An Educational Tool for Teaching and Learning Concurrent Computer Programming Techniques

该项目旨在通过提高并发编程课程中学生的学习和教师的生产力来服务于国家利益。现代计算机应用程序需要相当大的计算能力才能在合理的时间内产生结果。大多数程序可以被分解成可以同时执行或并发执行的组成部分。同时运行程序组件可以显著减少程序的运行时间。现代计算机应用程序依靠并发执行为用户提供他们期望的性能水平。并发编程很难有效地教授，而且众所周知很难学习。缺乏有效的调试工具来让学生分析他们的代码并从错误中学习。该项目的目标是开发一种名为obvious的教育工具，这将使教师更容易教授并发编程，并使学生更容易开发在他们开发的程序中利用并发性所需的技能。该项目包括三个阶段：(1)开发支持向后/反向调试的工具；(2)开发并发程序执行顺序的可视化；(3)研究最终工具在课堂环境中的有效性。研究问题包括：(1)基于重播的调试能否促进主动学习？(2)可视化是否提高了学生对并发的直观理解？(3)不同的可视化策略如何影响学生有效利用并发性的能力？(4)可视化能否帮助教师在帮助学生理解并发性方面发挥更积极的作用？在开发过程中将进行三个阶段的评估，以确保工具的可用性。从学生和教师那里收集的定性反馈将用于改进工具的设计。形成性评估将用于确定最有效的可视化实践。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving student learning and instructor productivity in computing courses that teach concurrent programming. Modern computer applications require considerable computing power to produce results in a reasonable amount of time. Most programs can be broken up into constituent parts that can be executed at the same time or concurrently. Running program components concurrently can significantly reduce the running time of a program. Modern computer applications rely on concurrent execution to provide users with the level of performance they expect. Concurrent programming is challenging to teach effectively and is notoriously difficult to learn. There is a lack of effective debugging tools that allow students to analyze their code and to learn from their mistakes. The goal of this project is the development of an educational tool, called Evident, that will make it easier for instructors to teach concurrent programming and for students to develop the skills required to utilize concurrency in the programs that they develop. This project consists of three phases: (1) Developing a tool that supports backward/reverse debugging; (2) Developing visualizations for the execution order of concurrent programs; and (3) Studying the effectiveness of the resulting tool in a classroom setting. Research questions include: (1) Can replay-based debugging facilitate active learning? (2) Does visualization improve a student’s intuitive understanding of concurrency? (3) How do different visualization strategies affect a student’s ability to effectively utilize concurrency? and (4) Can visualization help teachers play a more active role in helping students understand concurrency? A three-phase evaluation will be conducted during the development process to ensure the useability of the tool. Qualitative feedback collected from students and instructors will be used to improve the design of tool. Formative assessments will be used to identify the most effective visualization practices. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.