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

2025

Designing for Discourse: Enacting Responsive Teaching through Code Reflections in a Computational Modeling Unit

Aditi Wagh, Leah Rosenbaum, Adelmo Eloy, Tamar Fuhrmann, Brendan Henrique, Paulo Blikstein and Michelle Wilkerson. (Under Review). Designing for Discourse: Enacting Responsive Teaching through Code Reflections in a Computational Modeling Unit

From Code to Chloroplasts: Speaking About Photosynthesis through Computational Modeling

Tamar Fuhrmann, Brendan Henrique, Adelmo Eloy, Leah Rosenbaum, Aditi Wagh, Paulo Blikstein and Michelle Wilkerson. (Under Review). From Code to Chloroplasts: Speaking About Photosynthesis through Computational Modeling

Opening the black box: Student motivations in an unpackable-block-based computational modeling environment.

Adelmo Eloy, Tamar Fuhrmann, Roseli de Deus Lopes, Paulo Blikstein, and Aditi Wagh. (Under Review). Opening the black box: Student motivations in an unpackable-block-based computational modeling environment.

Is the Code Scientifically Correct?: Bridging the Scientific & Computational Aspects of Computational Modeling for Science Learning

Wagh, A., Eloy, A. Rosenbaum, L., Fuhrmann, T., Blikstein, P. & Wilkerson, M. (In review). Is the Code Scientifically Correct?: Bridging the Scientific & Computational Aspects of Computational Modeling for Science Learning. Manuscript under review.

Right but wrong: How students' mechanistic reasoning and conceptual understandings shift when designing agent‐based models using data

Fuhrmann, T., Rosenbaum, L., Wagh, A., Eloy, A., Wolf, J., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2025). Right but wrong: How students’ mechanistic reasoning and conceptual understandings shift when designing agent‐based models using data. Science Education, 109(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21890 [link]

2024

Towards Convergence: Characterizing Students’ Design Moves in Computational Modeling Through Log Data with Video and Cluster Analysis

Eloy, A., Wagh, A., Fuhrmann, T., de Deus Lopes, R., & Blikstein, P. (2024). Towards Convergence: Characterizing Students’ Design Moves in Computational Modeling Through Log Data with Video and Cluster Analysis. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 413-421). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-...

Toward Ontological Alignment: Coordinating Student Ideas with the Representational System of a Computational Modeling Unit for Science Learning

Wagh, A., Rosenbaum, L. F., Fuhrmann, T., Eloy, A., Blikstein, P., & Wilkerson, M. (2024). Toward Ontological Alignment: Coordinating Student Ideas with the Representational System of a Computational Modeling Unit for Science Learning. Online first in Cognition and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2024.2427400 [link]

Decomposing Students’ Design Moves when Programming Agent-Based Models

Eloy, A., Fuhrmann, T., Wagh, A., De Deus Lopes, R., Wilkerson, M., & Blikstein, P. (2024). Decomposing Students’ Design Moves when Programming Agent-Based Models. In R. Lindgren, T. I. Asino, E. A. Kyza, C. K. Looi, D. T. Keifert, & E. Suárez (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2024 (pp. 738–745). https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2... [link]

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 Proceedings of 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 Proceedings of 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? In Chinn, C., Tan, E., Chan, C., & Kali, Y. (Eds.), 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.

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. Proceedings of Interaction Design and Children (pp. 461-465). 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//h... [link]