Introducing Parallel and Distributed Computing Concepts Through Flashcards and a Card Game - A Study on Active Learning Strategies

Aug 29, 2026

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This paper presents two active learning strategies for teaching and reviewing foundational Parallel and Distributed Computing (PDC) concepts in early computer science courses. Questions are mapped to eight PDC concept categories. The first phase uses flashcards for concept review, while the second phase introduces a group-based card game, PDC Quest, to support collaborative engagement and reinforcement of key ideas. The approach addresses challenges students face with the complexity of PDC content.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and Related Work

PDC Inclusion in Early CS Education

Flashcards for Active Learning

Introducing Parallel and Distributed Computing concepts through the use of Flashcards and a Card Game Mary L. Smith, Ed.D. Computer Science Hawaii Paciﬁc University Honolulu, HI, USA [mlsmith@hpu.edu](mlsmith@hpu.edu) Srishti Srivastava, Ph.D. Computer Science University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN. USA[fsrishti@usi.edu](fsrishti@usi.edu) Abstract—This paper describes two active learning strategies to teach and review fundamental PDC concepts in early computer science courses. Questions were created based on eight PDC concept categories. In the ﬁrst phase, ﬂashcards were created for students to review the concepts. In the second phase, a card game called PDC Quest was created to allow groups of students to engage collaboratively in learning and reviewing the concepts. Index Terms—Parallel and Distributed Computing, Student Engagement, Active Learning, Early Computer Science Undergraduate Curriculum, Flash Cards Game I. INTRODUCTION Initiatives by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in conjunction with the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers' Technical Committee of Parallel Processing (IEEETCPP) encourage and promote the introduction of parallel and distributed computing (PDC) concepts in the early CS undergraduate courses [26] . We believe that PDC is abroad and complex subject and should be introduced ﬁrst through terminology, essential concepts, and fundamentals while progressing into how to program and implement parallel and distributed systems. Certainly, textbooks and lectures are excellent tools for learning new subjects; however, many include so much detail that students can get lost and miss the basics. In our prior work, we have established a proof of concept for employing unplugged activities as a supplement to traditional teaching methods to increase student engagement toward learning complex PDC concepts [30] . To advance learning the PDC concepts in early CS undergraduate courses, we created active learning tools to supplement the teaching and learning of PDC concepts by utilizing one of the oldest study methods, ﬂashcards. We also developed a card game that can be played in groups of students to make learning more engaging and collaborative. Active Learning: Active learning is any instructional technique involving students in learning by actively participating The authors would like to thank the NSF-supported Center for Parallel and Distributed Computing Curriculum Development and Educational Resources (CDER) Early Adopter Program in activities, discussions, and problem-solving rather than passively listening to a lecture or watching a video. Active learning can be done individually by reﬂecting on learning through activities such as reﬂective writing assignments or ﬂashcards. Active learning is often used with groups of students in discussions, hands-on activities, or games. Research has shown that active learning increases student engagement, motivation [27], and performance [28] . II. BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK A. PDC Inclusion in Early CS Education Parallel and distributed computing has become an important topic of research and educational interest in CS and other STEM disciplines, mainly in areas of applications of computational science and engineering for several years. Cohen [5] has pointed out “the power of parallel thinking”and has stressed promoting a parallel structure for processing information. However, not every CS professional is familiar with PDC and has not been exposed to a parallel thinking approach. PDC generally envelopes areas such as distributed systems, parallel computational hardware, high-performance computing, and others. However, recent CS graduates, the leading workforce for current research and industries, are not versed in the fundamental knowledge of PDC. An online course available as a MOOC by Mullen et al., [6] focused on teaching high-performance computing to professionals. However, pursuing learning in a complicated ﬁeld suc

FAQs

What are the two active learning strategies proposed for PDC?

The paper proposes a flashcard-based concept review phase and a group card game phase called PDC Quest for collaborative learning and reviewing PDC concepts.

How are the teaching materials linked to PDC topics?

Questions are created based on eight PDC concept categories, which then guide how the flashcards and the card game are structured for learning and review.

Why does the paper argue that active learning benefits early PDC courses?

Active learning helps increase student engagement, motivation, and performance, and it addresses difficulties students experience when PDC concepts are presented mainly through traditional lectures or dense textbook detail.

Aug 29, 2026

Upload by Hazel