Preparing Computer Science Students for the Multicore Era: Teaching Parallel Computing in the Undergraduate Curriculum Early and Often

在过去的十年中，基于多核的计算机系统的广泛部署给软件和硬件环境带来了巨大的变化。然而，大多数本科计算机科学(CS)课程并没有拥抱并行计算的普及性。在第一年，CS本科生通常会接受专门的思维训练和顺序编程。然而，在顺序思维中根深蒂固可能会成为并行思维和计算的一个不小的障碍。因此，迫切需要在CS程序中更早并经常地教授多核和并行计算的概念。该项目解决了高度并行的计算机体系结构与传统CS课程中教授的顺序编程方法之间迅速扩大的差距。它建议将并行计算系统地整合到当前的本科课程中。具体地说，它的目标是开发课程模块和项目，在几门早期的计算机科学课程中介绍并行计算的概念，设计一门作为并行计算概念的顶峰的高级多核编程课程，并通过免费提供所有相关材料来推广这一模式。计划中的外联活动有助于扩大女性和西班牙裔学生群体对STEM教育的参与。免费的教学模块和积极的传播鼓励了对在本科课程中引入并行计算感兴趣的教育工作者社区的建立。最后，开发的教材正在为ACM/IEEE的CS本科示范课程做出贡献。

The widespread deployment of multicore-based computer systems over the last decade has brought about drastic changes in the software and hardware landscape. However, most undergraduate computer science (CS) curricula have not embraced the pervasiveness of parallel computing. In their first years, CS undergraduates are typically exclusively trained to think and program sequentially. However, too firm a root in sequential thinking can be a non-trivial barrier for parallel thinking and computing. Thus, there is an urgent need to teach multicore and parallel computing concepts earlier and often in CS programs.This project addresses the rapidly widening gap between highly parallel computer architectures and the sequential programming approach taught in traditional CS courses. It proposes to systematically integrate parallel computing into current undergraduate curricula. Specifically, its goals are to develop course modules and projects for introducing parallel computing concepts in several early computer science courses, to design an upper-level multicore programming course that serves as a capstone for parallel computing concepts, and to promote this model by making all relevant material freely available.The enhanced curriculum equips CS students with skills that are highly sought after by the computing industry. The planned outreach activities help broaden the participation of female and Hispanic student groups in STEM education. The free teaching modules and the active dissemination encourage the building of a community of educators interested in introducing parallel computing in the undergraduate curriculum. Finally, the developed teaching material is contributing to ACM/IEEE's model CS undergraduate curriculum.