Computer Architecture and Organization

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Course Venue:

Lecture Room 142B

College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology

Course Schedule

11 AM: 
12 PM
8 AM: 
10 AM
Course Code: 
Course Credit Units: 
Semester 2
Year of Study: 
Year 1
Undergraduate or Graduate Level: 
Undergraduate Level
Course Discipline: 
Course Description & Objectives: 

Computer architecture is a key component of computer engineering and the practicing computer engineer should have a practical understanding of this topic. It is concerned with all aspects of the design and organization of the central processing unit and the integration of the CPU into the computer system itself   

Learning Outcomes: 

On completion of this course the student should be able to:·        Identify some contributors to computer architecture and organization and relate their achievements to the knowledge area; explain the reasons and strategies for different architectures; articulate differences between computer organization and computer architecture; identify some of the components of a computer; indicate some strengths and weaknesses inherent in different architectures; and describe how computer engineering uses or benefits from computer architecture and organization.·           Explain the organization  of a von Neumann  machine and its major functional units; explain how a computer fetches from memory and executes an instruction; articulate the strengths and weaknesses of the von Neumann architectureAppreciate   how   numerical   values   are   represented   in   digital   computers; understand the limitations of computer arithmetic and the effects of errors on calculations;  and  appreciate  the  effect  of a processor’s  arithmetic  unit  on its overall performance·           Identify the main types of memory technology;  explain  the effect  of memory latency and bandwidth on performance; explain the use of memory hierarchy to reduce the effective memory latency; describe the principles of memory management; and understand how errors in memory systems arise and how to resolve them   

Computer Architecture and Organization
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