Probably it wouldn't work so nice with other compiler. This level of optimization often requires compiler - specific syntax.
Not to say Intel optimization is really good.
Not to say Intel optimization is really good.
I assume you're payed based on final results, not based on source. Not so crazy of a concept - whoever delivered the best results got rewarded for it.
The class clearly has a performance component, and so students were expected to learn about optimization. Are they going to learn optimization better or worse if you mandate a single compiler? If merely switching compilers is the best path to performance, is that not a valuable lesson? If switching compilers and doing a bunch of extra work to make the code fast with the new compiler is the best path to performance, have they not learned a great deal?
You can always mandate a large set of compilers, make them all available, and leave it up to the students to determine which is fastest. I think that acheives both the competitive/educational goal and the level playing field goal.