CPATH-1: Asserting Parallel Computational Thinking into Undergraduate 4-year Computer Science Curriculum

技术进步使得在如此大的规模上创建系统成为可能，以至于设计、分析和实施都需要专家技能。这些技能必须包括分析和算法思维、抽象复杂性的能力以及理解并发性的能力。为了加强波多黎各大学计算机科学本科课程毕业生的这些技能，并培养更好地面对新的职业和学术现实的专业人员，我们的课程将重新设计，在其大部分课程中纳入并行计算思维(PCT)的概念。我们的七名教员将接受计算思维(CT)和并行概念的发展。这将使我们能够通过注入PCT概念来重新设计CS核心课程。我们将开发评估工具，以衡量学生对PCT的倾向和态度。将在当地实施并行计算平台，并建立远程超级计算中心。将赞助关于使用CT和PCT的主题的研讨会，并向普通K-20社区开放。这个项目是成功地将CT整合到我们本科课程中的第一块基石。因此，它为进一步发展以CT为中心和跨学科的计算机科学课程奠定了基础。我们的努力将导致一个反映学术界和私营部门当前计算实践的本科生课程，并最终培养出更有能力应对技术和科学挑战的专业人员。所有项目活动都将记录在案，并通过外部出版物和该部网页向公众公布。因此，我们的经验将为考虑对其计算机科学课程进行类似修改的机构提供信息来源。

Technological advances enable creation of systems on such large scales that design, analysis, and implementation require expert skills. These skills must include analytical and algorithmic thinking, the ability to abstract complexity, and the capacity to understand concurrency. To strengthen these skills in graduates of the computer science undergraduate program offered at University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, and to create professionals that are better equipped to face the new professional and academic realities, our program will be redesigned to incorporate Parallel Computational Thinking (PCT) concepts throughout most of its curriculum.The seven members of our faculty will undergo development in Computational Thinking (CT) and parallel concepts. This will empower us to redesign CS core courses by infusing PCT concepts. We will develop assessment tools that will measure student aptitudes and attitudes toward PCT. A parallel computation platform will be implemented locally and access to remote supercomputing centers will be established. Seminars on topics using CT and PCT will be sponsored and open to the general K-20 community. This project represents the first building block for the successful integration of CT into our undergraduate curriculum. Hence it provides a foundation for further growth toward a CT-centric and interdisciplinary Computer Science program.Our efforts will result in an undergraduate program that reflects current computational practice in academia and in the private sector, and that ultimately produces professionals better equipped to tackle technological and scientific challenges. All project activities will be documented and made publicly available through external publications and through the department web page. Therefore our experience will serve as an information source for institutions that consider similar changes to their computer science curricula.