Resource-constrained devices are becoming ubiquitous. Examples include cell phones, Palm Pilots and digital thermostats. It can be difficult to fit the required functionality into such a device without sacrificing simplicity clarity of software. Increasingly complex embedded systems require extensive brute-force testing, making development maintenance costly. This is particularly true for system components that written in assembly language. Static checking has potential alleviating these...

The number of undergraduates entering computer science has declined in recent years. This is paralleled by a drop the high school students taking CS AP exam and schools offering courses. declines come at time when career opportunities continue to grow graduates are seen as crucial building globally competitive workforce for 21st century. Efforts aimed reversing declining interest include curriculum revisions undergraduate level many institutions, re-design courses [1], inclusion...

This paper describes "Computational Thinking for the Sciences", a 3-day summer workshop high school science and mathematics teachers. Our emphasizes deep connections between natural sciences, computer through activities simulation development appropriate scientific explorations. Teachers were exposed to in VPython, visual extension popular Python programming language. By broadening exposure of computational thinking sciences developing specifically domains, we hope attract new students into...

In this paper, we aim to directly measure a CS4HS workshop's participating teachers' ability synthesize CSTA computational thinking core concepts into actionable lesson plans for courses in their current teaching repertoire. Participants were expected present plan on the final day of workshop, highlighting integration classroom curriculum with computing and skills. We our evaluation rubric, used rate teachers effective use plans, describe how method may more accurately gauge overall impact...

This study investigated patterns in the development of computational thinking practices context Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program, a high school introductory CS course and professional program designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around concepts. Past research indicates that personal relevance ECS experience influences students' expectancy-value towards computer science. Expectancy-value is construct predictive career choices. We extended our examine whether...

This paper describes Marquette University's efforts to build an experimental embedded systems laboratory for hands-on projects in operating course. Our prototype is now serving as the basis a coherent sequence of class threaded throughout courses hardware systems, networking, and systems. We describe major components our Embedded XINU environment, course, related improvements other core curriculum.

Resource-constrained devices are becoming ubiquitous. Examples include cell phones, Palm Pilots and digital thermostats. It can be difficult to fit the required functionality into such a device without sacrificing simplicity clarity of software. Increasingly complex embedded systems require extensive brute-force testing, making development maintenance costly. This is particularly true for system components that written in assembly language. Static checking has potential alleviating these...

The Nexos Project is a joint effort at Marquette University (MU) and of Buffalo (UB) to build curriculum materials supporting experimental laboratory for hands-on projects in embedded systems courses. Our approach focuses on inexpensive, flexible, commodity hardware, (the Linksys WRT54GL wireless router,) freely available development debugging tools, fresh implementation classic operating system that now ideal exploration. prototype environment being used multiple courses our respective...

RISC-V is an open computer architecture that has gained increasing popularity in recent years. Companies such as Google, Nvidia, and Huawei have all announced or developed CPUs based on the architecture. The of along with its simplicity make it ideal platform for students to learn low-level operating system concepts. We ported Embedded Xinu, a simple, lightweight, education-focused system, baremetal board. Xinu been used teach thousands systems over past two decades. This new port first...

What would happen if generalist K-5 teachers had the technical support to build custom digital tools integrating computing concepts across other fields of study? This could open new avenues for students learn computational thinking, without compromising time spent in important subject areas. Furthermore, it grant same level creativity developing resources that they have curriculum areas, rather than being limited by available or their own lack expertise. With this poster, we will cover our...

Understanding the nuances of Computer Science (CS) education at state level in high schools requires a thorough examination complicated datasets. Numerous researchers have gathered variety data sources, including surveys, professional development (PD) workshops, publicly available records, enrollment statistics, and much more to gain insight into school CS education. While these sources provide valuable starting points, identification teacher certifications remains complex challenge. We...

Real-time, reactive, and embedded systems are increasingly used throughout society (e.g., flight control, railway signaling, vehicle management, medical devices, many others). For real-time, interrupt-driven software, timely interrupt handling is part of correctness. It vital for software verification in such to check that all specified deadlines met. Such a daunting task because the large number different possible arrival scenarios. example, Z86-based microcontroller, there can be up six...

As embedded systems permeate an ever-widening circle of safety- and mission-critical applications, robust testing software remains paramount importance. Yet narrow I/O channels, scarce memory processor resources, real-time interrupt-driven behavior, low-level source languages make state-of-the-art validation techniques much more difficult in context. For students, for whom is often already a secondary concern, the challenges methodical can appear insurmountable. We present Xinu External...

This paper describes Marquette University's efforts to build an experimental embedded systems laboratory for hands-on projects in introductory hardware course. Our prototype is now serving as the basis a coherent sequence of class threaded throughout subsequent courses operating systems, networking, and among others. We describe major components our environment, how it used course, this has contributed significant improvements other core curriculum.

This paper describes a continuing series of summer workshops hosted by Purdue University entitled "Linking Mathematics and Computer Science." Each is designed to inform inspire high school teachers mathematics with an interest in computer science. Originally conceived as extension our existing K-12 outreach, workshop aims provide innovative activities ideas that link their secondary curriculum By reaching out math teachers, we hope turn reach broader base students outside science classes....

We describe the renovation of our compilers curriculum to meld together an established object-oriented textbook compiler with inexpensive embedded target platform. The result is a modern implementation course aspects concurrency and systems, palpable increase in student enthusiasm. discuss trade-offs retargeting compiler, gauge difficulty supporting thread-level language, outline resulting structure integration rest computer science curriculum.

This paper presents an approach to integrating computer science and quantitative literacy concepts in undergraduate English Literature course. We show how students with no prior background can engage computing activities directly related their topic of interest gain a deeper understanding as well better appreciation the process. Students work interdisciplinary learning environment focusing on literary analysis acting bridge between two areas.

Assessing the impact of regional or statewide interventions in primary and secondary school (K-12) computer science (CS) education is difficult for a variety reasons. Qualitative survey data provide only limited view impacts, but quantitative can be notoriously to acquire at scale from large numbers classrooms, schools, local educational authorities. In this paper, we use several publicly available sources glean insights into public high CS enrollments across an entire U.S. state. Course...

We present Xipx , the first port of a major educational operating system to processor in emerging class many-core architectures. Through extensions proven Embedded Xinu system, gives students hands-on experience with programming distributed message-passing environment. expose software primitives needed maintain coherency between many cores lacking specialized caching hardware. Our proposed series laboratory assignments adds parallel thread execution and intercore message passing...

We present extensions to the Embedded Xinu educational operating system that, when coupled with a target device like Cisco-Linksys WRT54GL, provide for an extremely attractive hands-on laboratory platform in network courses. classroom and research lab evidence usefulness of this as education tool, discuss its significance context wide spectrum competitor systems. This project is part larger effort bring cost-effective, embedded experiences into systems courses throughout undergraduate...

The 2013 ACM/IEEE curriculum guidelines highlight the importance of teaching parallel computing to undergraduates in higher education. Universities have responded this need, but there remains a hole most curricula. While techniques for parallelizing code and using tools such as MPI OpenMP seem be well covered, concepts shared versus distributed memory race conditions are often taught only at an abstracted level. Using educational operating system Embedded Xinu, students can write ARM...