A Modular Approach to Undergraduate Computational Science Education

Author: James L. Noyes (Wittenberg University, Mathematics and Computer Science Department)

Abstract

Computational technology can significantly assist in the design and delivery of computational science (COSC) curriculum materials. It is possible to produce a collection of interactive COSC modules that contain content sections and exploration sections. The instructor can use selected modules to explain the topic at hand and the student can use them to perform evaluation, simulation, and optimization of a variety of mathematical models. This experimentation can be done both inside and outside the classroom. These modules contain "standardized" material and can be used by a variety of COSC instructors. This paper will describe ten modules (e.g., Evaluation, Discrete Simulation, Continuous Simulation, Optimization), all written in Mathematica (as is this entire paper), that have been used for the last five years in an undergraduate Computational Models and Methods course. These modules cover key ideas embodied in COSC, from the practice and philosophy of science, through symbolic and numeric evaluation, to simulation and optimization models.