Measuring Sophistication in Systemic Design and Computing

Measuring Sophis/ca/on in Systemic
Design and Compu/ng

Evan Barba, J.R. Osborn

Communica/on, Culture and Technology
Program in Learning and Design
Department of Computer Science
Georgetown University, Washington, DC USA

Assump/ons
Learning to integrate disciplines is at least as
important as learning a discipline

Interdisciplinary skills are not the same as
disciplinary ones. But there is some overlap.

Objec/ve metrics of learning are valuable

Systems
Systems
+
Design
DesignLearning
Design +
Learning
Learning
+
Systems

X
X + Y
YZ
Y + Z
Z + X
This model can be applied to any three
disciplines and intersec/ons

3 DISCIPLINES
&
3 INTERSECTIONS

Systems
Systems
+
Design
Design
Computing
Design +
Computing
Computing
+
Systems
Systems as a Way of Thinking
Design as a Way of Working
Compu7ng as a Medium

The Next Genera*on Science Standards iden/fy seven
“cross-cuRng concepts” that:

…need to be made explicit for students because they provide
an organiza9onal schema for interrela9ng knowledge from
various science fields into a coherent and scien9fically-based
view of the world.

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Genera9on Science Standards: For
States, By States. Washington, DC.
1.  paXerns
2.  cause and effect
3.  scale
4.  system models
5.  flows and cycles
6.  structure and func/on rela/onships
7.  stability and change.

“…new liberal art of technological culture,” (1992)

RSD sucks.
Richard Buchanan

hXps://www.computerscienceonline.org/computer-engineering/
Compu7ng is where
the job growth is

Learning Progressions
“Underlying any curriculum is a model of progression,”
M Hughes. 1996.
1. Learning targets that are defined by societal aspira/ons and analysis of the
central concepts and themes in a discipline

2. Progress variables that iden/fy the cri/cal dimensions of understanding and
skill that are being developed over /me

3. Levels of achievement that define significant intermediate steps in
conceptual/skill development

4. Learning performances which are indica/ve of skills and knowledge at each
level, and which can be used in the development of assessments

5. Assessments that measure student understanding of the key concepts or
prac/ces and can track their progress over /me.

Sophis/ca/on
“Learning is envisioned as a development of
progressive sophis9ca9on in understanding and
skills within a domain. […] learning is conceived
as a sequence or con9nuum of increasing
exper9se.”
Heritage 2008

Cri/cisms
No accoun/ng for errors, failures, false starts…

Not interdisciplinary

Assumes all learners are alike

Systems
Systems
+
Design
Design
Computing
Design +
Computing
Computing
+
Systems
Area = 41.25
(total sophis/ca/on)
5
10
15

Systems
Systems
+
Design
Design
Computing
Design +
Computing
Computing
+
Systems
Area = 62.35
5
10
15

Systems
Systems
+
Design
Design
Computing
Design +
Computing
Computing
+
Systems
Center of Mass
(focus)
Eccentricity = 2.4
(depth of specializa/on)
Area = 41.25
5
10
15

Advising
Image source: hXps://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/tran-scp/cresource/q1/p01/

Measuring Sophistication in Systemic Design and Computing

Measuring Sophistication in Systemic Design and Computing

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Measuring Sophistication in Systemic Design and Computing