From Simulation to Stimulation - Stimulative Design Computing Learning and Teaching Environment Based on Multiple Representations

Design computing is an interdisciplinary field that centers on the intersection of design, computer science, and cognitive science. These multi-dimensional faces of this new paradigm necessitate a mutual understanding of computing and design as a whole, which are usually conceived as separate stages of computer-mediated design. This paper explores the use of multiple representations in stimulative design computing learning and teaching environment. This paper starts with an overview of computer-mediated collaborative learning, multiple representations and learner-centered design. Then issues related to the methodology in implementing the system are discussed. Agent models and prototype of the above computer-mediated collaborative learning system are constructed. The research is under progress.