The course is partitioned into a set of Case Studies and Study Modules that are to be completed at a rate of about one per week. Each Case Study and Study Module has its own Discussion Area wherein students may participate to gather further insight, pose questions, and contribute findings.
| Week # | Topic/Task | Study Module | Purpose/Activities |
| 1 | Course Information | Introduction | Short introduction to orient the student as to the structure, content, and schedule for the course. |
| 1 | Case Study #1 | --- | Simple exercise to introduce Case Study format, gather student information, and collect survey information that will be used in Case Study #3. |
| 2 | What are Embedded Systems | 1 | Light introduction to introduce Study Module format. Compare and contrast embedded computer systems to network-based processing systems. |
| 3 | Hacking Defined | 2 | More extensive Study Module. Discuss the who, what, where and why behind computer hacking. |
| 4 | Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Risks | 3 | Conduct a vulnerability and risk analysis pertaining to the selection of protection mechanisms. |
| 5 | Programmability | 4 | Examination of the translation process from human readable source-level code to machine readable code. Discussion of software patching process. Examination of tools used for testing embedded computer systems. |
| 6 | Case Study #2 | --- | Debugger, Hex Editor, and software patching experiment |
| 7 | Product Development Process | 5 | Examine the hardware manufacturing process from internal chip architecture to board-level designs, through final product assembly. |
| 8 | Mid-Term Exam | --- | 10 questions |
| 9 | Safeguarding Embedded Systems (part 1) | 6 | Explore the techniques commonly employed to protect product hardware and software assets. |
| 10 | Case Study #3 Case Study #4 |
--- | Easter Egg experiment Legal Issues investigation |
| 11 | Case Study #5 Case Study #6 |
--- | Checksum experiment CRC experiment |
| 12 | Safeguarding Embedded Systems (part 2) | 7 | Continuation of Module #6 with additional product protection mechanisms. |
| 13 | Case Study #7 | --- | Encryption experiment Code Obfuscation experiment |
| 14 | Embedded System Software Threats | 8 | Examine techniques used to bypass protection mechanisms and to exploit embedded computer hardware and software assets. |
| 15 | Final Exam | --- | 10 questions |
Students are to perform the Case Study during the week assigned. Case
Study instructions, all executable programs, and all associated input files
are provided. Students follow the instructions and may enter experimental
findings in the space provided within the instructions document. Students
are required to write a short summary of their overall findings & lessons
learned regarding the Case Study that have been performed. The completed Case Study
instructions document is then transmitted the instructor prior to the end of the
week that the Case Study is assigned.
The Discussion Area (asynchronous online
participation) that pertains to the assigned Case Study will become active
from the beginning of the week that the Case Study is assigned and remains
active throughout the week such that all student may contribute following
completion of the Case Study assignment. A set of Instructor's Notes
pertaining to the assigned Case Study will then be released for students
to read at the beginning of the week following assignment of the Case Study
after the Discussion Area has closed. Students are expected to read the
Instructor's Notes document to verify results and receive a better
understanding of the Case Study content.
Periodic in-class sessions (about one per month) will be scheduled
a few days after the Instructor's Notes document has been released to
directly interact with the Instructor online in a discussion pertaining
to the Case Study.
Students are to read the Study Module materials during the week assigned. The Study Modules consist of a series of webpages with associated voice annotations. Students are encouraged to take notes and record questions that will be used during participation in the Discussion Area that accompanies the assigned Study Modules. The associated Discussion Area remains active throughout the week that the Study Module is assigned such that all students may contribute.
The final grade is based on successful completion of all Case Studies, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam and participation in the various Discussion Areas. The Mid-Term and Final Exam questions are derived from the Study Modules, Case Studies, and topics discussed within the Discussion Areas. There are 16 Discussion Areas (8 Study Modules + 8 Case Study experiments) that become active during the week that the associated Study Module or Case Study is assigned. On average, a student is expected to contribute at least four substantive entries during each Discussion Area. The final grade is computed as per the table that follows.
| Mid-Term Exam | 100 | 10 questions - in class |
| Final Exam | 100 | 10 questions - in class |
| Case Studies (8) | 180 | Case Studies 1 through 4 - 20 Pts each (10 pts for performing
experiment - 10 pts for overall findings summary) Case Studies 5 through 8 - 25 Pts each (15 pts for performing experiment - 10 pts for overall findings summary) |
| Discussion Forum Participation | 120 | 16 Discussion Areas - 7.5 Pts each On average, at least 4 substantive entries each. Total points = 120 pts x (total substatiative posts / (16 DAs x 4 posts each)) |
| Total Points | 500 |
The Final Letter Grade is based on the table that follows and is assigned based on total points accumulated by the student at the completion of the course.
| Final Letter Grade | Point Spread | Percentage Against 500 Pts Possible |
| A | 450 through 500 | 90% to 100% |
| B | 400 through 449 | 80% to 89% |
| C | 350 through 399 | 70% to 79% |
| D | 300 through 349 | 60% to 69% |
| F | below 300 | below 60% |
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Page design (version 2.5-01.12.06) Copyright 2006, George E. Kalb