Spring 2026 (Online & Asynchronous)
Instructor: Brian Beckage (Brian.Beckage@uvm.edu)
Office Hours (remote by appointment)
- Watch this introductory
video (13:22 mins) to learn about the course structure and class activities.
- Review the Course Description, Course Goals,
Grading, Books & Media, and Software that we will be
using.
- Log onto the class Brightspace
page and click on the Yellowdig link under 'Contents & Activities'
to get to the Yellowdig discussion tool for engaging in the class discussion. Here is a short video (3 mins) from
the creators of Yellowdig on how to use Yellowdig.
- Go to the course schedule using the following link: Class Schedule.
- Start Week 1 completing the assigned tasks for that week, moving from left to right, ending with a
quiz
which is accessed through BrightSpace (see instructions for accessing quizzes
here).
- Complete the assignments for each week, then at the end of the semester,
turn in your group modeling projects (one in Stella, one in Netlogo) and associated video presentations.
This class will provide a comprehensive overview of the modeling of ecological systems and other complex systems to include biological
and environmental systems. The class will provide an in-depth exploration of some methods used for modeling complex systems
with an emphasis on system dynamics modeling and agent-based modeling. We will examine concepts of
complex systems, including emergent properties, nonlinearities and feedbacks between system components. We will
utilize the system dynamics software Stella and the agent-based programming language Netlogo.
This course is an online asynchronous class. This will be a reading intensive class with associated exercises and discussions.
There will be weekly reading assignments, quizzes, and modeling exercises through which students will learn the modeling
process and associated computer languages and software. Discussions of material, questions with respect to exercises,
etc., will be conducted online using Yellowdig.
Course Requisites or Co-requisites
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Learning Objectives. After completing this course, the student will be able to
- Describe system feedbacks, emergence, and other properties of complex ecological and environmental
systems.
- Describe the fundamental properties of systems and system dynamics modeling.
- Describe the structure and characteristics of agent-based models.
- Apply system dynamic and agent-based modeling approaches to model ecological systems and their
relationship to the climate and human components of the Earth system.
- Construct models of ecological and environmental systems, analyze the model, and produce a description of
the model and its behavior.
Class Structure. Students will achieve course objectives through readings and assigned media, online
discussions and model-building exercises. Completing readings and assigned exercises,
participating in online discussions, and reviewing solutions to assigned exercises will be
critical to achieving class learning objectives.
- Readings. This class will be reading intensive with weekly assigned readings from course texts and
other sources. The readings will provide fundamental information on the modeling process.
- Online discussions. Students will examine and analyze the concepts presented in the readings and
other assigned media through online discussions.
Here is
more information on the online discussions.
- Exercises. Programming exercises will be a primary means
to learn modeling concepts and to become comfortable in the programming platforms Stella
and Netlogo Reviewing solutions to assigned exercises is an important
component of the learning process.
- Learning Assessments. Weekly quizzes will assess student understanding of assigned readings and a
cumulative final exam will assess student understanding of course content.
Here is a
description of the quizzes.
- Media. Videos and other media that reinforce and supplement the readings are assigned as appropriate.
These primarily include short videos on programming, but may include full length documentaries and podcasts. The online discussions and
learning assessments will integrate material from these media.
- Modeling Projects. Students will construct, parameterize,
and analyze both an SD and ABM model of an ecological, environmental, or natural system, and produce a
video presentation of their model. These will be team projects, with teams consisting of ~3 students,
with a single video presentation using Powerpoint or similar presentation software.
Student grades will be based on the following components:
- Analysis and discussion (on Yellowdig) of assigned materials: 30% of course grade.
- Learning assessments (quizzes) on assigned materials: 30% of course grade.
More information.
- Modeling Exercises: 20% of course grade.
- Modeling Projects: 2 @ 10% each -> 20% of course grade.
|
Grading scale:
Percentage |
Grade |
- 97.5-100
- 92.5-97.4
- 89.5-92.4
- 87.5-89.5
- 82.5-87.4
- 79.5-82.4
- 77.5-79.4
- 72.5-77.4
- 69.5-72.4
- 67.5-69.4
- 62.5-67.4
- 59.5-62.4
- < 59.5
|
- A+
- A
- A-
- B+
- B
- B-
- C+
- C
- C-
- D+
- D
- D-
- F
|
Students will be assigned readings from the following set of books (below). These books will be required for
this class and are available in the university bookstore or from the publisher or other online sources as hardcopies
or ebooks.
- Steven F. Railsback and Volker Grimm. 2019. Agent-Based and Individual-Based Modeling: A Practical Introduction,
Second Edition. ISBN 9780691190839.
Link to book.
- Ford, Andrew. 2009. Modeling the Environment, Second Edition. Island Press. ISBN: 9781597264730.
Link to book
- Meadows, D.H., 2008. Thinking in systems: A primer. Chelsea Green
Publishing. ISBN: 9781603580557.
Link to book.
We will use two software packages: Stella and Netlogo.
1. Stella. We will build system
dynamics models in the graphical programming language Stella created
by
ISEE Systems. This will require a semester student license for the Stella software (Professional version) at a cost of $59. You
should receive an email from ISEE with instructions for purchasing and accessing Stella at the beginning of
the semester. Below are some resources for working with Stella.
2. Netlogo. We will build agent-based models
in the programming language
Netlogo. Netlogo is a free, open source language. Below are some resources for working with Netlogo.