Evaluating the Pedagogical Potential of Hybrid Models

摘要

The paper examines how the use of hybrid models - that consist of the interacting continuous and discrete processes -may assist in teaching system thinking. We report an experiment in which undergraduate students were asked to choose between a hybrid and a continuous solution for a number of control problems. A correlation has been found between the preference of hybrid models and a low system thinking ability. We discuss the meaning of the results in terms of the state diagram notation, and link them with the new socio-techno-logical reality created in the digital age.