An atom is known by the company it keeps: A constructionist learning environment for materials science using agent-based modeling

Paulo Blikstein; Uri Wilensky

doi:10.1007/s10758-009-9148-8

An atom is known by the company it keeps: A constructionist learning environment for materials science using agent-based modeling

Paulo Blikstein^*, Uri Wilensky

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Education and Social Policy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

99 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article reports on "MaterialSim", an undergraduate-level computational materials science set of constructionist activities which we have developed and tested in classrooms. We investigate: (a) the cognition of students engaging in scientific inquiry through interacting with simulations; (b) the effects of students programming simulations as opposed to only interacting with ready-made simulations; (c) the characteristics, advantages, and trajectories of scientific content knowledge that is articulated in epistemic forms and representational infrastructures unique to computational materials science, and (d) the principles which govern the design of computational agent-based learning environments in general and for materials science in particular. Data sources for the evaluation of these studies include classroom observations, interviews with students, videotaped sessions of model-building, questionnaires, and analysis of artifacts. Results suggest that by becoming "model builders," students develop deeper understanding of core concepts in materials science, and learn how to better identify unifying principles and behaviors within the content matter.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	81-119
Number of pages	39
Journal	International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning
Volume	14
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-009-9148-8
State	Published - Jul 2009

Funding

Acknowledgments We thank Prof. Tschiptschin (Engineering School of the University of São Paulo, Brazil), Prof. Srolovitz (Yeshiva University), the members of the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling at Northwestern University, in particular, Spiro Maroulis and Michelle Wilk-erson-Jerde, and Prof. Dor Abrahamson (UC Berkeley) for valuable comments on drafts of this paper. We also thank Ann McKenna from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. This work was funded under the umbrella of three NSF grants: NSF grants REC-0126227, HCC-0713619 and NSF EEC-0648316.

Keywords

Agent-based modeling
Complexity sciences
Constructionism
Engineering education
Materials science
Modeling
Multi-agent modeling
Net Logo

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Theoretical Computer Science
General Engineering
Computer Science Applications
Computational Theory and Mathematics

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s10758-009-9148-8

Cite this

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An atom is known by the company it keeps: A constructionist learning environment for materials science using agent-based modeling

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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