Course Outline and Syllabus
Course: EECS 1520 3.0 Term: Fall 2024 Sections: A, B, C, D, H
Course Webpage: https://eclass.yorku.ca/course/view.php?id=130228
An introduction to the use of computers focusing on concepts of computer technology and
organization (hardware and software) and the use of applications such as spreadsheets and
information retrieval tools for problem solving. This course is designed for students who are not
engineering or computer science majors. Students who plan to major in engineering or computer
science are advised to take LE/EECS 1011 3.00, LE/EECS 1012 3.00, or LE/EECS 1015 3.00,
respectively.
Course Credit Exclusions: LE/CSE 1520 3.00, AK/AS/SC/CSE 1520 3.00. Note: This course is
not open to any student who has passed or is taking LE/EECS 1020 3.00, LE/CSE 1020 3.00,
AK/AS/SC/CSE 1020 3.00, LE/EECS 1021 3.00, LE/EECS 1022 3.00.
Sec Instructor Email Lecture, Office
hours
A John Amanatides [email protected] posted on eClass
C Onoise Gerald Kio [email protected] posted on eClass
posted on eClass
D Andriy Pavlovych
[email protected]Main Topics
Theory
1. Intro and history of computing
2. Digital data representation (e.g., numbers, text, audios, images etc)
3. Computer organization (e.g., gates and circuits, adders, CPU, RAM, hard drive etc)
4. System administration (e.g., operating systems, file systems)
5. WWW and the Internet
Practice
1. Document design and creation
2. Presentation design and creation
3. Spreadsheet design and creation
4. Audio manipulation
5. Image manipulation
6. (Simple) Webpage design and creation
Learning Objectives for the Course
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
• create spreadsheets to calculate, model, and/or visualize data
• edit digital images using freely available tools
• describe how information is stored digitally in a computer and identify digital storage risks and counter
measures
• identify computer hardware/software components and their purposes
• describe computer networking devices and their roles, and identify computer network threats and
counter measures
Recommended (but not required) Course Text
• Computer Science Illuminated by Nell Dale and John Lewis (5th edition and later)
Additional readings may be assigned or recommended during the course.
Assessments and Evaluation1
The final grade of the course will be based on the assessment items below, using the weights indicated.
No “extra credit” assignments will be provided. In order to be fair and consistent with regards to
the entire class, individual grades are not negotiable. Furthermore, marks for assignments and tests
will not be “rounded” or “bell-curved”.
Assessment items Tentative due dates Weight, %
(exact date on eClass)
A1 in Sep
A2 in Sep
A3 in Oct
A4 in Oct
8 Assignments 28%
A5 in Nov
A6 in Nov
A7 in Nov
A8 in Dec
2 Tests (in-person, Test 1: week 7 32%
closed book,) Test 2: week 11
Final exam Scheduled by university 40%
(in-person, closed)
1
Subject to minor adjustments if necessary due to lecture progress
Students re-taking this course are expected to redo all assignments from scratch. Reusing work from a
previous offering of the course (even if it is your own work) or any other source is a violation of the
Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
Note that there are 8 assignments and each is due at 23:00 on the due date (deadlines will not be
extended. Plan ahead). In calculating your grades, we will omit the one with the lowest grade. Also,
there are 2 tests; you will write them in class.
Missed assignment: You won’t lose any mark if you miss one assignment it will be taken as that with
the lowest grade and automatically dropped. You do not have to notify the instructors.
Missed tests: If you miss any test due to any reason beyond your control (such as illness, accident,
religion, loss of family member, etc.), you should upload in eClass a properly completed Special
Consideration Form, along with supporting documents. Please note there is a deadline to upload such
forms and the deadline depends on the date of the original assessment – normally one week from that
date. Check the deadline on eClass.
Upon approval, your grade on the missed test will be calculated based on your grade on the final exam.
Also, it is deemed very unusual that a student would miss both tests. Therefore, normally, only one
missed test can be transferred to the final exam.
Missed final exam: The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science has
determined that Deferred Examinations for the department’s courses will be held during the last two
days of the exam period of the same term. Students who are unable to write their final exam at the
original schedule for any reasons (such as illness, family emergencies, or religious observance, etc.)
beyond their control –— may formally request to write a 1st deferred exam. Students should send an
email to [email protected] as soon as they can with supporting documents to request a deferment to
the last two days of the exam period. If the request is approved, the student should write the
deferred exam during one of the last two days of the final exam period of the same term as
determined by the department.
If a student is unable to write the 1st deferred exam due to any reasons beyond their control, they can
submit a 2nd request to participate in another deferred exam. The 2nd deferred exams are scheduled
during the exam period of the following term. Note that any deferred exam beyond the 1st one may
be designed by a different course director and/or based on a different syllabus. However, the exam
once written will be sent to the original course director to be possibly adjusted and graded at their
discretion. Requests for writing the 2nd deferred exams should also be sent to eecs-
[email protected] with supporting documents.
Any questions or special requests on deferred exams should be directed to [email protected] as well.
Please note that requests for deferred standing must be submitted within certain timelines. For
religious observance, the deadline is 21 days before the exam date. For illness and other reasons, the
deadline for submitting the request is as soon as possible and no later than 5 business days after the
exam date. Any petition, such as writing a 2nd deferred exam or missing a deadline, should be
submitted immediately. Note that petitions may not be successful.
[Note] above is the current policy about missing final exams. The department may release
new policies by the end of the semester. Check with the department or course instructors for
latest information.
Grading: The final grade for the course is obtained by combining the scores of the assessments and
converting this total to a letter grade according to the following table. Final course grades may be
adjusted to conform to Department or Faculty grades distribution profiles.
≥ 90 ≥ 80 ≥ 75 ≥ 70 ≥ 65 ≥ 60 ≥ 55 ≥ 50 ≥ 40 < 40
A+ A B+ B C+ C D+ D E F
Email Policies
• Unless it’s a personal matter, you should NOT use email for posing your questions or
comments. Use the discussion forum on eClass instead.
• When emailing us, only use your York email account. We may not see/reply your email if it's
sent via other accounts (such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.)
• Include "EECS1520" and a brief indication of the topic in the subject line. In addition, include
your formal name, Passport York username, and student number in the body of your email. This
is necessary to access your course materials. Also include any additional information that is
pertinent to the topic of your email.
• For questions regarding course material and concepts, email your course instructor. We highly
encourage you to ask questions in lecture, during office hours, and use the eClass discussion
forum, before emailing the course instructor.
• For all administrative matters (e.g., missing a test) you should follow the corresponding links
in the eClass page within the deadlines. Email to the course coordinator should be used as a
last resort, only for circumstances that are not already facilitated in eClass. For academic
integrity and administrative fairness, we should not make any exception--beyond the policies
stated in this document-- if you miss a test or an assignment deadline.
• To save yourself time, do not ask a question the answer to which is in the Course Outline and
Syllabus or in the forum. Search these documents instead.
• For guides on writing professional emails, read this.
• Note that it is considered very unprofessional to send instructors ‘chat-message-like’
emails, where there are no salutations and no sign-offs. Such emails may not be answered.
• Email messages not complying with these guidelines may not be answered.
Course Announcements on eClass
Course announcements will be posted on eClass in the "Course Announcements" forum. By default, all
enrolled students should receive an email notifying them of a new announcement. Regardless, it is the
responsibility of each student to be aware of all course announcements that are made, so check the
forum regularly.
Discussion Forum Code of Conduct
• Students are encouraged to participate in the online eClass forum to ask or comment on
questions relating to course concepts.
• Check to see if your question has already been posted. You are expected to search the forums,
but you do not have to read each post. If your question has not already been asked, create a new
post.
• Use a clear, informative subject line ("Please Help!" is not informative). Try to be as specific as
possible.
• Post comments appropriate to the particular discussion. Off-topic posts may be moved or
deleted.
• Post only material relevant to the course. Other posts will be deleted.
• Be respectful. Posts containing personal insults, attacks, intimidation, or profanity will be
deleted. Remember, TAs and instructors read forum posts too.
• Any post that appears to violate this code of conduct may be edited, moved, or deleted at the
discretion of the moderators. If a post also gives indication of violating the Senate Policy on
Academic Honesty or the York University Student Code of Conduct, further action will be
taken.
Copyrights
Images and materials presented in lectures are subject to Canadian copyright law. Lectures are the
intellectual property of the professor. Course materials are the intellectual property of the associated
author(s). Neither lectures nor other course materials may be distributed without explicit written
permission from the professor or author.
Academic Honesty
Students are expected to do their own work and to act with integrity. Looking at someone else's work
during a test, talking during a test, using aids not permitted (such as a phone, calculator, smart watch)
during a test, plagiarism, not reporting cheating by someone else, and impersonation are all examples
of academically dishonest behaviour.
We take matters related to academic dishonesty seriously and we take measures to detect irregularities
during all assessments. For example, network traffic may be logged, video surveillance could be in
place, and multiple versions may be used. Also, various technological means may be used to ensure
academic integrity.
Students are expected to read and understand the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. If you have
any questions about the policy or would like to report a violation, please speak with your instructor.
Additional Information
Academic Integrity: There is an academic integrity website with comprehensive information about
academic honesty and how to find resources at York to help improve students' research and writing
skills, and cope with University life. Students are expected to review the materials on the Academic
Integrity website.
Access/Disability: York University is committed to principles of respect, inclusion and equality of all
persons with disabilities across campus. The University provides services for students with disabilities
(including physical, medical, learning and psychiatric disabilities) needing accommodation related to
teaching and evaluation methods/materials. These services are made available to students in all
Faculties and programs at York University.
Students in need of these services are asked to register with disability services as early as possible to
ensure that appropriate academic accommodation can be provided with advance notice. You are
encouraged to schedule a time early in the term to meet with each professor to discuss your
accommodation needs. Please note that registering with disabilities services and discussing your needs
with your professors is necessary to avoid any impediment to receiving the necessary academic
accommodations to meet your needs.
Additional information is available at the following websites:
• Student Accessibility Services
• York Accessibility Hub
Religious Observance Accommodation: York University is committed to respecting the religious
beliefs and practices of all members of the community, and providing reasonable accommodations for
observances of special significance to adherents. Should any of the dates for an in-class test,
examination, or lab pose such a conflict for you, Complete a Special Consideration Form within the
designated deadlines in eClass. Please note that to arrange an alternative date or time for an
examination scheduled in the formal examination periods (December and April/May), students must
complete an Examination Accommodation Form, which can be obtained from Student Client Services,
Student Services Centre or online.
Student Conduct in Academic Situations: Students and instructors are expected to maintain a
professional relationship characterized by courtesy and mutual respect. Moreover, it is the
responsibility of the instructor to maintain an appropriate academic atmosphere in the classroom and
other academic settings, and the responsibility of the student to cooperate in that endeavour. Further,
the instructor is the best person to decide, in the first instance, whether such an atmosphere is present in
the class. The policy and procedures governing disruptive and/or harassing behaviour by students in
academic situations is available online.
Last Word:
"..., this course is demanding in terms of time, and should not be added to an already heavy
load.", quoted from the EECS Calendar. Also, although slides and many other resources are available
online; not actively engaging in lectures, assignments, discussion forum, or office hours could
negatively impact your grade. Note that you could go to office hours of any of the course's instructors,
no matter which section you are enrolled in.
