Modern Electronics: Teaching Economics to High School Students with a System Dynamics Simulator

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Modern Electronics Teaching Economics to High
School Students with a System Dynamics
Simulator

• Gary B. Hirsch
• International System Dynamics Conference
• New York
• July 23, 2003

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Goals of the Modern Electronics Simulator

• Make Economics Less Abstract by Relating It to a
  Familiar Setting
• Introduce ST/SD Concepts, Especially
  Interrelationships Among Parts of a System
• Use Simulation as an Opportunity for Experiential
  Learning--Do Experiments, Construct Understanding
• Expand on Simple Economic Concepts
• Decisions Are Multifaceted
• Selling is a Complex Process
• Availability, Selection Can Be as Important as
  Price

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Design Principles

• Provide Overview to See Whole System at a Glance
• Create Ability to Drill Down, Get Into More
  Detail in Specific Areas
• Closely Relate Structure and Behavior
• Provide Information in Multiple Formats to
  Support Different Learning Styles
• Support Iterative Learning by Comparing Results

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Modern Electronics Business Basics

• Consumer Electronics
• Average Price 100
• Medium Range of Merchandise (Variety)
• 3 Staff
• Start with 200,000 in the Bank and 50,000 in
  Inventory

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Future Development

• Testing with Students, Evaluation, Modification
• Better graphics, animation, voice-overs,
  multimedia through links with such packages as
  Flash
• Curriculum for using simulator to teach SD
  (including model decomposition)
• Application of Vensims Synthesim capability
• Other applications to economics
• Manufacturing firm
• Market simulations
• Simple national economic models
• Economic issues such as poverty and unemployment