Introducing computing students to scientific experimentation.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least by educators, that doing coursework is beneficial to students. Yet the coursework must be designed with the end-goal in mind: what is it, particularly, that we want students to learn. Equally important is the need to construct coursework in the context of the overall degree programme, to ensure that computing students develop all the skills they need to. This paper reports on coursework that required computing students, thus far accustomed to a predominantly engineering approach to computing, to carry out a scientific investigation. This coursework, and the use of a bespoke simulation engine, appears to have been a successful strategy in achieving the desired learning outcomes. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that this kind of coursework would be particularly suitable for courses where students’ intuitive and misguided thinking needs to be challenged.