Design, Learning and Collaboration - Project Presentation

Evaluation of AgentSheets

Johnnathan Lansing

Gary Knoll

Laoleng Xiong

Keisuke Nishimoto

Agenda

• Introduction

• Analysis of AgentSheets– Creator’s perspective– As a design environment– Teacher’s perspective– End-user’s perspective

• Demo - Game of Life in 10 min

Introducton

• What are the problems?– Concepts of physics are sometimes difficult

to understand for kids– Requires good visualization and interaction– Hence the games (or interactive

simulations)

Interactive Simulations

• Example: Physics Education Technology (PhET) in CU Physics Departmenthttp://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/web-pages/index.html

Interactive Simulation + EUD

• Then, how can teachers utilize the benefits of interactive simulations?

• Better way would be to integrate the knowledge of teachers and technologies

-> AgentSheets!

Agenda

• Introduction

• Analysis of AgentSheets– Creator’s perspective– As a design environment– Teacher’s perspective– End-user’s perspective

• Demo - Game of Life in 10 min

Creation of AgentSheets

• Create simulations and educational games

• “Create SimCity in 10 minutes”

• Low threshold, high ceiling

• Idea from raw spreadsheets– Put more than numbers in cells

Users of AgentSheets

• Anyone who wishes to create simulations/games– With no programming expertise– AgentSheets designed to pass the “Pac-

Man test”

• Children tend to learn more quickly– More curious, play around with it

Future of AgentSheets

• AgentSheets tends to get positive feedback– Experienced programmers sometimes find

it a bit limiting though

• Currently working on AgentCubes– Brings AgentSheets model into 3D

Relation to Learning

• Mix between formal and informal learning

• It’s hard to learn anything formally without knowing why you are learning it

• School hinders children’s natural curiosity– Makes it harder for people to learn when

they grow up

AgentSheets as a Design Environment

• Completely graphical programming– Key concept: Agent

• Corresponds to a cell in spread sheet apps• Represents anentitiy in a simulation• Has state and behaviors

– Programming is done by defining the behaviors of Agent

• “If A, do B”• Both condition and action are represented

graphically.

Similarity of Agent and Object (in OO languages)

Agent Object

State Member variables

Behavior Method/Message

• Both are meant to fill the gap between “reality” and “model”

• The concept should be easy to understand for experienced programmers and beginners.

Drawbacks of AgentSheetsas an design environment

• Code is completely eliminated– Difficult to constract complicated behaviors– Users can’t learn how a corresponding code looks

like (<-> VBA in MS Office)

• If element of coding is added, AgentSheets could be a “tool for learning” as well as a “tool for living”

Agent Sheets in Schools

• Agent sheets provides the ability to use visual learning/participation techniques to concepts that physical demonstrations are unavailable. – Model proton electron interaction– Population effects on a model city– Spread of a virus through a population

Teaching and Agent Sheets

• Agent Sheets allows teachers to:– Have classroom activities for topics that hands on

activities/experiments do not apply– Create interactive simulations that can be made

fun for students with the use of sounds and animation

– Keeps students engaged throughout subjects are generally less hands on oriented

Willingness of Teachers

Using our interview with Alice a middle school science teacher as a point of reference

• Learning curve of AS is shallow enough to use• Students respond best in an environment with hands

on activities or experiments • Alice saw many uses for Agent Sheets, not only in

science, but also in social studies and other subjects.

End User’s Perspective

Testing with two High School students. One a Freshman, the other a Senior. Freshman student has no civil engineering experience. Senior has taken several Engineering and Civil Engineering courses.

Goal: Test the interface of AgentSheets.

Bridge Builder

• Graphical User Interface

• Similar to Paint– Draw, Erase, Select Tool, etc.

• Basic Canvas with Run, Stop, Advance.

• User message box.

Bridge Builder

• Problems with GUI– Not very intuitive.– User must switch between Draw and Erase– Allows strange behavior ie. objects in

strange positions

Tester Feedback

• Freshman“If I knew what all the icons mean then it

would’ve been better.”

• Senior“I kind of disliked that everything was in

blocks, I couldn’t build a suspension bridge.”

Agent Sheets Test Summary

• Senior tester relied on previous course knowledge– Referred to “Dead Weight” and suspension

support.– Had understanding for “Arch” concept.

• Freshman tester was more abstract– Did unconventional things, like filling valley.– Tried making geometric shapes like triangles.

Agenda

• Introduction

• Analysis of AgentSheets– Creator’s perspective– As a design environment– Teacher’s perspective– End-user’s perspective

• Demo - Game of Life in 10 min

Questions?