Computer Systems Architecture

The seminar activity is at least 75% compulsory according to the regulations of the University and of the Faculty. Therefore, there are allowed maximum 2 unmotivated seminar absences. Also, there are allowed maximum 2 unmotivated laboratoy absences. No exemption based on extra school activities like jobs, etc. are permitted. In special cases, students can attend the laboratory they missed in the current week with a different group if the teaching assistant in charge with that laboratory agrees. Students having more than 2 unmotivated absences during the semester will not be able to take the exam in the regular examination session.

Students with more than 2 unmotivated absences at the seminar OR laboratory will not be able to take the exam in the normal session and or in the retake examination session (this is because seminar and laboratory activity are activities that take place on the following principle “activity along the semester ”, and they can not be recovered or repeated for a possible retake examination (these students will have to repeat this course in the next academic year)). Students with medical certificates for each of their absences are exempted from this rule.

Each laboratory task must be handed in by a specific deadline, deadline which will be known by the student when he/she gets the task. For each task, a waiting period of 2 weeks, after the deadline, is set. If the student hands in the laboratory task in the waiting period, the grade he/she gets is diminished by 2 points for each week of delay. After the passing of the 2-weeks waiting time, the task can no longer be handed in to the professor, and the student gets the grade 1 for that specific laboratory task.

The grade for a specific laboratory task is assigned by the professor in charge of the laboratory work for each group after the student presents a program solving that task. The criteria for establishing this grade are:

1. The student must prove the solution works.
2. The quality, efficiency and clarity of the source code and also of the accompanying documentation (comments and explanations of the way the solution was developed).
3. Correctness and smartness of the program developed by the student.
4. Ability of the student to easily transform the program and adapt it for solving related problems.

The final grade for the laboratory activity is computed as an arithmetic mean of the grades obtained by the student for each laboratory task (a task not handed in is graded with 1). The student can take the practical examination only if the average grade is at least 5 and if the student had enough active participation at laboratory classes. The student can take the exam in the normal session only if the laboratory average grade is at least 5 (otherwise these students will have to repeat this course in the next academic year).

Saturday, 9 December 2023, starting with 10 am, a mid-term practical test will take place. The subjects students need to know for this test will be specified during the courses. This mid-term practical test is mandatory for all students. This activity take place on the following principle “activity along the semester ”, and it can not be recovered or repeated.

The practical examination will take place between January 8 and 21, 2024, at the laboratory. The student is allowed to take the written exam from the examination session only if the grade for the practical examination is at least 5. Otherwise, it will be possible to take the exam only in the reexamination session, taking into account for the calculation of the final grade the grade from the practical test obtained between January 8 and 21, 2024. If a student dows not attend the practical exam, then the grade will be 0. You can not retake the practical examination!

In order to pass this exam, the student must get a grade that is at least 5.

The final grade for the Computing Systems Architecture course will be computed using the following rule:

• 15% the average grade received for the laboratory work
• 15% the grade received for the mid-term practical test
• 15% the grade received at the practical examination
• 55% the grade received for the written exam

According to the faculty regulations, students who failed this course must follow the rules for the current academic year. Thus:

• Until the 15th of October 2023 they must contact a teaching assistant and be included in a laboratory group
• The student must do again all the laboratory work, must come to the practical examination, the mid-term control paper and the written exam and get grades above 5
• All the rules presented above are valid also for students who already failed this course in the past
• Students who failed this course in the past will attend physical seminars and laboratories (will be distributed evenly, maximum 3 students / semigroup, with teacher approval).
• Students will be consistent and will participate in the same time interval at the seminar and laboratory activities.