Highlights
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Motivation and related works
Modules
“Computer Architecture” (CA) module
“Analysis of Algorithm” (AA) module
“Database Management” (DB) module
“Operating Systems” (OS) module
Student interest and learning experience
Discussions
Conclusions
Declaration of Competing Interest
Acknowledgements
Appendix A.
References
Abstract
Big data and cloud computing collectively offer a paradigm shift in the way businesses are now acquiring, using, and managing information technology. This creates the need for every CS student to be equipped with foundational knowledge in this collective paradigm and possess some hands-on experience in deploying and managing big data applications in the cloud. This study argues that, for substantial coverage of big data and cloud computing concepts and skills, the relevant topics need to be integrated into multiple core courses across the CS curriculum rather than creating additional courses and performing a major overhaul of the curriculum. Our approach to including these topics is to develop autonomous competency-based learning modules for specific core courses in which their coverage might find an appropriate context. In this paper, four such modules are discussed, and our classroom experiences during these interventions are documented. Student performance data and survey results show reasonable success in attaining student learning outcomes, enhanced engagement, and interests.
Introduction
In today’s world, the analysis of ‘bigdata’ becomes a highpriority task for many fields of study, and data-driven discovery and decision processes now guide many sectors of our business and economy. At the development level, analyzing bigdata requires proficiency in specialized algorithms and methodologies due to the fundamentally distributed and parallel nature of the workloads. In contrast, cloud computing skills are paramount at the infrastructure level to acquire a pool of virtual resources in a ‘pay-asyou-go’ fashion to deploy and manage these workloads. Being an applied field of Parallel and Distributed Computing (PDC), Bigdata and cloud computing collectively offer a paradigm shift in the way businesses are now acquiring, using, and managing information technology.