NDLI: Empirical assessment of languages for teaching concurrency: Methodology and application

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Nanz, S. Torshizi, F. Pedroni, M. Meyer, B.
Copyright Year	2011
Description	Author affiliation: ETH Zurich (Nanz, S.; Pedroni, M.; Meyer, B.) \|\| University of Toronto (Torshizi, F.)
Abstract	Concurrency has been rapidly gaining importance in computing, and correspondingly in computing curricula. Concurrent programming is, however, notoriously hard even for expert programmers. New language designs promise to make it easier, but such claims call for empirical validation. We present a methodology for comparing concurrent languages for teaching purposes. A critical challenge is to avoid bias, especially when (as in our example application) the experimenters are also the designers of one of the approaches under comparison. For a study performed as part of a course, it is also essential to make sure that no student is penalized. The methodology addresses these concerns by using self-study material and applying an evaluation scheme that minimizes opportunities for subjective decisions. The example application compares two object-oriented concurrent languages: multithreaded Java and SCOOP. The results show an advantage for SCOOP even though the study participants had previous training in writing multithreaded Java programs. The lessons should be of use to educators interested in teaching concurrency, to researchers looking for objective ways of assessing teaching techniques, and to researchers who want to avoid bias in assessing an approach or tool that they have themselves designed.
Starting Page	477
Ending Page	481
File Size	171603
Page Count	5
File Format	PDF
ISBN	9781457703492
ISSN	10930175
e-ISBN	9781457703485
e-ISBN	9781457703478
DOI	10.1109/CSEET.2011.5876128
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2011-05-22
Publisher Place	USA
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Java Synchronization Concurrent computing Materials Training Instruction sets
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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