Text: Computers and Scientific Thinking - Spring 2020 Edition, David Reed.
    Custom text available for purchase at the bookstore.

Computer Access: Many of the class periods will involve working on a computer, either using provided software tools or developing your own interactive Web pages. There are a number of Mac computers in the classroom and you are welcome to use these on a first-come, first-served basis. However, if you have your own laptop, you are encouraged to bring it to class and work directly on it. Installing the free lab software, Brackets, is straightforward and assistance is available if needed.

Course Description

This course introduces students to science and scientific reasoning from a perspective that integrates computer science and the natural sciences. Students will gain a basic understanding of computer technology (its organization, history, societal impact, etc.) and how computers are used in various scientific disciplines. In particular, the use of the scientific method and the importance of computer modeling in scientific inquiry will be studied. Students will learn to develop simple Web-based programs for analyzing data and modeling systems, and use those programs in conducting hands-on experiments. Applications in biology, physics, and data science will provide insights into how these disciplines approach problems and utilize computers and computer modeling as tools.

The specific goals of this course are:

• To learn the fundamental concepts underlying computer technology and appreciate the computer's impact on science and society.
• To understand and practice the scientific method as a technique for studying natural and artificial phenomena.
• To develop problem-solving skills through the process of designing, implementing, and experimenting with Web-based computer programs.
• To develop critical-thinking skills by conducting experiments and analyzing the data obtained by observing natural phenomena and also by simulating complex systems on a computer.
• To experience the interdisciplinary nature of computing and appreciate how the different scientific disciplines approach problems and utilize computers as tools.

Required Work

Class periods will consist of two types of activity. For discussion days, students will be assigned readings and must answer review questions on BlueLine before the discussion day. Attendance and participation in class discussions of the assigned material is expected of all students. Practical experience in developing Web-based programs and using them to conduct experiments will be obtained through unit exercises. Students will be assigned exercises and will work on the computer with the assistance of the instructor.

Interspersed throughout the course will be four lab assignments, which involve using computers as tools to solve problems from the sciences. In addition to some programming, lab assignments generally involve the observation of natural systems or simulations, data collection and analysis, and a written summary of your findings.

In addition, there will be two 75-minute tests and a cumulative 100-minute final exam.

The final course grade will be based on the above weightings. At the minimum, the following cutoffs will apply: A (93-100%), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89%), B (83-86%), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79%), C (73-76%), C- (70-72), D (60-69%), and F (0-59%). Some shifting of grades (in an upward direction only) may occur as final letter grades are assigned.

Regular attendance is expected of all students. If a student must miss class for a legitimate reason, it is their responsibility to make up missed work. Assignments and tests will not be rescheduled except in extreme circumstances. Unexcused absences will directly impact the student's grade on discussion days (resulting in a 0 for the missed day), and it is expected that excessive absences will leave the student unprepared for tests and assignments. If a class must be cancelled by the instructor for some reason, notification will be sent to students via email.

Policy on Collaboration

Creighton's policy on cheating and plagiarism is spelled out in the the Student Handbook, with college procedures available online. In addition, the following guidelines hold for this course.

• For unit exercises, you are encouraged to talk with your classmates and assist each other in completing the lessons. All answers and code submitted by you must be your own work, however. Thus, exchanging answers or copying code is expressly forbidden.
• For lab assignments, you may collaborate with one other student in the class. You must identify that person on the submitted assignment, and may not collaborate with the same person more than once. As with exercises, the actual answers and code submitted must be your own work.
• Since the point of the review questions on reading assignments is to ascertain what you found interesting or confusing in the readings, no collaboration is allowed on the review questions.
• All tests are closed book, with no collaboration between students allowed.

Violations of the above collaboration will be dealt with severely, with possible outcomes including failure in the course.

Daily Schedule (check regularly for updates)

Class code directory