FIT1001 is a core unit introduced as part of the common core for first year undergraduates in the Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) for 2006.

This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

30/11/2017 - Unit disestablished at FEC 5/17 Item 7.3.

This unit forms part of the common core for first year FIT undergraduate students. Its key objectives are to prepare students so that they will:

• Understand the basic internal architecture and operation of a computer and its peripherals
• Understand the basics of operating system software and its support for software development tools
• Understand critical factors that affect computer performance.

All IT graduates need to have exposure to this topic area because knowledge of computer architecture and operating system software leads to greater understanding of common IT tasks, such as data storage and retrieval, the programming process and the operation of computing equipment. This allows designers and programmers to specify, develop and debug IT systems more effectively.

At the completion of this unit students will be able to:

• understand basic Computer Structure and Operation and demonstrate use of the associated vocabulary;
• demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of Data Representation, Computer Arithmetic and Boolean Algebra using appropriate methods of implementation;
• demonstrate knowledge of Internal Bus, Memory, I/O organisations and interfacing standards;
• describe the internal operation of the CPU and explain how it is used to execute instructions;
• demonstrate an understanding of the basics of operating systems and system software; and
• identify factors that affect computer performance.

031305

This unit will introduce students to basic computer hardware and operating systems software with emphasis on the concepts required to understand the low-level and internal operations of computer systems. In particular, this includes study of data representation, simple digital logic, computer organisation including CPU, memory and input/output devices, as well as system software and operating system concepts. The intention is to provide opportunities for students to relate the hardware knowledge covered in this unit to the concepts learned in their introductory programming and systems analysis classes and to give a more complete understanding of how hardware and software are used to build systems. This provides opportunities for students to relate the use of programming languages and studies of system design and project management to their implementation on computer hardware. This unit will introduce students to basic computer hardware and operating systems software with emphasis on the concepts required to understand the low-level and internal operations of computer systems.

On-campus and Off-Campus Learning(OCL)

Examination (3 hours): 70%; In-semester assessment: 30%

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs tutorials/wk

No tutorials/labs on the same day as the lecture

FIT

ITS and Faculty IT support.

Sid Ray