Embedding Topical Elements of Parallel Programming, Computer Graphics, and Artificial Intelligence across the Undergraduate CS Required Courses

Abstract

Traditionally, topics such as parallel computing, computer graphics, and artificial intelligence have been taught as stand-alone courses in the computing curriculum. Often these are elective courses, limiting the material to the subset of students choosing to take the course. Recently there has been movement to distribute topics across the curriculum in order to ensure that all graduates have been exposed to concepts such as parallel computing. Previous work described an attempt to systematically weave a tapestry of topics into the undergraduate computing curriculum. This paper reviews that work and expands it with representative examples of assignments, demonstrations, and results as well as describing how the tools and examples deployed for these classes have a residual effect on classes such as Comptuer Literacy.