Technology and Computer Architecture

No background knowledge is required.

PedagogicaI methods:
Lectures, criticaI judgment, exercises and probIems, studies cases, coIIaborative work, student-centered teaching that encourages students and Iectures. Students are encouraged to spend a fair amount of time in smaII groups, in team word.
In IaboratoriaI cIasses students deveIop smaII projects in work groups (practicaI assessment component).

The course Technologies and Computer Architectures aims to explore the key technologies underlying the various components of computing systems, providing a comprehensive perspective through the analysis of major computer architectures. In addition to the hardware component, the course also covers low-level software, highlighting its importance in the communication and control of different elements, using Assembly language for this purpose. Furthermore, it seeks to ensure mastery of the entire process of digital information representation, including Numbering Systems.

• Basic computer architecture (Von Newmann model, The evolution of computers, Historical perspective)
• Digital representation of information – Numbering systems (Conversions between bases, Binary arithmetic, Representation of negative numbers, Bipolar codes, Sign and absolute value code, 1’s complement code and 2’s complement code)
• Primary memories (Types, Technologies, Structure and composition, Process of reading and writing information)
• Secondary memories (Types, Technologies, Structure and composition, Process of reading and writing information)
• Processors (The evolution of processors, Main technologies, Characteristics, Performance measures)
• Low-level programming (Assembly language for the 8086, Memory organisation, Registers, Segments, Address normalisation, Addressing modes, Declaration of variables and use of specific memory addresses and segments).

General Considerations:

• All students must ensure that their mailbox is operational, checked daily, and has sufficient space to receive regular emails in order to maintain a reliable communication channel with the course instructor. Deadlines and other information communicated via email that are not met may result in failure in the course.
• The evaluation methodology designated by the School as M1 will be adopted for this Course Unit (CU). As clarified in an email from the Vice-President of ISEC (2021/11/19; 18:07), this methodology consists of continuous and/or periodic assessments, concluding before the examination period, with no further evaluation or examination afterward.
• Students who hold a special status, duly recognized by the Academic Services, which prevents them from attending classes regularly and is formally justified, must communicate this situation by email to the course instructor as soon as possible, providing the necessary documentation, so that alternative evaluation opportunities can be scheduled in accordance with the student's justified constraints. Additionally, these students are responsible for following the course from the beginning of the semester and maintaining regular contact with the teacher via email and the Nónio platform.
• Students who attended the previous edition of the course without passing but met the minimum attendance requirement (75% or more of classes, including justified absences) should follow the same procedure as students under a special status that prevents regular attendance in the course.
• Any student who is unable to attend a scheduled evaluation due to a justified reason, validated by the course coordinator, must inform the teacher by email as soon as possible so that an alternative assessment date can be arranged.
• Note: For students repeating the course from the previous edition, a comment should be added to the attendance sheet indicating that student X attended the course in the previous year with 75% or more attendance, including justified absences. Additionally, a PDF extracted from the Nónio platform confirming this attendance must be uploaded to the cloud folder related to the attendance sheet.

Continuous Assessment Components:

    Practical Test: 30%
    Practical Assignment: 35%
    Two Theoretical Tests: 35% (17.5% + 17.5%)

NAO