CS382:Topics Matrix
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When it's ready to be reviewed update the Status to be "Ready". This is the only signal that the reviewers will look for. When it's being reviewed the status will be "In Review" and then "Done".
Week | Topic | Unit(s) | Who | Discipline(s) | Skill(s) | Tool(s) | Notes | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | What's a Model? | Foundations | Sam, Mikio | Generic | TBD | TBD | Yes | |
2 | Building a Static Model | Area | Philip, Bryan | Generic | Accuracy, precision, estimation | Mashup | Software and physical | Lab ready for review, other is not. |
3 | Using a Dynamic Model | Fire | Fitz, Vlado | Forestry | Critical parameter, parameter sweep | Cellular Automata, NetLogo | Lab and other ready review, lab is ready to do. | |
4 | Visualizing Data | Mashup | Matt, Nate | TBD | TBD | Mashup | Tufte based approach? | Lab ready for review, other is not. |
5-6 | Structural Modeling | Bridge | Bryan, Dylan | Bridge Building | Physics | Simulation | Computational and physical models | Lab ready for review, other is not. |
7-8 | Equation Modeling | Rocket | Vlado, Sam | Math, Physics | Math, estimation skills and physics | Simulators provided, rocketry craftsmanship outside | Software and physical | Ready |
9 | Agent Based Modeling and Computational Sociology | People | Nate, Philip | Sociology | TBD | Agent modeling, NetLogo | Consider Josh McCoy's message | Lab is ready for review, other is not. |
10-11 | Modeling Predator-Prey Interactions | Lynx and rabbits | Dylan, Matt | Biology | TBD | Systems dynamics modeling, NetLogo, and Agent-based | Lab is ready for review, other is not. | |
12-13 | Chaotic Systems | Climate | Mikio, Fitz | Lots | TBD | TBD | Lab is ready for review, other is not. | |
14 | End Notes | Wrap-up and review | TBD | Lots | TBD | TBD |
Concepts, Techniques and Tools
There are a number of recurring themes, standard scientific techniques, and tools for doing science both in the real world and with a computing system contained in this course. Many of them are seen at more than one point.
The plan is to introduce all of them at the start of the course, call them out whenever we encounter them during the course, and then review all of them as a group at the end of the course.
Concepts
- Using models, modifying models, developing models
- Data -> information -> knowledge
- Algorithmic thinking
- Computational thinking
- Abstraction
- Accuracy vs precision
Techniques
- Validation and verification
- Interpreting a graph
- Creating a graph
- Basic statistics
- Estimation
- Parameter sweep
- Data collection
Tools
- Spreadsheet; {Open, Neo} Office
- Plotting; Sigma plot, gnuplot (?!), PlotDrop. Why not just use the spreadsheet's tool?
- Equation-based modeling; spreadsheet?
- Agent-based modeling; NetLogo or AgentSheets
- Systems-based modeling; Vensim
- Visualization/visual modeling
- Mashups and Google Earth
Potentially:
- SecondLife or OpenSim
Overall Context
- 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?
Items to be sorted
- Quantitative reasoning
- Using tools, broadly defined
Mechanical and structural stuff:
- Scales well, say 20-80 students
- Automated assessment tools
- Effective use of TAs
- 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