DEVELOPING AN ONLINE COMPUTER SYSTEM SIMULATOR FOR EDUCATION

Computer based simulators provide an effective way to enable students to learn by doing. By using simulators, it is easy to teach difficult subjects which need practice to learn. This paper describes an online simulator designed and developed to help students to learn about fundamentals and operating principles of computer systems. In this simulator, students can use virtual units such as central processing unit, main memory, input and output units and some registers to build a computer system. By adding or removing virtual units, a basic or an advanced computer system can be built. The simulator uses a special instruction set to allow writing basic programs. The built computer system can operate written programs in this instruction set. Each step in an operating process is shown and explained with animations on the built computer system. Students can edit and change properties of added virtual units and the instruction set if they want. The simulator can be used from anywhere by using the Internet. Students can use the simulator easily with its simple and fast interface. By using the online computer system simulator, students can learn fundamentals and operating principles of computer systems easily.