSM) as a clock-synchronous sequential circuit using digital logic and as a computer program written in LC-3 assembly language
understand the principles of computer organization and understand how computers execute instructions, and
be able to write simple programs in both C and assembly language.

Since this is a freshman course, we also have explicit objectives for providing students with an understanding of the profession. In particular, students who have completed this course should

understand the expectations of the engineering discipline in terms of effort, quality, objectivity, and ethics
recognize that self-motivation and lifelong learning are necessary to succeed in engineering,
be able to articulate the importance of understanding trade-offs, and be able to recognize and identify basic design trade-offs.

The course also exposes students to various laboratory settings and after completing this course the students are expected to

be familiar with a Linux command line environment: program execution, file system, text editing,
be able to compile, test, and debug simple programs written in assembly and C languages,
use professional CAD software on engineering workstations for schematic capture and simulation of small digital circuits, and
use a prototyping board and microchips to build simple digital circuits.

Lecture notes: Prof. Lumetta's can be downloaded from (Download pdf lecture notes).

Textbook

Yale N. Patt and Sanjay J. Patel, Introduction to Computing Systems: from bits and gates to C and beyond, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2003.

or

Yale N. Patt and Sanjay J. Patel, Introduction to Computing Systems: from bits and gates to C and beyond, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2019. (Purchase online textbook here)

What you should know on the first day of class

5 live (synchronous) lectures per week over Zoom (M/T/W/R/F).

Lectures by Prof. Bhowmik during designated lecture time. Recordings will be available online.

Discussion-Session - Every Thursday

The discussion session will start in the first week of class. Discussion sessions will involve team-based problem solving, conducted by TAs. You should upload your discussion worksheet to Gradescope. The submission deadline is 11:59pm CT on the day of the discussion session.

1 live discussion per week over Zoom (Thu)
Discussions led by TA, Christopher Ryu, during designated discussion time
Work in groups to complete a worksheet
Not recorded

Prelecture -Quizzes (optional) - due at 2:30 PM on the day of the live lecture session

The prelecture quizzes, which are closely related to prof. Lumetta's lecture recording and notes, are due by 2:30pm CT for the lecture-discussion covered by the pre-lecture recording. You will take the prelecture quiz on PrairieLearn. Quizzes will be graded based on correctness and will earn you extra credit of 3% of the overall grade.

Register for ECE 120 on PrairieLearn at https://prairielearn.engr.illinois.edu

Homework

Homework assignments and their deadlines will be posted on the Syllabus -SU21 page of this wiki. Homeworks are submitted online through PrairieLearn / Gradescope. Homework 1 -SU22 is due on Wednesday, June 23 at 9:00 pm.

Laboratory assignments

Labs and their deadlines will be posted on the Syllabus -SU22. Labs will be due roughly every week. A failing grade (F) for the course will be given to any student who does not score at least 50% in the labs. Lab 1 -SU21 is due on Friday, June 18 at 10:00 pm.

Midterms and final exam

Exam dates are posted on the Syllabus -SU22. All exams are online exams that you take at times posted on this Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).

Getting help

The ECE 120 Staff are committed to helping you learn, but you must ask for help! If you have technical questions, please ask at Office Hours or post a question in the comments/blog sections of the Homework or Lab pages of this Canvas. You can also ask your instructor or TA quick questions after lecture or discussion. Finally, if you have questions about course logistics or can't get your question answered any other way, or If you have questions about how to improve your learning skills, please contact Prof. Bhowmik.

Grading Policy

Homeworks - 15% (lowest homework grade will be dropped)
Labs - 20% (lowest lab grade will be dropped, excluding Lab 7)
Discussion - 10% (lowest discussion grade will be dropped)
Midterm 1 - 15%
Midterm 2 - 15%
Final Exam - 25%

Every homework assignment will be weighted equally, even though the raw totals may be different. Likewise, every lab will be weighted equally. The lowest homework grade will be dropped. Note that there will be no homework deadline extensions.

The lowest grade will be dropped among labs. Late Lab loses 5 points (of 100 total points) per day late until 10:00 PM Sunday. After Sunday, no late lab submission will be accepted. Late lab policy precludes lab#7.

Grades will be posted on Compass as soon as they are available.

Grade cutoffs:

A+ > 97	B+ 87-89.99	C+ 77-79.99	D+ 67-69.99	F < 60
A 93-96.99	B 83-86.99	C 73-76.99	D 63-66.99
A- 90-92.99	B- 80-82.99	C- 70-72.99	D- 60-62.99

In the event that course performance is worse than expected, these cutoffs might be lowered, but they will never be raised. Furthermore, they are strict. For example, a grade of 89.99 is a B+ and not an A-. A failing grade (F) for the course will be given to any student who does not score at least 50% in the labs.

Hardware Labs:

ECE120 has a combination of hardware and software labs. All the labs will be completed online. Students will demonstrate their hardware labs online through Zoom. You will need an ECE 120 lab kit to complete the hardware labs.

ECE120 Lab Kits: ECE120, Summer 2021, Lab Kit ordering is now open. Please see the link, https://ece.illinois.edu/academics/ugrad/lab-kits, to order your kit as soon as possible to allow time for shipping. Read FAQ below before ordering. Mistakes will cause delays in receiving your kit!

Pickup is encouraged (Monday, June 7 - Friday, June 11) for students in town but all others will ship. All instructions are in the link above.

Submitting Regrade Requests

Regrade requests must be submitted online within one week after you have received the graded exam/homework/Lab. (This date is not extended if you do not claim your work on time.) For any reason other than mistakes in addition on our part, you must explain why your answer merits more points. Any portion of an assignment for which you request a regrade may be regraded (in addition to those that you request), which could result in an overall reduction in your assignment grade.

Cheating and Academic Integrity

We take cheating very seriously.

The Student Code defines cheating as "Using or attempting to use in any academic exercise materials, information, study aids, or electronic data that the student knows or should know is unauthorized" (§1-402(a)) and notes that "Substantial portions of the same academic work may not be submitted for credit more than once or by more than one student without authorization." (§1-402(a)(4))

The student code also disallows facilitation of cheating, prohibiting "Helping or attempting to help another to commit an infraction of academic integrity, where one knows or should know that through one’s acts or omissions such an infraction may be facilitated." (§1-402(c))

How might cheating arise in a class like ECE 120? If two people work together on a homework or lab assignment and hand in the same, or a substantially similar solution, that would be "Substantial portions of the same academic work." If you need help and, during the course of helping you debug, a friend gives you a few lines of code, this is "using... information... known to be unauthorized." Letting someone else do your homework or write code for you is absolutely a violation.

Cheating is an offense to the entire academic system: you, your classmates, and the course staff. It creates extra work for the course staff, it creates grading imbalances for your classmates, and it prevents you from learning the material that the rest of your academic career is built on. We will take cheating very seriously. If we catch you cheating, helping someone cheat, or not reporting cheating that you know of, the incident will be reported to the College.

Guidelines for Authorized Assistance

Homework and software lab assignments will be graded individually. Students can receive assistance, but they should not view another student's homework solutions or code and may not write homework solutions and code for others. Students should not post their code or problem solutions electronically. We recommend that students discuss flow charts and algorithms, but write their own code by themselves. Similarly, students are welcome to discuss homework assignments with peers, however, they must write up their final solutions on their own.

Hardware labs are individual activities.

Exams are individual assignments. Students are not authorized to receive assistance from each other.

If you are confused about what exactly is or is not permitted, please ask the course instructors for clarification. Confusion or ignorance of the rules is not an excuse.

Attendance and Medical Excuses

Students are required to attend all lectures and discussions. Discussions are meant to increase students' understanding of the material presented in the lectures.

It is your responsibility to personally contact your instructors to discuss any missed exams, difficulties in attending classes regularly due to medical excuses. Within seven days of your discharge (hospital or clinic), you must bring and show to your professor a letter from the Dean of Students confirming your medical excuse.

Since we will implement the policy of dropping the lowest grade in homeworks and discussions and the lowest grade in labs, you do not need to show to your instructor any medical excuse. Everybody gets these lowest grades dropped, no questions asked! Please take into account that no further concessions will be given during the semester for any reason: this policy is firm.

Accommodations

To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course coordinator and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-4603, e-mail disability@illinois.edu or go to the DRES website.

For instructions on how to handle accommodations with the Computer-based Testing Facility, please see https://cbtf.engr.illinois.edu/for-students/dres-students.html.

Sexual Misconduct Policy and Reporting

The University of Illinois is committed to combating sexual misconduct. Faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sexual misconduct to the University’s Title IX and Disability Office. In turn, an individual with the Title IX and Disability Office will provide information about rights and options, including accommodations, support services, the campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.

A list of the designated University employees who, as counselors, confidential advisors, and medical professionals, do not have this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be found here: wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential.

Other information about resources and reporting is available here: wecare.illinois.edu.

Emergency Situation (Run>Hide>Fight)

one-page handout

Get Familiar with the Canvas

Make sure you read carefully and understand the information posted on the Canvas. Confusion or ignorance of the rules is not an excuse not to comply with them. If you have a question, please contact the instructors.

When writing comments/posting questions on the Canvas Discussion Board, remember to be civil. As a rule of thumb, if you would not dare to say something in front of everybody in the lecture room, it is probably not wise to post it on the wiki either. We expect you to be polite both in the classroom and online.

Finally, please remember that students should not post code or problem solutions on the course website.

Please refer to this page for policies and statements regarding COVID, DRES, FAIR, and FERPA.

Summer 2022-ECE 120-Introduction to Computing-Section AL1