Visual Tools for Demonstrating Engineering Concepts in a Quasi-Realistic Simulation Environment

这个项目解决了一个主要的教学/学习问题的本科工程专业的学生谁是高度可视化的学习者-需要发展一个良好的理解如何工程问题可以制定和解决，并能够超越学科界限，在涉及抽象概念的领域。具体而言，一个通用的框架和几个原型的一种新的教学工具，命名为“案例研究互动”，目前正在开发和测试中的各种学习环境。这种创新的教学工具结合了技术知识和幽默/娱乐在一个高度可视化和交互式的计算机模拟环境中的交付，以呈现复杂的，多学科的问题，随着时间的推移而发展。所提出的概念利用了计算机游戏中使用的相同激励因素，即“击败计算机”和最大化得分的愿望，诱使学生最大化他/她对支配系统响应的定律的理解（例如，科学原理、管理实践）。交互式案例研究还使小学生和高中生能够在他们能够理解的技术水平上接触现实世界的工程问题。通过改变技术知识和娱乐（“游戏”）功能的相对数量，可以为各种年龄和学习能力开发交互式案例。

This project addresses a major teaching/learning problem for undergraduate engineering students who are highly visual learners - the need to develop a sound understanding of how engineering problems can be formulated and solved, and the ability to transcend disciplinary boundaries, in areas where abstract concepts are involved. Specifically, a generic framework and several prototypes of a new teaching tool, named 'Case Study Interactive', are currently being developed and tested in a variety of learning settings. This innovative instructional tool combines the delivery of technical knowledge and humor/entertainment within a highly visual and interactive computer simulation environment to present complex, multidisciplinary problems that evolve over time. The proposed concept harnesses the same motivators used in computer games, namely the desires to "beat the computer" and to maximize one's score, enticing the student to maximize his/her understanding of the laws that govern the response of the system (e.g., scientific principles, management practices). Interactive case studies also enable exposure of elementary and high school students to real-world engineering problems at a technical level that they can comprehend. By varying the relative amounts of technical knowledge and entertainment ("game") features, interactive cases can be developed for a wide range of ages and learning capacities.