An Approach for Teaching Processor Design and How to Extend its Features

Processor Design course typically combines theoretical concepts involved in the design of a processor with a hands-on project. The project usually involves the design, implementation, and testing of a didactic example of processor using hardware description language and reconfigurable technology such as the FPGA. In this paper, we describe our experience of developing a didactic soft-core processor and its adoption in processor design hands-on laboratory sessions and course project.