CS382:Topics Matrix

Topic Matrix

Week	Topic	Unit(s)	Who	Discipline(s)
1	What's a Model?	Foundations	Sam, Mikio	Generic
2	Building a Static Model	Area	Philip, Bryan	Generic
3	Using a Dynamic Model	Fire	Fitz, Vlado	Forestry
4	Visualizing Data	Mashup	Matt, Nate	TBD
5-6	Structural Modeling	Bridge	Bryan, Dylan	Bridge Building
7-8	Equation Modeling	Rocket	Vlado, Sam	Math, Physics
9	Agent Based Modeling and Computational Sociology	People	Nate, Philip	Sociology
10-11	Modeling Predator-Prey Interactions	Lynx and rabbits	Dylan, Matt	Biology
12-13	Chaotic Systems	Climate	Mikio, Fitz	Lots
14	End Notes	Wrap-up and review	TBD	Lots

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?

General Education

• Total Geneds
• Consider moving the scraped pages here from the main page for gen eds, labs, etc.

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