Preparing Learning Materials

Demography can be used to create custom files for problem sets, exams, or classroom demonstrations. The steps involved in creating custom files (changing parameters and settings, marking, saving files) are no different than those to use the program, and hence all of the relevant program features are described in the manual. Here we provide a few pointers that you might find useful.

Setting marks can be a powerful tool in creating presentations and problem sets. Marks allow you to set parameter values exactly the way that you want them, position and size windows to suit your needs, give those settings an appropriate name, and add comments in the associated ìNotesî window. By setting up several marks in the same file, you can quickly move from mark to mark in a presentation, using each mark to set up a simulation demonstrating a different point, or using two or more marks to make comparisons.

When setting up problem sets for students, it may be better to create a number of files with only one or two marks per file, rather than a single file with numerous marks. The problem is that in the current version of the program, there is no mechanism for grouping related marks. If students choose to set marks of their own, the latter approach would lead to a single file with a collection of marks that are difficult to keep organized.

Once you have created a file and set up all the marks that you need, you may save the file using the SAVE or SAVE AS... commands under the File menu. Demography will save all the initial values, including model type, and all the values displayed on the graphs for each mark that you set, information about these marks (such as the name and the notes that you entered for each mark), and display information for each window (such as the position and size of each window , and whether or not it is open or closed).

NOTE: At the moment (10/15/99) the Save and Save As... options are not functional in Java Demography 2.0. Please check the BSL web site for updates!

If you discover that you want to edit a file, marks can always be added or deleted. In the current version of Demography, individual marks cannot be edited. If you wish to change the settings for a particular mark (e.g., re-position some of the windows), you will need to go to that mark, make the desired changes, create a new mark, and then delete the old one.

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