Qualitative Modeling in Education By Bert BREDEWEG & Ken FORBUS Evrim DALKIRAN

Qualitative Modeling in Education2 Contents Qualitative Reasoning and Education Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications Survey of Recent Applications VM ODEL VM ODEL H OMER H OMER V ISI G ARP V ISI G ARP Conclusion and Discussion Conclusion and Discussion

Qualitative Modeling in Education3 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Conceptual Knowledge Causal Theories of Physical Phenomena What happens? When happens? What effects? What it affects? Uncovering how we think about physical entities and processes Progress in qualitative physics New modeling languages (conceptual terms, causality, modeling process) New capabilities for science education software Used to provide explanations about how specific results derived

Qualitative Modeling in Education4 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Provides grounding and framework for Quantitative models Traditional Mathematical models Ability to use these models are experts characteristics Mathematic equations and prooflike derivations Memorizing Alternatively, with using qualitative reasoning basic principles can be thought

Qualitative Modeling in Education5 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Bettys Brain use qualitative representations with concept maps for teaching Betty Betty can produce explanations

Qualitative Modeling in Education6 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion ALI Uses qualitative representations while coaching students Uses visual representations of direct influence (I+/I-) and indirect influences ( α Q+ / α Q- ) Asks questions, show graphics Domain independent (can be attached to quantitative simulation)

Qualitative Modeling in Education7 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Some other applications Qualitative process theory in Chemistry classes Students uses qualitative simulation to determine optimal mixture QM shows end results and explains why the result is obtained Importance of multiple models (mixing qualitative-quantitative) Qualitative models are foundation for quantitative models Learners thought QM is worthwhile But QMs are sometimes difficult to generate insightful visualizations

Qualitative Modeling in Education8 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion VM ODEL Aim is creating a student-friendly visual notation for qualitative process theory The importance of broadly applicable principles and processes Same principles/processes operate across a broad range of situations Understanding when a model is relevant Connect models to real life concerns Qualitative understanding of behavior Without detailed mathematics,QM provides understanding of behavior QR provides formalisms for expressing intuitive, causal models and reasoning techniques

Qualitative Modeling in Education9 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion VM ODEL Limited, machine-understandable ontology of modeling elements (flexible but limited set) Extendible as modelers develop more sophisticated understandings and modeling techiniques Vmodel modeli ekle Nodes thing processes Links relationships

Qualitative Modeling in Education10 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion VM ODEL 1. Spelling and Grammar Checking 2.Feedback of how well model predicts what they are trying to explain a visual step-by-step animation of simulation an English summary of behavior predicted by model an assesment of how well model supports hypothesis

Qualitative Modeling in Education11 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion VM ODEL Experimentation in Chicago Public Schools- winter 2001 Naturalness of Visual Language focus on contents of the models Generalization in Modeling gazelles and grass model -> lions and gazelles astronouts weight gain or loss->calorie cycle of living things Comparision with Bettys Brain VMODELS framework is richer Supports creation of new entities

Qualitative Modeling in Education12 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion H OMER: a Modeling Tool Consists of builders to create building blocks (entity hierarchy, quantities,quantity spaces) and constructs (model fragment scenarios) Models created by HOMER can be run and inspected using VISIGARP Prevent learners from making syntactically incorrect models Open contained liquid - Entities - Configuration - Attribute - Quantities - Quanitity Spaces - Corresponding values - Conditions - Consequences

Qualitative Modeling in Education13 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Experimenting for usability and model-building problems Methods and Subjects Modeling U-tube system Four subjects from Computer Science (2 researchers and 2 master students) Three of them built two model fragments (contained liquid and liquid flow) and a scenario Two of them are able to simulate in VISIGARP Usability When a learner sets out to accomplish a task, but fails to do so due to unexpected behavior of the model building environment As subjects worked longer with HOMER, the number of usability problems decreased Using HOMER can be learned ina reasonable short time and usability is not a significant bottleneck for learners to create simulation models

Qualitative Modeling in Education14 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Experimenting for usability and model-building problems Model-building Problems: Uncertainty concerning the creation of a model ingredient Model Scope: determining features of the original system to include in the model Create liquid Level is property of liquid Pressure-difference Model Structure: what to put where in the model Reuseness of the model Detailed-generic model Model-building concepts: understanding the qualitative ontology provided by the tool Difference between attributes and quantities Meaning of an influence Difference between generic and instance knowledge Model representation: how to technically formulate with the options provided by the environment

Qualitative Modeling in Education15 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion V ISI G ARP Provides a graphic user interface for running and inspecting qualitative simulations State Transition Graph of Brazilian Cerrado Vegetation Numbering Simulation Path generation Parameter history

Qualitative Modeling in Education16 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion V ISI G ARP Mathematical and Causal Relationships U-tube example Visual container Quantity space Dependencies I, P

Qualitative Modeling in Education17 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion V ISI G ARP Experimenting for usability Subjects 30 first-year university students (psychology) Cerrado Succession Hypothesis Model No significant knowledge about Artificial Intelligence Method Two questionnaires testing for subjects preknowledge of CSH and icon language of VisiGarp Prediction exercises using simulations produced by VisiGarp -a single population -full CSH model Two questionnaires testing for post-knowledge Evaluation of VisiGarp by subjects

Qualitative Modeling in Education18 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion V ISI G ARP Results of experimentation Icon Language Do not show a significant improvement Most icons are easy to understand ( = > < P+ P- I- I+) Others are not clear and difficult to learn (Q^ Q V^ V), did not used so they are not learned Do not produce insightful diagrams Domain Knowledge Learning effect is not expected but a significant difference is observed Subjects evaluated usefulness and usability of the VisiGarp quite positively 3.7/5

Qualitative Modeling in Education19 Qualitative Reasoning and Education Survey of Recent Applications VMODEL HOMER VISIGARP Conclusion and Discussion Conclusion And Discussion Importance of conceptual Knowledge Two interactive environments for building qualitative models VMODEL HOMER/VISIGARP Importance of graphics and knowledge visualization By evolution of these languages, students will not have memorize formulas