Experience Report on Teaching Parallel and Distributed Programming Through Storytelling

Multi-core processors, cloud computing, and distributed applications now define the landscape of modern software development and research. Efficiently teaching multithreading concepts is vital to equip students for real-world industry challenges. Navigating the complexities of multithreading proves challenging for students due to the high level of abstraction and difficulty associated with these concepts. The complexity of these technological fields raises the necessity for a comprehensive educational approach that facilitates students to understand the multithreading functionalities and usages with ease. This experience paper details our teaching approach, utilizing narrative-driven methods in parallel and distributed programming laboratories. We emphasize the relevance, novelty, and benefits of integrating interactive storytelling into the tangled learning process of parallel and distributed programming concepts. Concurrency, parallelization, and workload distribution are explained through live narrations, accompanied by animated presentations following a procedural storyline that spans laboratories. Complex ideas are transformed into meaningful character interactions, like stone-age people training octopuses to make ice-cream concurrently. This unique approach aims not only to enhance comprehension but also to make learning a vibrant and memorable experience for students, bridging the gap between theory and practical application. Our report extracts valuable lessons from student activities, emphasizing the motivational impact of engaging narratives. Students reflect on the relevance of concepts, shifting focus from implementation to understanding. Beyond just facilitating and easier access to knowledge, our approach aims to raise a deeper appreciation for the intricate world of parallel and distributed programming domain by encouraging students to see beyond the technical depth.