Tortuga (2021-2023)
In 2022-2023, I designed and developed Tortuga, an editor for creating interactive tutorials within NetLogo’s mobile ecosystem. My responsibilities included:
- Designed a novel technical system that enables curriculum designers to create context-aware, interactive scaffolds using simple NetLogo commands
- Implemented three types of interactive scaffolds across eight NetLogo models for out-of-school, online learning contexts
- Conducted quantitative analysis demonstrating benefits of content-specific and programming-oriented scaffolds for learner engagement
Tortuga is integrated into Turtle Universe, serving as its interactive tutorial system. It represents a significant advancement in making agent-based modeling more accessible to learners by providing scaffolding that can respond dynamically to both the emergent behaviors of computational models and learners’ interactions within the modeling space.
Key Features
- Low Threshold: Designers can create interactive scaffolds using familiar NetLogo commands without learning new programming languages
- High Ceiling: Scaffolds can detect and respond to complex emergent behaviors in models or user interactions
- Integration: Seamlessly embedded within the Turtle Universe mobile platform and with the NetLogo language
Design Philosophy
Tortuga follows constructionist learning principles, empowering learners to actively build their understanding through interaction with computational models. Unlike traditional static tutorials, Tortuga’s scaffolds are dynamic and responsive, creating a more engaging and effective learning experience.
Impact
The system has been deployed across eight different NetLogo models in Turtle Universe, reaching tens of thousands of learners worldwide. Quantitative analysis indicates that content-specific and programming-oriented scaffolds significantly improve learner engagement with agent-based modeling and programming concepts.
Related Publications
- Chen, J., Horn, M. S., & Wilensky, U. J. (2023). Tortuga: Building Interactive Scaffolds for Agent-based Modeling and Programming in NetLogo. Proceedings of ISLS Annual Meeting 2023.