Research, Reflections and Innovations in Integrating ICT in Education

The role of computer simulations in teaching-learning process

I. Radinschi*,1, C. Damoc2, A. Cehan3, and V. Cehan4
Department of Physics, Gh. Asachi Technical University, Bd. D. Mangeron, no.67, 700050, Iasi, Romania Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers Science, Gh. Asachi Technical University, Bd. D. Mangeron, no.53, 700050, Iasi, Romania 3 Faculty of Letters, Al. I. Cuza University, Bd. Carol I, no.11, 700156, Iasi, Romania 4 Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications, Gh. Asachi Technical University, Bd. Carol I, no.11, 700156, Iasi, Romania
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Over the last few years, there has been a great expansion in the computer-assisted methods of teaching and learning. The implementation of such methods into our physics course and laboratories has brought about very effective results. The reasons for our choice to incorporate these powerful computation tools into our courses and laboratories include its assistance to our students in acquiring a better strategy for learning physics, as a demonstration and study of physics concepts and phenomena, and to check results measured from experimental work. We have formulated our own methods of using computer simulations to study physics phenomena based on Adobe Flash CS3 software. Our set of computer simulations allows the students to grasp a deeper understanding of physics phenomena. We present the set of computer simulations and describe the increase in the interest of students using them for a better success in understanding physical concepts. Also, as example we describe the computer simulation elaborated for the study of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor. By conducting a statistical survey of the number of functioning computer simulations implemented in our course and laboratories, we notice a rise in the participation of students using them. This suggests that we should encourage the production of more computer simulations. We apply a long term focused teaching-learning strategy in order to improve our physics teaching-learning process. This creates the possibility for our courses and laboratories to be carried out at a higher level, as computer simulations have a great effect on the educational process. An interactive education based on computers advances the effectiveness and efficiency of educational processes. Therefore, students are allowed to further their knowledge and feel better prepared for integration into society . Keywords Computer simulations; teaching-learning process; computer based education

1. Introduction
In the recent years, from the educational viewpoint has been admitted that the classical methods of teachinglearning connected with some computer-assisted methods [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] are good solutions for improving the educational process. The implementation of powerful technologies used in computer based learning leads to the increasing and development of this educational method. At international and national levels, considerable efforts have been made for the implementation of adequate software in the educational process [8], [9], [10], [11]. Concerning the continue improvement of our physics course and laboratories, a very important task is to describe various physical phenomena and bring them alive with help of computer simulations. The technical issue includes computational requirements, modern and powerful software and hardware. We have incorporated these powerful computational tools in the educational process [5], [6] for assisting students to achieve a better understanding of physics concepts and phenomena, and to check the results obtained from experimental work. We have developed a strategy for teaching students how to operate and realize an interactive use of adequate software for exploring, learning and applying physics laws. Our set of computer simulations is elaborated using Adobe Flash CS3 [12] software. For a high level of performance we have optimized continually the applications. We notice a continue improvement of students understanding and an increasing of interest concerning the work at the physics laboratories. Students have become more motivated and this has been the reason for the production of more computer simulations. In this paper we provide a study of the role of computer simulations in the computer-assisted educational process. We performed a statistical survey of the number of computer simulations implemented in our course and laboratories through the recent years. This study enlightened a rise in the participation of students that used the computer simulations. Also, for illustrating our work we present the computer application elaborated for the study of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor.

Corresponding author: e-mail: radinschi@yahoo.com, Phone: +40 722542076

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2. Implementation of computer simulations in the teaching-learning process

The development of computational technologies has determined an increasing of the implementation of new computational programs in engineering education. The computer assisted education provides a framework for the integration of new and powerful computational tools [3], [4], [5], [6] and especially of the computer simulations of physics phenomena. Our long-term experience in the field of physics [7], [8] has demonstrated the usefulness of processing data using the computer simulations [5], [6]. We do not intend to make a complete replacement of the traditional methods of teaching and learning physics, but we want to perform a good understanding of physics laws and phenomena. In this light, we have provided our physics laboratories with a set of computer simulations that allow the students to develop skills of measurement and analysis. Also, the computer simulations are not affected by the errors generated by the measurement process and the sensibility of apparatus, and can be used as checking tools for the laboratory work. for the results obtained from experimental work We have created a set of interactive physics simulations using computer applications to illustrate some key phenomena and laws of physics concerning oscillations, waves, thermodynamics and optical phenomena. These computer simulations are used in our physics laboratory since 2006 and most of them are elaborated in Adobe Flash CS3 [12]. We own a suite of twelve different simulations of our laboratory works regarding various physics phenomena, detailing many aspects of physics studied in the course that we offer. It was very important to decide which physics laboratories need computer simulation activities, and amongst these, which hold more priority. We have collaborated with our students in order to establish which laboratory works are more suitable for computer simulations, taking in account their arguments and options. After sorting the experiments into the order of priority, we have elaborated the computer simulations so that they have to yield the same results as those of experimental results. A comparison between the practical experiment and the simulation can be made by the students, as the software is able to run during or after the experiment. In Table 1 we present the evolution of the number of implemented simulations and the number of students that work with these computational tools. The statistics concerns the computer-assisted process over the last four years.
Table 1 Statistics of the computer simulations and number of students that work with these computational tools.

Number of implemented computer simulations versus year of Year of implementation implementation 2006 3 Determination of adiabatic exponent Java Study of electromagnetic waves Java Study of two orthogonal motions Java Study of polarimeter Java Study of Newtons rings Java Study of the diffraction grating Java Study of Stefan-Boltzmann law of thermal radiation - Adobe Flash CS3 Determination of Plancks constant using the photoelectric effect - Adobe Flash CS3 Study of the laws of photoelectric effect - Adobe Flash CS3 Determination of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor - Adobe Flash CS3 Study of magnetron - Adobe Flash CS3 Study of photovoltaic effect Adobe Flash CS3

Number of students 70

2007

115

2008

145

2009

180

We chose the animation and programming environment of Adobe Flash CS3 for the elaboration of simulations motivated by its flexibility and advanced graphical facilities. Many applications, animations and web pages are created and processed in this professional software. The operations, the functions and the user friendly style allow users who are developing Flash applications access to extraordinary possibilities. This differentiates Flash as a robust and exciting environment for developing applications. The applications use data that has been collected from physical experiments in order to allow the simulation to describe the behavior and indications of the laboratory equipment as accurately as possible. Necessary physical formulas are applied to obtain the results. Using the experimental data acquired from certain sites within a given period of time, an interpolation of 1st degree could be implemented in these applications. As a result, the user can analyse simulation values within the same time span as that of the experiment. Therefore, the user can choose a value, without being constricted to a limited number of values or even by only the experimental values. We ensure that the applications have a menu in Romanian and English, so that the user may choose according to preference or

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necessity. Each application allows the students to verify experimental data, calculate formulas and construct and present graphs. As an example, we present the application elaborated for the determination of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 we present the screen-shots of the applications interface. In Fig. 1 are described the computer interface image for the lab objectives, the apparatus and equipment, and the measurements and procedure. The aim of the computer simulation is the determination of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor. For the determination of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor the dependence between the resistance and temperature of a thermistor is used. The components of the experimental equipment are: - a thermistor with the terminals coupled to an electronic ohmmeter; - an electronic ohmmeter by means of which the resistance is measured; - heat source, that is a 40-W bulb; - temperature probe, mounted next to the thermistor and connected to it by thermal contact. The information from the temperature probe is sent to an electronic thermostat programmable in the range 0-100 C equipped with a graded scale. For usual practice, the range 0-60 C is recommended. To open the application, the students have to press the switch on the electronic thermostat and to choose the values of temperature for which the values of resistance will be indicated by the electronic ohmmeter. After they have entered the first value of the temperature, which is indicated to be greater than the temperature of surroundings, they have to increase the values of the temperature and to read the corresponding values of the resistance. Otherwise, a warning indicated by a yellow box flashing next to the value of temperature which corresponds to the equilibrium state of the value of the resistance has to be read. After the values that observe the possible value ranges are entered, the button Upgrade will be pressed as it displays the obtained values of 103/T, R and lnR, upgrading at the same time the graphic which gives the dependence between lnR and 103/T. In Fig.1 we present the computer interface image for the laboratory objectives, measurements and procedure and the components of the experimental equipment. This screenshot allows the students to become familiar with the theory and experimental method.

Fig.1 The screenshot for lab objectives, measurements and procedure and the components of the experimental equipment.

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In Fig.2 we give the screenshot of the application interface that gives the values of the temperature and the corresponding values of the resistance, 103/T, R and lnR, upgrading at the same time the graph which gives the dependence between lnR and 103/T.

Fig.2 The screenshot for the determination of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor.

The thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor can be determined from the gradient of the straightline lnR= lnR0 + E/(2k103) 103/T and expressed in eV. For picking-up the experimental data we consider for the temperature the values 24-50 C in order to preserve the properties of the thermistor and avoid the experimental errors given by a non-linear variation.

3. Discussion
In the last decade, more students and physicists are involved in the use of computer simulations for providing a better understanding of concepts and physics phenomena. In our work we present a set of 12 computer simulations and point out the increase in the interest of students using these computer applications for a better success in processing the experimental data with aid of efficient and accurate computational tools. Most of our computer simulations for the physics laboratory are elaborated in Adobe Flash CS3 program. As an illustrative example we describe the computer simulation prepared for the study of the thermal activation energy of intrinsic conduction for a semiconductor. In addition, we give a statistical study of the number of functioning computer simulations implemented in our course and laboratories. The rise in the participation of students that are interested in computer simulations of physics phenomena make us to produce more computer simulations. Because the process of collecting experimental data is affected by errors we offer to the students the possibility of using virtual tools like computer simulations. The computer simulations are not affected by experimental errors and can be used as checking tools for the results obtained from experimental work. We are confident, and the large participation of our students support this, that computer simulations have improved the teaching-learning process. Further, the computer simulations allow students to become more familiar with the virtual labs and a comparative mode of learning, and how to experiment and use software applications. In the future, we want to implement the set of physics simulations in the distance learning via the Internet (e-learning).

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Applying an interactive education based on the use of computers simulations we improve our courses and laboratories, which are carried out at a higher level, and we advance the effectiveness and efficiency of educational processes. Therefore, students are allowed to further their knowledge and feel better prepared for integration into society.
Acknowledgements This work was supported by grant no. 12-122/25.09.2008 ASISTSYS PN II.

References
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