What are some beginner-friendly books or courses for learning assembly?

First, find out which architecture and assembler the course uses. Assembly isn't one universal language, so a resource that teaches x86 won't match the instructions in a PIC course.

For x86, look for the Assembly Tutorial by mschwartz. For ARM, there's the online asm_book. Pick whichever matches your course and feels readable, then try writing and changing small programs rather than just copying examples.

Easy 6502 is a nice starting point if you just want to see how assembly works before committing to an architecture. It teaches 6502, so it won't be a direct substitute for a course using ARM or x86, but the basic ideas are useful.

If the course includes microcontrollers, PIC or AVR could make the exercises more tangible. Once the basics are in place, you can work up from arithmetic and loops to inputs, outputs, LEDs, and buttons. Look at the manufacturer's learning resources for the specific chip you're using.

Consider starting in an emulator instead of buying hardware right away. That lets you focus on instructions, registers, and debugging without also figuring out wiring and device setup. CHIP-8 is one possible introduction, though it won't teach the exact assembly language used by your course.