Online learning at EPCC

Our online learning options allow you to study with us wherever you are in the world.

Supercomputing MOOC

In Summer 2017, EPCC in collaboration with SURFsara in the The Netherlands launched the first Supercomputing MOOC on the FutureLearn platform.

Massively open online courses (MOOCs) are free courses delivered over a relatively short period. This, plus the mode of delivery through videos, articles, and discussion forums, means they can be run even with a very large audience, (hence ‘massive’). The number of participants for the latest run of our Supercomputing MOOC was smaller than for previous iterations, however we still had over 900 people register in 95 countries.

There is no programming required or involved in the course. Instead concepts such as message passing and shared memory are explained using simple analogies that are easier for non-technical learners to visualise and understand. For example, Amdahl’s Law is explained by looking at the speed-up when travelling via Concorde versus a jumbo jet over varying distances but with fixed times for check-in, travel to and from the airport, and so on.

In addition to parallel programming, our Supercomputing MOOC also covers HPC hardware, from the basics of computer hardware to examining a blade from HECToR, the UK’s previous supercomputing

service. The final week consolidates learning by going through several HPC case studies. In particular, the topic of Quantum Computing captured the imagination of this cohort!

Technical online courses

EPCC is also starting to deliver more technical courses online. Complementing the long-running series of ARCHER Virtual Tutorials (usually held at 3pm on the second Wednesday of each month), we now run parallel programming courses using the Blackboard Collaborate webinar system to deliver live audio and video, and enable interaction with remote attendees via chat sessions.

In 2018 we ran both the MPI and OpenMP courses online, with attendees given access to EPCC’s Tier2 HPC system, Cirrus, for practical sessions. Sessions are typically run over four consecutive Wednesday afternoons with around two hours of lecture content per week. The format is designed to give attendees time to attempt the hands-on practical exercises in the gap between each session, and we spend time reviewing the previous exercises at the start of each week. The ability to easily share the presenter’s screen means that we can do live coding sessions to explain key points from the exercises or to answer questions.

Our free 5-week Supercomputing MOOC is designed for anyone interested in leadingedge computing technology. Registrations are open for the next run (start date to be confirmed). See: www.futurelearn.com/courses/ supercomputing

Our MPI and OpenMP courses will run again in 2019. See the ARCHER training pages for information, also for details of upcoming face-to-face training evens and virtual tutorials: www.archer.ac.uk/training/

Read about all our online offerings at: www.epcc.ed.ac.uk/onlinelearning

David Henty and Jane Kennedy, EPCC d.henty@epcc.ed.ac.uk j.kennedy@epcc.ed.ac.uk