A brief philosophical overview of empiricism follows, referring specifically to the works of William James (Radical Empiricism) and Bas van Fraassen (Constructive Empiricism) and their critics. This is followed by a discussion of Empirical Modelling and its relation to philosophical empiricism along with arguments as to why Empirical Modelling may be better suited than traditional programming to the development of a learning tool. Next is an explanation as to how a non-experiential learning process such as the understanding and use of non-decimal base numbers can still possibly be better modelled using an empirical approach.
The final section of the paper contains a fairly detailed outline of the process undertaken during the development of the model, difficulties faced and the perceived positive and negative effects of using Empirical Modelling rather than a traditional software development approach. A discussion of how the model can be used to facilitate learning follows, with an emphasis on how the model attempts to allow progressive learning without having a predefined progression route. The paper concludes with a critical analysis of the produced model and contemplation as to its usefulness as a learning tool, along with some suggestions for future extensions of the model and research directions that may be of interest.