Computer Science

Engineering Eco-friendly Slippers: User Reviews Analysis

Middle School Impacts of Computing Data & Analysis In Classrooms

Students train a computer to analyze slipper user reviews and investigate how adjusting the training data impacts the machine learning model's accuracy.

unit Overview

This computer science module can be taught independently but is intended to be taught after the YES Middle School Engineering Eco-friendly Slippers unit. Students consider how a computer could be used to analyze qualitative data collected from slipper users. Students explore and modify a simple machine learning algorithm that categorizes user reviews as positive or negative.

  • 2 lessons
  • 45 minutes per lesson
  • Student materials available in Spanish
  • Computational tools used: MATLAB interactives (free and web-based)
  • Materials needed: Materials kits are not available for purchase for computer science modules

Standards Alignment

YES units align with state and national science standards, integrating seamlessly with popular elementary science curricula.

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unit Resources

Digital Resources (FREE)

YES provides these materials free of charge! Use the link below to download resources from our Google Drive.

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Module Map

Students learn that a computer needs training data to categorize user reviews as positive or negative. They compare how humans and computers identify patterns.

Students vary the amount of training data and adjust the computer’s word-selection criteria to understand how these factors affect the machine learning model’s accuracy.

Our funders

Major support for this project has been provided by MathWorks.