Professor: Doeppner Course format: Lecture w/lab Number of respondents: 11 Total Enrollment: 16 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 1 Jrs: 7 Srs: 7 Concs: 10 Non-Concs: 1 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.56 Course Average: 1.58

“Operating Systems Laboratory” is a half-credit course designed to accompany CS 167. The main objective of the course is for students to learn how to write their own operating systems. While there are no specific prerequisites for enrolling in the lab, students were quick to remark that knowledge of C or C++, and solid programming and debugging skills often come in handy.

As the format of the class is such that there is no teaching and students just work on assignments with the assistance of TAs, survey respondents had little to say about Professor Doeppner and his teaching style. Most were happy with the way the course was run, however, and were satisfied with whatever instruction they had.

Most reviewers were happy with the textbook chosen for the course, which was written by Professor Doeppler himself. The assigned readings were all helpful, they felt, and there were no “superfluous” readings. None of the students had any complaints about the project they were required to complete, which was broken up into four smaller parts.

The number of hours students spent on this course varied from a whooping 20 to 40 hours per week to a mere nine. Many of the students remarked that they spent more time on the course than they initially anticipated they would. Others felt that their level of effort indeed matched their initial expectations. Despite the extensive time commitment, most students felt that “Operating Systems Laboratory” was a very good class and improved their coding and programming skills. One reviewer advised prospective students to “know what they’re getting into”. Another survey respondent said that surviving the course gives a student “bragging rights”, which make taking the class worthwhile.

View CS/0169 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.