  Students taking introductory physics are rarely exposed to computational
modeling. In a one-semester large lecture introductory calculus-based mechanics
course at Georgia Tech, students learned to solve physics problems using the
VPython programming environment. During the term 1357 students in this course
solved a suite of fourteen computational modeling homework questions delivered
using an online commercial course management system. Their proficiency with
computational modeling was evaluated in a proctored environment using a novel
central force problem. The majority of students (60.4%) successfully completed
the evaluation. Analysis of erroneous student-submitted programs indicated that
a small set of student errors explained why most programs failed. We discuss
the design and implementation of the computational modeling homework and
evaluation, the results from the evaluation and the implications for
instruction in computational modeling in introductory STEM courses.
