Term: Fall 2025
Department: COMP
Course Number: 311
Section Number: 001
Credit Hours: 3
Name: Kaki Ryan
Pronouns: She/Her
Office: FB 114
Email: kakiryan@cs.unc.edu
We will be using the following textbooks for supplemental, optional readings.
We will distribute occasional readings, reference material, and tutorials via the course website and e-mail announcements.
This course provides a foundational understanding of how computers work at the hardware level, from binary data to instruction execution. Students will begin with binary arithmetic and Boolean algebra, developing the skills to reason about digital logic and data representation. The course then introduces the MIPS assembly language, allowing students to explore how high-level instructions are translated into machine-level operations.
Building on this knowledge, students will learn how a processor executes instructions by designing a single-cycle MIPS datapath. Students will design and implement core processor components—including the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and the control unit—and integrate them into a working datapath. Using a graphical digital logic simulator, they will construct and test their designs by simulating real MIPS instructions. By the end of the course, students will have a working understanding of the key architectural components of a processor and the logical structures that support them.
This course is ideal for students interested in how software instructions are executed in hardware, and it serves as a foundation for further study in computer architecture, embedded systems, and hardware design.
Topics include: * Binary number systems and arithmetic * Boolean algebra and logic gates * Combinational and sequential logic * Assembly programming * Datapath and control design for a single-cycle processor * Digital logic simulation and circuit implementation
Students should attend all lectures and check the course web page for announcements and updates. The class will be broken into units based on subject matter, with roughly one lab, one written assignment and one quiz per unit. There will also be a student project and final exam.
Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours of work per class meeting on reviewing course material and programming assignments; start early and ask questions.
The course final is given in compliance with the UNC final exam regulations and according to the UNC Final Exam calendar. If you have a non-standard final exam that conflicts with COMP 520, per UNC policy the non-standard final exam must offer you an alternate time.
As stated above, the final exam will be held December 6 from 12-3pm per the official university schedule.
The dates for the 6 quizzes are (dates subject to change):
9/4
9/23
10/9
10/23
11/6
11/20
There will be 5 labs throughout the semester. The dates are TBD and will be posted at least 2 weeks in advance.
There will be 6 written assignments due roughly 1 class before each quiz that provide practice with the theoretical concepts discussed in class.
Exact details will be posted on the course site!
To do well in this course you must come to your own individual mastery of computer organization. Final grades are calculated with the following weights for each course component:
If, and only if, you take all quizzes and your final examination score exceeds a quiz score, then we will replace the lowest quiz score with your final exam score.
Ensure that help is only obtained from textbooks, lectures, and office hours. Any outside help is disallowed and considered a violation of the honor code. Contract cheating services (Chegg), AI (Chat GPT), public source code (GitHub/GitLab), and material (verbal, googled, printed, shared in any form) from those not associated with this course is explicitly disallowed.
When in doubt, ask me!
I reserve the right to, at any time, ask you to submit to a “code review” test with me or a head TA. We may ask you to meet to explain any line of code or decision made in your program that we deem suspicious or confusing. Thus, you should be able to comfortably explain why you (and you alone) wrote any single line of code in an assignment handed in for credit. Should you be unable to do so, you may be taken to honor court depending on the severity of the infraction.
All assignments, outside of assessments such as quizzes and the final exam, will have an 11:59pm deadline as their due date.
You have 8 days to use on any assignment in the course, with no explanation needed. You may request additional extensions for illness or personal life events so you don’t have to use up your late days. Extension form is linked in the syllabus If you are not sure if something qualifies for an extension, just fill out the form anyway, and we will get back to you. You will not be penalized for submitting the assignment within the provided grace period if you receive an extension!
I am happy to work with you and understand life happens. Please never be afraid to email me if you have any concerns or questions.
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D: 60-69
F: 59 or below
In cases of fractional points, grades will be rounded up if greater than 0.4599999999…
See the home page of the website where I will try to keep the most up to date schedule!
I value the perspectives of individuals from all backgrounds reflecting the diversity of our students. I broadly define diversity to include race, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, religion, social class, age, sexual orientation, political background, and physical and learning ability. I strive to make this classroom an inclusive space for all students. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to improve, I appreciate suggestions.
Any student who is impacted by discrimination, harassment, interpersonal (relationship) violence, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, or stalking is encouraged to seek resources on campus or in the community. Please contact the Director of Title IX Compliance (Adrienne Allison – Adrienne.allison@unc.edu), Report and Response Coordinators in the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (reportandresponse@unc.edu), Counseling and Psychological Services (confidential), or the Gender Violence Services Coordinators (gvsc@unc.edu; confidential) to discuss your specific needs. Additional resources are available at safe.unc.edu.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability or pregnancy complications resulting in barriers to fully accessing University courses, programs and activities.
Accommodations are determined through the Office of Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) for individuals with documented qualifying disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. See the ARS Website for contact information: https://ars.unc.edu or email ars@unc.edu.
CAPS is strongly committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body through timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services, whether for short or long-term needs. Go to their website: https://caps.unc.edu/ or visit their facilities on the third floor of the Campus Health Services building for a walk-in evaluation to learn more. (source: Student Safety and Wellness Proposal for EPC, Sep 2018)
The University is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community and to ensuring that educational and employment decisions are based on individuals’ abilities and qualifications. Consistent with this principle and applicable laws, the University’s Policy Statement on Non-Discrimination offers access to its educational programs and activities as well as employment terms and conditions without respect to race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, genetic information, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Such a policy ensures that only relevant factors are considered and that equitable and consistent standards of conduct and performance are applied. If you are experiencing harassment or discrimination, you can seek assistance and file a report through the Report and Response Coordinators (see contact info at safe.unc.edu) or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office, or online to the EOC at https://eoc.unc.edu/report-an-incident/.
The instructor reserves to right to make changes to the syllabus, including assignment due dates and quiz dates. These changes will be announced as early as possible.