Designing Dynamical Learning Environments for Simulation: Micro-Worlds & Applets on the World Wide Web

Rik Min
researcher / designer / problem solver

Faculty of Educational Science and Technology (EDTE), University of Twente (UT)
Postbus 217; 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. E-mail: Min@edte.utwente.nl

http://users.edte.utwente.nl/min

Febr. 3, 2003





Courseware

Simulations

Micro Worlds

Drill & practice

Adventures

Games

Web sites

Higher order web sites

Higher order courseware


Cardiovascular system (version xx)
with some information, pictures and schemes.
Transistor (version xx)
with a lot of (Dutch) information, pictures and schemes.
Axon (version xx)
with a lot of (Dutch) information, pictures and schemes.
Cascade (animated version)
with model-driven animation
(to demonstrate the power of the concept of model-driven animation and our WebLib technology)

1

Top-down versus bottom-up thinking


Top-down courses: designing (with FrontPage or Fusion).
Bottom-up courses: methods & techniques (with HTML, java or javascript).




2

Methods

There are three methods to develop 'higher order web-sites'. That are:

    • 1. Authoring systems (as FrontPage, Fusion, DreamWeaver)
    • 2. Authoring languages (as HTML)
    • 3. Programming languages (as Java, JavaScript, ActionScript)





3

Bottom-up designing, developing & constructing







4

A file is text string


A html-file is one string of characters...




5

A HTML file is a string with tags and separate elements


The web: the browser 'pulls the string' trough the line; byte for byte.
The tag IMG reads a jpg-file; the tag APPLET reads the machine-code of the applet.





6

Method: Building blocks

Complex applets versus simple applets

'Smart' versus 'silly'

Cardio
(with WebLib)
(without javaTHESIS)

Display values
(with WebLib)
(without javaTHESIS)

Diffusion
(with WebLib)
(without javaTHESIS)

Cascade (animation with fixed object)
(with WebLib)
(without javaTHESIS)

Sinus, cosinus (animation with fixed object)
(with DHTML)

Paddle (animation with programmed object)
(with java)

Aorta
(with DHTML)

Aorta
(with Flash and ActionScript)

Equipment
(with Flash & ActionScript)





7

Gagné, Briggs en Wager (1987) have learn us that learning environments, and so multimedia products, have to have a lot of characteristics for succes. This are:





8

When the development of a simulation product is finished?


Book of R. Min, page 75.



9

Expertises





10

Examples of simulations with parallel 'information' or 'instruction'

Transistor (version RM)
without a lot of information, pictures and schemes on one web-page.

Transistor (version MMOP)
with parallel instruction (explanation) about AC (alternating current; the input/output signal) and DC (direct current; the electric current) and 'amplifing' uo = A*ui

Boiler / Sun heater (version INF)
(runs only in Internet Explorer)
built with DreamWeaver and Flash.




11

Examples of exercises and/or cases:



Enschede, febr. 3, 2003