Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing
Abstract
Thanks to the ubiquity of multicore processors, today's CS students must be introduced to parallel computing or they will be ill prepared as modern software developers. Professional developers of parallel software think in terms of parallel design patterns, which are markedly different from traditional (sequential) design patterns. It follows that the more we can teach students to think in terms of parallel patterns, the more their thinking will resemble that of parallel software professionals. In this paper, we present patternlets—minimalist, scalable, syntactically correct programs, each designed to introduce students to a particular parallel design pattern. The collection currently includes 44 patternlets (16 MPI, 17 OpenMP, 9 Pthreads, and 2 heterogeneous), of which we present a representative sample. We also present data that indicate the use of patternlets to introduce parallelism in CS2 produced a modest improvement in student understanding of parallel concepts.
First Page
31
Last Page
41
DOI
10.1016/j.jpdc.2017.01.008
Publication Date
7-1-2017
Recommended Citation
Adams, Joel C., "Patternlets — A teaching tool for introducing students to parallel design patterns" (2017). University Faculty Publications and Creative Works. 190.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/calvin_facultypubs/190