Instructor: Constance Conner

No Prerequisites, but one of the following is Recommended: CS 101 or 100M or CNIT100

Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Create and use Unix file management utilities to manipulate files and directories.
2. Write and predict the effects of commands that manipulate file and directory permissions.
3. Employ text utilities to display, sort, replace and edit text.
4. Write and predict the results of Unix commands that use regular expressions to search for patterns in files.

Methodology

The course is offered Online. Most of your time will be spent reading, practicing Unix exercises, and writing Unix commands to solve problems as part of assignments. The online readings (organized by chapters) provide a structured, largely self-paced, opportunity for you to systematically study the Unix Operating System from a user's perspective. As you practice your Unix knowledge, sometimes you will get stuck. At that point I (or your fellow students) will help you. By the end of the class, I expect that you will be able to solve common data processing problems using Unix with more confidence.

Weekly Effort

My assumption is that everyone who is motivated and adequately prepared can succeed in this class. We will not be meeting face-to-face each week, but it does take time to do the reading, practices, and complete the assignments. The amount of time needed varies widely between students and topics. How much is this? One guideline is 1 - 3 hours/week outside of class for every hour in class. A 2 unit, 1/2 semester class meets 4 hours per week. So in order to have a good chance for success, I suggest you plan for spending 8 to 16 hours per week for this class (FOR SUMMER SECTIONS THIS IS MORE THAN DOUBLED AS AN 8 WEEK CLASS IS TAUGHT IN 4 WEEKS).

Accounts

Each student in the class will get two computer accounts. One will be on a web server running Canvas (ccsf.instructure.com). Canvas is special course management software. It is where you will find the course readings, assignments, discussions, quizzes and grades. The other account will be a Unix account on the CCSF student server (hills.ccsf.edu). This is where you will be able to practice Unix. (You can also use your own Unix machines, but the assignment must also run on hlls.) Assignments will be submitted directly to the class website. If you are adding the class, do so as soon as possible. You will have access to your accounts a few days after you add the class.

Grading

This is a skill-building class, so your grade will be based mostly on your completed assignments and tests. There will be regular for-credit assignments and tests. These are posted on the class Canvas page (access available first day of semester). Note: this course is part of numerous CS Dept Certificates, see http://www.ccsf.edu/CS for more information .

Course work will be weighted to determine your final course grade as follows (details in course Syllabus):

Final Grade

100-90%: A 89-80%: B 79-70%: C 69-60%: D Below 60%: F

Weekly Effort

You need to login multiple times each week (SUMMER SECTIONS NEED TO LOGIN EVERY DAY) to the class website. If you do not login during the first week or for any two weeks in a row after that, I may drop you from the class. If you need to miss several weeks in a row due to an emergency, please let me know, so that I can try to help you with your class work. If you decide to drop the course, it is your responsibility to do so by the deadlines. Please do not depend on me to drop you.

Plagiarism

Since this is largely an online class, it is difficult to determine who has really done an assignment or taken an exam. Mostly I rely on your honesty and integrity, and that you are taking this class in order to improve your own skills. However, if you are tempted to copy someone else's work, remember that when you copy that assignment you also usually copy their mistakes. If I find plagiarism, then everyone with the same submission will receive no credit for that assignment. If you really want to help a friend with an assignment, then help them learn how to figure it out, instead of giving them the answers or letting them copy your work.

Student conduct must conform to College rules and regulations as outlined in CCSF Catalogue.

Communications

We will communicate through a class website, email and a class discussion board. When you have a question about what the online book is saying or about an assignment, post it to the class discussion board. I will respond to the discussions. That way everyone can see the question and the answer. It will be a lot like asking a question in class. When you have a personal question regarding your grade or other matters, please send it to my regular email address. I will monitor the discussions and read my email Monday through Friday.

I am hoping that as you become comfortable with the online only format, more of you will ask questions and contribute to discussions than in a regular class. However, please remember the limitations of online communication, and take the time to re-read your questions or answers before actually posting them. As usual, offensive language or other breaches of CCSF Computer Policy are not acceptable. If you like to talk a lot, please do not talk too often or too long before giving others a chance to respond. If you are a quieter person, please take a chance and ask or answer some questions.