Teaching Computation Online with MATLAB Overview

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At this 3-day faculty-led workshop, educators in Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geoscience, Math, Physics, and allied fields will develop MATLAB related curriculum while sharing strategies, tools, and challenges teaching computational courses in in-person and online settings. Participants will work alongside peers and MATLAB experts from MathWorks to develop new and revise existing activities and course materials that incorporate MATLAB for computation. Workshop discussions will include strategies, tools, and best practices for building computational thinking skills in classroom and online settings.

Workshop activities will feature

• Sharing of effective educator-developed classroom activities
• Online tools for teaching and grading (e.g., Live Editor, MATLAB Grader)
• Opportunities to work in small groups on teaching activities and course design, and
• Talks from MATLAB experts.

These sessions will draw upon the resources developed in past workshops, including teaching activities, using videos to teach, and best practices for group work. The workshop will employ multiple formats, from brief presentations of lessons learned teaching, to individual work time, to working groups organized by biology, chemistry, engineering, geoscience, math and physics disciplines.

The workshop focus is on participants applying knowledge gained to course design, both in real time at the workshop and afterwards. Activities produced for the workshop will be publicly available to anyone teaching with MATLAB, and will undergo peer review as part of an annual review process, enabling citation in publications and CVs. In addition, MathWorks representatives will be on hand to support the workshop and share expertise for teaching with MATLAB, providing insights into topics such as data access, big data and parallel computing, and education aids for teaching and assessing computational skills live, online, and in flipped-classroom settings.

Workshop Goals

The goals of this workshop are for you to:

• Improve computational teaching skills, activities, and courses
• Gain knowledge of MATLAB tools and skills for teaching--with a focus on transitioning to online learning
• Share best practices for teaching using online tools and strategies
• Get integrated into a faculty community teaching computation with MATLAB

Dates: October 11-13, 2020

The main workshop program will run from Sunday, October 11 to Tuesday, October 13. 

Conveners are in the process of adapting the in-person program to an online setting. More details on the timing of the program are forthcoming. 

Location and Facilities

The workshop will be held online using Zoom video conferencing software. A computer and internet connection are required to participate in the workshop. 

Workshop Prework and Expectations

By applying to the workshop, participants agree to do the following, if accepted:

• Submit an activity that involves teaching computation using MATLAB. A template will be provided for participants to enter the essential information about their teaching activities. These activities will be showcased at the workshop so they must be completed prior to the workshop.
• Submit an essay on your experience with teaching computation using MATLAB.
• Participate fully in the entire workshop and attend all workshop sessions. Many participants will be invited to make presentations or serve as discussion or working group leaders at the workshop.

This workshop is a collaboration between MathWorks and the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. Participants are expected to review and follow SERC's Code of Professional Conduct for SERC Events.

Application and Selection Criteria

Applicants for this workshop must teach at a two- or four-year college or university. They should also have experience using MATLAB in teaching or plans to use MATLAB for teaching. The final list of participants will be developed with the goal of assembling a group of experienced educators, representing a wide range of experiences, educational environments, and specialties.

Costs

MathWorks is supporting the complete cost of hosting the workshop. There are no costs to participants associated with attending the online workshop. 

Past Events

For More Information

If you have any questions, please contact Mitchell Awalt at the Science Education Resource Center: mawalt AT carleton dot edu