Development of a Simulator for Complex Systems: A Students’ Learning Perspective
Abstract: The art and science of simulation is getting much attention since the 1990s. This attention has opened the doors for the educational institutions to teach simulations in different courses ranging from engineering to mathematics to computer programming. However, the students at the undergraduate level find comprehending simulations difficult, especially developing and using simulators for important fields such as complex systems. This difficulty is a result of the challenge the students face in visualizing results of an experiment. In this research, we take a novel approach of showing the practical use of the simulations to the undergraduate students. By simulating a complex system using the agent-based modeling, we visually illustrate students how micro moves produce macro patterns. The paper also provides a simple view of algorithms and the programming behind the simulations. Observing the changes in the macro pattern caused by micro pattern will help students in learning how to analyze complex systems.
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Authors: Sandip C. Patel, Ganesh Bhatt, Ali Emdad
