CREATING ENGAGING COURSEWARE USING SYSTEM DYNAMICS

There is much discussion in the instructional technology literature co ncerning the importance for engaging courseware, especially in contras t to page-turning courseware. While we believe that there is a useful place for simple, page-turning courseware (e.g., in tutorials accompan ying software products, for overview introductions to a topic, etc.), we agree that for more sophisticated and complex learning situations t he key to a successful learning environment is the degree to which lea rners are cognitively engaged with the subject matter. System dynamics has been shown to be an effective tool in managing (representing, mod eling, and comprehending) the complexities of domains that involve com plex structures, especially those characterized by feedback loops; del ays, and uncertainty (Forrester, 1961, 1985, 1992; Senge, 1990). In th is paper, we shall suggest a framework for using system dynamic tools and technologies as the basis for constructing highly engaging learnin g environments.