An Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems Course Involving NetLogo

In the context of an Agent and Multi-Agent Systems course, exposing students to problems and issues related to agent-based programming allows them to understand at a deeper level the otherwise theoretical aspects involved in the design of a multi-agent system (MAS). Indeed, educators have reported a variety of environments and techniques they use in order to increase active learning. The authors argue that NetLogo presents an excellent platform for the task, since it provides, among other interesting features, a small learning curve and an easy to setup visualization environment. This chapter records their experience in teaching a MAS course, using NetLogo as the vehicle for practical coursework. In addition, two extra NetLogo libraries that were provided to students are described, one for BDI-like agents (Belief-Desire-Intention, i.e. goal-oriented agents) and one for ACL-like (Agent Communication Language) communication, which were specifically developed for allowing students to implement more complex agent societies than the original NetLogo platform allowed.