ModellingSpace Manual
ModellingSpace Manual
Users Manual
Basic
1 Concepts
Basic
The basic concept, which is the base of the software, is the model. A model is a set of conditions that try
to be a representation of the real world. A model contains entities that are interconnected by relations.
An entity can have several properties; lets take the Sun and a plant for an example: we could model the
connection between the growth of the plant and the warmth by linking these properties together:
Another example could be: a model that predicts the position of a speeding car at any given time:
The entities here are the clock and the car. On this latest example the property time of the clock was
linked to the property position of the car.
Both examples are linked by what is called a relation. These relations can be of several types: semi-
quantitative, quantitative, qualitative or logical.
Once understood the basic concepts, one is ready to fully explore the world of Modelling Space
2
2 Entities
Basic
An entity explained:
Entity number
Delete Entity Icon
Entity Name
Image
Current Value
Options Button
Lock / Unlock
Every entity is identied by an Image and a unique Number. Double-click the Entity Name for
informations about the entity.
Entities usually have one or more properties. To add properties, click the Options Button and check
them on the menu that pops up.
Property values can be changed by moving the Property Slider. By clicking the Lock icon, you lock the
property in its current value. Click again to unlock.
Optionally its possible to display a property Current Value over the Entity Image.
ModellingSpace stores entities in Libraries. You can modify entities with the Entity Manager.
To remove an entity from the model you must click the Delete Icon.
3
3 Relations
Basic
Relations link Entities properties together. There are ve groups of relations, each colour coded:
Qualitative
Semi-quantitative Proportional
Semi-quantitative Constant
Semi-quantitative increases-decreases
Graphic
Table
Quantitative
Qualitative relations make associations between object properties without quantifying them
Semi-quantitative relations express mathematical ideas while not using mathematical functions.
Table relations are set by lling the values on the relation table.
4
4 Libraries
Basic
libraries options
library tab
library
manager
launch
library manager
The libraries tabs can be found in the right side of the screen. They contain all the libraries installed
in ModellingSpace.
Individual libraries can be shown / hidden by choosing them from the Libraries Options pull down.
The library bar (Palette) can be manually hidden (or shown) by clicking the Show / Hide button.
Optionally, it is possible to automatically hide or show the bar by checking the Auto Hide Box.
The Library Manager can be launched from the Administration Menu or from the Libraries Options
pull down.
5
Themes of Study
Basic
Themes of study are guides that contain specic activities for students
They are in HTML format and can be edited with any web editor.
To edit a Theme of Study trough ModellingSpace an external web editor must be properly
congured in ModellingSpace settings
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6 Starting ModellingSpace
Basic
Double click the icon on the desktop to launch ModellingSpace, or use the Start Menu.
username
password
click OK to proceed
There is an attempt to check the identity of the user by connecting to the ModellingSpace Server. If the
user is unknown or there is no server to validate the request the Login Error dialog is displayed:
Server identication is mandatory for collaborative work, if this is not the case the user can log in with
any user name and password and then select Work Off-line from the login Error dialog.
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7 Main Window
Basic
model window
libraries bar relations bar
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8 Model Window
Basic
Is in the model window here the models are created. To add an object to a model, you must drag it to
the model window.
scrollbars
insert notes
change background
select background image
reset background
to default
When a model window is closed a conrmation dialog is displayed. Click Yes to save any changes to the
model. Clicking Cancel wil not close the model.
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9 Libraries Bar
Basic
In the Libraries Bar there is a separate tab for each of the libraries. These tabs contain the entities of
the library.
When moving the mouse over an entity, its name is displayed in the Entity Name area.
auto hide
check box
options button
libraries tabs
launch
Library Manager
entity name
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10 Relations Bar
Basic
The Relations Bar contains only one tab for all relations.
The relations are colour coded in ve groups. Its possible to show / hide these groups trough the
Relations Options menu.
When moving the mouse over a relation, a pop-up with its description is displayed and its name is
displayed in the Relation Name area.
auto hide
check box
show relation group
check box
show / hide button
options button
relations tab
relation name
and description
relations
relation name
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11 Adding Entities
Basic
Entities are the base of any model. To add entities to the model you must drag and drop them in the
model window.
Place the mouse over the entity, click (withought releasing the mouse button) and drag it to the model
window, then drop the entity (release the mouse button) over the place where you desire the entity
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12 Entities Properties
Basic
When dealing with semi-quantitative or quantitative models, one must dene the properties of the
entity.
To display the entity properties, move the mouse over the entity, so that the Options Button is visible,
then click it.
move the mouse over click the options button, a pop up checking the properties
p
the entity to display the with the entity properties options displays them below
b the
options button is displayed entity
Double clicking the property name displays the property settings dialog.
minimum, current,
maximum and initial values
step parameters
property description
double click the
property name
set the minimum, current, maximum and initial values of the property.
set either the step value or the number of steps, the other value calculated based on the range of the
property.
It possible to change the current value by dragging the property slider and, to make that value
constant click the Lock Icon.
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13 Entities Options
Basic
Several settings can be made that affect the visual appearance of entities.
Double clicking over the entity name or its image opens the following dialog:
You can enter a new name for the entity and add a description to it.
By placing the cursor over the image limits it is possible to resize the entity.
To resize the entity place the cursor over the image boundaries. It changes to an arrow. Then click and
drag to enlarge or reduce the image.
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14 Special Entities
Basic
ModellingSpace includes two kinds of special entities: concept entities and abstract entities.
Concept entities are used in qualitative models (concepts maps). Their main feature is the text editable
label. Clicking the options icon it possible to personalize the look and feel of the entity.
2 double click it
to edit the label
Abstract entities are general purpose entities that visualy quantify a variation and are used when a
more specic entity isnt available in the libraries for that purpose.
2 double click to
customize
3 use the abstract
entity like any other
quantitative entity
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15 Adding Relations
Basic
To add relations to the model you must drag and drop them in the model window.
Place the mouse over the relation, click (withought releasing the mouse button) and drag it to the model
window, then drop the relation (release the mouse button) over the place where you desire it.
Click on the property that you which to be the independent variable (the cause) and the click on the
property that you which for the dependent variable (the effect).
If the entities have no properties set, it is possible to set them while linking the relation.
Note: With concept relations the links are placed over the entities Images.
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16 Qualitative Relations
Basic
Qualitative relations are used to express the user ideas about models without the need to quantify
them.
In ModellingSpace there are two kinds of qualitative relations: one uses a text label
and the other dont .
Start by dragging and dropping the relation on the model window. Next, click over the entities you which
to link. When done click any where on the model window to stop linking.
1 drop the relation on the 2 click over the entities you 3 click any where on the
model window wish to link model window to stop
linking
In a text qualitative relation double click over the label to edit the text. Again, click any where on the
model window to stop typing. Press ENTER while editing to add new a line.
To delete an already existing link, place the cursor over the link (which changes to green colour) and
click on it. Click again over the model window to delete it.
To delete the relation click on the icon. A conrmation dialog is displayed, click Yes.
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17 Proportional Relations
Basic
Proportional relations are used to express the semi-quantitative ideas about models without the need
to exactly quantify them.
In ModellingSpace there are three kinds of proportional relations, their use is similar.
Next, click on the property that you which to be the independent variable (the cause) and the click on
the property that you which for the dependent variable (the effect).
Its possible to dene factors that affect the weight of the effect. Placing the mouse over the relation
displays the options icon and clicking it displays factors dialog:
Click OK when
nished editing.
Select the factors by moving the slider bellow the relation to the desired factor.
Its possible to alternate between an adding effect or an subtractive effect. Click the plus / minus
signal to toggle.
To delete the relation click on the delete icon . A conrmation dialog is displayed, click Yes.
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18 Graph Relation
Basic
Graph relations are used to draw the function between entities properties.
Next, click on the property that you which to be the independent variable (the cause) and the click on
the property that you which for the dependent variable (the effect).
Placing the mouse over the relation displays the options icon and clicking it displays the graphical
relation dialog:
drawing area
clipboard actions
dependent variable
show / hide
graph values table
independent variable
On the drawing area the cursor changes to a pencil and you can draw the function. Click OK when
nished editing.
Its possible to alternate between an adding effect or an subtractive effect. Click the plus / minus
signal to toggle.
To delete the relation click on the delete icon . A conrmation dialog is displayed, click Yes.
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19 Table Relation
Basic
Table relations are used to write values pairs between entities properties.
Start by dragging and dropping the relation on the model window. Next, click over the entities
properties that you which to link.
Click on the property that you which to be the independent variable (the cause) and the click on the
property that you which for the dependent variable (the effect).
Placing the mouse over the relation displays the options icon, , and clicking it displays the relation table
dialog:
Row actions
Value pairs
Clipboard actions
Show / Hide Graph
Click over the cells to enter values. Click OK when nished editing.
Its possible to alternate between an adding effect or an subtrative effect. Click the plus / minus
signal to toggle.
To delete the relation click on the delete icon . A conrmation dialog is displayed, click Yes.
20
20 Function Relation
Basic
Function relations are used to precisely quantify relations between entities properties.
Start by dragging and dropping the relation on the model window. Next, click over the entities
properties that you which to link.
3 click on the
constants
Click on the property that you which to be the independent variable (the cause) and then click on the
property that you which for the dependent variable (the effect).
After setting the effect, the link color changes to blue and now you can select other entities properties
that will be used as constants in the function relation.
Placing the mouse over the relation displays the options icon, , and clicking it displays the function
editor dialog:
Its possible to alternate between an adding effect or an subtractive effect. Click the plus / minus
signal to toggle.
To delete the relation click on the delete icon . A conrmation dialog is displayed, click Yes.
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Medium
1 Running the Model
Medium
The model can be run either from the toolbar buttons or from the model menu.
There are four buttons that control the way the mode is run.
The play button has a dual use, besides running the model it also pauses it on the current position
when its running.
The stop button stops the simulation and resets the model to its initial state.
With the step button, its possible or advance the model step by step.
The loop button is a toggle button, when selected continuously cycles the model.
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2 Opening and Saving Models
Medium
You can open models either clicking the open button from the tool bar or using the le menu Open
model... command.
In either case the user is presented with the Open model dialog so that it can choose the model to open.
To save a new model you can either use the le menu Save model or click the save button in the
tool bar. In either case the is displayed the Save model as dialog
While editing an existing model, clicking the save button immediately saves any changes made
on it.
To save an existing model with a different name use the le menu command Save model as and the
Save model as... is displayed.
25
3 Setting Graphs
Medium
Use the button graph from the toolbar to open a new graph window.
clear values
clear properties
values table
scatter graph
bar chart
axis
scale marks
To setup the graph just drag the properties and drop them on the appropriate axis.
When the model is run, ModellingSpace calculates the values for the dependent properties and displays
them on the graph.
Note: All values exceeding the dened maximums will not be plotted.
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4 Scatter Graphs
Medium
The scatter graph tab is default selected when the graph tool is opened.
Setup the graph by dragging and dropping entities properties in the axes.
Click the play button to run the model. ModellingSpace then plots the calculated values on the
graph.
If you need to change some parameters on the model compare two runs, click the hold button to
store the previous run. The new values will be plotted using a different color.
To change the position of the plot in the graph window, move the cursor over the yellow area until
it changes to and then click and drag to move the plot.
To change the scale of the axis, move the cursor over the axis until it changes to (for the
horizontal axis) or (for the vertical axis) and then click and drag to change the scale.
To plot more than one variable against the independent variable, just drag them to the vertical axis.
dependent variables
independent
variable
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5 Bar Chart
Medium
Clicking the bar chart tab opens the bar chart view.
The bar char is a different representation of scatter plot in which its easier to quantify the importance of
the variables.
dependent
variables properties maximum
properties minimum
values
values
Clicking the button alternates between a horizontal and a vertical representation of the bars.
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6 Values Table
Medium
Clicking the value table tab opens the Value Table view
The Value Table view displays the numeric values for each of the points calculated when the model is run.
point number
For each point calculated there is a correspondent line of the table. The column labelled # stores the
n th point calculated for the model.
Besides the column # there is a column for each of the variables dened in the graph. See Setting
Graphs.
Its possible to display the table values from integers to four decimal places precision. You can
alter the precision of the values displayed by selecting it from the values precision pull down.
Click the line difference button to add a new column that contains the difference between the n th
point and its preceding from the last variable column.
Click the column difference button to add a new column which values are the difference of two other
columns. Select the existing columns from the dialog:
To remove a column from the table, rst, click in one of its cells to select it, and then, click the
delete column button to remove it.
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7 Snapshot
Medium
With the purpose of writing documents (reports, themes of study, etc.) using images from ModellingSpace
models, it was implemented the snapshot function that allows users to save images of their models.
Click the snapshot button in the tool bar. It opens the following dialog:
zoom factor
controls
click OK
when done
image size
ModellingSpace automatically determines the image contents based on the objects (entities, relations)
present on the model.
You can alter the image size by changing the zoom factor.
Click OK when done. The Save image dialog is then displayed so that you can choose where is the image
to be stored.
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8 Printing the model
Medium
page setup
Use page setup to dene how the model should be printed on the page.
printer options
printer source
paper margin
orientation controls
printer options
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9 Collaborative Work
Medium
Collaborative sessions allow users to share, in real time, their works and ideas with other users anywhere
in the world through the Internet.
When ModellingSpace starts the login dialog is presented. You may choose not to login at this time and
start your work off-line. At any time you can login on the server by clicking on Login as... from the
Collaboration menu.
Users can perform synchron activities connecting to other partners computers or assynchron activies
using the ModellingSpace Server Repository.
In order to perform assynchron activities, you must rst log on ModellingSpace Server.
32
10 Finding Partners
Medium
To nd an on-line partner either use the command nd partner on the collaboration menu or click the
nd partner button of the tool bar. This opens the Select model dialog:
You can choose to create a new model or select one among the active models.
To create a new model check the top check box and click OK.
To use one of the active models, check the bottom check box, click on the name of that model and
then click OK.
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11 Partners from Server
Medium
When the ModellingSpace Server tab is selected, ModellingSpace connects to the server and fetches the
list of users registered on the server and the list of groups dened for the user.
For each remote user is displayed its name and status (on-line / off-line).
Status can be either on-line or off-line depending if the user is currently logged on the server or not.
To begin a collaborative session start by selecting the users. Click in select checkbox to select an user.
When all desired users are checked click the begin collaboration button.
You can remove users from the list unchecking the select checkbox near their names.
If you choose not to use a key for the session click the button use / not use key. See section Using the
Key for more on keys.
users list
refresh
groups list
use / not use
the key
begin collaboration
You must wait for all users to respond to your session request. Only then the collaboration session will
begin.
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12 Using the Key
Medium
The key mechanism is a feature that when used on collaborative sessions allows only the current
owner of the key to make changes on the model.
When collaborating with several partners its important that some order is maintained because the
model cant be modifyed by everyone at the same time.
Not using the key, although its more practical, can lead to unexpected changes on the model due to
network latency.
On collaboration session that uses the key, only the key owner can modify the model.
If you have the key you can choose to pass it to another user by clicking the pass key button .
If another user has the key, you must issue a request for it by clicking the request key button
.
You partner either accepts your request and you get the key,
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13 Collaboration Session
Medium
caller identication
key owner
request key
send model
36
14 Using the Repository
Medium
The Repository is a virtual library which stores learning materials for the ModellingSpace community.
server messages
click to upload
the le
37
15 ModellingSpace Community
Medium
The ModellingSpace server at implements the human networks infrastructures for the ModellingSpace
community.
Users can access de community by entering the link http://www.modellingspace.net/ on their browsers or
by clicking ModellingSpace Community on the Collaboration Menu which automaticaly launch the browser
and autmaticaly logs in the user.
ModellingSpace server
login page
user area
38
Advanced
1 Entities Management
Advanced
The Entity Manager is started from ModellingSpace Administration menu which is available only to
teacher users.
entity name
entity image
entity description
entity properties
image
preview box
property states
browse for
images directory
40
2 Creating an Entity I
Advanced
Its needed, at least, to have one image ready (GIF or JPEG) to identify the new entity.
Note: All image editing tasks are done outside ModellingSpace environment, so an additional image
editing software may be required.
property name
property type dene the domain
allowed, either integer or real. description
value range
initial value
measure unit
number of unique states, for
each state it can be associated a
diferent image
41
3 Creating an Entity II
Advanced
If you have, or can produce, different images for each state follow these steps.
for each state there is a box with min and a max value of
the state. click the button to adjust the state values
export to le
42
4 Library Management
Advanced
Use it to create, modify or delete entire libraries or to manage the entities of each library.
libraries tab
click to create a new library. enter the name for the new
library
click over the library you wich to delete. click the button and
conrm to delete
click over the library you wich to rename. enter the new
name for the library
entities tab
43
5 User Management
Advanced
44
6 Program Settings
Advanced
Program settings are accessed from the Administration menu Options... command.
program options
use the same step value for all
properties or one value for each
45
7 Feedback Reports
Advanced
Users logged as teachers on the ModellingSpace server have the option to submit feedback reports o
inform the technical team of a problem with ModellingSpace.
46
8 History Log
Advanced
The history log allows researchers to investigate the use the actions of the students by recording a log
of all actions performed in a model.
Open the History log with the Model menu command History. Use Open... to open an already existing
le or open the log of the current model.
47
9 Logfile Analysis
Advanced
The Activity Analysis tool allows researchers to track step-by-step the actions performed by students
on a model trough the analysis of the History le.
Launch Activity Analysis tool from the Administration menu or double click the icon .
Open the history le by clicking the browse button on the Analysis tab. Once the history le is loaded,
the researcher can playback all the events that appened during the construction of the model.
48
10 History Log
Advanced
The history log allows reseachers to investigate the use the actions of the students by recording a log of
all actions performed iin a model.
Open the History log with the Model menu command History. Use Open... to open an already existing
le or open the log of the current model.
49
Reference
1 Toolbar
Reference
close model
save model
run model
stop model
exit ModellingSpace
52
2 Menu Map
Reference
53
3 Log Actions
Reference
54
4 Relations
Reference
55