Teaching High Performance Computing: Lessons from a flipped classroom, project-based course on finite element methods

High Performance Computing (HPC) is an area that requires students to acquire knowledge in a wide range of topics. At the same time, HPC is not a theoretical subject and is best learned through non-trivial projects. Teaching HPC therefore lives with the tension of having to cover many small, disconnected areas while wanting to provide more feedback on student projects. This paper considers the lessons learned from teaching MATH 676 "Finite Element Methods in Scientific Computing", a course one of us teaches at Texas A&M University as a project course with a flipped classroom. The contribution of this paper is to describe a practitioner's approach to using principles of reflective writing and journaling to connect the material of the video lectures to student projects. We will discuss our experience with this approach, in particular regarding (1) helping students engage deeply with course content, (2) increasing motivation, independence, and perseverance, and (3) facilitating more communication with the course instructor. We will also share our experiences with the technology options for electronic journals and report on what worked and what didn't.