The DEVBOX development education platform : an environment for introducing Verilog to young students

• Main Author: Lee, Keith
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2016
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/56802

Hardware description languages are considered to be challenging to learn, as are the logic design concepts required to effectively use them. University logic design courses are considered by many to be much more difficult than their software development counterparts and the subject is not generally addressed by pre-university curricula. Introducing hardware description earlier in a student’s career will improve their chances of success in future logic design courses. The barrier-to-entry faced in introducing hardware description, caused by complex development environments and the learning of fundamental logic design concepts, must be overcome in order to facilitate a self-directed and interactive educational environment for young students. DEVBOX, an embedded System-on-Chip programming education platform, simplifies the learning process with its bare-bones development tools and interactive instructional material. It has been designed to be a self-contained, installation-free educational device with a browser-based interface that is self explanatory and easy to use. By including Verilog, a popular hardware description language, alongside the software programming languages in its repertoire, DEVBOX caters to the needs of introductory and intermediate logic design students in a dynamic self-directed learning environment. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of === Graduate