ABSTRACT
We spen t 4 year s developin g MODEL-IT , a learner-centere d too l fo r building dynamic, qualitative-based models. From its original conception, the goa l o f MODEL-I T ha s been t o suppor t students , even thos e wit h only ver y basi c mathematica l skills , as the y buil d dynami c model s o f scientifc phenomen a an d simulation s wit h thei r model s t o verif y an d analyze the results. MODEL-IT provides an easy-to-use object-oriente d visual languag e wit h whic h student s ca n defn e thei r model s withou t having t o us e traditiona l programming . Thi s allow s the m t o construc t models quickly and easily, focusing their attention on the tasks of testing, analyzing, and re-examining their models and the understanding on which these models are based.
