| Instructor: | Professor Hank Dietz |
|---|---|
| Office: | 203 Davis Marksbury Building |
| Email: | hankd@engr.uky.edu |
| Home URL: | http://aggregate.org/hankd/ -- schedule and live office camera are posted there |
| Course URL: | http://aggregate.org/CPE380 -- watch errata for changes |
| Course Meetings: | TR 2:00-3:15 scheduled to meet live online via Zoom |
| Optional Course Text: | 
Computer Organization & Design, The Hardware/Software Interface, Fifth Edition: The Hardware/Software Interface, Patterson & Hennessy, Morgan Kaufmann publisher, 2013. Versions as old as the 2nd Edition are usable, but it has become too awkward to list corresponding sections in all versions as the material is covered in class. |
Adjustments made to deal with COVID-19 are shown in RED.
All the software tools used in this course are available online, with most usable from any browser via a form interface. In-person meetings carry significant risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, so a variety of steps, discussed below, are being taken to minimize risk. The class videos are intended only for the personal use of students enrolled in the course; attending the class meetings live (in real time) is strongly preferred as long as available bandwidth, etc., permit. You also are encouraged to seriously consider the risks and benefits of meeting in-person with other students for study groups, etc. -- and if you do meet physically, be dilligent about taking appropriate precautions. Both Professor Dietz and the TA can be contacted via email to arrange "virtual office meetings" to discuss anything relevant to this course.
There are two sets of issues involving how class meetings will be handled during the pandemic. The following is copied, with only minor adjustment, from the University Senate Fall 2020 Academic Policies in Response to COVID-19, and the intent is that our course will generally be handled consistently with the latest guidelines posted there. Note that, at this writing, physical class meetings are not scheduled for this course; however, there may be various optional opportunities for physical meetings, so the following guidelines still apply.
The University of Kentucky Student Code of Conduct defines Invasion of Privacy as using electronic or other devices to make a photographic, audio, or video record of any person without their prior knowledge or consent when such a recording is likely to cause injury or distress.
Meetings of this course may be recorded. All sections of the course are intended to share interactive participation in the same class meetings, independent of whether they are physically in the classroom or conducted via online media, thus, all sections are to be considered collectively as a single course for these purposes. All video and audio recordings of lecturers and class meetings, provided by the instructors, are for educational use by students in this class only. They are available only through the Canvas shell for this course or the course website, and are not to be copied, shared, or redistributed.
As addressed in the Student Code of Conduct, students are expected to follow appropriate university policies and maintain the security of linkblue accounts used to access recorded class materials. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not enrolled in the class, or uploaded to other online environments.
If the instructor or a University of Kentucky office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use. In anticipation of such cases, students may be asked to complete an "authorization of use" form by a faculty member.
Video and audio recordings by students are not permitted during the class unless the student has received prior permission from the instructor. Any sharing, distribution, and or uploading of these recordings outside of the parameters of the class is prohibited. Students with specific recording accommodations approved by the Disability Resource Center should present their official documentation to the instructor.
All content for this course, including handouts, assignments, and lectures are the intellectual property of the instructors and cannot be reproduced or sold without prior permission from the instructors. A student may use the material for reasonable educational and professional purposes extending beyond this class, such as studying for a comprehensive or qualifying examination in a degree program, preparing for a professional or certification examination, or to assist in fulfilling responsibilities at a job or internship.
CPE380 is the undergraduate computer architecture core course and a key course for anyone interested in computer engineering. The course serves as an introduction to the design and analysis of modern computer architectures. It is expected that students entering this course will have some high-level language programming experience and basic understanding of digital logic (as per EE280).
CPE 380 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION. (3)
Hardware and software organization of a typical computer; machine language and assembler language programming, interfacing peripheral devices, and input-output programming; real-time computer applications, laboratory included. Prereq: Engineering standing, CS 215 and EE/CPE 282 or EE 280. (Same as CS/EE 380.)
Notes: The course is heavily weighted toward the hardware organization of a typical computer, and should be seen as an introductory computer architecture course. The "laboratory" is entirely virtual, consisting of assignments done using WWW-interfaced tools developed for the course. As of Spring 2021, to leverage changes in the structure of prerequisite courses, CPE380 is experimentally being adjusted to include some Verilog exposure.
A very approximate overview of the lecture coverage, in "lecture weeks," is given in the following table. Note that the reference chapters do not contain all the material covered in lectures; you are expected to understand any material discussed in the lectures, cited from references, or presented via the course URL.
| Topic | Primary Reference | Weeks | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Book Chapter 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| A Simple Machine | Online (EE280 review from Book Appendix B) | 2.0 | 0 |
| Performance | Book Chapter 1 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Machine Language | Book Chapter 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Arithmetic | Book Chapter 3 | 2.0 | 1 |
| Data Path & Control | Book Chapter 4 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Pipelining | Book Chapter 4 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Memory & I/O | Book Chapter 5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| Parallel Processing | Book Chapter 6 | 1.0 | 2 |
The textbook for this course is an excellent reference that essentially defines the common background understanding of computer architecture assumed for many CS/EE jobs. However, it is not perfect, and there are a variety of things we'll do differently. The various revisions of the textbook differ mostly in rearrangements trying to smooth-out problems with performance analysis and the "single cycle" implementation architecture, as well as modernization of the ideas and examples. As the table above shows, we largely follow the order in the text; however, we use additional materials with online references throughout, and even use additional materials as the primary reference for the simple machine as noted above.
After completing this course, a student will be able to:
The textbook is recommended primarily as a reference material; it will not be directly used in the course. This places heavy emphasis on the lectures and the materials presented online at the course website, http://aggregate.org/CPEE380/. In addition, the course makes extensive use of WWW forms that can be accessed using any modern WWW browser -- which makes web-browser internet access a critical requirement.
The minimum technical requirements for UK courses and suggested hardware, software, and internet connections are available at ITS Student Hardware & Software Guidelines. For general technical support and account help, contact UK's Information Technology Customer Services online, by email, or by phone at 859-218-HELP (4357).
Various homework/projects will be assigned. Generally, these must be submitted via the WWW forms at the course site; computer use will be discussed in lectures and at the course URL. Detailed grading may be done on only a subset of the work assigned. Simple quizzes may be given in class to confirm your attentiveness and help tailor the presentation to better meet student interests and needs.
Professor Dietz tries to minimize travel during the semester, and that's a lot easier this semester in that most conferences have gone virtual. He is involved in various aspects of the Electronic Imaging 2021 conference from January 11-28 (an unusually long schedule intended to facilitate virtual attendance), however, his participation has been arranged to not interfere with the normal course teaching schedule. If anything should interfere with with normal class schedule, the affected lecture(s) will be shifted to a different time and made available live online and/or as recordings. Any schedule changes, including changes made due to weather, are announced on the course website.
The course material is segmented into 3 exams covering the material suggested in the table above. All three exams are expected to be administered online, details to be posted at the course website or canvas. The last exam is actually the first half of the final exam, the second half of which is comprehensive. The schedule for the exams will be announced in class and at the course URL. It is expected that the online exams will each be taken in a limited time window (e.g., completed within two hours once begun), but students will be able to select their time window for each exam from within a period spanning at least several days. As such, the final exam timeslot scheduled by the office of the registrar is not particularly relevant, although the last exam period will be during finals week.
The University of Kentucky gives very specific conditions that would justify taking an exam at other than the scheduled time and place, and we will honor all requests complying with university guidelines. Beyond that, we will try to accomodate any request to take an exam at other than the scheduled time provided that the request is made in writing or email before the scheduled exam time. In such cases, the course staff may elect to use a different format (e.g., an oral exam) for the specially-scheduled exam. Our accomodation options may be somewhat limited in this time -- for example, we cannot provide a less-distracting environment for taking a test if the student is physically constrained to a particular environment due to COVID-19, but it is even possible to give an oral exam via Zoom.
The grading in this course will generally follow the usual scale of "A" starting at 90%, "B" at 80%, "C" at 70%, and "D" at 65%; these grade thresholds will never be increased, but may be lowered slightly as the course staff find appropriate. The first two exams will count for approximately 20% of your course grade each, and the final will count for about 30%. The remaining 30% of your grade will be based on the other assignments and quizzes. Note that this is a change from previous semesters, weighting the final 10% less and assignments and quizzes 10% more. These weightings for the final course grade are unlikely to change significantly, but may be adjusted if circumstances make that appropriate.
We appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic brings many unique issues that can affect grades, and we will try to handle such issues in ways that are generally sympathetic to the hardships that students may endure. For example, requests for a grade of incomplete will generally be granted without requiring the student to document why they want that grade.
Mid-term grades are intended to help you know what grade your current trajectory is likely to result in for the complete course, and mid-term grades will be posted to myUK consistent with university guidelines. 70% of your final course grade is determined by exams, so computing mid-term grades using the final grade weightings on all work submitted to that point could be misleading. Instead, expect the weightings for mid-term grades to heavily favor the first exam -- the only exam graded before mid-term grades must be submitted. Although the in-class exams will be returned and reviewed, homework grades are not distributed nor posted except by individual request. In general, the TA will be responsible for maintaining assignment grades, and you can get your grades from the TA via an email request.
Homework solutions are posted to aid students in preparation for the upcoming exam on the same material. You will generally have at least a week to do each homework, but homework is due by the stated date and will not be accepted after a solution is posted. The two in-class exams are generally graded and returned to the students, with answers reviewed either in class or in sessions scheduled specifically for that purpose. So that any possible grading errors can be consistently handled for all students, regrade requests (preferably in writing) must be made promptly and must be specific as to the reason a regrade is requested. At the option of the course staff, any work submitted for regrade may be re-evaluated in its entirety.
Classroom attendance is expected: the course presentation makes heavy use of the lectures to convey the material, and quizes may be given at random in addition to the scheduled in-class exams. However, absences will be excused in accordance with Senate Rules 5.2.4.2 on excused absences. Additionally, at the discretion of the instructor, other absences often will be forgiven provided that the instructor or TA has been sent an email before the class period begins stating a reason for the absence. In the classroom, students should not take any actions that would disrupt the classroom environment (e.g., talking on a cell phone during class). In general, students are expected to behave in a respectful way towards their fellow students, the TA, and the instructor.
Students are expected to generally behave in an ethical manner, but violations will be treated as serious offenses. Altering graded exams and then submitting them for regrade is obviously unethical, but you do not need to be trying to enhance your grade in order for your behavior to be inappropriate. For example, attempts to break into computer accounts associated with this course or to falsely identify yourself are serious ethical violations even if there was no intent to "cheat" per se.
There are lots of study materials for this course, including old exams, widely available; using them as study aids is perfectly acceptable, but be warned that an apparent reuse of an old question usually has the question slightly reworded so that repeating the old answer will get no credit. Although students are encouraged to discuss course material with one another, everything you submit must be entirely your own original work. Similarly, for in-class exams that specify no textbooks, no calculators, etc., use of the banned resources is a serious offense.
University of Kentucky guidelines do not treat ethics violations as minor infractions. Violation of the policy can result in all involved students failing the course; more severe penalties also may be applied. Contact Professor Dietz beforehand if you have any doubts about how this policy might apply.
The following standard UK course guidelines also apply to CPE380, except as noted above.
Mid-term grades will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar.
Senate Rules 5.2.4.2 defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: (a) significant illness, (b) death of a family member, (c) trips for members of student organizations sponsored by an educational unit, trips for University classes, and trips for participation in intercollegiate athletic events, (d) major religious holidays, (e) interviews for graduate/professional school or full-time employment post-graduation, and (f) other circumstances found to fit "reasonable cause for nonattendance" by the instructor of record. Students should notify the professor of absences prior to class when possible.
If a course syllabus requires specific interactions (e.g., with the instructor or other students), in situations where a student's total EXCUSED absences exceed 1/5 (or 20%) of the required interactions for the course, the student shall have the right to request and receive a "W," or the Instructor of Record may award an "I" for the course if the student declines a "W." (Senate Rules 5.2.4.2.1)
(If an attendance/interaction policy is not stated in the course syllabus or the policy does not include a penalty to the student, the Instructor cannot penalize the student for any unexcused absences.)
Students may be asked to verify their absences in order for them to be considered excused. Senate Rule 5.2.4.2 states that faculty have the right to request appropriate verification when students claim an excused absence due to: significant illness; death in the household, trips for classes, trips sponsored by an educational unit and trips for participation related to intercollegiate athletic events; and interviews for full-time job opportunities after graduation and interviews for graduate and professional school. (Appropriate notification of absences due to University-related trips is required prior to the absence when feasible and in no case more than one week after the absence.)
Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are responsible for notifying the instructor in writing of anticipated absences due to their observance of such holidays. Please check the course syllabus for the notification requirement. If no requirement is specified, two weeks prior to the absence is reasonable and should not be given any later. Information regarding major religious holidays may be obtained through the Ombud's website or calling 859-257-3737.
Students missing any graded work due to an excused absence are responsible: for informing the Instructor of Record about their excused absence within one week following the period of the excused absence (except where prior notification is required); and for making up the missed work. The instructor must give the student an opportunity to make up the work and/or the exams missed due to the excused absence, and shall do so, if feasible, during the semester in which the absence occurred. The instructor shall provide the student with an opportunity to make up the graded work and may not simply calculate the student's grade on the basis of the other course requirements, unless the student agrees in writing.
If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see me as soon as possible during scheduled office hours. In order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide me with a Letter of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC coordinates campus disability services available to students with disabilities. Visit the DRC website, email the DRC, contact them by phone at (859) 257-2754, or visit their office on the corner of Rose Street and Huguelet Drive in the Multidisciplinary Science Building, Suite 407.
UK is committed to providing a safe learning, living, and working environment for all members of the University community. The University maintains a comprehensive program which protects all members from discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. For complete information about UK's prohibition on discrimination and harassment on aspects such as race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, and sexual orientation, please see the electronic version of UK's Administrative Regulation 6:1 ("Policy on Discrimination and Harassment"). In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex in academics, employment, and all of its programs and activities. Sexual misconduct is a form of sexual harassment in which one act is severe enough to create a hostile environment based on sex and is prohibited between members of the University community and shall not be tolerated. For more details, please see the electronic version of Administrative Regulations 6:2 ("Policy and Procedures for Addressing and Resolving Allegations of Sexual Assault, Stalking, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Exploitation"). Complaints regarding violations of University policies on discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct are handled by the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity (IEEO), which is located in 13 Main Building and can be reached by phone at (859) 257-8927. You can also visit the IEEO's website.
Faculty members are obligated to forward any report made by a student related to IEEO matters to the Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity. Students can confidentially report alleged incidences through the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center, Counseling Center, or University Health Services.
Per University policy, students shall not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify or misuse academic records. Students are expected to adhere to University policy on cheating and plagiarism in all courses. The minimum penalty for a first offense is a zero on the assignment on which the offense occurred. If the offense is considered severe or the student has other academic offenses on their record, more serious penalties, up to suspension from the University may be imposed.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious breaches of academic conduct. Each student is advised to become familiar with the various forms of academic dishonesty as explained in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Complete information can be found on the Academic Ombud page. A plea of ignorance is not acceptable as a defense against the charge of academic dishonesty. It is important that you review this information as all ideas borrowed from others need to be properly credited.
Senate Rule 6.3.1 (see current Senate Rules) states that all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission.
When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording, or content from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.
Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work (including, but not limited to a published article, a book, a website, computer code, or a paper from a friend) without clear attribution. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be, except under specific circumstances (e.g. Writing Center review or peer review) allowed by the Instructor of Record or that person's designee. Plagiarism may also include double submission, self-plagiarism, or unauthorized resubmission of one's own work, as defined by the instructor.
Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, except where prohibited by the Instructor of Record (e.g. individual take-home exams). However, the actual work must be done by the student, and the student alone, unless collaboration is allowed by the Instructor of Record (e.g. group projects).
When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she has employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content, and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas, which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.
Please note: Any assignment you turn in may be submitted to an electronic database to check for plagiarism.
Cheating is defined by its general usage. It includes, but is not limited to, the wrongfully giving, taking, or presenting any information or material by a student with the intent of aiding himself/herself or another on any academic work which is considered in any way in the determination of the final grade. The fact that a student could not have benefited from an action is not by itself proof that the action does not constitute cheating. Any question of definition shall be referred to the University Appeals Board.
Maintaining the integrity, accuracy, and appropriate privacy of student academic records is an essential administrative function of the University and a basic protection of all students. Accordingly, the actual or attempted falsification, theft, misrepresentation or other alteration or misuse of any official academic record of the University, specifically including knowingly having unauthorized access to such records or the unauthorized disclosure of information contained in such records, is a serious academic offense. As used in this context, "academic record" includes all paper and electronic versions of the partial or complete permanent academic record, all official and unofficial academic transcripts, application documents and admission credentials, and all academic record transaction documents. The minimum sanction for falsification, including the omission of information, or attempted falsification or other misuse of academic records as described in this section is suspension for one semester.
Computer Organization and Design.