Implementing a Collaborative Online Course to Extend Access to HPC Skills

Progress in science and engineering is increasingly tied to the effective use of computational modeling on high-performance computing systems. Expertise in parallel computing techniques is therefore required, given the current architecture of those systems. Many campuses don't offer such a course because of course load limits, a lack of faculty expertise, and/or lack of access to appropriate computing resources. As part of the XSEDE project, an initial MOOC-style course on parallel computing proved to be ineffective at resolving this problem. A subsequent blended online course with collaborating faculty from multiple institutions where students receive academic credit has proven to be a much more effective approach to creating a STEM workforce with the requisite parallel computing knowledge.