Why such a course

Computational models come in different forms ranging from machine learning models that predict/classify patterns to agent-based models that investigate emergent phenomena from a bottom-up perspective. Regardless of their form, all computational models should go through a verification and validation (V&V) process, which checks the correctness of the model design and implementation as well as its success. The proliferation of high-level frameworks and computational tools make it possible to bypass or overlook such crucial steps. This course aims to teach and improve V&V practices, which is considered an essential methodological step in computational model development. As far as I know, there is not such a course offered and I hope this course fills an important need.