Computing applications from an empirical modeling perspective: Progress, projects and prospects

Applications of computing are traditionally conceived in terms of developing programs for devices that reliably implement computational rules. This conception is ill-suited to understanding computing in relation to the broader context of agency in the social and natural world. The challenges this poses have long been evident in traditional software development but are even more acute in contemporary applications, where human and machine agency are being blended in quite unprecedented ways. Empirical Modelling is an approach to computing applications that gives greater priority to the human perspective on agency in the world. Its focus is on developing interactive artefacts (‘construals’) that enable us to make connections which are grounded in personal experience. This gives broader scope for addressing meaning that is better suited to engineering and constructivist perspectives than traditional approaches. This short talk reviews applications of Empirical Modelling to topics such as digital TV, timetabling and the development of open educational resources, identifies key areas of application for making construals that are being promoted under the auspices of the ongoing EU Erasmus+ CONSTRUIT! project, and highlights those features of Empirical Modelling that promise to deliver computing applications with innovative potential.