Computing increasingly permeates daily lives, yet few appreciate the growing presence of Parallel and Distributed Computing (PDC) in common computing activities; e.g., modern laptops' processors contain multiple cores and special-purpose devices such as graphics processors (GPUs). With increasing availability of powerful PDC technology, familiarity with single-processor computers and sequential computing no longer constitutes computer literacy. Technological developments point to the need for a broad-based skill set in PDC at all levels of higher education in disciplines such as Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and the related computational disciplines. The rapid changes in technology challenge educators to decide what to teach and how to teach it. Students and employers face similar challenges in characterizing "basic" expertise in computing. The PIs are addressing these challenges via a project devoted to creating and sustaining curricular and educational infrastructure to facilitate the teaching of PDC topics in undergraduate computer-related curricula. The goal is for every graduating student to become skilled in PDC technology, hence be prepared to enter tomorrow's workforce.
The project embodies multiple synergistic activities that develop: flexible PDC curricula for a spectrum of academic programs and institutions; mechanisms that help individuals maintain currency; instructional materials for PDC-related topics; experience-based guidelines for injecting PDC into curricula. A signature activity is competitions for early adopters of PDC curricula (winners receive seed funds, equipment donations from industry) and workshops and training sessions to foster awareness and adoption of PDC curricula. Feedback from early adopters and coordination with the ACM/IEEE 2013 CS Curriculum Taskforce steers future development of both the PDC curricular guidelines and of strategies for deploying PDC material within computing curricula at a larger scale.
This project is supported by CISE, OCI, and EHR/DUE.
