How do they do it? If that is your reaction every time you see an electronic gadget you like, then wonder no more. Join us on a journey that will unravel how these electronic gadgets are designed, developed, and built as embedded systems that shape the world. This is a hand-on, learn-by-doing course that shows you how to build solutions to real-world problems using embedded systems. Each student will purchase a Texas Instruments TM4C123 microcontroller kit and a few electronic components. This microcontroller has a state of the art ARM Cortex M4 processor. The course uses a bottom-up approach to problem-solving building gradually from simple interfacing of switches and LEDs to complex concepts like display drivers, digital to analog conversion, generation of sound, analog to digital conversion, graphics, interrupts, and communication. We will present both general principles and practical tips for building circuits and programming the microcontroller in the C programming language. You will develop debugging skills using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and software instrumentation. Laboratory assignments are first performed in simulation, and then you will build and debug your system on the real microcontroller. At the conclusion of this course you will be able to build your own arcade-style game. We will provide instructions about purchasing the kit and installing required software at: http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/edX.