Development and Dissemination of Computational Science Educational Materials and Curricula at the Undergraduate Level

Capital University, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

Interdisciplinary (99) In this project thirty-five faculty from fourteen institutions are developing and disseminating computational science educational materials for use in a variety of undergraduate STEM disciplines such as biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, finance, economics, mathematics, and physics. The project's intellectual merit lies in its use of a common framework to guide the development of materials: Problem, Model, Method, Implementation, and Assessment. Materials include appropriate science and mathematics background information as well as problems, projects, and an instructor's manual; and this common framework permits the materials to be self-standing and comprehensive. The project's broader impacts are felt through its ability to serve as a catalyst in the development of additional computational science courses and curricula. The fourteen-member institution consortium is diversified by type of institution (PUI, Research I and II, Comprehensive, HBCU, 2-year, 4-year, private, and state), student population served, and STEM disciplines. Twelve more institutions across the nation are serving as beta-testers of the educational materials. Dissemination activities include: i) conferences and discipline specific workshops (projected to serve 300+ faculty); ii) preparation of the materials for inclusion to the National Science Digital Library; iii) presentations at national conferences; and iv) the advancement of a statewide computational science initiative, a model that can be adopted by other states. Finally, an advisory committee of content experts and two evaluators oversees the success of the project.