An online environment supporting high quality education in computational science

Abstract

Education in Computational Science is a demanding task, especially when online support is required. From the learner's point of view, one of the most challenging issues is to get used to the supporting tools, especially with the computing devices employed (e.g. DSPs). For this, students need to understand concepts from the Computer Architecture area. This paper presents a WWW-based virtual laboratory that provides learners with a suitable environment where Computer Architecture concepts, needed to face Computational Science education, can be acquired. Our contribution can be described as an open distributed platform to provide practical training. Services offered support the seamless integration of simulators written in Java, and include features like student tracking, collaborative tools, messaging, task and project management, or virtual file repositories. A CORBA-based distributed architecture to access real computer systems, available in labs at University facilities, is also described. © Springer-Verlag 2002.