Page 69 - Getting the Picture Modeling and Simulation in Secondary Computer Science Education

Defining and Observing Modeling and Simulation in Computer Science
and subsequently advocate a comprehensive approach to assessment that utilizes several data sources — an approach that we explore in this study too.
3.1.3 Context of the study
Our exploratory case study was carried out during a project-based lesson series
within the CS course in the 12th grade of secondary education (in Dutch: VWO 6)
where students studied modeling and simulations. They used NetLogo to program
models of phenomena from other disciplines and to explore them through running
simulations. During a six-weeks period they studied Modeling and Simulations 3 with NetLogo. The first three weeks were dedicated to studying the instructional
materials from a regular textbook (Heuvelink, A. et al., 2008). During the rest of the period, the fourteen students comprising this class worked in seven groups on a practical assignment where they investigated a phenomenon of their choice by making a model in NetLogo and exploring it through running simulations. When necessary, students were assisted in formulating their hypotheses or research questions. The entire process was strictly planned and contained milestones when the students turned in the required project documentation. At the end of the period, each group presented its model to the rest of the class and the students were encouraged to discuss their models, results, design choices, programming issues and other relevant questions. After the presentations, they turned in the final part of the project documentation where they described the feedback they got and their reaction to it. A few days later, twelve students (six groups) who finished their projects, turned in their final reports and NetLogo programs.
3.2 Modeling and Simulation
There is extensive literature on modeling in science and especially in mathematics. We take the latter as starting point and discuss modeling in mathematics first, and then simulation modeling (in section 3.2.2) as a special case of modeling.
3.2.1 Modeling
Van Overveld et al. (2015) distinguish two purposes of modeling: scientific research and technological design, and lists a number of goals that can be obtained through modeling: explanation, prediction, compression, abstraction, unification,
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