Teaching Parallel Programming with Java and Pyjama

Abstract

Teaching parallel programming to undergraduate CS students is a challenging task as many of the concepts are highly abstract and difficult to grasp. OpenMP is often used to simplify parallelization of programs by allowing one to incrementally parallelize using concise and expressive directives. Unfortunately, OpenMP is not available in Java natively. A basic support of OpenMP-like directives can, however, be obtained in Java using the Pyjama compiler and runtime. I report on my experience introducing parallel programming in Java with Pyjama in a small Data Structures class. The material is presented to students in the form of parallel programming patternlets embedded in an interactive notebook with which students can experiment. Formative and summative assessments of the module's effectiveness are performed. This pilot run of the module yielded mixed results, yet valuable insight was gained regarding possible future approaches.