Massachusetts Institute of Technology Felice Frankel
Computer Science (31)
This project develops of a new type of program for freshman and sophomores in science and engineering. Students collaborate in groups, with advice from senior scientists, engineers and graphics experts, and develop their own visual representations of ideas fundamental to specific courses and research. The dual emphasis on visualization and on explaining to others is the basis for a new form of teaching and learning that is both active (in the sense that it will require the students to formulate their own understanding and to explain to others) and different from the familiar verbal and mathematical explanations.
The program adapts methods already available for visualization: animations, photographs, drawings, and illustrations. It relies on the interactive capability of computers, but also embraces the power of thinking and communicating in simple drawings, the latter being a universal yet underutilized tool in undergraduate teaching. The products of these explorations will primarily target the national undergraduate community, however the obvious benefits for the research community and for the public should not be underestimated.
Intellectual Merit. This project builds a way to learn that uses one of the most highly developed of the human senses--appreciation of images--rather than the more familiar verbal and mathematical approaches, and emphasizes how: * The process of students' visually representing scientific concepts enhances their understanding, * Finding appropriate and communicative visual representations specific to particular concepts helps in exchanging information among disciplines, * Developing a visual vocabulary by undergraduates adds a new component to the education of researchers--learning to communicate science to the public.
Broader Impact. This project has the potential to revolutionize the teaching of science and engineering, both to concentrators and to non-science undergraduates. It provides a new method of reaching women and under-represented groups, many of whom are interested in science and engineering but are intimidated by the conventional languages used in science education.
