Development and research on MoDa is part of the project From Access to Sustainability: Investigating Ways to Foster Sustainable Use of Computational Modeling in K-12 Science Classrooms (A2S). A2S is an NSF-funded research project (NSF DRK-12 Award #2010413) that seeks to support and examine the development of computational modeling as a sustained practice in middle school science classrooms through:

1. Designing a classroom-ready software platform and curricular units based on research-based design principles to support extended trajectories of computational modeling in science classrooms (i.e. MoDa).

2. Investigating students’ modeling trajectories across representational systems through small group discourse and classroom norms as students become more sophisticated modelers over time.

Publications

2023

How can computational modeling help students shift their ideas towards scientifically accurate explanations?

Fuhrmann, T., Wagh, A., Rosenbaum, L. F., Eloy, A., Wilkerson, M., & Blikstein, P. (2023). How can computational modeling help students shift their ideas towards scientifically accurate explanations?. In Blikstein, P., Van Aalst, J., Kizito, R., & Brennan, K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2023 (pp. 441-448). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//h... [link]

Ontological alignment: Investigating the role of the teacher in supporting computational modeling in science classrooms.

Wagh, A., Rosenbaum, L. F., Fuhrmann, T., Eloy, A., Bumbacher, E., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2023). Ontological alignment: Investigating the role of the teacher in supporting computational modeling in science classrooms. In Blikstein, P., Van Aalst, J., Kizito, R., & Brennan, K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2023 (pp. 1162-1165). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//h... [link]

What dimensions of a phenomenon do students notice through computational modeling & data analysis?

Wagh, A., Eloy, A., Fuhrmann, T., Rosenbaum, L., Blikstein, P., Wilkerson, M. (2023). What dimensions of a phenomenon do students notice through computational modeling & data analysis?: An investigation using MoDa. 2023 Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research on Science Teaching. Chicago, IL. [link]

Right but Wrong: The Independence of Mechanistic Reasoning and Canonical Understanding in Studying Diffusion.

Fuhrmann, T., Rosenbaum, L., Eloy, A., Wagh, A., Wolf, J., Blikstein, P., Wilkerson, M. (2023). Right but Wrong: The Independence of Mechanistic Reasoning and Canonical Understanding in Studying Diffusion. 2023 Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research on Science Teaching. Chicago, IL. [link]

2022

Data Storytelling in the Classroom.

Matuk, C., Amato, A., Davidesco, I., Rubel, L., Stornaiuolo, A., Blikstein, P., … & Woods, P. J. (2022). Data Storytelling in the Classroom. Proceedings of the 2022 Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Learning Sciences (ISLS 2022), Hiroshima, Japan. [link]

After the Study Ends: Developing Heuristics To Design for Sustainable Use of Learning Technologies in Classrooms.

Wolf, J., Fuhrmann, T., Wagh, A., da Silva Eloy, A. A., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2022, June). After the Study Ends: Developing Heuristics To Design for Sustainable Use of Learning Technologies in Classrooms. In Interaction Design and Children (pp. 703-705). https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3501712.3536384. [link]

MoDa: Designing a Tool to Interweave Computational Modeling with Real-world Data Analysis for Science Learning in Middle School.

Wagh, A., Fuhrmann, T., Eloy, A. A. D. S., Wolf, J., Bumbacher, E., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2022, June). MoDa: Designing a Tool to Interweave Computational Modeling with Real-world Data Analysis for Science Learning in Middle School. In Interaction Design and Children (pp. 206-211). https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145... [link]

Strategies towards designing for sustained engagement in computational modeling in science classrooms. Wagh, A., Fuhrmann, T., Eloy, A., Wolf, J., Bumbacher, E., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2022). Strategies towards designing for sustained engagement in computational modeling in science classrooms. In Chinn, C., Tan, E., Chan, C., & Kali, Y. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022 (pp. 2134-2135). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//h... [ link]

Developing Accessible and Sustainable Computational Modeling Tools in Learning Science: What is Next?

Fuhrmann, T., Levy, S. T., Wilensky, U., Bumbacher, E., Blikstein, P., Saba, J., … Wilkerson, M. (2022) Developing Accessible and Sustainable Computational Modeling Tools in Learning Science: What is Next? Proceedings of the 2022 Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Learning Sciences (ISLS 2022). Hiroshima, Japan. [link]

Infect, attach or bounce off?: Linking real data and computational models to make sense of the mechanisms of diffusion. Fuhrmann, T., Wagh, A., Eloy, A., Wolf, J., Bumbacher, E., Wilkerson, M., & Blikstein, P. (2022). Infect, attach or bounce off?: Linking real data and computational models to make sense of the mechanisms of diffusion. In Chinn, C., Tan, E., Chan, C., & Kali, Y. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022 (pp. 1445-1448). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//h... [link ]

A2S: Designing an integrated platform for computational modeling & data analysis for sustained investigations in science classrooms.

Eloy, A., Wolf, J., Wagh, A., Fuhrmann, T., Bumbacher, E., Wilkerson, M. H., & Blikstein, P. (2022). A2S: Designing an integrated platform for computational modeling & data analysis for sustained investigations in science classrooms. In Oshima, J. Mochizuki, T. & Hayashi, Y. (Eds.). (2022).General Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences 2022. Hiroshima, Japan: International Society of the Learning Sciences. [link]

Lessons from Co-designing with Science Teachers to Support Sustained Computational Modeling in Middle School Classrooms.

Wagh, A., Fuhrmann, T., Eloy, A., Bumbacher, E., Wilkerson, M., & Blikstein, P. (2022). Lessons from Co-designing with Science Teachers to Support Sustained Computational Modeling in Middle School Classrooms. 2022 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA, USA. [link]

2021

Designing domain-specific blocks for diffusion: The dialogue between pedagogical principles and design decisions.

Fernandez, C., Fuhrmann, T., de Deus Lopes, R., & Blikstein, P. (2021). Designing domain-specific blocks for diffusion: The dialogue between pedagogical principles and design decisions. Interaction Design and Children (pp. 461-465). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/345999... [link]

Scientific inquiry in middle schools by combining computational thinking, wet lab experiments, and liquid handling robots.

Fuhrmann, T., Ahmed, D. I., Arikson, L., Wirth, M., Miller, M. L., Li, E., Lam, A., Blikstein, P., & Riedel-Kruse, I. (2021). Scientific inquiry in middle schools by combining computational thinking, wet lab experiments, and liquid handling robots. Interaction Design and Children (pp. 444-449). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/345999... [link]

Making students' ideas visible through coding a scientific computational model.

Fuhrmann, T., Fernandez, C., Blikstein, P., & de Deus Lopes, R. (2021). Making students' ideas visible through coding a scientific computational model. In de Vries, E., Hod, Y., & Ahn, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 15th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2021 (pp. 1017-1018). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/7374 [link]

Making space for gender equity in makerspaces.

Russo, R., Goya, W. A., Fernandez, C., Macedo, L., Fuhrmann, T., Blikstein, P. (2021). Making space for gender equity in makerspaces. In de Vries, E., Hod, Y., & Ahn, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 15th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2021 (pp. 953-954). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org//h... [link]