SIGCSE TS 2026 (series) / Papers /
Codeless Modules for Parallel and Distributed Computing in Early Computing Curriculum
Sat 21 Feb 2026 11:00 - 11:20 at Meeting Room 105 - Codeless Computing: Boolean Logic, Parallelism, and ML for Actual Humans Chair(s): Mohsen Dorodchi
We report on the results of a year-long intervention aimed at introducing parallel and distributed computing (PDC) concepts in introductory computing courses. In contrast to other efforts, our approach uses “codeless” modules that incorporate visualizations, simulations, and demonstrations, all of which do not require a programming background, making them accessible to novice computing students. To measure the effectiveness of our strategy, we designed and administered a pre/posttest to an intervention group (𝑛2 = 75) and compared it with a control group (𝑛1 = 87). A suite of nonparametric tests demonstrate that our codeless modules have a substantial positive effect on teaching PDC concepts to introductory computing students.
Sat 21 FebDisplayed time zone: Central Time (US & Canada) change
Sat 21 Feb
Displayed time zone: Central Time (US & Canada) change
10:40 - 12:00 | Codeless Computing: Boolean Logic, Parallelism, and ML for Actual HumansPapers at Meeting Room 105 Chair(s): Mohsen Dorodchi University of North Carolina Charlotte | ||
10:40 20mTalk | A Code-Free, Direct-Manipulation Interface for Constructing Boolean ExpressionsGlobal Papers Andrin Gesser ETH Zürich, Sverrir Thorgeirsson ETH Zurich, April Wang ETH Zürich, Zhendong Su ETH Zurich | ||
11:00 20mTalk | Codeless Modules for Parallel and Distributed Computing in Early Computing Curriculum Papers Chris Bourke University of Nebraska-Lincoln | ||
11:20 20mTalk | Teaching Probabilistic Machine Learning in the Liberal Arts: Empowering Socially and Mathematically Informed AI Discourse Papers Yaniv Yacoby Wellesley College | ||