CIS 351 Computer Organization and Assembly Language
Winter 2021

Contact Information:
Instructor: Zachary Kurmas Office: MAK C-2-316
Phone: 331-8688 Office Hours: MW 10-11, 2-3
Home page: http://www.cis.gvsu.edu/~kurmasz
E-mail is the best way to contact me. During the week, expect a reply within 24 hours. Also, feel free to visit my office any time the door is open, even if it isn't officially office hours.
Course Documents:
Announcements:
I will post announcements at Piazza. Please check there regularly.
Discussion Board:
Please post questions about homework, projects, etc. to Piazza. Doing so allows everybody to see the question and answer and saves me the time of answering the same question multiple times. Other students can also answer your question, which may help you get a faster response.
Grades:
I will post grades on Blackboard.
Assignments:
Due Name Details
Fri. 22 Jan. First Day Survey
Mon. 1 Feb. Homework 1: Introduction to Digital Logic
Mon. 15 Feb. Project 1: Build an Adder
Mon. 22 Feb. Homework 2: Boolean Algebra
Mon. 1 Mar. Project 2: Build a Subtractor and SLT
Fri. 5 Mar. Homework 3: Sequential Circuits
Mon. 8 Mar. Project 3: Build an ALU
Mon. 29 Mar. Homework 4: Single Cycle CPU Please work in pairs.
Fri. 2 Apr. Project 4 (Phase 1)
Wed. 14 Apr. Homework 6: Cache Problems 1 - 6 only.
Fri. 16 Apr. Project 4: Build Single Cycle CPU Please work in pairs
Wed. 21 Apr. Homework 7: Pipeline Implementation
Mon. 26 Apr. Homework 8: Pipeline Performance Not due for credit
Mon. 26 Apr. Homework 5: Recursion
Mon. 26 Apr. Practice Final Not due for credit
Labs:
Date Name Details
Tue. 19 Jan. Lab 1: Tools Individual assignment
Tue. 2 Feb. Lab 3: Unsigned Adder
Tue. 9 Feb. Lab 2a: Number Conversions Individual assignment
Tue. 9 Feb. Lab 2b: Introduction to Digital Logic
Tue. 2 Mar. Lab 4a: Sequential Circuits
Tue. 2 Mar. Lab 4b: Introduction to Assembly
Tue. 9 Mar. Lab 5: Computer Instruction Types
Tue. 16 Mar. Lab 6: Assembly Branches
Tue. 23 Mar. Lab 7: Loops and Memory
Tue. 6 Apr. Lab 8: Cache (part 1)
Tue. 13 Apr. Lab 9: Cache (part 2)
Tue. 20 Apr. Lab 10: Pipeline
(Labs are due the following Monday, unless otherwise specified.)
Text:
The official textbook for this class is
  • Digital Design and Computer Architecture (2nd edition) by David Money Harris and Sarah L. Harris. ISBN: 9780123944245

If you already have a copy of the Patterson and Hennessy text (shown below), you may use that text instead. This book goes into more depth for some of the later course topics. It can be helpful; but, I wouldn't spend more than about $10 on it.

  • Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, 4th Edition by David Patterson and John Hennessy. ISBN: 1558606041

Also, the differences between the 1st and 2nd edition of Harris and Harris are minimal. If you can find a cheap copy of the first version, go ahead and use it.

Reference:

Updated Wednesday, 21 April 2021, 10:18 AM

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