Integrating computation into undergraduate science education at University of Oslo: practice and research

Anders Malthe-Sørenssen and Tor Ole Odden, University of Oslo

Computation is a cornerstone of modern scientific research, and consequently many universities are actively working to incorporate computational methods into their science courses.

At the University of Oslo, this work has been going since the early 2000s and currently all bachelor programs in mathematics and natural science integrate computing from day one.

For example, in the physics bachelor program, students learn computation in through coordinated mathematics, physics and, computer science courses, and computation is then threaded through most subsequent physics courses.

In this talk, we address the Norwegian educational context, challenges and experiences from establishing such a program, examples of how the program is implemented, and how we work to integrate computing in programs across contexts and across educational levels.

We will also discuss what we are learning through our research activities on how students build computational literacy, and how computation can support student conceptual understanding and epistemic agency.