Student engagement with simulations: a case study

  • Authors:

  • C. H. J. Davies

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Physics and Materials Engineering, PO Box 69M, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia

  • Venue:
  • Computers & Education
  • Year:
  • 2002

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Abstract

A case study of student engagement with simulations in a materials engineering course is presented. The aim of the work was to better understand the characteristics of simulations which support learning: the attributes, qualities, and circumstances of their use which lead to improved understanding . Simulations were introduced into the teaching of engineering heat transfer in 2000 and were modified for 2001 based on feedback received in 2000. The response of the two student cohorts to the simulations were recorded by observation and questioning during class sessions, questionnaires administered before, during, and after the teaching period, and by informal interviews after the teaching period. The responses of the two cohorts on the final questionnaire were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The features which were found in the current study to be important for engagement were: complexity of the simulation; the learning environment as a whole (as distinct from simply the software), and overcoming the 'barrier' of navigational opacity. Allowing sufficient time for engagement to develop was found to be critical to achieving learning outcomes. Significantly, the study highlights the need to differentiate carefully between the replication of a scenario and the provision of a simulation designed with learning as the primary goal. The objective of the simulation must be congruent with the objective of the learner, and must support the learner's objective.