Videos, Audio and Slides for Lectures and Tutorials for MIT 15.879 (with a focus on Agent-Based Modeling for Health Policy), Spring 2012

These class materials are now somewhat dated. My most refined & extensive agent based modeling materials collected from across my multiple courses (material from MIT 15.879 that has not been superseded by more refined material) can instead be found here. This alternative page contains the most comprehensive & refined set of materials among my courses on Agent Based Modeling for Health, including hands-on lectures, tutorials regarding the basics of Java (as required for AnyLogic), in-class exercises, individual exercises, and distributes many example models not otherwise included with AnyLogic. Please consult this alternative course for my most refined and comprehensive materials on Agent-based modeling in AnyLogic.

This page includes separate tables of materials for both lectures and Java for AnyLogic tutorials; assignments are also available.

Visitors may also be interested in two coming events:

Lectures

Lecture Title & Link to Slides Screencast (via youtube) MP3 Audio (.mp3)
Orientation Not available Audio
Motivation for ABM and Systems Science Methods (Redacted due to 3rd party copyright concerns) Screencast Audio
Emergence & Software Introduction Screencast Audio
Overview of Modeling Process Part 1 Screencast Audio
Overview of Modeling Process Part 2 Screencast Audio
Introduction to the AnyLogic Interface & Supporting Concepts by Building Up a Simple Model Screencast Audio
Specifying Agent Properties, Parameters & Heterogeneity Screencast Not available
Discrete Intra-agent Dynamics, Statecharts Screencast Audio
Discrete Inter-agent Dynamics, Sending & Receiving Messages Screencast Audio
Events: Static & Dynamic Screencast Audio
Networks Screencast Audio
Dynamic Populations and Networks No distinct Screencast; folded into this Screencast No distinct audio; folded into this audio
Spatial Embedding Screencast Audio
Mobility Screencast Audio
Outputting and Inputting Data & Database Interfaces Part 1 of this Screencast Part 1 of this Audio
Discrete Event Modeling, Irregular Geometries, and Understanding Patient Flow Screencast Not yet avaiable An example model demonstrating hybridization between Discrete Event (in AnyLogic's terminology, "Network") modeling and ABM may be downloaded here (note that this is zipped so that this is not simply opened in the browser).
Running and Analyzing Ensembles of Stochastic Realizations Screencast Audio not yet available
Building Static and Dynamic Networks from Files (No slides available) Part 2 of this Screencast Audio
Sensitivity Analysis Screencast Audio
Building a Hierarchical Metapopulation Model Screencast Audio not yet available -- check back later
Building User Interfaces for Models Part 1 of this Screencast Audio not available
Calibration 1 Screencast Audio
Calibration 2 Screencast Audio
Performance Considerations Screencast Audio
Stock and Flow Statistics (Slides not available) Screencast (only audio -- work on board is not visible) Audio
Profiler Use (Slides not yet available -- check back later) Screencast Audio
Example model exploration: ABM Model with Birth Death (Slides not available) Screencast Audio The example model discussed may be downloaded here (note that this is zipped so that this is not simply opened in the browser).
Example model exploration: TB Contact Tracing Model (Slides not available) Screencast Audio
Debugging Screencast Audio
Glimpse of Process Best Practices Screencast Audio
Glimpse of Technical Best Practices Not available Not available

Tutorials

Lecture Title & Link to Slides Screencast (via youtube) MP3 Audio (.mp3)
Classes, Objects and References Screencast Audio
Expressions, Values and Variables Part 2 of this Screencast Part 2 of this Audio
Statements Part 1 of this Screencast Audio not yet available -- check back later
Java Types and Enums Part 2 of this Screencast Audio not available
Methods and Functional Abstraction Screencast Audio
A Few Useful Java Collections Screencast Audio
Introductory remarks from slides from
Java tutorial 7 -- Encapsulation, Interfaces, Subtyping and Subclassing		 Screencast Audio
Reviewing and continuation of slides in
Java tutorial 7 -- Encapsulation, Interfaces, Subtyping and Subclassing		 Screencast Audio
A Glimpse of the Specification Pattern Screencast Not yet available -- check back soon

Assignments

Assignment Title & Link to Slides Supplemental Materials Notes
Assignment 1 Standalone -- No supplemental material required A First Encounter With Anylogic; Modifying A Simple Sample Model
Building a Minimalist Network-Based Model Framework
Assignment 2 Standalone -- No supplemental material required Creating a heterogeneous population
Simulating contagion
Assignment 3 Zipped model for debugging exercise
Mystery Infectious Prevalence for calibration
Mystery Incident Cases 		Extending a calibration experiment
A debugging exercise

Other material of interest

Material from other lectures and tutorials outside of the scope of this course (including a full semester course on System Dynamics modeling for health policy using stock and flow models) can be accessed here.

Reuse of Material

I have placed this information online in hopes that it will be of useful to a broader set of people. Users are welcome to distribute links to this page without restriction. I grant rights of non-commercial reuse (including reposting) of the material I have created for educational purposes, as long as it doesn't conflict with the rights of any other individuals.

If you are seeking to reuse this material, just drop me a brief email notification (osgood 'at' cs.usask.ca) to let me know of your planned use, and I request the courtesy of a citation with the repost indicating the original source of materials. I am especially interested in staying in touch with other educators who adopt components of the class material above for use in their own courses. Among other benefits, sending along your address will allow me to notify you of significant updates, of supplemental artifacts (e.g. models) that may be of interest, and could allow for exchange of ideas and suggestions on improving the material.

Please be encouraged to write me if there are any topics on which you feel additional tutorials would be useful.