ELEC3608: Computer Architecture (2013 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | ELEC3608: Computer Architecture (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Senior |
| Faculty/School: | School of Electrical and Information Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
A/Prof Leong, Philip
|
| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | ELEC2602. Basic knowledge of digital logic is required. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | This unit of study explores the design of a computer system at the architectural and digital logic level. Topics covered include instruction sets, computer arithmetic, performance evaluation, datapath design, pipelining, memory hierarchies including caches and virtual memory, I/O devices, and bus-based I/O systems. Students will design a pipelined reduced instruction set processor. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Timetable: | ELEC3608 Timetable | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| T&L Activities: | Laboratory: Laboratory experiments to revise concepts and gain familiarity with design tools. Tutorial: Reinforce concepts and provide design examples of materials covered in lectures. Independent Study: Self study |
Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| Students will be required to understand different computer architectures. They will be required to develop the skills needed to construct and simulate their own designs. | Design (Level 2) |
| Students will need to develop skills required to consider different design choices. | Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 3) |
| Analytic skills for comparing design choices will be developed. | Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3) |
| Students will develop skills of collecting information from different sources and critically evaluating them. | Information Seeking (Level 2) |
| Students will develop written communications skills through their tutorials and assignment. | Communication (Level 2) |
| Students will be asked to reflect on management and business issues concerning this field. Students will tackle a design project in teams, gaining project management skills in the process. |
Professional Conduct (Level 2) |
| Students will tackle a design project in teams, gaining project management skills in the process. | Project Management and Teamwork (Level 2) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Design (Level 2)| Assessment Methods: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Description: |
Tutorials: Cover basic theory for course. Assignment: Design project. Final Exam: 2 hour closed book. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Faculty Policies & Procedures: | Academic Honesty in Coursework. All students must submit a cover sheet for all assessment work that declares that the work is original and not plagiarised from the work of others. Coursework assessment and examination policy. The faculty policy is to use standards based assessment for units where grades are returned and criteria based assessment for Pass/Fail only units. Norm referenced assessment will only be used in exceptional circumstances and its use will need to be justified to the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Special consideration for illness or misadventure may be considered when an assessment component is severely affected. This policy gives the details of the information that is required to be submitted along with the appropriate procedures and forms. Special Arrangements for Examination and Assessment. In exceptional circumstances alternate arrangements for exams or assessment can be made. However concessions for outside work arrangements, holidays and travel, sporting and entertainment events will not normally be given. Student Appeals against Academic Decisions. Students have the right to appeal any academic decision made by a school or the faculty. The appeal must follow the appropriate procedure so that a fair hearing is obtained. Note that policies regarding assessment submission, penalties and assessment feedback depend upon the individual unit of study. Details of these policies, where applicable, will be found above with other assessment details in this unit outline. All university policies can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/policy Various request forms for the Faculty of Engineering and IT can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/forms/ |
| Prescribed Text/s: |
Note: Students are expected to have a personal copy of all books listed.
|
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Lecture: Computer abstractions and technology |
| Week 2 | Lecture/Tutorial: Instruction sets |
| Week 3 | Lecture/Tutorial: Computer arithmetic |
| Assessment Due: Tutorial 1 | |
| Week 4 | Lecture/Tutorial: Computer arithmetic |
| Assessment Due: Tutorial 2 | |
| Week 5 | Lecture/Tutorial: Processor design |
| Assessment Due: Tutorial 3 | |
| Week 6 | Lecture/Tutorial: Processor design |
| Assessment Due: Tutorial 4 | |
| Week 7 | Lecture/Tutorial: Processor design (pipelining) |
| Assessment Due: Tutorial 5 | |
| Week 8 | Lecture/Tutorial: Processor design (pipelining) |
| Week 9 | Lecture/Tutorial: Memory hierarchy |
| Week 10 | Lecture/Tutorial: Memory hierarchy |
| Week 11 | Lecture/Tutorial: Storage and I/O |
| Week 12 | Storage and I/O |
| Assessment Due: Design exercise | |
| Week 13 | Lecture/Tutorial: Multicores, Multiprocessors and Clusters |
| Exam Period | Assessment Due: Final exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Design (Level 2) | Yes | 9.2% |
| Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 3) | Yes | 12.2% |
| Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3) | Yes | 1.6% |
| Information Seeking (Level 2) | Yes | 1.6% |
| Communication (Level 2) | Yes | 6% |
| Professional Conduct (Level 2) | Yes | 0.4% |
| Project Management and Teamwork (Level 2) | Yes | 9% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
