Asee peer logo

Active Learning Exercises in Computer Organization and Architecture

Download Paper |

Conference

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Vancouver, BC

Publication Date

June 26, 2011

Start Date

June 26, 2011

End Date

June 29, 2011

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Computer Science Applications

Tagged Division

Computers in Education

Page Count

6

Page Numbers

22.136.1 - 22.136.6

DOI

10.18260/1-2--17417

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/17417

Download Count

1668

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Jeffrey A. Jalkio University of Saint Thomas

visit author page

Jeff Jalkio received his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and worked for thirteen years in industry in the fields of optical sensor design and process control. In 1984, he co-founded CyberOptics Corporation, where he led engineering efforts as Vice President of Research. In 1997 he returned to academia, joining the engineering faculty of the University of St. Thomas where he teaches courses in digital electronics, computing, electromagnetic fields, controls, and design.

visit author page

biography

Dan R. Schupp

visit author page

Dan Schupp is finishing his bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Physics at the University of St. Thomas. He has worked with students as a TA for nearly two years, covering topics ranging from introductory engineering courses to design with microprocessors. He is currently employed at Xollai LLC, a robotic vision company.

visit author page

Download Paper |

Abstract

Active Learning Exercises in Computer Organization and ArchitectureAbstractCurrent computer science and computer engineering students have grown up using computers ona regular basis. However, they often enter college with no knowledge of how a computerfunctions and frequently with substantial misconceptions regarding their functioning. The earlierthese misconceptions can be replaced by a more accurate model of the computer’s operation, themore readily the student will be able to integrate computer science concepts into their workingknowledge of the world.Research in education has long shown that active learning techniques are particularly effective inhelping students to overcome pre-existing misconceptions. In this paper we present an activityfor exploring basic concepts of computer architecture and organization. In this activity, studentsplay the role of various computer components such as program counter, instruction register, andact out the process of fetching, decoding, and executing instructions. Through this game-likeactivity, students are also introduced to the idea of constructing algorithms from simpleinstructions. Because this activity does not assume prior knowledge of computing or electricalengineering it can be used with a wide variety of audiences. It has been used successfully withengineering, education and liberal arts majors, as well as high school students who haveexpressed an interest in computer engineering.

Jalkio, J. A., & Schupp, D. R. (2011, June), Active Learning Exercises in Computer Organization and Architecture Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--17417

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015