Peer Review

Distributed Computing

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Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This material provides an introductory lecture on distributed computing. It gives an introduction of distributed computing, followed by some idea on MapReduce.
Type of Material:: Video lecture
Recommended Uses:: self-paced learners; lecture
Technical Requirements:: Internet browser (e.g. IE, chrome, safari, firefox)
Identify Major Learning Goals:: It is a video lecture about the introduction of distributed computing. Upon the completion of this video, students should be able to describe the basic mechanism of distributed computing; explain the rationale of MapReduce.
Target Student Population:: Undergraduate students or above
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic computer skills, previous knowledge on computing.

Rating:
Strengths:: It is clear and concise. It states the principles of distributed computing. It provides accurate information. It summarizes the concept well. The lecture is well-presented, very informative and the presenter introduces clear examples of the topics discussed.
Concerns:: The later part of the video mainly focus on the principle on MapReduce on a single slide.

Rating:
Strengths:: It is a very effective to learning about distributed computing using this lecture video. It gives clear explanation on the idea of topic. The lecturer is enthusiastic in teaching. The lecture is easy to understand.
Concerns:: It does not have any assessment tasks to measure students' learning outcomes. The video is mainly a one-way presentation. It does not have any hands-on practises or quiz to help students understand their progress.

Rating:
Strengths:: It is easy to use as it is simply a youtube video. It has clear instruction. The speaker is clear in voice and smooth in the presentation. His instruction is very clear.
Concerns:: It is not interactive. It does not have any quiz or hands-on practise. The video may set key points so that audience can skip some parts which he/she may already learnt. The lecturer sometimes points to the slide using his laser pointer, but audience of this video will not know where he is pointing to.

Other Issues and Comments:: It is a very clear and concise video presentation about distributed computing. It clearly describes the idea and principle of distributed computing. The slides are clear and informative. However, it does not come with any assessment tasks to help audience to understand their progress.
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