EDC and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education are partnering on a three-year “Science+C” project to integrate computer modeling and simulation units into high school Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses. The innovative curriculum engages students in using, decoding and modifying computer models to enhance their understanding of scientific processes and how computational methods and tools have changed the nature of science. In an introductory unit, we engage students in decoding and modifying a model of the spread of disease, and relating it to COVID-19. Students learn that scientists and public health officials use computer modeling to study and mitigate the spread of disease. Through decoding the model, students realize that models are a subset of the real world and that the creator of the model made choices of what to include and what to leave out. This presents the opportunity to discuss how models can be biased by not including certain groups of people or behaviors, and thus they may not address the impacts of the spread of disease on certain populations. For example, some people live in more crowded conditions or might not have access to face masks. Furthermore, through modifying models, students can address these omissions and run simulation experiments relevant to their lives. This type of computational thinking (understanding the abstractions in models made by others) places modeling and simulation practice in an ethical light and prepares all students to inspect models and consider the ways in which they do and do not represent the real world.
Integrating STEM and CS, Broadening Participation, Addressing NGSS
EDC
STEM + Computing Partnerships (STEM+C)
Related Content for Framing Computer Modeling as a Social Justice Issue
Discussion from the 2021 STEM For All Video Showcase (15 posts)
Irene Lee
Lead Presenter Director
May 11, 2021 | 08:51 a.m.
Thank you for visiting and watching this video! We'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts... If you are using computer modeling and simulation in your classroom or project, do you think it is appropriate to expose students to the potential for bias in representations and generated outcomes when using computer models? Feel free to comment on any other aspects of the project that you have questions about.
1
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Kimberly Elliott
PATRICK HONNER
Facilitator Teacher
May 11, 2021 | 09:03 a.m.
Hi-
I love the idea of integrating modeling and simulation into science courses. Can you say a little more about this as a “pathway”? Are there new courses being developed and offered, or are you talking about projects and units pushed in to existing courses? And is there a sequence of courses where students take this same modeling and simulation approach?
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Kimberly Elliott
Irene Lee
Lead Presenter Director
May 11, 2021 | 10:49 a.m.
Hello Patrick,
Great questions - EDC Science+C has developed three new courses in partnership with the Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE). The courses, Biology+C, Chemistry+C, and Physics+C, are alternative courses to the traditional Biology, Chemistry and Physics introductory level courses. Each of the Science+C courses includes 10 three-day units that integrate computational science. These three courses form a pathway that prepares students for coursework and futures in CT-enabled fields. I hope this answers your questions.
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Kimberly Elliott
patrick honner
Kirsten Peterson
Co-Presenter Senior Project Director
May 11, 2021 | 10:58 a.m.
Just to add to Irene's answer, the units are not entirely new or different content - they align to MA and NGSS Standards and are existing units that teachers cover already in their respective curriculum, so they are enhancements to existing content that really enables connections between what students are expected to learn in Bio, Chem, and Physics but with strong connections to computational science. We find the real-world connections and visual manipulations help to differentiate instruction and provide opportunities for a broader range of students to take interest in CS concepts. More information is available at https://scienceplusc.org/ .
2
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Kimberly Elliott
patrick honner
PATRICK HONNER
Facilitator Teacher
May 11, 2021 | 12:31 p.m.
It's terrific that there are actual course designations for this, and I hope to see this idea expand. I've personally done a lot bringing computing into math class, and the though of a Math+C class is really exciting to me.
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Kimberly Elliott
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Co-Presenter Distinguished Scholar
May 17, 2021 | 06:39 p.m.
We are very interested in exploring what Math+C looks like. In your Math+C are you integrating/focusing on Data fluency, or mathematical foundations of AI through Data? Can you email more info?
Marion Usselman
Facilitator Associate Director, and Principal Research Scientist
May 11, 2021 | 02:43 p.m.
Very exciting. What are your plans for further dissemination of the courses? Do you have research results you can share about the student effects of the courses?
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Co-Presenter Distinguished Scholar
May 17, 2021 | 06:36 p.m.
MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has already created course codes to enable schools to list these courses in their master schedules. After our upcoming pilot year, the courses will be available to all high schools in MA. We are working with DESE to interest schools interested in adding these courses and identify teachers looking for professional development - so that these courses can be broadly implemented in MA in September 2022. We are very interested in sharing this curriculum, developing new partnerships both within and outside of MA, and building new courses/programs based on this work. We invite people with like interests to contact us. Please feel free to send us names of individuals/projects working on similar issues so that we can reach out to them. We will have research results by July 2022.
Irene Lee
Lead Presenter Director
May 11, 2021 | 05:07 p.m.
Hello Marion,
We are completing our pilot year now and next year will conduct the impact study. We hope to disseminate the courses widely thereafter.
I love the critical focus highlighted in your video! How empowering to help students question the assumptions on which the computer model was constructed. I wonder how our projects might overlap and benefit each other. A core aim of our project is also to nurture critical science literacy; your example is so powerful. Let me know if you want to connect! Here is a link to our video: https://stemforall2021.videohall.com/presentati...
Khyati Sanjana
Facilitator Senior Manager
May 12, 2021 | 10:53 p.m.
Integration of C+ in the content while addressing the NGSS standards is so exciting. Simply unique. Would love to hear about some challenges that you faced along the way and how you overcame it. Was the virtual setting for students advantageous?
Hi Irene, Your project is a great example to build connections between programming skills and science learning, which is a very organic way to integrate STEM disciplines. For the decoding to modifying stages, have you tried to have students diagnose problems in the codes? In one of our studies, we observed that sometimes errors in a simulation could arouse productive discussion among students.
Susan Warshaw
External Evaluator
May 14, 2021 | 02:30 p.m.
I like this because it goes beyond basic computer logic and coding. Computational modeling involves the next level of critical thinking.
What a cool project! The use of COVID-19 is, of course, a timely and relevant choice. I'm curious to learn about the feedback have you gotten from students. Was it easy for them to consider the ethical implications through the modeling and simulation, or did they need some extra support to get to those questions?
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Co-Presenter Distinguished Scholar
May 17, 2021 | 06:29 p.m.
Thank you all for viewing our video and your great comments. Imagine how great it will be to have Computational Biology, Computational Chemistry and Computational Physics courses as an option for high school students. Our goal is to help students develop the skills needed by today's and tomorrow's scientists as they solve problems affecting our communities. Our work over the past several years indicates that today's scientists routinely use computational tools and processes in their daily work. We are excited to be able to offer students the opportunity to develop interests in computational sciences and a grounding in foundational skills that will prepare them for this type of work should they choose to move onto a STEM career pathway.
Irene Lee
Director
Thank you for visiting and watching this video! We'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts... If you are using computer modeling and simulation in your classroom or project, do you think it is appropriate to expose students to the potential for bias in representations and generated outcomes when using computer models? Feel free to comment on any other aspects of the project that you have questions about.
Kimberly Elliott
PATRICK HONNER
Teacher
Hi-
I love the idea of integrating modeling and simulation into science courses. Can you say a little more about this as a “pathway”? Are there new courses being developed and offered, or are you talking about projects and units pushed in to existing courses? And is there a sequence of courses where students take this same modeling and simulation approach?
Kimberly Elliott
Irene Lee
Director
Hello Patrick,
Great questions - EDC Science+C has developed three new courses in partnership with the Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE). The courses, Biology+C, Chemistry+C, and Physics+C, are alternative courses to the traditional Biology, Chemistry and Physics introductory level courses. Each of the Science+C courses includes 10 three-day units that integrate computational science. These three courses form a pathway that prepares students for coursework and futures in CT-enabled fields. I hope this answers your questions.
Kimberly Elliott
patrick honner
Kirsten Peterson
Senior Project Director
Just to add to Irene's answer, the units are not entirely new or different content - they align to MA and NGSS Standards and are existing units that teachers cover already in their respective curriculum, so they are enhancements to existing content that really enables connections between what students are expected to learn in Bio, Chem, and Physics but with strong connections to computational science. We find the real-world connections and visual manipulations help to differentiate instruction and provide opportunities for a broader range of students to take interest in CS concepts. More information is available at https://scienceplusc.org/ .
Kimberly Elliott
patrick honner
PATRICK HONNER
Teacher
It's terrific that there are actual course designations for this, and I hope to see this idea expand. I've personally done a lot bringing computing into math class, and the though of a Math+C class is really exciting to me.
Kimberly Elliott
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Distinguished Scholar
We are very interested in exploring what Math+C looks like. In your Math+C are you integrating/focusing on Data fluency, or mathematical foundations of AI through Data? Can you email more info?
Marion Usselman
Associate Director, and Principal Research Scientist
Very exciting. What are your plans for further dissemination of the courses? Do you have research results you can share about the student effects of the courses?
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Distinguished Scholar
MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has already created course codes to enable schools to list these courses in their master schedules. After our upcoming pilot year, the courses will be available to all high schools in MA. We are working with DESE to interest schools interested in adding these courses and identify teachers looking for professional development - so that these courses can be broadly implemented in MA in September 2022. We are very interested in sharing this curriculum, developing new partnerships both within and outside of MA, and building new courses/programs based on this work. We invite people with like interests to contact us. Please feel free to send us names of individuals/projects working on similar issues so that we can reach out to them. We will have research results by July 2022.
Irene Lee
Director
Hello Marion,
We are completing our pilot year now and next year will conduct the impact study. We hope to disseminate the courses widely thereafter.
April Luehmann
I love the critical focus highlighted in your video! How empowering to help students question the assumptions on which the computer model was constructed. I wonder how our projects might overlap and benefit each other. A core aim of our project is also to nurture critical science literacy; your example is so powerful. Let me know if you want to connect! Here is a link to our video: https://stemforall2021.videohall.com/presentati...
Khyati Sanjana
Senior Manager
Integration of C+ in the content while addressing the NGSS standards is so exciting. Simply unique. Would love to hear about some challenges that you faced along the way and how you overcame it. Was the virtual setting for students advantageous?
Lei Liu
Hi Irene, Your project is a great example to build connections between programming skills and science learning, which is a very organic way to integrate STEM disciplines. For the decoding to modifying stages, have you tried to have students diagnose problems in the codes? In one of our studies, we observed that sometimes errors in a simulation could arouse productive discussion among students.
Susan Warshaw
I like this because it goes beyond basic computer logic and coding. Computational modeling involves the next level of critical thinking.
Christine Wusylko
What a cool project! The use of COVID-19 is, of course, a timely and relevant choice. I'm curious to learn about the feedback have you gotten from students. Was it easy for them to consider the ethical implications through the modeling and simulation, or did they need some extra support to get to those questions?
Joyce Malyn-Smith
Distinguished Scholar
Thank you all for viewing our video and your great comments. Imagine how great it will be to have Computational Biology, Computational Chemistry and Computational Physics courses as an option for high school students. Our goal is to help students develop the skills needed by today's and tomorrow's scientists as they solve problems affecting our communities. Our work over the past several years indicates that today's scientists routinely use computational tools and processes in their daily work. We are excited to be able to offer students the opportunity to develop interests in computational sciences and a grounding in foundational skills that will prepare them for this type of work should they choose to move onto a STEM career pathway.
Further posting is closed as the event has ended.