Page 151 - Getting the Picture Modeling and Simulation in Secondary Computer Science Education
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7.1 Motivation for this Project
The integration of computational thinking into various disciplines is gaining interest in CS education where training for computational problem-solving is seen as “a truly interdisciplinary undertaking” (Tedre et al., 2018). This is exemplified in the Netherlands, where the new 2019 secondary CS curriculum introduces the topic Computational Science which is specified by the learning objectives about modeling and simulation. The curriculum describes these high-level learning objectives as follows: “Modeling: The candidate is able to model aspects of a different scientific discipline in computational terms” and “Simulation: The candidate is able to construct models and simulations, and use these for the research of phenomena in that other science field.” Additionally, modeling itself is a part of the compulsory core curriculum, described as “Modeling: The candidate is able to use context to analyze a relevant problem, limit this to a manageable problem, translate this into a model, generate and interpret model results, and test and assess the model. The candidate is able to use consistent reasoning.” (Barendsen & Tolboom, 2016). With the introduction of Computational Science into the CS classroom, the need arises for validated guidelines to enable and facilitate its teaching and learning. This practical need instigated our research project and we translated it into scientific research questions in order to contribute to the research knowledge on Computational Science.
This chapter is organized as follows: Section 7.2 presents our aim and research
questions and provides their answers, and then discusses them and describes their
scientific contribution in the light of existing literature. Section 7.3 reflects on
the method. Section 7.4 reports practical implications and Section 7.5 provides 7 suggestions for further research.
7.2 Conclusions and Discussion
So far, research into teaching modeling and simulation24 as generic scientific competences within a CS course has been an underexposed issue in the computer science education research (CSER). There was no operational definition of the learning objectives modeling and situation, little was known about suitable
24 In this thesis, we use terms modeling, modeling & simulation and Computational Science interchangeably, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
General Conclusions and Discussion
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