ECE-250D
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
Offered Fall 2026
Term
Instructor
Overview
A real systems course: clear instruction and strong support, but the projects are heavy and procrastination gets punished fast.
DepartmentELEC&CMP
Terms offeredSpring, Fall
Typical enrollment175–209
Semesters of data4
6.4
Hrs / week
558
Responses
744
Enrollment
75%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.0
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.2
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
3.8
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
3.8
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysishigh
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 677 comments across 4 sections
A real systems course: clear instruction and strong support, but the projects are heavy and procrastination gets punished fast.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
A is doable but not automatic
The signal here is more do-the-work-and-you-should-be-fine than easy-A chatter. Students do not describe the A as automatic, but the evidence also does not paint grading as punishing.
Homework Load
Heavy homework load
Homework load is one of the clearest friction points. Students repeatedly describe assignments, readings, or problem sets as time-consuming.
Lecture Load
Lighter lecture burden
Student comments describe this as more discussion-, seminar-, or workshop-driven than lecture-dependent. The lecture burden itself does not sound like the main source of friction.
Strengths
• Consistently clear teaching on hard low-level concepts.
• Hands-on work in C, Logisim, CPU, and cache design makes the material stick.
• Office hours, TAs, slides, and discussions are repeatedly described as genuinely useful.
Tradeoffs
• Lecture can feel dry or passive even when the content is solid.
• Assembly, CPU, and debugging work take serious time.
• High stakes: some students report no curve and no drop-or-replace policy.
Best fit for
Students who want the hardware-software interface and are willing to start projects early.
Watch out for
• Start homework early, especially Assembly and CPU.
• Use office hours aggressively when debugging.
• Do not assume you can cram your way through the project sequence.
Student Responses
C, Assembly, CPU/Memory
Spring 2025 · Younes, Rabih
watched recordings and learnt material
Fall 2024 · Sorin, Daniel
I learned how to build a CPU from the very beginning.
Fall 2024 · Sorin, Daniel
Circuits: logic, wiring, constraints MIPS Assembly: How do compilers talk to computers? Efficiency: What thoughts go into optimization and how do we throw more hardware at a problem to fix it.
Fall 2024 · Sorin, Daniel
Planning out how to do the problem
Fall 2024 · Sorin, Daniel
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Younes, Rabih 1.3Rate My ProfessorsQuality1.3Difficulty4.2Would retake4%Based on 25 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 3.6 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 182 |
| Fall 2024 | Sorin, Daniel 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.7Would retake81%Based on 68 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.4 | 3.9 | 6.3 | 175 |
| Spring 2024 | Sorin, Daniel 4.4Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.4Difficulty3.7Would retake81%Based on 68 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | — | — | 6.6 | 209 |
| Fall 2023 | Board, John 4.2Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.2Difficulty3.7Would retake79%Based on 35 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | — | — | 6.9 | 178 |
Instructor
Younes, RabihELEC&CMP
Also teaches
ECE-469 WEARABLE&UBIQ COMPUTING DESIGN3.6ECE-550D FUND COMP SYSTEM & ENGINEERING4.4ECE-650 SYSTEMS PROGRAM & ENGINEERING