Michael J. Reese’s research while affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and other places

This mixed-methods sequential explanatory design investigates disciplinary learning gains when engaging in modeling and simulation processes following a programming or a configuring approach. It also investigates the affordances and challenges that students encountered when engaged in these two approaches to modeling and simulation.

Over the last several decades computational methods have increasingly played a central role in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) for characterizing structure, simulating processes and predicting materials' response. To align with this shift, an MSE department at a research university in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region launched a curricular innovation to inculcate students with a basic facility with computational methods and to leverage computing proficiency to increase student comprehension of core MSE concepts. In this study we investigate the impact of this curricular innovation on students' (a) perceptions regarding the utility of integrating computation in their studies and their future careers; (b) perceptions regarding their own abilities to implement computation for solving problems relevant to MSE; and (c) intentions regarding the use of computation in their studies and future careers. Results of this study suggest that the specific nature and context of students' previous experience with computation can have a measureable effect on students' perceived abilities to use it as a tool to solve problems in science and engineering as well as perceived utility for their academic courses and future careers. These two constructs can potentially determine future intentions of use or future intentions to seek additional training.