Education Commons^™

Introducing Parallelism To First-Year Cs Majors, Barbara M. Anthony, D. Cenk Erdil, Olga Glebova, Robert Montante

School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications

We propose to strengthen the computer science (CS) curriculum by embedding parallel concepts in a required first-semester seminar taken by all incoming declared CS majors. We introduce students to parallel computing concepts through a series of unplugged activities so that students see parallel approaches as a natural form of solution to a task. We describe a pilot offering of the class and activities, with measurements and analysis of what students self-report and their performance on assessments.