Courseware for Improving Undergraduate Students' Debugging Skill in GPU Programming

该项目正在开发教材，以帮助计算机科学本科生提高他们的GPU(图形处理器)编程的调试技能。随着多核处理器架构成为标准，计算机科学本科生需要将重点转移到多核并行编程上。GPU编程是多核并行编程的重要组成部分，尤其是在混合使用CPU、GPU和其他专用内核的异类计算环境中。要编写GPU程序，学生需要学习特殊的编程语言和新的调试技能。由于多核环境中并行处理的复杂性，调试对GPU编程尤其具有挑战性。然而，教授如何调试GPU程序的教育材料却很匮乏。项目目标如下：1.软件缺陷模式分析：收集和分析新手程序员在GPU编程中的常见错误。2.教材：在分析软件缺陷的基础上，编写调试核对表等教材；编写教程讲授GPU编程中的调试技术；开发调试练习，供学生练习调试技能。评估：将教材应用于并行和分布式计算课程和计算机图形学课程，并测量这种方法的效果。传播：与学生和教师在线分享教育材料，并通过其他在线场所(如ACM SIGGRAPH教育委员会网站)和印刷场所(如IEEE计算机图形学与应用教育部)宣传它们的存在。

This project is developing educational materials to help undergraduate computer science students improve their debugging skill in GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) programming. As multi-core processor architecture becomes the norm, undergraduate computer science students need to shift their focus to multi-core parallel programming. GPU programming is an important part of multi-core parallel programming, especially in heterogeneous computing environments that use a mixture of CPUs, GPUs, and other specialty cores. To write GPU programs, students need to learn special programming languages and new debugging skills. Debugging is particularly challenging for GPU programming because of the complexity of parallel processing in multi-core environments. However, there is a shortage of educational materials for teaching how to debug GPU programs. The project goals are as follows:1. Software defect pattern analysis: Collect and analyze common mistakes made by novice programmers in GPU programming. 2. Teaching materials: Based on the analysis of the software defects, develop teaching materials such as debugging checklists; create tutorials to teach debugging techniques in GPU programming; develop debugging exercises for students to practice their debugging skills.3. Evaluation: Apply the educational materials to parallel and distributed computing courses and computer graphics courses, and measure the efficacy of this approach.4. Dissemination: Share the educational materials online with students and instructors and publicize their existence through other online venues such as the ACM SIGGRAPH Education Committee site and print venues such as the IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications Education Department.