ELEC/COMP 320:
Introduction to Computer Organization

General Course Information

Description:

The main goal of this course is to introduce Electrical Engineering and Computer Science students to the basic concepts of digital computer organization. Given the ubiquitous nature of computing today, it is important that all students in these disciplines understand how computers work. This is especially true for those who expect to design computer hardware or develop system software. It is also important for the computer users who write or use applications programs (almost everone else) in order for them to make effective use of the increasingly complex computing systems available to them.

Staff:

 Instructor:

J. Robert Jump
Office: AL 204
Email: jrj@rice.edu
Telephone: 527-4020
Office hours: 10:45 - 11:45 T&Th
Head Lab Assistant:

Gary Doughty
Email: doughty@owlnet.rice.edu
Telephone: 796-2858
Lab Assistants:

Matt Dumm
Email: capndumm@rice.edu
Telephone: 522-5735
Sarita Parikh
Email: saritap@rice.edu
Telephone: 630-8611
YanYang Xiao
email: yyx@rice.edu
Telephone: 527-8101 Ext. 2278
Office #: Abercrombie Lab Room C115

Text:

The required textbook for the course is: Computer Organization & Design: The Hardware/Software Interface by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy

Examinations

There will be two examinations given during the semester and a final examination at the end of the semester. The final examination will be comprehensive, covering material from the entire semester.

All exams will be open book exams, but restricted to the course text Computer Organization & Design by Patterson and Hennessy. No other references will be allowed.

The mid-term exams will be held in class if possible. If our assigned class room is too small for holding exams, the exams will be held during the evening. The final exam willl be scheduled by the registrar if the class size is greater than 50 and self-scheduled otherwise.

Homework

There will be several homework assignments chosen from the problems in the text during the semester. No homework will be accepted after the assigned due date except for a verified serious illness or death in the immediate family. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Programming Assignments

There will be several programming assignments during the semester. They will involve writing and debugging assembly language programs using the MIPS simulator SPIM. The primary purpose of these assignments is to reinforce the computer architecture concepts covered in the course text and lectures.

Grading:

Your final grade for the course will be computed as a weighted average of your lab, project, and exam grades. The weights are as follows: 
          Homework                  10%
          Programming assignments   20%
          Midterm exam #1           20%
          Midterm exam #2           20%
          Final exam                30%
Prior to the drop deadline, a midterm grade will be computed for each student. It will be based on the first exam and all programming assignments and homework graded at the time.