EXP: Students Authoring Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Constructing Models of Ill-Defined Dynamic Systems

PI，一个是智能辅导系统专家，另一个是生态系统专家，正在研究模型构建如何帮助理解复杂的动态系统，特别是生态系统和维持地球生命的系统。PI特别感兴趣的是了解模型构建的启示，以促进这种学习和这样做的挑战，他们正在通过让本科生构建和探索与可持续发展问题相关的模型，在介绍性的可持续发展课程。模型的构建和探索是在智能辅导系统（称为Lait）的背景下进行的。学习者在自己构建模型和使用他人的模型作为学习辅助工具之间切换。模型构建者知道他们正在构建模型供他人学习，并且当其他人使用这些模型进行学习时，他们可能会与模型构建者进行交互（在线），以讨论设计模型背后的推理。该教学系统为模型构建和模型探索提供脚手架，支持围绕建模问题和与特定模型相关的问题的协作，并运行所创建的模型。目标是促进对被建模系统的理解，模型构建的技能，以及对建模认识论的理解。第一年的研究是在实验室进行的;以后几年的研究是在教室里进行的，特别是在跨学科的可持续发展入门课程中，每学期招收300名学生。思考可持续性同样复杂，这里的目标领域是可持续性。这项工作有可能揭示如何更好地帮助人们理解和思考系统以及维持我们在地球上生活的系统之间的相互作用和相互联系。此外，关于学习的文献表明，学习者应该从构建模型并使其工作中学到更多，而不是简单地将其他人的模型作为模拟运行。但到目前为止，技术还没有达到使学习者可以访问的建模。因此，在模拟和建模促进学习领域的大多数研究都集中在模拟促进学习的作用上。这个项目正在探索使系统建模更容易为那些谁不是已经称职的程序员，并将揭示一些建模的启示，以促进学习和建模的情况下，可以促进学习特定的系统和学习成为一个系统的思想家。

The PIs, one expert in intelligent tutoring systems, and the other an expert on ecosystems, are investigating the ways model construction can aid in the understanding of complex dynamic systems, specifically ecosystems and systems involved in sustaining life on our planet. The PIs are particularly interested in understanding the affordances of model construction in promoting such learning and the challenges in doing so, and they are doing that by having undergraduates construct and explore models related to issues in sustainability during an introductory sustainability course. Model construction and exploration are done in the context of an intelligent tutoring system (called Lait). Learners switch between constructing models themselves and using the models of others as learning aids. Model constructors know they are constructing their models for others to learn from, and as others are using those models to learn, they may interact (online) with the model constructors to discuss the reasoning behind designing the models. The tutoring system provides scaffolding for model building and for model exploration, supports collaboration around modeling issues and issues related to particular models, and runs the models that are created. The goal is to promote understanding of the systems being modeled, skill at model construction, and understanding of the epistemology of modeling. The first year of research is taking place in the lab; research in later years is taking place in classrooms, specifically in the introductory interdisciplinary sustainability course, which enrolls 300 students per semester.Systems thinking is notoriously difficult and notoriously difficult to learn. Thinking about sustainability is equally complex, and the target domain here is sustainability. There is potential for this work to shed light on how to better help people understand and think about systems and about interactions between and interconnectedness of the systems that sustain our lives on earth. In addition, the literature on learning suggests that learners should learn more from constructing models and making them work than from simply running the models of others as simulations. But up to now, technology has not been up to making modeling by learners accessible. Most research in the area of simulation and modeling to promote learning has therefore focused on the roles of simulation in promoting learning. This project is exploring ways of making systems modeling more accessible to those who are not already competent programmers and will uncover some of the affordances of modeling for promoting learning and the circumstances under which modeling can promote learning about particular systems and learning to be a systems thinker.