Development of a 16-bit microprogrammable computer as a senior course project: a teamwork approach to engineering education

The authors describe an educational experiment in computer engineering at the University of Washington. Eight senior students work together to design and fabricate a 16-bit general-purpose microprogrammable computer system and support software. The project was developed in a capstone hardware design course in electrical engineering. In parallel with other demands of the course, students collaborated on such tasks as architectural specification and research, design and wirewrapping, and testing of the system.