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Usability of Agentsheets for creating Educational Simulation
Ananth SrirangarajanSundeep GopalaswamyKyuhan KohJingren Jin
Computer Science and Software EngineeringAuburn University
Computer Assisted Learning
Ananth Srirangarajan
Computer Science and Software EngineeringAuburn University
What is Computer Assisted Learning?
Computer-assisted learning (CAL) is an approach to teaching and learning in which computer technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element.
Traditional Teaching vs. CAL The traditional teaching
environment is a classroom: a single teacher giving lectures to a group of students who are expected to use their notes and textbook to prepare for periodic examinations and demonstrate their mastery of the subject.
The use of computers in education shifts the focus away from the teacher to the students themselves who learn through experimentation on the computer with the teacher acting only as a guide.
Difference between traditional classroom learning
and Computer Assisted Learning
Traditional Teaching vs. CAL
Differences between traditional classroom learning and Computer Assisted Learning
Advantages of CAL It involves any student actively in the
learning process. It allows the learner to proceed at his own
pace. Reinforcement of learning in such
situations is immediate and systematized. The use of computers in this manner frees
faculty members or training coordinators to devote more time to the personal, human considerations of their students.
CAL is very useful in the realm of remedial education.
Disadvantages of CAL The need for teachers and training
directors to move from accepted methods that work to a new and relatively untried method.
The diversity of computing hardware and CAL languages compete with little apparent coordination from professionals in the educational world.
The cost of hardware, CAL course materials (courseware), and individuals to help implement the process.
Mandatory Features in Educational Games and Simulations Create (or recreate) a phenomena,
environment or experience. Provide an opportunity for understanding. Be interactive (i.e. the user’s inputs must
have some effect on the course of the simulation).
Follow consistent models of a theory. Be unpredictable in their behavior, either
because of in-built randomness or due to extreme sensitivity to user inputs.
Agentsheets
Sundeep Gopalaswamy
Computer Science and Software EngineeringAuburn University
Agentsheets Agent-based simulation-authoring tool that allow
s end-users to build interactive simulations and publish them as Java applets
Operations possible in Agentsheets displaying images computing spreadsheet-like formulas reacting to mouse clicks and key strokes playing sampled sounds and MIDI instruments gathering information from web pages.
Based on grid structure and so similar to spreadsheets
Agentsheets Elements of the grid are called Agents Agents consists of:
Sensors(to detect triggers) Effectors(to communicate with other agents) State(condition) Depiction(look) Instanceof(link to the class of the agent)
Each agent is empowered to act for a client. The client, in turn, can be another agent or the user.
Object Oriented Design
Working with Agentsheets Each window is
called “Worksheet” which is divided into grids in which agents are embedded.
Tools are provided to operate on the agents.
Working with Agentsheets There is a gallery
which lists all the agents and gives options to create/modify agents and their behavior and depictions.
A depiction editor tool is provided to create/modify a depiction. The option to import a image is also available.
Working with Agentsheets The behavior of
every agent can be defined in terms of: Triggering event Condition to satisfy Action to be performed
in case the condition is satisfied
Thus it is very simple to program
Working with Agentsheets There are many modes of
triggers such as mouse single/double click, key press, on method call, while creating the agent and so on.
Working with Agentsheets There are many conditions
to verify such as finding which agents are in the neighborhood, local value being set, frequency of occurrence and so on.
Each of them are categorized for ease of use.
Working with Agentsheets There are many actions that
can be performed such as changing ones own depictions, broadcasting messages to neighborhood, changing worksheets and so on.
This is also categorized for ease of use.
Psychological Approach
Kyuhan Koh
Computer Science and Software EngineeringAuburn University
Education psychology Recombination Technique - Teaching bolo, vaca, mala, and pato, Lear
ning boca and mapa. - ‘bo’ from bolo and ‘ca’ from vaca. bo + ca = ‘boca’
Exclusion and stimulus equivalence- when we teach students some
vocabulary, we can get good results by showing the students a picture of each object, and asking them to name it and then writing the corresponding word
- Show pictures and sound the relationship between carnivore and herbivore and display text explanation
Model Design Show relationship with pictures
Display relationship with text
Tell relationship with sound
Model Design (1)
Model Design (2-1)
Model Design (2-2)
Model Design (2-3)
Results, suggestions and conclusion
Jingren Jin
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Auburn University
ResultThis system would be fun for building educational games.
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Result cont’dCreating visual rules by dragging and dropping thedesired parts to create behavior was complicated.
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Result cont’dWhich is better, text material or AgentSheet(including
image and sound)?
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Text material
AgentSheet(includingimage and sound)I don't know
Result cont’d
This system was easy for me to learn and use.
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Result cont’d
This system would be easy to use by folks who don’tknow much about computers.
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Suggestions While in "Run" state all the tools
should be disabled.
The size of agent should be flexible.
Text on agent should be supported.
Conclusion Experiment data Programmer's aspect
easyeffective
Educational aspectimage + sound + text
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munication of the ACM, 332-333.4. Chwif, L., Barretto, M.R.P. (2003) Simulation Models as an Aid for the Teaching and Learning Process in Opera
tions Management. In Proceedings of the 2003 Winter Simulation Conference, 1994-1995. 5. De Rose, J. C, De Souza, D. G and Hanna, E. S. (1996). Teaching reading and spelling: Exclusion and stimulus
equivalence. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 29, 451-469. 6. Genesereth, M.R and Nilson, N.J.( 1987). Logical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence. Los Altos: Morgan Kauf
man Publishers, Inc. .7. Brouwer-Janse, M. D., Suri, J. F., Yawitz, M., de Vries, G., Fozard, J. L., and Coleman, R (1997). User interfaces
for young and old. interactions, 3446 8. Melchiori, L. E., de Souza, D. G., & de Rose, J. C. (2000). Reading, equivalence, and recombination of u
nits: A replication with students with different learning histories. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 97-100.
9. Regan, P.M., Slator, B.M (2002). Case-based Tutoring in Virtual Education Environments. In Proc. CVE 2002, ACM Press, 1-3
10. Repenning A.(2000), AgentSheets®: an Interactive Simulation Environment with End-User Programmable Agents. In Proceedings of the IFIP Conference on Human Computer Interaction (INTERACT ’2000, Tokyo, Japan).
11. Repenning A.(1991), Creating User Interfaces with Agentsheets. In Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE Symposium on Applied Computing, Kansas City, Missouri, 191-196.
12. Repenning, A., and Sumner, T.(1995), Agentsheets: A Medium for Creating Domain-Oriented Visual Languages. In IEEE Computer, Vol. 28, 17-25