Frances-A: a tool for architecture level program visualization

Integral to computer science education are computer organization and architecture courses. We present Frances-A, an engaging investigative tool that provides an environment for studying real assembly languages and architectures. Frances-A includes several features that enhance its usefulness in the classroom such as graphical relationships between high-level code and machine code, illustrated step by step machine state transitions, color coding to make instruction behavior clear, and illustration of pointers. Frances-A uses a simple web interface requiring no setup and is easy to use, making it easy to adopt in a course.

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