A Computer Environment for Learning about Reactive Systems Processes: A Multi-agent Based Simulation Approach

The use of computer environments for learning about reactive systems, as for example biological systems, has not been so much exploited. This can be partially due to the fact that the behavior of the processes implied (DNA replication, protein synthesis, etc.) is very difficult to reproduce in a computer in an effective way for accomplishing learning goals. We present in this paper a computer environment where the student is confronted with the problem of reproducing a reactive system process. To each system entity we associate a computational agent, whose state is visualized by means of a dynamical icon. During a session and following the student actions, the process is played on the screen through a Multi-Agent based simulation. A tutor agent integrated with a performance evaluation module produces feedback to the student reinforcing the learning process. A prototype for a lesson about a simplified DNA replication process has been developed.