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Autores principales: Rugaber, Spencer, Bunin, Scott, Hornback, Andrew, An, Sungeun, Goel, Ashok
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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Acceso en línea:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16944
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author Rugaber, Spencer
Bunin, Scott
Hornback, Andrew
An, Sungeun
Goel, Ashok
author_facet Rugaber, Spencer
Bunin, Scott
Hornback, Andrew
An, Sungeun
Goel, Ashok
contents Conceptual modeling has been an important part of constructionist educational practices for many years, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. What is not so common is using agent-based simulation to provide students feedback on model quality. This requires the capability of automatically compiling the concept model into its simulation. The VERA (Virtual Experimentation Research Assistant) system is a conceptual modeling tool used since 2016 to provide introductory college biology students with the capability of conceptual modeling and agent-based simulation in the ecological domain. This paper describes VERA and its approach to coupling conceptual modeling and simulation with emphasis on how a model's visual syntax is compiled into code executable on a NetLogo simulation engine. Experience with VERA in introductory biology classes at several universities and through the Smithsonian Institution's Encyclopedia of Life website is related.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_16944
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Learning Ecology with VERA Using Conceptual Models and Simulations
Rugaber, Spencer
Bunin, Scott
Hornback, Andrew
An, Sungeun
Goel, Ashok
Computers and Society
Symbolic Computation
Conceptual modeling has been an important part of constructionist educational practices for many years, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. What is not so common is using agent-based simulation to provide students feedback on model quality. This requires the capability of automatically compiling the concept model into its simulation. The VERA (Virtual Experimentation Research Assistant) system is a conceptual modeling tool used since 2016 to provide introductory college biology students with the capability of conceptual modeling and agent-based simulation in the ecological domain. This paper describes VERA and its approach to coupling conceptual modeling and simulation with emphasis on how a model's visual syntax is compiled into code executable on a NetLogo simulation engine. Experience with VERA in introductory biology classes at several universities and through the Smithsonian Institution's Encyclopedia of Life website is related.
title Learning Ecology with VERA Using Conceptual Models and Simulations
topic Computers and Society
Symbolic Computation
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16944