Abstracts - Earli

An empirical study of a complex systems approach to undergraduate engineering curriculathrough the construction of agent-based modelsPaulo Blikstein, Northwestern University, USAUri Wilensky, Northwestern University, USAThis paper reports on a three-year empirical study of MaterialSim, an agent-based set ofmicroworlds built by the authors in the NetLogo environment. This design-based research buildson previous studies that have suggested the benefits of multi-agent modeling for understandinghow a variety of complex behaviors in science derive from simple, local rules. Three user studieswere conducted with a total of 21 Material Science undergraduate students enrolled in anintroductory Materials Science course. Students were observed and videotape while designing andrunning multi-dimensional experiments with pre-built models, as well as designing a model ontheir own. We present evidence in the form of classroom observations, pre/post surveys, videodata, and excerpts from students’ work, which suggest the usefulness of the complex systemsperspective infused into MaterialSim design. The experience enabled students to understandunifying principles in a particular scientific field and build sophisticated models based on those. Ina short period of time, students were able to correctly identify most of the underlying principles inthe simulation model, connect them to the actual phenomenon, and even infer content that wentbeyond what is taught in introductory Materials Science courses. We are currently extending theMaterialSim design, and preparing for its implementation as part of the regular undergraduateMaterials Science curriculum.A 1728 August 2007 15:00 - 17:00Room: 0.65SymposiumAntecedents of emotions in educationChair: Thomas Götz, University of Munich, GermanyChair: Anne Frenzel, University of Munich, GermanyOrganiser: Anne Frenzel, University of Munich, GermanyOrganiser: Thomas Götz, University of Munich, GermanyDiscussant: Lisa Linnenbrink , Duke University, USAUntil recently, emotional experiences related to learning and achievement have been neglected ineducational research. In the past ten years, however, there has been a discernable increase intheoretical and empirical contributions on emotions in education. This increased interest isreflected in three recent special issues (Efklides & Volet, 2005; Linnenbrink, in press; Schutz &Lanehart, 2002) and an edited volume (Schutz & Pekrun, in press) on this topic. However, despitethis increase in studies on emotions in education, little is known about their antecedents.Knowledge concerning the antecedents of emotional experiences is not only of particularrelevance for understanding students’ emotions but also important for designing emotionallysound educational environments. The symposium aims to contribute to filling this research gap.(1) Frenzel and colleagues focus on cultural antecedents of academic emotions. They present astudy which cross-culturally validates the Academic Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics andanalyzes whether German and Chinese students differ in their experiences of academic emotions.– 51 –