Using assembly language to teach concepts in the introductory course

Abstract

While current trends in the teaching of the introductory course are very positive, several problems still remain to be faced. Among these are: A basic understanding of the operation of a computer. An emphasis on concept development rather than skill development. A proper historical perspective of computer science. To help remove these deficiencies, a very simple virtual machine is introduced. Beginning students learn to program on this machine with a very limited instruction set. Many topics related to software engineering, data structures, algorithm design, etc. are introduced in a top down fashion with details being developed with the aid of the virtual machine. When a high level language is introduced, students progress more rapidly and with a greater understanding of what is taking place in the machine. Students also develop a feel for computer science as a dynamic field and tend not to think of a particular language as being what computer science is.