David W Jackson | University at Buffalo, State University of New York (original) (raw)

Papers by David W Jackson

Research paper thumbnail of An Integrated STEM and Computing Curriculum for the Human-Technology Frontier

Connected Science Learning, Feb 28, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Computational Thinking, Engineering Design, and Environmental Science through Smart Greenhouses

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Magic’ or ‘maybe … other years’: designing for young adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in an invention camp

International journal of science education, Sep 19, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of “Smart” greenhouses and pluridisciplinary spaces: supporting adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in computation across disciplines

Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, Feb 1, 2022

Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer sc... more Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer science (CS) courses, to promote equitable access for all students. While many studies embed computation in one discipline, few include projects that substantively involve many disciplines. We conducted a mixed methods case study with a sequential design to explore adolescents' self-efficacy and engagement in computational practices, along with practices in several disciplines of science and engineering. In partnership with two eighth-grade environmental science teachers in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban-ring city of the Northeast US, students (N = 199) worked in teams to design, assemble, and code for "smart", or automated, miniature greenhouses. We report on successes in engagement, along with tensions in self-efficacy, namely relating to generality, social factors, and emotive sources. Specifically, we elaborate on tensions related to (1) engagement via fun and camaraderie vs. disaffection per anxiety and stress; (2) practices as sequential vs. simultaneous; (3) prior experience with coding vs. present application; and (4) disciplinary pre-conceptions vs. expansion. We conclude with implications for educational design of pluridisciplinary spaces, especially for those including computation, and which seek to leverage interest and engagement to develop self-efficacy. Also, we discuss how our study extends self-efficacy theory through its finer-grained analyses with more diverse participants. Ultimately, our work builds on and extends current educational designs for embedding computational practices in required, non-CS classes, a vital concern for adolescents' present and future civic participation, in personal, social, and professional ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Maintaining pluralism when embedding computational thinking in required science and engineering classes with young adolescents

Computer Science Education, Jun 17, 2021

ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies... more ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies for learners in science and engineering. For studies with young adolescents as participants, manifested research philosophies are sometimes inconsistent with societal pluralisms. Objective: Based on research literature from 2016 to early 2019 for CT|P in required science and engineering classes with youth ages 10- 15 – a sensitive age range for cognitive and affective development – we wrote a literature review that argues for the use of more pluralistic and critical research philosophies, which will strengthen research design, implementation, and meta-inferences (Collins et al., 2012). Method: We analyzed 20 qualifying studies per research philosophies common to mixed research, giving extra attention to studies that acknowledge cultural pluralisms, engage those pluralisms in conversation with each other, and ensure that historically marginalized populations have equitable – not just equal – participation (Onwuegbuzie & Frels, 2013). Findings: We found that studies consistently emphasized pragmatism-of-the-middle and communities of practice; sometimes operated within critical realist, pragmatism-of-the-right, or transformative-emancipatory philosophies; and rarely engaged in dialectical ways. Implications: To avoid decontextualized or overly individualistic approaches that fail to address systemic and institutional social inequities (in education, housing, healthcare, policing, voting, etc.), future work should take more pluralistic and critical philosophical approaches. We highlight several exemplars in hope that research will support youth in maintaining and extending computational practices in culturally sustaining ways (Paris, 2012).

Research paper thumbnail of A 2D Model for Characterising First-order Variability in Sublimation of Buried Glacier Ice, Antarctica: Assessing the Influence of Polygon Troughs, Desert Pavements and Shallow Subsurface Salts

Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2011

To assess the role of thermal contraction-crack polygons (sublimation polygons) in modulating sub... more To assess the role of thermal contraction-crack polygons (sublimation polygons) in modulating sublimation of buried glacier ice in Antarctica, we applied a 2D numerical model using COMSOL Multiphysics that calculates the rate and spatial variability of vapour diffusion through porous media. Specifically, we examined vapour transport through Granite drift, a dry supraglacial till marked with thermal contraction-crack polygons that rests on glacier ice reportedly ≥8-million years in age. The model results show that sublimation varies with drift texture and surface topography. Initially, the rates are highest beneath relatively coarse-grained sand-wedge deposits at polygon margins, creating deep, surface troughs. As troughs approach~1-m depth, the cooler atmospheric and soil temperatures that arise from solar shielding reduce the rates of ice sublimation to levels below that at polygon centres, preventing runaway ice loss at polygon margins. Including the effects of a salt-cemented horizon at 10 À 15-cm depth (porosity 20%) and a rocky surface pavement (75% ground coverage), our modelled ice loss at polygon centres, for example, is 0.022 mm a À1 , an order of magnitude lower than previous estimates (0.14 mm a À1). This finding highlights the importance of including field-based data for drift texture, topography and microclimate variation in modelling ice sublimation. The results also suggest that stable conditions (no ice loss) at polygon centres are possible with either a 1.9 C decrease in mean annual atmospheric temperature or a 12 per cent increase in mean annual relative humidity. These results indicate that the preservation of buried, multi-million-year-old ice is plausible in the coldest and driest regions of Antarctica.

Research paper thumbnail of Adapting K-12 AI Learning for Online Instruction. 2nd International Workshop on Education in Artificial Intelligence K-12

Proceedings of German Journal of Artificial Intelligence 2/2021, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of “Smart” greenhouses and pluridisciplinary spaces: supporting adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in computation across disciplines

Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer sc... more Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer science (CS) courses, to promote equitable access for all students. While many studies embed computation in one discipline, few include projects that substantively involve many disciplines. We conducted a mixed methods case study with a sequential design to explore adolescents' self-efficacy and engagement in computational practices, along with practices in several disciplines of science and engineering. In partnership with two eighth-grade environmental science teachers in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban-ring city of the Northeast US, students (N = 199) worked in teams to design, assemble, and code for "smart", or automated, miniature greenhouses. We report on successes in engagement, along with tensions in self-efficacy, namely relating to generality, social factors, and emotive sources. Specifically, we elaborate on tensions related to (1) engagement via fun and camaraderie vs. disaffection per anxiety and stress; (2) practices as sequential vs. simultaneous; (3) prior experience with coding vs. present application; and (4) disciplinary pre-conceptions vs. expansion. We conclude with implications for educational design of pluridisciplinary spaces, especially for those including computation, and which seek to leverage interest and engagement to develop self-efficacy. Also, we discuss how our study extends self-efficacy theory through its finer-grained analyses with more diverse participants. Ultimately, our work builds on and extends current educational designs for embedding computational practices in required, non-CS classes, a vital concern for adolescents' present and future civic participation, in personal, social, and professional ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Maintaining pluralism when embedding computational thinking in required science and engineering classes with young adolescents

Computer Science Education, Jun 17, 2021

ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies... more ABSTRACT
Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies for learners in science and engineering. For studies with young adolescents as participants, manifested research philosophies are sometimes inconsistent with societal pluralisms.
Objective: Based on research literature from 2016 to early 2019 for CT|P in required science and engineering classes with youth ages 10- 15 – a sensitive age range for cognitive and affective development – we wrote a literature review that argues for the use of more pluralistic and critical research philosophies, which will strengthen research design, implementation, and meta-inferences (Collins et al., 2012).
Method: We analyzed 20 qualifying studies per research philosophies common to mixed research, giving extra attention to studies that acknowledge cultural pluralisms, engage those pluralisms in conversation with each other, and ensure that historically marginalized populations have equitable – not just equal – participation (Onwuegbuzie & Frels, 2013).
Findings: We found that studies consistently emphasized pragmatism-of-the-middle and communities of practice; sometimes operated within critical realist, pragmatism-of-the-right, or transformative-emancipatory philosophies; and rarely engaged in dialectical ways.
Implications: To avoid decontextualized or overly individualistic approaches that fail to address systemic and institutional social inequities (in education, housing, healthcare, policing, voting, etc.), future work should take more pluralistic and critical philosophical approaches. We highlight several exemplars in hope that research will support youth in maintaining and extending computational practices in culturally sustaining ways (Paris, 2012).

Research paper thumbnail of An integrated STEM and computing curriculum for the human-technology frontier: The case of a smart greenhouse

Connected Science Learning, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating computational thinking, engineering design, and environmental science through smart greenhouses

Proceedings of the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exhibition, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Board 69: Integrating Computational Thinking, Engineering Design, and Environmental Science Through Smart Greenhouses

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Quantitative analysis of non-viral gene therapy in a three-dimensional liver tissue construct

Research paper thumbnail of An Integrated STEM and Computing Curriculum for the Human-Technology Frontier

Connected Science Learning, Feb 28, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating Computational Thinking, Engineering Design, and Environmental Science through Smart Greenhouses

Research paper thumbnail of ‘Magic’ or ‘maybe … other years’: designing for young adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in an invention camp

International journal of science education, Sep 19, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of “Smart” greenhouses and pluridisciplinary spaces: supporting adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in computation across disciplines

Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, Feb 1, 2022

Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer sc... more Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer science (CS) courses, to promote equitable access for all students. While many studies embed computation in one discipline, few include projects that substantively involve many disciplines. We conducted a mixed methods case study with a sequential design to explore adolescents' self-efficacy and engagement in computational practices, along with practices in several disciplines of science and engineering. In partnership with two eighth-grade environmental science teachers in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban-ring city of the Northeast US, students (N = 199) worked in teams to design, assemble, and code for "smart", or automated, miniature greenhouses. We report on successes in engagement, along with tensions in self-efficacy, namely relating to generality, social factors, and emotive sources. Specifically, we elaborate on tensions related to (1) engagement via fun and camaraderie vs. disaffection per anxiety and stress; (2) practices as sequential vs. simultaneous; (3) prior experience with coding vs. present application; and (4) disciplinary pre-conceptions vs. expansion. We conclude with implications for educational design of pluridisciplinary spaces, especially for those including computation, and which seek to leverage interest and engagement to develop self-efficacy. Also, we discuss how our study extends self-efficacy theory through its finer-grained analyses with more diverse participants. Ultimately, our work builds on and extends current educational designs for embedding computational practices in required, non-CS classes, a vital concern for adolescents' present and future civic participation, in personal, social, and professional ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Maintaining pluralism when embedding computational thinking in required science and engineering classes with young adolescents

Computer Science Education, Jun 17, 2021

ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies... more ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies for learners in science and engineering. For studies with young adolescents as participants, manifested research philosophies are sometimes inconsistent with societal pluralisms. Objective: Based on research literature from 2016 to early 2019 for CT|P in required science and engineering classes with youth ages 10- 15 – a sensitive age range for cognitive and affective development – we wrote a literature review that argues for the use of more pluralistic and critical research philosophies, which will strengthen research design, implementation, and meta-inferences (Collins et al., 2012). Method: We analyzed 20 qualifying studies per research philosophies common to mixed research, giving extra attention to studies that acknowledge cultural pluralisms, engage those pluralisms in conversation with each other, and ensure that historically marginalized populations have equitable – not just equal – participation (Onwuegbuzie & Frels, 2013). Findings: We found that studies consistently emphasized pragmatism-of-the-middle and communities of practice; sometimes operated within critical realist, pragmatism-of-the-right, or transformative-emancipatory philosophies; and rarely engaged in dialectical ways. Implications: To avoid decontextualized or overly individualistic approaches that fail to address systemic and institutional social inequities (in education, housing, healthcare, policing, voting, etc.), future work should take more pluralistic and critical philosophical approaches. We highlight several exemplars in hope that research will support youth in maintaining and extending computational practices in culturally sustaining ways (Paris, 2012).

Research paper thumbnail of A 2D Model for Characterising First-order Variability in Sublimation of Buried Glacier Ice, Antarctica: Assessing the Influence of Polygon Troughs, Desert Pavements and Shallow Subsurface Salts

Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2011

To assess the role of thermal contraction-crack polygons (sublimation polygons) in modulating sub... more To assess the role of thermal contraction-crack polygons (sublimation polygons) in modulating sublimation of buried glacier ice in Antarctica, we applied a 2D numerical model using COMSOL Multiphysics that calculates the rate and spatial variability of vapour diffusion through porous media. Specifically, we examined vapour transport through Granite drift, a dry supraglacial till marked with thermal contraction-crack polygons that rests on glacier ice reportedly ≥8-million years in age. The model results show that sublimation varies with drift texture and surface topography. Initially, the rates are highest beneath relatively coarse-grained sand-wedge deposits at polygon margins, creating deep, surface troughs. As troughs approach~1-m depth, the cooler atmospheric and soil temperatures that arise from solar shielding reduce the rates of ice sublimation to levels below that at polygon centres, preventing runaway ice loss at polygon margins. Including the effects of a salt-cemented horizon at 10 À 15-cm depth (porosity 20%) and a rocky surface pavement (75% ground coverage), our modelled ice loss at polygon centres, for example, is 0.022 mm a À1 , an order of magnitude lower than previous estimates (0.14 mm a À1). This finding highlights the importance of including field-based data for drift texture, topography and microclimate variation in modelling ice sublimation. The results also suggest that stable conditions (no ice loss) at polygon centres are possible with either a 1.9 C decrease in mean annual atmospheric temperature or a 12 per cent increase in mean annual relative humidity. These results indicate that the preservation of buried, multi-million-year-old ice is plausible in the coldest and driest regions of Antarctica.

Research paper thumbnail of Adapting K-12 AI Learning for Online Instruction. 2nd International Workshop on Education in Artificial Intelligence K-12

Proceedings of German Journal of Artificial Intelligence 2/2021, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of “Smart” greenhouses and pluridisciplinary spaces: supporting adolescents’ engagement and self-efficacy in computation across disciplines

Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer sc... more Educational designers are working to embed computation in required classes outside of computer science (CS) courses, to promote equitable access for all students. While many studies embed computation in one discipline, few include projects that substantively involve many disciplines. We conducted a mixed methods case study with a sequential design to explore adolescents' self-efficacy and engagement in computational practices, along with practices in several disciplines of science and engineering. In partnership with two eighth-grade environmental science teachers in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban-ring city of the Northeast US, students (N = 199) worked in teams to design, assemble, and code for "smart", or automated, miniature greenhouses. We report on successes in engagement, along with tensions in self-efficacy, namely relating to generality, social factors, and emotive sources. Specifically, we elaborate on tensions related to (1) engagement via fun and camaraderie vs. disaffection per anxiety and stress; (2) practices as sequential vs. simultaneous; (3) prior experience with coding vs. present application; and (4) disciplinary pre-conceptions vs. expansion. We conclude with implications for educational design of pluridisciplinary spaces, especially for those including computation, and which seek to leverage interest and engagement to develop self-efficacy. Also, we discuss how our study extends self-efficacy theory through its finer-grained analyses with more diverse participants. Ultimately, our work builds on and extends current educational designs for embedding computational practices in required, non-CS classes, a vital concern for adolescents' present and future civic participation, in personal, social, and professional ways.

Research paper thumbnail of Maintaining pluralism when embedding computational thinking in required science and engineering classes with young adolescents

Computer Science Education, Jun 17, 2021

ABSTRACT Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies... more ABSTRACT
Background and Context: Computational thinking and practices (CT|P) are key competencies for learners in science and engineering. For studies with young adolescents as participants, manifested research philosophies are sometimes inconsistent with societal pluralisms.
Objective: Based on research literature from 2016 to early 2019 for CT|P in required science and engineering classes with youth ages 10- 15 – a sensitive age range for cognitive and affective development – we wrote a literature review that argues for the use of more pluralistic and critical research philosophies, which will strengthen research design, implementation, and meta-inferences (Collins et al., 2012).
Method: We analyzed 20 qualifying studies per research philosophies common to mixed research, giving extra attention to studies that acknowledge cultural pluralisms, engage those pluralisms in conversation with each other, and ensure that historically marginalized populations have equitable – not just equal – participation (Onwuegbuzie & Frels, 2013).
Findings: We found that studies consistently emphasized pragmatism-of-the-middle and communities of practice; sometimes operated within critical realist, pragmatism-of-the-right, or transformative-emancipatory philosophies; and rarely engaged in dialectical ways.
Implications: To avoid decontextualized or overly individualistic approaches that fail to address systemic and institutional social inequities (in education, housing, healthcare, policing, voting, etc.), future work should take more pluralistic and critical philosophical approaches. We highlight several exemplars in hope that research will support youth in maintaining and extending computational practices in culturally sustaining ways (Paris, 2012).

Research paper thumbnail of An integrated STEM and computing curriculum for the human-technology frontier: The case of a smart greenhouse

Connected Science Learning, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Integrating computational thinking, engineering design, and environmental science through smart greenhouses

Proceedings of the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exhibition, 2019

Research paper thumbnail of Board 69: Integrating Computational Thinking, Engineering Design, and Environmental Science Through Smart Greenhouses

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Research paper thumbnail of Quantitative analysis of non-viral gene therapy in a three-dimensional liver tissue construct