Demo Dozen & Modeling Systems Self-Taught (MSST)

Modeling Systems Self-taught (MSST)

We are happy to provide here the Introduction and first 3 of the 17 Lessons of MSST; a version of these introductory Lessons of MSST for STELLA 8 is available for downloading directly from CIESD, as are full, 17 Lesson sets for sale. Please contact us (info@ciesd.org) to let us know what you think and how well this material met your needs.

PDF (6 K) MSST Contents: A detailed list of the skills taught and the models used in each lesson of the full 17 Lesson set. The Introduction and first 3 of those 17 Lessons are available here for downloading. Contact us (info@ciesd.org) for information on the later lessons (http://www.ciesd.org/influence/info-msst.shtml).

Welcome to "A Demo Dozen." This collection of 12 lessons and accompanying dynamic models, is constructed with the STELLA® (Isee Systems, Inc.) modeling language. Demo Dozen is designed to support educators and students as they explore the pedagogic value of System Dynamics in education. Equally relevant for those with no previous modeling experience and for experienced modelers alike, this array of models demonstrates the potential breadth of systems-based curriculum (albeit simply).

Please take the time to explore these units, to play with them, and most importantly, to think about how the type of subject material presented in them, and/or the type of process illustrated by them, might be of use to you and of interest to your students. In addition, each model is accompanied by a relatively simple explanation of the logic and mechanics of its construction to give you a sense of what goes into building such simulations. A version of Demo Dozen for STELLA 8 is available for free downloading directly from the CIESD web site.

"A Demo Dozen" is designed as a packet of models to illustrate the breadth of topics that can be productively explored with this approach to modeling, and, as well, to demonstrate how relatively simple simulations can be constructed and presented to support critical thinking on the part of both students and educators. Although there is a range of complexity represented in this collection of "relatively simple simulations," all should be readily understandable by teachers with very brief introductions to system dynamics in general and to STELLA as a specific programming language.

Models in the "simple" folder could be built or modified by teachers and students after a relatively brief training experience; "complex" models could be built after a more complete introduction to modeling, such as provided by the "Modeling Systems Self-taught" tutorial created by CIESD or through a number of semester- or yearlong courses that have been developed by various high schools, colleges, and universities.

Topics within the "simple" folder include (in alphabetical order):

• credit: What are the tradeoffs in paying off a credit card debt, where debt grows through the wonders (and power) of compound interest in competition with your payments through one of three possible schemes?
• inflatn: How does a cost of living that is inflating (compounding) at one rate interact with a salary (inflating at a different rate) to influence the purchasing power you have?
• lilypad: This simulation explores the power of exponential (compound) growth and the complexity of delays in managing a pond by asking the question: Can you successfully manage the growth of lily pads in a small pond?
• populat: Can you predict the future implications of today's population growth rates for the United States and 2 developing nations?
• retire: How will the power of compound interest, as you build a retirement nestegg, impact your comfort and financial security during your golden years?
• rumor: How hard do you have to work to chase down and stop the compounding growth of that nasty rumor that's being spread about you?
• salad: How long can you let the potato salad sit out in the warmth before the exponential growth of bacteria responsible for food poisoning renders it unsafe for human consumption?

Topics within the "complex" folder typically require modeling the interactions of two or more different processes. They include (in alphabetical order):

• andover: How did the interaction of a growing population within the constraints of fixed local resources contribute to the growth of revolutionary fervor in small New England colonial towns?
• drugwar: How well will pressure on the supply side of the cocaine trade, as the main policy option of the U.S. "War on Drugs," work to shut off the flow of this import?
• ireland: How did the tragedy of the Irish Potato Famine contribute, over a period of decades, to the population dynamics of that country?
• kaibab: How well could you have managed the resources of the Kaibab Plateau in the early 1900's in this computer simulation of a classic ecological case study?
• social: Could you devise and implement a politically acceptable strategy to strengthen Social Security as a viable support for the retirement aspirations of today's US citizens

The following components are required in order to use "A Demo Dozen"

Demo Dozen is now available here for STELLA version 6 and version 7. The version 7 models cannot be run using any previous versions of STELLA. Again, a version of Demo Dozen for STELLA 8 is available directly from CIESD (http://www.ciesd.org/influence/info-dd.shtml).

1. A “Run-time,” “Demo,” “Basic,” or “Research” version of STELLA6 (or STELLA7) can be used to "run" A Demo Dozen. Isee Systems offers a Demo version of STELLA 8 for downloading from their web site
2. Whether using the run-time or demo version of STELLA or a fully featured version (“Basic” or “Research”), simply open the model you wish to investigate and enjoy! Please work through the "Debrief" sections that follow each exercise.
   

Version 6
Download the PC version: PC (1524 K)
Download the Mac version: Mac (998 K)

Version 7
Download the PC version: PC (1515 K)
Download the Mac version: (Coming Soon)

Comments, complaints, suggestions, and inquiries about Demo Dozen, MSST, or any of our other activities and products are always welcome.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Excellence in System Dynamics, LLP
Suite 185
1 Mill Street
Burlington, VT 05401
Jeff Potash (potash@ciesd.org)
John Heinbokel (jheinbokel@ciesd.org)
Voice: (802) 861-SysD = 861-7973
Fax: (802) 861-IESD = 861-4373
http://www.ciesd.org