Visual analogy videos for understanding fundamental parallel scheduling policies

Abstract

Parallel and distributed computing (PDC) education is increasingly gaining greater recognition as a core topic in undergraduate computing degrees. While the application of PDC concepts to software development involves the use of highly-technical tools and libraries typically reserved for advanced courses, PDC educators are seeking pedagogical approaches that can be used to introduce PDC concepts in earlier, introductory courses. This study presents such an approach, and aims to introduce undergraduate students to fundamental PDC concepts without the expectation that they can apply those concepts. The proposed approach is inspired by the success seen in the wider computing education literature, where analogies and visualization have helped students understand other abstract computing topics. The proposed learning resources come in the form of a series of short videos, carefully aligned to a learning activity that guides towards achieving the intended learning outcomes. In addition to being a simple activity to complete with students, evaluations illustrate its value even with minimal guidance from the instructor. The proposed approach is studied as both a synchronous in-class activity guided by the instructor, as well as an asynchronous online self-directed activity. These two studies produced different outcomes with respect to student learning, revealing an important implication for designers of instructional material to consider.