Computer Systems
48 hours face to face + blended
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
Students will become familiar with the design, programming, operation, and design constraints of computing hardware.
Requisites
Prerequisites
ENG10004
Digital and Data SystemsOR
EAT10016 Digital and Data Systems
OR
ICT10001 Problem Solving with ICT
OR
Concurrent Pre-requisite
COS10009 Introduction to Programming
Assumed Knowledge
Familiarity with boolean algebra and number systems
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-2026
01-November-2026
01-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-August-2026
Census date
01-September-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-September-2026
Results released date
08-December-2026
Study Block 4
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
28-September-2026
29-November-2026
29-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
28-September-2026
Census date
20-October-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
10-November-2026
Results released date
15-December-2026
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
01-March-2027
30-May-2027
30-May-2027
Last self-enrolment date
14-March-2027
Census date
30-March-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
20-April-2027
Results released date
06-July-2027
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-August-2027
31-October-2027
31-October-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-August-2027
Census date
31-August-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
21-September-2027
Results released date
07-December-2027
Unit learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Read and write assembly language programs for a simple microcomputer
- Identify the hardware components of a computer and the functions they perform
- Describe the overall behaviour of compilers, assemblers, linkers and interpreters
- Argue some of the trade-offs between hardware and software that occur in computer system design
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class |
2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning |
8.50 | 12 weeks | 102 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | Individual | 15 - 25% | 1,2 |
| Assignment 2 | Individual | 15 - 25% | 1,2,3 |
| Examination | Individual | 50 - 60% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Laboratory Practicals | Individual | 5 - 10% | 1,2 |
Content
- Assembly language programming
- An introduction to program timing considerations and interrupts
- Serial and parallel input /output
- Memory types and organisation
- Basic computer organisation: Von Neumann and Harvard architectures
- The internals of a microcomputer using a RISC CPU
- An introduction to interfacing to the analogue world
- A block diagram of a complete CPU
- An introduction to data storage technologies
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.
