Using Glowscript to Teach Numerical Modeling in Undergraduate Biology Education

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how Glowscript, a web-based visual Python tool, can effectively enhance undergraduate biology education by facilitating the teaching of numerical modeling and computer simulations.

Contribution

It introduces practical implementations of Glowscript in undergraduate biology courses, highlighting its ease of use and immediate feedback capabilities for teaching numerical modeling.

Findings

Glowscript improves student engagement with computational biology.

Students can quickly create and visualize simulations in a browser.

The tool is easily embedded in educational websites.

Abstract

Mathematical and numerical modeling is an increasingly important, yet often neglected, topic for biology students. We have found Glowscript to facilitate teaching and introducing computer simulations to students. In particular, the built-in the graphics and graphing capabilities can provide students with immediate feedback. Glowscript is a web-based form of visual Python that runs in a standard browser, and students can easily embed their simulations in external websites. Here we show various examples of how Glowscript is implemented in an undergraduate computational biology course. We hope these examples inspire others to adopt Glowscript in their science classrooms.