Transcript Usability of Agentsheets for creating Educational Simulation

Usability of Agentsheets for
creating Educational
Simulation
Ananth Srirangarajan
Sundeep Gopalaswamy
Kyuhan Koh
Jingren Jin
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Auburn University
Computer Assisted Learning
Ananth Srirangarajan
Computer Science and Software Engineering
Auburn 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
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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
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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
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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
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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 Engineering
Auburn University
Agentsheets
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Agent-based simulation-authoring tool that
allows end-users to build interactive
simulations and publish them as Java
applets
Operations possible in Agentsheets
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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
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Elements of the grid are called Agents
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Agents consists of:
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Sensors(to detect triggers)
Effectors(to communicate with other agents)
State(condition)
Depiction(look)
Instanceof(link to the class of the agent)
Object
Oriented
Design
Each agent is empowered to act for a client.
The client, in turn, can be another agent or
the user.
Working with Agentsheets
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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
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There is a gallery
which lists all the
agents and gives
options to
create/modify
agents and their
behavior and
depictions.
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A depiction editor tool is provided to
create/modify a depiction. The option to
import a image is also available.
Working with Agentsheets
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The behavior of
every agent can be
defined in terms of:
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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
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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
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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
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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 Engineering
Auburn University
Education psychology
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Recombination Technique
Teaching bolo, vaca, mala, and pato,
Learning boca and mapa.
‘bo’ from bolo and ‘ca’ from vaca.
bo + ca = ‘boca’
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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
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Show relationship with pictures
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Display relationship with text
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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
Result
This system would be fun for building educational games.
6
5
4
3
2
1
5
strongly agree
agree
neutral
disagree
strongly disagree
3
1
0
0
1
0
Result cont’d
Creating visual rules by dragging and dropping the
desired parts to create behavior was complicated.
6
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
0
1
0
0
1
strongly agree
agree
neutral
disagree
strongly disagree
Result cont’d
W hich is better, text material or AgentSheet(including
image and sound)?
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12
10
Text material
8
6
3
4
2
1
0
1
AgentSheet(including
image and sound)
I don't know
Result cont’d
This system was easy for me to learn and use.
8
7
6
5
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3
2
1
0
7
4
strongly agree
agree
neutral
disagree
strongly disagree
4
0
1
0
Result cont’d
This system would be easy to use by folks who don’t
know much about computers.
12
10
10
strongly agree
agree
neutral
disagree
strongly disagree
8
6
4
2
4
1
0
1
0
0
Suggestions
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While in "Run" state all the tools should
be disabled.
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The size of agent should be flexible.
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Text on agent should be supported.
Conclusion
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Experiment data
Programmer's aspect
easy
effective
Educational aspect
image + sound + text
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