Flexible web-based educational system for teaching computer architecture and organization

An important problem in teaching courses in computer architecture and organization is to find a way to help students to make a cognitive leap from the blackboard description of a computer system to its utilization as a programmable device. Computer simulators developed to tackle this problem vary in scope, target architecture, user interface, and support for distance learning. Usually, they include the processor only, lacking the whole-system perspective. The existing simulators mainly focus on the programmer´s view of the machine and do not provide the designer´s perspective. This paper presents an educational computer system and its Web-based simulator, designed to help teaching and learning computer architecture and organization courses. The educational computer system is designed to cover a broad spectrum of topics taught in lower division courses. It offers a unique environment that exposes students to both the programmer and the designer´s perspective of the computer system. The Web-based simulator features an interactive animation of program execution and allows students to navigate through different levels of the educational computer system´s hierarchy-starting from the top level with block representation down to the implementation level with standard sequential and combinational logic blocks.