CS382:Topics Matrix

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Topic Matrix

Week	Topic	Unit(s)	Who	Discipline(s)	Skill(s)	Tool(s)	Notes	Status
1	What's a Model?	Foundations	Sam, Mikio	Generic	TBD	TBD		Ready
2	Using a Dynamic Model	Fire	Fitz, Vlado	Forestry	Critical parameter, parameter sweep	Cellular Automata, NetLogo		Ready
3	Building a Static Model	Area	Philip, Bryan	Generic	Accuracy, precision, estimation	Mashup	Software and physical	Ready
4	Visualizing Data	Mashup	Matt, Nate	TBD	TBD	Mashup	Tufte based approach?
5-6	Structural Modeling	Bridge	Bryan, Dylan	Bridge Building	Physics	Simulation	Computational and physical models	Ready
7-8	Equation Modeling	Rocket	Vlado, Sam	Math, Physics	Math, estimation skills and physics	TBD	Software and physical	Ready
9	Agent Based Modeling and Computational Sociology	People	Nate, Philip	Sociology	TBD	Agent modeling, NetLogo		Ready
10-11	Modeling Predator-Prey Interactions	Lynx and rabbits	Dylan, Matt	Biology	TBD	Systems dynamics modeling, NetLogo, and Agent-based		Ready
12-13	Chaotic Systems	Climate	Mikio, Fitz	Lots	TBD	TBD

Context

There are a number of themes that run through the units:

• Quantitative reasoning
• Using models, modifying models, developing models
• Validation and verification
• Using tools, broadly defined
• Data -> information -> knowledge
• Algorithmic thinking
• Abstraction
• Computational thinking

The units should have the following attributes, for the pedagogical ones all units should try to adhere to them, for the others we just need to make sure at least one unit covers them.

• Pedagogical
  • Inquiry based learning
  • Scaffolded
  • Open-ended to a degree
  • Using science to illustrate the diversity and complexity of the world around us

• Structural
  • Metric system
  • OSX, Windows, Linux whenever possible (lab sizes and locations)
  • Classroom response system - questions for each unit, participation/attendance measured by response rate?

Mechanical and structural stuff:

• Scales well, say 20-80 students
  • Automated assessment tools
  • Effective use of TAs

Scientific Tools

• Equation-based modeling
• Agent-based modeling: Netlogo or AgentSheets
• Systems-based modeling: Vensim
• Visualization/visual modeling
• Mashups and Google Earth

Potentially

• SecondLife or OpenSim

Foundation Skills

• Creating a graph
• Interpreting a graph
• Basic statistics
• Estimation
• Parameter sweep
• Data collection

Potentially

• Building a physical model in the real world

Thoughts

Some of these should go somewhere, and some of these should be in every unit.

• What data do I need to collect, how do I collect it accurately, and then how do I build it
  • Perhaps one unit where they have to go out and collect data to see how hard it really is, how about modeling campus (rectangle and heart)
• Data collection: sensor nets, lasers