A Qualitative Reasoning–based Curriculum for learning about Sustainable Development

Qualitative Reasoning (QR) has many qualities making it a useful ontology for educationabout system dynamics (Bredeweg and Forbus 2003). We implemented an onlinecurriculum for learning about sustainable development using QR in Moodle, an onlinecourse management system (http://www.moodle.org). This curriculum is centred onqualitative reasoning models that explore sustainable development situations in a five casestudies (Bredeweg et al. 2007), in addition to other models that explore specificsustainability issues. Each model is implemented using the QR model-building andinspecting workbench, Garp3 (Bredeweg et al. 2006). The “lesson” activity in Moodle isused to create a series of questions that guide learners stepwise through different scenariosfor each model. Additionally, the “Glossary” resource tool in Moodle is used to provideinformation that helps learners with help tips and definitions of SD and QR terms. Webpages in Moodle are used to present background information and suggest themes andlearning routes for learners to explore the content of the curriculum.