Summer Teacher Training Session

EDUC 501 Special Topics: Introduction to the Supercomputing Challenge

Credit Hours: 1
Lecture Hours: 1
Lab Hours: 1

Instructor of Record: Dr. Karin Wiburg, College of Education

Los Alamos National Laboratory Instructors: Chris Karr, David Kratzer, Eric Ovaska

Contact Hours:August 1-6, 1999

Catalog Description

Introductory course for high school teachers who would be interested in participating in the New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge. A basic introductory course of supercomputing for those teachers who have little or no computing background. Topics will include e-mail; the pico editor; an overview of programming in C++ and Fortran; UNIX; Challenge project design; HTML; and other Internet and World Wide Web applications. The course primarily gives teachers an overview of the New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge, its expectations and goals. Teachers will be introduced to computer scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Teachers will complete a final paper, project, or program that will be presented on the last day of the session.

Course Objectives

  1. To provide an overview of programming, UNIX, and the Internet.
  2. To prepare students to return to their high schools and teach and/or help high school students understand programming, UNIX, and the Internet/WWW.
  3. To familiarize students with the process and resources New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge.
  4. To introduce students to the world of high performance computing through lecture and hands-on lab experience.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to:

  1. Know and use UNIX essentials
  2. Enter, compile, and run C++ and Fortran programs
  3. Send electronic mail and use the pico editor
  4. Find resources on the Internet using Netscape
  5. Develop and maintain a home page using HTML
  6. Design classroom applications using the Internet, WWW, HTML, and other computer science programs and applications.

Major topics to be studied

  1. Programming in C++ and Fortran
  2. UNIX
  3. E-mail and the pico editor
  4. The Internet using Netscape
  5. HMTL
  6. Security, legal terms, ethics
  7. File management
  8. Challenge project design
  9. Educational Resources on the Internet

Evaluation Criteria

  1. Homework and lab assignments 30%
  2. Quizzes and Tests 30%
  3. Class participation 20%
  4. Final project 20%

A standard grading scale will be used (91-100= A; 81-90 = B; 71-80 = C).