A concurrency simulator designed for sophomore-level instruction

Abstract

The Concurrency Simulator is used in a sophomore-level course to introduce students to parallel computing. This simulator is unique since it integrates a graphical topology into the programming environment. This makes algorithms much easier to express and, combined with a context-sensitive editor, makes it easy for students to enter their algorithms without becoming bogged down in the details of language syntax. We provide detailed examples for the semaphore, rendezvous and monitor paradigms. We briefly describe the development process for this Java 1.1 program and then describe our classroom experiences with students at this level.