In our increasingly data-driven society, it is critical for high school students to learn to integrate computational thinking and STEM disciplines in order to learn to solve real world problems that they will encounter throughout their lives. To address this need for the life sciences in particular, we developed the Bio-CS Bridge, a modular computational system coupled with high school curriculum integrating biology and computer science. In order to develop this system, we created a transdisciplinary team of university and high school faculty and students with expertise in biology, computer science, and education. The Bio-CS Bridge engages students and teachers in scientific practices using biological data that they can collect themselves, and computational tools that they can help to design and implement, to address real-world problems such as pollinator decline and loss of biodiversity.  The curriculum is standards-based and includes both biology and computer science standards.  We worked with 14 teachers in 7 high schools across Massachusetts to develop and pilot the Bio-CS Bridge.

The major products of our work include a suite of computational tools housed on the Beecology website (beecology.wpi.edu) and the associated Bio-CS Bridge Curriculum, which will be disseminated through the Bio-CS Bridge website (biocsbridge.wpi.edu).  The computational tools include three main functions: a webapp that allows students to contribute data to a database, a set of data visualization and analysis tools to explore the data, and ecological simulations that students can modify and build upon.  The Beecology webapp allows teachers and students (and the public) to act as citizen scientists by collecting data on pollinators (currently bumblebees and butterflies) and the flowers that they forage on, to create a database of pollinator-plant observations that will help scientists understand which species are thriving and which are in decline, and how they interact and depend upon each other.  The visualization and analysis tools allow users to analyze trends in the data, such as which pollinator species visit which flower species, where different species are located across the state, the activity patterns of pollinators from spring to fall, and how all these types of data may have changed over time.  The simulation tools allow students to utilize provided simulations as well as developing their own, to test hypotheses and make predictions.

The Bio-CS Bridge Curriculum utilizes all of these tools to provide teachers with a hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum that introduces students to scientific and computational practices such as hypothesis testing, experimental design, algorithm development, and data analysis, in the context of real-world problems that engage students.  It consists of four Biology Units and four Computer Science Units.  All lessons in these units are integrated across biology and computer science.  For instance, the biology units include lessons where students can submit observations of pollinators and plants, and then analyze their data and compare it to data from across the state.  Computer science lessons utilize biological problems to provide a context for computational thinking, such as designing websites that teach ecological concepts, or creating software that allows the input, visualization, and analysis of biological data.

Survey data showed that nearly all team members felt the transdisciplinary team was 'Very' or 'Extremely' important to the development, implementation, and revision of Bio-CS Bridge curriculum. As one teacher stated,

'Having a variety of contributors is important as each member brings a unique viewpoint to the development of the curriculum.  The professors have the vision, the plan for implementation, and the expertise required to create the materials. [....]  The classroom teachers developed the type of curriculum they knew would work with their students.  For designing meaningful lesson plans the teachers collaborated across disciplines and with the professors to create authentic experiences in the sciences and the application of computer science elements that can be used effectively to solve real world problems.'

In surveys of the impact on students of the curriculum, nearly all teachers agreed or strongly agreed that 'Implementation of the integrated curriculum in my classroom has led to increases in student engagement and enthusiasm.'

Teachers stated:

'Students are intrigued to see that programming can be used as a research tool.  They enjoyed being in the role of the researcher, developing tools, and using them to test hypotheses.'

'Involvement in the curriculum leads to students who are more confident, more interested in computer science approaches for solving biological problems, and more engaged with increases in content learning.'

The intellectual merit of our project consists of our contribution to the process of developing curriculum using a transdisciplinary team approach.  Our experience can serve as a model to other university - secondary school collaborations to bring unique integrated STEM-CS curriculum to the classroom.  The broader impact of our work is the development and implementation of the Bio-CS Bridge computational tools and curriculum, which continue to positively impact teachers and students across the state.

Last Modified: 04/02/2023
Modified by: Elizabeth F Ryder