“Virtual Worlds, Cognitive Maps” by Kurtz and Doubleday

This presentation explores the power of simulation building as a constructivist learning activity and develops an agenda for the pursuit of research in this area.

Our project evolved out of repeated observations that multimedia students, working as programmers and designers on agent-based computer simulations of complex adaptive systems, often became enthusiastic and insightful about the content of the simulations. We have come to believe that the creation of an interactive simulation is a highly effective way to learn challenging concepts that require new habits of mind. We are recommending the construction rather than the use of a simulation to achieve our objectives, because the creation of a successful simulation requires the learner to acquire both a cohesive overview of the material and an intimate understanding of its details. It is also our contention that learning to design and implement simulations is an appropriate educational objective in its own right.