Using an Interactive Animated Tool to Improve the Effectiveness of Learning CPU Scheduling Algorithms

CPU scheduling is one of the most important topics in operating systems courses. However, the main problem in learning CPU scheduling from textbooks is that textbooks usually simplify the illustration of CPU scheduling algorithms by using an unrealistic process execution model. They also do not give concrete examples when discussing complex algorithms. As a result, students are not able to gain insight into exactly how the algorithms work in real-world operating systems. To address this problem, the author developed an interactive Java-based software tool that uses graphical animation to convey the concepts of various CPU scheduling algorithms for a single CPU. While many existing animation tools were designed to be closely aligned with the content in traditional operating systems textbooks, this tool is uniquely designed and different in a number of respects. In this paper, the impact of the tool on student learning is measured, analyzed and discussed in detail. The tool has been used in two sections of the operating systems course at the author's institute, and has demonstrated effectiveness in assisting student learning of CPU scheduling algorithms.