RISC-V Assembly Learning Environment: An extensible web-based platform

The introduction of assembly programming is an important step in the education of computer engineers, as it provides a smooth transition from high level programs, developed in prior courses, to low level programs. This transition aims at improving the understanding of how programs are executed by computers, presenting concepts such as instructions, registers, data representation, execution mode privileges, and external devices. Such concepts are fundamental for later courses in the computer systems field, for instance, computer architecture, operating systems, computer networks, cybersecurity, and compiler design. Given the practical coursework intrinsic to computer systems courses, a platform that enables the development of such activities in a hassle-free manner regarding setup and use, can enrich the learning process of students.

In this work, we present a set of teaching materials for assembly programming that consists of an extensible web-based simulator, its manual, and an exercise book. The chosen instruction set architecture (ISA) was RISC-V, as it is an open ISA, has a simple and reduced set of instructions, and has seen rising popularity in both academia and industry. The materials are suitable for either introductory courses with simple assembly programming activities or more advanced courses on the topic that may cover peripheral programming, system calls and interrupt handling.