Work In Progress: Future Pedagogical Trends in the Microprocessor Course - The Soft Core Processor

Abstract

The microprocessor course has been a keystone course in electrical and computer engineering curricula for decades now. Historically, commercial off-the-shelf processors such as the Microchip PIC and Motorola 68HC12 have been used in this course. Following the migration from discrete components to programmable logic devices in introductory digital design courses we expect to see a similar, yet more selective, shift to the use of soft core processors in future microprocessor and embedded systems courses. Soft core processors are designed in a hardware description language (HDL) and implemented on a programmable logic device, typically a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and can be customized with respect to system requirements. Off-theshelf processors cannot offer a customized computer system or the ability to design user-specified hardware as part of a system-on-a-chip. These aspects are the most advantageous characteristics of the soft core approach to embedded systems. Students themselves will design their platform using only the necessary peripherals. They will analyze system performance based on hardware and software tradeoffs against a backdrop of the utilization of hardware resources, thus vastly increasing the design space they consider for their projects. In this paper we support our claim by reviewing recent pedagogical trends and advances in the digital design industry.

Curricular Enhancement To Support Project Based Learning In Computer And Electrical Engineering

“…In the Introduction to Systems Design course at Cal Poly, CPE 329, students themselves design their computing platform using only the necessary hardware and peripheral devices. [15][16] They analyze system performance based on hardware and software tradeoffs against a backdrop of hardware resources utilization metrics, thus vastly increasing the design space they consider for their projects. New content in introductory embedded systems courses using a soft-core approach can be summarized as:…”

Introducing Hybrid Design Approach At The Undergraduate Level

“…In most universities one or both of these courses are required core courses. Hardware/software co-design approaches have been used at other universities targeting undergraduates and graduate students [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . This paper explains a teaching plan to introduce this hybrid design approach at the undergraduate level that introduces both these topics in a single course.…”