Review of Activities of Working Group for Computer Architecture

1. Review of Activities of Working Group for Computer Architecture Mile StojcevOliver VojinovicFaculty of Electronic Engineering of Nis Public Reporting on Project Results

2. Overview • Initial status • Joint proposal for the CA Core of Knowledge • Innovations • Innovations - published books • Innovations - books in printing procedure • New course - Embedded systems • Innovations - SimArch

3. Initial status (B.T. - Before Tempus) • 6 courses concerning Computer Architectures are delivered at FEEN • Computer Systems (semester IV) • Computer Organization (semester V - VI) • Microcomputer Systems and Input/Output Devices (semester VII - VIII) • Parallel Computer Systems (semester VII - VIII) • Algorithms and Architectures of Specialized Computer Systems (semester IX) • Microprocessor systems (Dept. of Electronic, semester VII - VIII)

4. Initial status (B.T. - Before Tempus) (Cont.) • Each course contained lectures, oral exercises, lab practices • Lectures were delivered using blackboard • Oral exercises - solving problems on blackboard

5. Joint proposal for the CA Core of Knowledge • Joint work on innovations in CA courses of experts form different academic institutions resulted with paper in CCSS journal. Computer Architecture Core of Knowledge for Computer Science Studies by Mile Stojcev, Ivan Milentijevic, FEEN Dimitris Kehagias, TEIA Rolf Drechsler, University of Bremen Marjan Gusev, FNSMS

6. Innovations (A.T. - After Tempus) • 5 published books • 2 books in publishing procedure • Innovations in existing courses • On-line material on faculty’s web site • A new course on Embedded Systems • New teaching tool

7. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved Problems • Microprocessor Architecture, Part I • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor Systems • Computer Architecture and Organization • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems Course       

8. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved ProblemsM. Stojcev, T. Stankovic • Microprocessor Architecture, Part I • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor Systems • Computer Architecture and Organization • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems Course

9. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved Problems      • Microprocessor Architecture, Part IM. Stojcev • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor Systems      • Computer Architecture and Organization      • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems Course

10. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved Problems      • Microprocessor Architecture, Part I • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor SystemsT. Stankovic, S. Ristic, M. Krstic, I. Andrejic, and M. Stojcev • Computer Architecture and Organization      • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems Course

11. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved Problems      • Microprocessor Architecture, Part I      • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor Systems • Computer Architecture and OrganizationN. Milenkovic • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems Course

12. Innovations - published books • Microcomputer systems - The Collection of Solved Problems • Microprocessor Architecture, Part I      • Laboratory Manual for Microprocessor Systems      • Computer Architecture and Organization   • Lab Manual for Parallel Computer Systems CourseE. Milovanovic, V. Ciric

13. Innovations - books in printing procedure • Computer Systems, part I     M. Stojcev, P. Krtolica(joint work with FSMN and ETF Sarajevo) • Computer Networks and Data Transfer M. Stojcev(joint work with ETF Sarajevo)

14. Innovations in existing courses • New topics in existing courses: • Non-blocking cache memories • Concepts of VLIW machines • Performance improvement • Low power design • System testing • New generation microcontrollers • Application specific processor design • Configurable and extensible processors

15. Innovations in existing courses (Cont.) • Most of lectures now delivered with digital projectors • A lot of on-line material • Solved problems of previous writing exams • Selected topics on advanced computer architectures • Involving students in preparing new lab exercises

16. New course - Embedded systems • Started on October 2004 (semester IX) • Topics • Modelling of embedded systems • High-level synthesis • Scheduling, allocation, partitioning • Parameter-defined processors • Hardware-software codesign • Design validation • Application areas

17. Innovations - SimArch • New multimedia teaching tool, originally developed at FEEN • Involvement of students in development process (Student TEMPUS Club) • Supports lectures of computer architectures • Can be adapted to meet requirements of any computer architecture course • Single engine, two interfaces • Desktop application - for lectures, displaying with digital projector • Web application - for students' practicing at home

20. Innovations - SimArch (Cont.) Heavy work still in progress • New, powerful component-based simulator in integration stage • Connection with extern data providers for component simulation • Improving stability and speed • Efforts towards improving usability, portability and user independence • better script syntax (more error tolerant, better portability) • visual tools for presentation creation

22. Concluding remarks • Numerious innovations in existing curricula were involved • New lab practicing exercises created • Several new books available to students • Involvement of students in teaching process • New teaching environment (digital projectors, on-line content, multimedia teaching tools) • Dissemination of results to other accademic institutions