Unit rationale, description and aim
In today’s digital age, nearly every piece of technology we use relies on a crucial component to function effectively: the operating system.
This unit offers a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts and principles of operating systems. Students will delve into various types of operating systems and explore essential topics such as process and thread management, memory management, file systems, and input/output systems. Students will build on their programming and systems knowledge to gain a deep understanding of both the theoretical and practical challenges involved in designing, implementing, and utilizing operating systems.
The aim of this unit is to assist students to support organisations to function effectively through developing understandings of operating systems.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Explain the role of the operating system as a high...
Learning Outcome 01
Evaluate strategies used by an operating system in...
Learning Outcome 02
Assess operating system security and privacy mecha...
Learning Outcome 03
Evaluate the performance of different operating sy...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to Operating System
- Operating System Structures
- Processes and Threads
- Memory Management
- File systems
- Input and Output systems
- Concurrency and Synchronization
- Services and Service Management
- Security and Protection
- Virtualisation
- Distributed Systems
- Mobile and Cloud Operating Systems
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessments are designed to ensure students gain theoretical and practical knowledge of operating systems. Assessment 1 has been designed to ensure that students gain a comprehensive understanding of the commonalities and differences of key elements of operating systems, focusing on what they are commonly used for and how users interact with the system and the practical application of that knowledge, exploring the way operating systems work under load. Assessment 2 provides students with an opportunity to critically explore and evaluate operating system security and privacy strategies, which has a direct impact on user security and privacy. Assessment 3 builds upon previous assessments and draws together all of the learning outcomes as it challenges students to critically apply their knowledge to determine appropriate operating systems for different load situations and justify their choices. This series of assessments scaffolds students' learning by progressively increasing the complexity of tasks and requiring progressive integration of unit learning outcomes.
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Report Monitor and analyse me...
Assessment Task 1: Report
Monitor and analyse memory usage on a chosen operating system (Windows or Linux). Record key metrics under different workloads over a defined period. Present a brief comparison of the tools and approaches available in Windows vs Linux for monitoring memory usage and discuss the factors influencing observed.
30%
Assessment Task 2: Report Conduct a comprehensi...
Assessment Task 2: Report
Conduct a comprehensive security audit of a virtual environment, identifying potential vulnerabilities and recommending mitigation strategies.
30%
Assessment Task 3: Open Book Exam This open-boo...
Assessment Task 3: Open Book Exam
This open-book exam will assess students' understanding of core operating system concepts covered throughout the course. It will require them to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios across key topics.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The teaching approach within this unit puts the student at the centre of their learning. This is achieved by using an approach that integrates asynchronous interactive online elements with practical exercises that facilitate problem solving and peer collaboration. Access to fundamental knowledge is provided through online resources that enable students to build their understandings in a flexible manner. Students are given the opportunity to build upon this knowledge through social learning experiences conducted through practical activities. These opportunities enable students to build more complex understandings through peer interactions and structured learning experiences. This approach allows students to develop problem solving skills which align to vocational practices in computer science.