Exploring computer simulation in teaching marine ecology Photo of student using software Brief intro: (mention departments we are from). This is about how we tried different ways of teaching. although focus is on a technology, the methods we try can be applied in other contexts (e.g.. group vs. individual work, reading materials before or after class). Bruce J. McAdam Omair Ameerbakhsh Savi Maharaj Learning and Teaching Conference, 19th April 2017

Technology can help me teach, but how? My students need to learn about over-exploitation of fisheries And about the maths behind setting catch limits We can't do it for real, so we developed a simulation. But... How do I teach the class? Let them experiment, or Explain and demonstrate Can I improve the experience? "We plan to use interactive simulation in other fields such as Aquaculture and with bigger groups to explore the effectiveness of using interactive simulation in teaching a range of complex subjects to university students." Ameerbakhsh et al (2016) IEEE ITHET 15th International Conference on Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training This was an existing exercise. Looked to improve it Turned into an opprotunity to explore how to use this sort of thing in class Led to collaboration...

A collaboration is born Bruce teaches marine ecology and developed the first version of the class and software Savi asked a CS UG student (Martynas Paulikas) to improve the software Savi supervises Omair, who is doing his PhD on using learning technologies We can work together to improve the class And learn about how we can teach and use technology better Introduce each person. differnet departments. value of working across departments (different styles of teaching).

The fishing simulation Every year you set a quota And find out what happens Play the same game repeatedly to try different ideas Two versions White box: shows the working Black box: gives limited data Black box is intended to simulate real world difficulty in getting data INSERT SCREENSHOT Brief description of how to play (mention this is netlogo and runs in web browser (can even go through succeed)) The aim is to get optimal catch -- there IS a correct answer therefore we can assess student ability on the spot (harder for other teaching)

White box vs. Black box Above the water Below the water

White box vs. Black box White box shows the working All data is revealed Simulation teaching tool adds value compared with experiments Blackbox is more realistic Data that is hidden in real world, is hidden in simulation Simulation substitutes for unviable experiments How to use the white box to help students deal with real world data? 2 screenshots Explain the 'undersea' metaphor

Experiment design: 2 similar classes Split class randomly in two Lecture Introduction (10min) White box demo (10min) Black box trial (10min) Questionnaires White box experiment (10min) Intervention Data collection flow diagram Note that each group was handled at separate times. Were not aware what other group did differently. Replicate groups (2 of each treatment in one class, plus 1 of each treatment with different students) Critical parts: the difference between the groups is HOW they use the white box Emphasise: we are not comparing black vs. white box, or simulation vs. no simulation White box: lets the student see the underlying mathematical patterns Black box: (realistically) hides the details The two forms of data collection. Donuts

The actual data When they play the Black Box... Students record their turns at the game And guess the hidden values Play 6 times We can see how they improve And what tactics they apply I can plot graphs of this And analyse quantitatively We also ask other questions

How did it go? Taught one MSc class (2 groups of each treatment) One group of volunteers (1 group of each treatment) Very difficult to get volunteers Very time consuming Will integrate this into scheduled UG teaching next year Volunteers were from comp sci.

Result 1: Students do learn

Result 2: Teaching does matter

Result 3: Self Knowledge limits us 'White box demo' students performed better But would have preferred to have been taught the other way (NB: no evidence of Dunning-Kruger effect of inverse correlation between confidence and ability) BUT: no evidence of Dunning-Kruger effect GRAPH: fraction of students who want to do the other style of lesson (demo students would have liked to experiment w/ white box, but this would have taught them less well)

Broader Conclusions Interactive simulations appeal to students (Ameerbakhsh et al 2016) But it is not clear how to use simulations in class Students learn, teaching helps them learn And the old-fashioned expert-demo had best results We can't rely on students telling us the best way to teach But performing a teaching experiment is not easy Difficult to collect enough data (time consuming to recruit volunteers and replicate the experiment) Students sometimes fill in forms incorrectly RESULT: it seems a bit old fashioned to have a demonstration from the lecturer who uses a special version of the tool (white box, vs. student black box), but it seems to have an impact and this is how I will probably deliver the class.