Concepts and skills are developed over a semester to design an interactive computer program for a hypothetical museum exhibition. By providing structure while leaving some aspects unspecified, students make creative choices and combine skill sets, and demonstrate mastery to meet the objective of inspiring patrons. Clear and relevant communication to the end-user is a top priority.
For this task, students are asked to:
- Explain the importance of modelling in science by demonstrating the skills required to produce and analyse such models, including the ability to model more complex phenomena;
- Apply fundamental and more advanced mathematical techniques that are important to problems across a range of scientific discipline areas; Explain key concepts in computer science, design and write computer programs in the language Python, and interpret the output of these programs;
- Communicate responses to quantitative and science-based problems in a correct, logical, mature and scientifically appropriate style.
Attached are two different versions of such an assessment item (for SCIE1000 and SCIE1100), with different contexts, and different rubric styles. Both achieve the objectives described here.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 500+
- CLASS LEVEL
- First year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Low security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- High time
- CONDITIONS
- Work-related
- FEATURES
- Authentic, Online
Advantages
The interdisciplinary nature of the project and the ability to make creative choices while designing their program allows students to see the connections between various skills they have developed. Many students report being proud of the exhibits they create, and that the assessment positively changed their views of computer programming.
Challenges
Students need support when fixing errors in their code, so it is important to have prepared course staff on hand to assist with technical difficulties.
Tips for implementation
Use a context that is interesting for students; for example, we have used understanding echolocation and the detection of exo-planets as the contexts for the museum exhibits. Ensure that the rubric for grading allows a submission to achieve competence or excellence in a variety of ways (the rubric is not too prescriptive).
Authentic learning characteristics
Students are asked to apply what they have learned in the course (scientific modelling, computer coding, communicating to different audiences) to a real-world. They must decide how to apply their knowledge and skills to develop a useful and inspiring end-product. It is posed as a scenario based way.
Dr Adam Piggott
Adam.Piggott@anu.edu.au
Adam's research is in combinatorial and geometric group theory, with a particular focus on the automorphism groups of groups, and the groups which can be defined by nice rewriting systems. Find out more