edu.LMC and Other LMC Simulation Approaches: Contributions to Computer Architecture Education Using the LMC Paradigm

Authors

Abstract

LMC Paradigm is not a recent approach to teach Computer Architecture: it has been presented, tested and used since 1965, first by its mentors, Madnick and Donovan, and their MIT students, and since then in many other universities around the world. The main purpose of LMC Paradigm is to explain, using a very simple Model, the main components of a real computer system, and to learn how to program using a simple decimal-encoded instruction set. Using new LMC Simulators (based on LMC Paradigm) developed since then, students can nowadays take advantages from simulation processes (e.g., to simulate a program step-by-step execution). We evaluated six different LMC simulators, picked the 'best practices� associated to each one and developed a new simulator, especially focused on Management and Informatics undergraduate students requirements. This new simulator - edu.LMC - has been tested in a Computer Architecture course.

Subject

Computer Science Education