A meaningful active and/or discovery learning environment is encouraged by interactive simulations; but is time consuming to develop; in particular tailoring the user interface (UI) says Jeetinder Singh and Jayanthi Sivaswamy (2010). The UI can be thought of as a virtual environment comprising graphical objects that act as active object playing a different role, such as navigation menu, input controls, and simulation body. Interactive simulations do not normally let the end user choose what controls and menus will be displayed.
Interactive simulations are single purpose, standalone, short and focused instructional aides falling in the instructionism-constructionism range—examples include applets, flash-based demos, and animations (Singh & Sivaswamy, 2010). The use of interactive simulations could significantly enhance online distance education.
A simulation teaching aide comprises three components:
- The content
- The simulation software
- The students interface or view layer, which is a very critical aspect because it serves as link between the user and simulation programme
In contrast to traditional designs, where the three are closely connected, Singh and Sivaswamy (2010) propose separation of the last component, which enables the integration of the interface layer with various simulations. They designed, developed and evaluated a Graphical interface construction Kit (GicK), which enables creating UI and combining it with simulation program for creating interactive simulations
Singh, J & Sivaswamy, J. 2010. Creating User Interface for Interactive Simulations. In the proceedings of the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Digital Game and Intelligent Toy Enhanced Learning, held 12 to 16 April 2010, at the National Science and Technology Museum; Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, read I-Triple-E)
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