How do we assess computation in physics?

TL;DR

This paper reviews current assessment methods for computational skills in physics education, highlighting the importance of evaluating students' computational understanding alongside teaching practices.

Contribution

It provides a snapshot of assessment activities and forms used to evaluate computational skills in physics education.

Findings

Assessment methods are diverse and include various activities and forms.

There is a growing integration of computational assessment in physics education.

Evaluating computational skills is essential for effective physics teaching and learning.

Abstract

In recent years, computing has become an important part of the way we teach and learn physics. Teachers, both at high school and college levels, now use computational activities in many of their courses. Physics departments are offering specialized courses and degrees in computational physics. And many countries are adding programming or computational thinking to their secondary science education standards. Although we know more about how to teach computation, that's only half the picture; we need to know how to assess it. In this paper, we provide a snapshot of some commonly used assessment activities and forms.