Developing a Holistic Understanding of Systems and Algorithms through Research Papers

Abstract

Even though a computer science or computing-oriented degree is unavoidably broken into semesters and courses, we always hope that our students form a holistic picture of the discipline by the time they graduate. Yet we do not have too many opportunities to make this point in a convincing manner. The goal of this working group will be to address a well-defined portion of this problem: revealing the significant connections between algorithmic courses (such as Discrete Math, Data Structures, Algorithms) and systems oriented courses (such as Organization, Computer Networks, Operating Systems, and Hardware) that may be missed by students. In particular, we will explore how research papers can be used as the glue for this purpose. The objectives of this working group are to identify crucial systems topics, locate papers of the appropriate nature, and categorize algorithmic concepts necessary to master the papers. Most importantly, we will create a framework to design combined systems/algorithm courses that hinge on the selected papers. Consequently, instead of using papers in the conventional manner to expose students to research, we will focus on how papers can be used to express the holistic structure of a conventional computer science or computing-oriented degree.