A Sustainable Computer Modeling Curriculum for Mastery of Core Biology Concepts and Computational Thinking by Secondary School Students

由于计算已经成为科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）实践中不可或缺的一部分，STEM+计算计划旨在通过将计算思维和计算活动应用于高中（preK-12）早期儿童教育的STEM教学和学习，来解决计算STEM领域的新挑战。该项目将邀请高中生物教师开发和测试一种将计算思维与高中生物课程的学科内容相结合的新方法。该项目将创建一系列课程模块，教学生使用直观的可视化编程平台进行计算机建模技能，因为他们制作应用程序来模拟生物学中的基本概念，如营养金字塔、酶活性、生态网、遗传比率和生化循环。这些模块将在几个学区部署，以衡量课程模块对学生在计算思维技能、对生物系统的理解掌握以及对STEM领域和基于计算的职业的兴趣方面的影响。该项目的成果将为鼓励STEM领域中代表性不足的群体的学生在STEM和计算机教育以及STEM职业道路上取得成功提供有效策略。该项目还将为STEM教师提供学习自然现象的计算机建模以及如何将计算思维融入他们所教科目的机会。这个为期3年、以设计为基础的研究项目将让高中教师参与设计、部署和评估一个经过修改的、以计算为基础的高中生物课程。七所高中的教师将与项目团队合作，迭代地开发、实施和修改一套课程模块，用于教授普通生物学课程的选定部分。这些模块将使用MIT App Inventor进行计算机建模练习，这是一个直观的可视化编程环境，使用户能够为智能手机和平板电脑构建应用程序。将使用经过验证的测量工具、课堂调查、系统观察、学生构建的应用程序、项目团队反馈、基于课堂内外学习的正式测试以及纽约州考试的表现来衡量修订后的课程模块的有效性，并检验指导项目的假设。学习过程和结果的定量分析将基于对学生和教师态度变化、参与、协作过程、编码和生物学的概念和程序知识以及学生对STEM和计算机课程选修课的选择的纵向测量。定性分析将包括对课堂教学文化的检查和对学生作品的内容分析，包括课堂作业和家庭作业以及合作活动的编码音频记录。本项目测试的主要假设是：(1)学生通过App Inventor环境中的可视化编程构建抽象模型并探索这些模型的属性，从而对现实世界动态生物系统的本质有更深入的了解；(2)计算机建模活动本身将增加学生的好奇心和动力，以学习更多关于计算机科学解决问题的方法。

As computing has become integral to the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the STEM+Computing program seeks to address emerging challenges in computational STEM areas through the applied integration of computational thinking and computing activities within STEM teaching and learning in early childhood education through high school (preK-12). This project will engage high school biology teachers in developing and testing a novel approach to integrating computational thinking with the disciplinary content of a high school biology curriculum. The project will create a sequence of curriculum modules that teach students computer modeling skills using an intuitive visual programming platform as they produce applications to model fundamental concepts in biology, such as trophic pyramids, enzyme activity, ecological webs, genetic ratios, and biochemical cycles. These modules will be deployed in several school districts to measure the impact of the curriculum modules on student gains in computational thinking skills, mastery in understanding of biological systems, and interests in STEM fields and computation-based careers. The outcomes of this project will provide insights into effective strategies for encouraging students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields to succeed in STEM and computer-based education and STEM career tracks. This project will also provide opportunities for STEM teachers to learn about computer modeling of natural phenomena and how to integrate computational thinking into the subjects they teach. This 3-year, design-based research project will engage high school teachers in designing, deploying, and evaluating a modified, computation-infused high school biology curriculum. Teachers in seven high schools will work with the project team to iteratively develop, implement, and revise a set of curriculum modules for teaching selected components of a general biology curriculum. The modules will employ computer modeling exercises using MIT App Inventor, an intuitive, visual programming environment that enables users to build apps for smartphones and tablets. Validated measurement instruments, classroom surveys, systematic observations, student-built applications, project team feedback, formal tests based on in-class and out-of-class learning, and performance on New York state exams will be used to gauge the effectiveness of the revised curriculum modules and to test the hypotheses guiding the project. Quantitative analyses of learning processes and outcomes will be based on longitudinal measures of student and teacher attitude change, engagement, collaborative process, conceptual and procedural knowledge in coding and in biology, and student choices of STEM and computer course electives. Qualitative analyses will include an examination of pedagogical culture within the classrooms and content analyses of student artifacts, including in-class and homework assignments and coded audio records of collaborative activity. The key hypotheses being tested by this project are: (1) Students will gain greater insights into the nature of real-world dynamic biological systems as they build abstract models and explore the properties of these models through visual programming in the App Inventor environment; and (2) The activity of computer modeling itself will increase student curiosity and motivation to learn more about computer science approaches to problem solving.