McElhaney, Kevin W.; Basu, Satabdi; McBride, Elizabeth; Hutchins, Nicole; Biswas, Gautam. “Design and implementation of a week-long, high school curriculum unit integrating physics and computational modeling.” Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, CSCL (2023): 497-504. https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/10289
Getting students involved in computational modeling (CM)—where they use computer-based tools to explain scientific processes—can help them get ready for STEM careers and make it easier to introduce computer science in pre-college classrooms. This study looks at the need for short and manageable CM lessons that regular teachers can use in science classes, even with students who’ve never done any coding and come from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. The researchers designed and tested a one-week CM unit and looked at how well it worked in classrooms, what students learned, and how they engaged with the modeling activities. Students showed significant improvements in their understanding after the unit, even if they had already studied motion (kinematics) before. Two examples show how students used CM to learn both physics and computational thinking.
