Designing, Building and Testing a CPU in One Semester

We describe a small processor architecture and companion software tools for teaching computer organization-an assembler and software emulator, which are freely available.Their special contribution lies in the design methodology that produced them, where we considered the notion of pedagogical efficiency together with desired program outcomes to derive requirements for the tools.We focus on two aspects of efficiency, (1) the advantages of designing, building and testing "hands on" as a method for conveying concepts and (2) eliminating "make work," which detracts both from the curriculum and student time, attention, and enthusiasm.As a result, our tools support a broad collection of outcomes in computer engineering and computer science, including understanding fundamental architecture, assembly language, compilation, and operating system concepts.We also give an example of a computer organization course where the tools are employed, and where the objective stated in the title is achieved.