Adding computing theory to a course on computer design and architecture
Jesse Eickholt · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2015
This paper describes the addition of four core concepts from computing theory to a course on computer design and architecture. According to the most recent Computer Science Curriculum, all computer science students should receive around 6 instructional hours on key concepts from computing theory covering areas such as finite automata, regular expressions, grammars and the halting problem. Computing theory has traditionally been a difficult subject for computer science students and as a result a key question is how and in what type of setting should computing theory be presented. Presented here is one approach which naturally ties the rather abstract computing theory concepts to ideas and tools presented in a computer design and architecture course. Each computing theory concept is presented through lecture slides, an associated video lecture, in-class activity and take home lab.