The final course grades have been posted!
For the takehome exam this Thursday, you choose the time you would like to receive the exam, and it will be automatically sent to you by email at that time. You then must return the exam by email to the instructor within 48 hours of receiving it. Here are the instructions sent out by email by the system administrator, Kevin Heard:
"At Professor Messerschmitt's request, I have set up an automated method for delivering the Apr. 2 is106 exam via e-mail. You have the option to receive the exam at one of three different times: 9 am, 2 pm, or 5 pm.
We are using Majordomo mailing lists to distribute the exam. To receive the exam at the desired time, you must subscribe to one and only one of the times on the following list:
is106-9am@sims.berkeley.edu
is106-2pm@sims.berkeley.edu
is106-5pm@sims.berkeley.edu
For example, if you want to receive the exam at 9 am, send an e-mail message to majordomo@sims.berkeley.edu with the phrase "subscribe is106-9am" in the body of the message (leave the Subject: line blank).
You MUST sign up for one of these mailing lists to receive the exam; there is no default choice. While it is technically possible to sign up for the 9 am exam at 8:59 am on Thur, I would suggest that you take care of this by Wed night... :-)
If you have any difficulty subscribing to one of the lists or if these instructions are unclear, you can request assistance by sending an e-mail message to help@sims.berkeley.edu.
It was pointed out that I had not assigned Chapter 15 as reading even though I covered it in lecture. This is a mistake. I added Chapter 15 to this week's reading assignment. You are responsible for Chapter 15.
The total class grades to date have been posted. The final grades will be set on a curve, with a class average of about 3.2 to 3.4 (3=B, 4=A).
Reminder: In-class exam on May 10. Takehome exam on May 13-14. Here are the details:
In-class component (closed book and notes): Monday May 10. This portion of the exam will be short answer and multiple choice, and will cover only the material since the midterm.
Takehome component (open book and everything): Questions sent to you at 9am, 2pm, or 5pm on Thur May 13 by email, you will return answers by email within 48 hours of when you receive the questions. It should take you approximately 2-3 hours to complete. This portion will emphasize the material since the midterm. However, the course is cumulative, to this portion of the exam will relate to the entire course. For example, there might be a question relating to how the technologies covered in the second half can be used in an application drawn from the first half.
How to study:
For the in-class, focus on making sure you understand the concepts and terminology in the course since the midterm (Chapter 11 and later).
For the takehome, focus on being able to integrate the material in the class and apply it to new circumstances. Do you understand how the pieces fit together? Can you apply the technologies in real circumstances involving real applications?
Grading weight: 33% in-class and 67% takehome
For the takehome exam this Friday, you choose the time you would like to receive the exam, and it will be automatically sent to you by email at that time. You then must return the exam by email to the instructor within 24 hours of receiving it. Here are the instructions sent out by email by the system administrator, Kevin Heard:
At Professor Messerschmitt's request, I have set up an automated method for delivering the Apr. 2 is106 exam via e-mail. You have the option to receive the exam at one of three different times: 9 am, 2 pm, or 5 pm.
We are using Majordomo mailing lists to distribute the exam. To receive the exam at the desired time, you must subscribe to one and only one of the times on the following list:
is106-9am@sims.berkeley.edu
is106-2pm@sims.berkeley.edu
is106-5pm@sims.berkeley.edu
For example, if you want to receive the exam at 9 am, send an e-mail message to majordomo@sims.berkeley.edu with the phrase "subscribe is106-9am" in the body of the message (leave the Subject: line blank).
You MUST sign up for one of these mailing lists to receive the exam; there is no default choice. While it is technically possible to sign up for the 9 am exam at 8:59 am on Friday, I would suggest that you take care of this by Thursday night... :-)
If you have any difficulty subscribing to one of the lists or if these instructions are unclear, you can request assistance by sending an e-mail message to help@sims.berkeley.edu.
Solicitation for needed input on your class and discussion group participation have been sent out by email. If you did not receive, it is indicative that you have not subscribed to the class mailing list (see below) and are missing important messages. The form is also available here.
We are working hard to get the homework graded this week so you will know where you stand before the midterm. Thus far, one more set has been posted. Solutions are being passed out in class today (they will not be posted online).
A reminder that the midterm is coming up fairly soon, and you should be preparing.
Exam schedule:
Midterm: Will cover all material for which you have done homework and turned in
In class component (closed book and notes): Wed March 31
Takehome component (open book and everything): Questions sent to you at 9am, 2pm, or 5pm on Friday April 2 by email, you will return by email within 24 hours of when you receive the questions. It should take you approximately 2 hours to complete.
Final: Will cover entire course, with emphasis on last half
In class component (closed book and notes): Monday May 10
Takehome component (open book and everything): Questions sent to you at 9am, 2pm, or 5pm on Thur May 13 by email, you will return by email within 24 hours of when you receive the questions. It should take you approximately 2 hours to complete.
The format of both exams will be similar:
In-class closed book portion: A true-false, multiple-choice, and/or fill in the blank exam. The purpose will be to gauge whether you have absorbed the terminology and concepts covered in the reader and lectures. To perpare for this portion, you should review your knowledge of the terminology and your understanding of the concepts presented.
Takehome open book/notes/everything portion: This will be essay or problem style questions. There will likely be three questions, and you will have the choice of answering any two of your choice. Each question will have a word limit on your answers (probably 750 words), so you will want to be concise. To conserve words and save time, you are encouraged to use an outline and/or table style in your answers, as you will be graded on the substance of your ideas and not on the elegance of your prose. The purpose will be to gauge your ability to apply the material in the class to example real-life situations. For example, you might be asked to list requirements and features of a new specified application and design a client server architecture to support that application and explain why your architecture is meritorious with respect to modularity properties.
Grading weight: 33% in-class and 67% takehome
A discussion forum for the class has been created for the class on Delphi. Just click on the hyperlink on your left to enter the forum. The first time, you will have to sign up as a user of Delphi (if you are not already). Please be sure to choose a member name that is easily recognizable by your instructor, as a small part of your grade depends on your participation there. You can enter our private class forum the first time with the group password announced in class (or request it from the instructor).
If you are thinking about taking the course, see the course information page and also the slides from the first class. Also, see the table of contents (in PDF) of the textbook (the course will not cover the entire book, we will be able to do some picking and choosing).
Subj: IS106 student
Name
Email address where you would like to receive information about this course
A very brief description of your background as it relates to this course to help position the content
A very brief description of what you hope to get out of the course
If you have done this, but later decide not to take this course please inform the instructor.
Send an e-mail message to Majordomo@sims.berkeley.edu with the phrase "subscribe is106" in the body of the message (Leave the Subject line blank.) A welcome message from Majordomo should arrive in your e-mail inbox.
You may unscubscribe by a similar proceedure should you decide later to not take the course.
This will be sold as a reader through Copy Central.