CS 3432 Computer Architecture I

1. Introduction to basic machine organization (includes historical overview), stored program concept, program counter, fetch/decode execute process, machine state, RAM, ROM, EPROM, registers, machine code, assembly code.
2. Functions of assembler, linker, and loader, the assembly process, symbol table, and assembler directives, relocatable code, instruction set architecture, instruction formats, addressing modes, effective address calculation, overflow and underflow.
3. Data manipulation, data movement, control-flow, condition-code register, translation of high-level programming language constructs to assembly language constructs, representation of numeric and non-numeric data.
4. Data/text/stack segments, subroutine linkage, calculation of execution time and how it is linked to cycles per instruction
5. Input/output including memory-mapped & DMA I/O, interrupt and exception handling (and how related to operating systems). Operational & security issues in serial & parallel interfaces, persistent storage (magnetic & optical disk, flash).
6. Program design, implementation (modularization), testing, debugging, documentation, introduction to basic concepts of software engineering.

Course Organization

• Teams: We believe that the ability to work with other software developers is essential. Therefore, students will be required to work effectively in teams throughout the semester.
• Examinations: Examinations are assumed to be closed book, closed notes, and in-class, unless otherwise specified. I do not give make-up examinations. If you miss an examination for a legitimate reason ( such as illness, death in the family, participation in a college sponsored activity), then your (comprehensive) final examination will be counted extra to compensate for the missed exam. If you miss an examination with out a legitimate reason, a grade of 0 will be recorded for that examination. If you know you will be missing an exam date due to a college sponsored activity, you may arrange to take the exam in advance.

Programs, Homework, and Laboratory Assignments

• laboratory assignment,
• homework, or
• programming assignment,

• one quiz per week.

• Homework assignments are considered learning experiences and will not be graded.
• The laboratory assignments are not optional; attendance at laboratory sessions is mandatory. Grading of lab assignments will be based on effort and understanding of concepts; if it appears that you have made a serious effort to solve the problems and have a firm understanding of the associated concepts then you will be given full credit. Lab submissions must be legibly printed (with a dark pen) or typed, and must be handed in on time. No credit will be given for lab assignments submitted after the due date.
• Partial credit may be given for partially completed programs/final projects; however, programs with syntax errors will receive no credit. Start on your programs/final project early so that you can get help with assembly and logic errors before the due date.
• The final project for the course will entail controlling a motorized vehicle via software that interfaces motors and sensors that are part of the vehicle. The homework, lab, and programming assignments will lead you, incrementally, to the completion of the project.
• Programs and projects will be submitted on or before the specified due dates. Late programs and projects will be downgraded one numeric grade for every 2 days of lateness. (For grading purposes, a calendar day is defined as any day in which the main lab is open.)

Grades are determined largely from lab and exam grades. There will also be frequent in-class quizzes, which can increase grades by a small amount.

Since grades are difficult to measure precisely, I will not pretend that they are. Instead, as appropriate, the quality of student work will be assessed on a scale of [0..4] roughly corresponding to conventional grade scale

• 5: Answer demonstrates both mastery and excellent understanding of context. Counts like a "4", but is noted by the professor. Typically awarded for particularly concise yet clear and complete answers that also demonstrate mastery.
• 4: indicates that the answer demonstrates mastery and ability to transfer knowledge to new contexts.
• 3: indicates that the the answer demonstrates understanding of concepts, but significant errors in application are evident
• 2: indicates that the the answer demonstrates signficant understanding of concepts, but significant errors in logic are evident
• 1: indicates that the answer demonstrates an awareness of concepts but limited understanding
• 0: indicates no or small demonstration of relevant knowledge

Lab & exam grades have a large influence on final grade (typically 40% lab, 60% exams, where the exam component is max(final, 0.6*final + 0.4*midterm)).

Grading-related policies

• Time: This course requires a great deal of time. You must start assignments early and work steadily to be successful.
• Grading errors: You have one week after graded material is returned to the class to rectify any grading errors or to argue for additional credit. After the week has passed, no changes in grades will be made.
• Class Attendance and Participation: As a college student, you have the freedom to choose whether or not to attend class. However, in this department we are committed to cooperative techniques, which can only work if students attend regularly.
• Incomplete: Students receive a grade of Incomplete only under extraordinary circumstances: when they have substantially completed the course work with a passing grade, but cannot finish the course for a legitimate reason. Legitimate reasons include severe illnesses and debilitating accidents. Class or workloads that are too demanding are NOT legitimate reasons.
• Academic dishonesty: Students are expected to behave courteously and professionally according to the standards published at http://www.utep.edu/~upfa/stud.htm. Cheating is defined as submitting work under your name that was not done entirely by you for individual assignments or by your team for team assignments. (This includes taking programs from the web or cutting text from web pages and pasting them into documents, even if the source is cited). Cheating will not be tolerated--those caught cheating will be reported to the Dean of Students. You should be aware of the Standards of Conduct posted at http://www.utep.edu/vpfa/student_affairs/student/studindex/htm.

Individual vs. Cooperative Work

You are encouraged to participate in class and to have open discussions with classmates about the topics covered in the course. However, this does not imply in any way that your programs should represent cooperative efforts. With respect to programming assignments, you are encouraged to discuss with others the related concepts that will help you design and implement programs, but the programs that you submit must be your own code, written and documented by you, and therefore, understood by you. In contrast, labs and the final projects represent cooperative efforts, i.e., the work of you and another student who is assigned to work with you. Note that even a cooperative effort must be fully understood by you!

I will attempt to accommodate students with disabilities; however, I make these accommodations in accordance with University policy. If you feel you may have a disability that requires accommodation, contact the Disabled Student Services Office at 747-5148, go to Room 106E Union, or e-mail dss@utep.edu.