Computational Practices in Science Disciplines

Today, computation stands alongside theory and experiment as a pillar of
modern science. This is reflected by how research and industry work rely heavily on technology and computation. University educators need to prepare graduates to integrate computational practices within their underlying STEM discipline. In this study, we look at how academics across the College of Science at an Irish University use computational practices in their research to inform the design of a first-year undergraduate course. The course aims to emphasize the relevance of computational practices to students, by introducing them to authentic problems across science disciplines. Our long-term aim is to ensure graduates have the computational skills to make them competitive for positions in their respective fields. We used Weintrop et al. (2016) Computational Practices Taxonomy as a framework. Preliminary results show that computational practices used across science disciplines vary considerably. Therefore, course design needs to align computational practices with those used in the students’ chosen discipline.
Weintrop,et al. (2016). J Sci Educ Tech, 25(1), 127-147.