Tools for building simulations

In Twente, at our university, we have a large tradition in building simulation tools and simulation environments for learning. The simulation programs - the environments - are our real products; our first order products; mostly test-products; prototypes for showing concepts or testing theoretical aspects. They are mostly developed with our own tools: our second order products on PC's our Mac. We also did some research on other systems such as Vax, Tektronix and Sun.

We have developed in 1992: the MacTHESIS system for simulations on Macintosh computers and the HyperTHESIS system for instructions in HyperCard. They are all from the same family: the THESIS family. The hole THESIS family is based on the so called 'MacTHESIS philosophy' (1986 until 1999). Most of our simulation programs are - through the years - developed with the MacTHESIS system (for and on the Macintosh computers), some with THESIS (for ms.dos or Wintel computers), some with HyperTHESIS, some with SuperTHESIS (both for the Mac).

Now a day we only do research with our JavaTHESIS system and the libraries: SimLib plus WebLib, undepended from computer platforms and we generate only WEB-based products for our research about parallelism and other design methods (Min, et al.; 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001).

The most characteristic things in our simulation products, built with our designing systems (and specially javaTHESIS) and their most dominant aspects of the userinterface, are:

• virtual big screens with windows ('virtual paralllism') or well designed viewports;
• parallel windows for the instruction (based on the 'PI theory');
• parallel windows for the conceptual schemes;
• beautiful graphical and dynamical output;
• intelligent, audio or visual feedback ('ICS');
• object oriented;
• model-driven, event-driven or expert-system driven.

An example of a web-based learning environment:

Example of a learning environment with parallel instruction and built with javaTHESIS: A multi windowing "a-synchronious" learning environment with (1) some "talking heads" (see later), (2) the coach, (3) intelligent feedback and (4) two or more other windows (Min & de Goeijen, Mei 2000).

An second example of a web-based learning environment:

Example of a learning environment with parallel instruction and built with javaTHESIS: A multi windowing "a-synchronious" learning environment with (1) ..., (2) the coach, (3) intelligent feedback and (4) two or more other windows (Min & de Goeijen, Mei 2000).

Some technical stuff about JavaTHESIS:

• Information about the system: the javaTHESIS manual (concept; in Dutch)
  
• More information about the javaTHESIS systeem (concept; in Dutch)
  
• An example of a product built with the javaTHESIS system: SUN HEATER (prototype; in Dutch)
• An example of a product built with the javaTHESIS system: The patient MAURICE (prototype; in English)

What kind of design system is the javaTHESIS systeem and what are the possiblities:

• It is a system from the THESIS-family;
• It generates web-based applications (applets);
• Het kan 'semi automatisch' simulatie software bouwen voor op het web (applets) zonder dat iemand kennis hoeft te hebben van applets en java.

Ontwikkelen van simulatiesoftware:

• over de onderdelen van een simulatieprogramma (met CASCADE als voorbeeld)
  - de belangrijkste onderdelen
  - de termen waarmee een simulatie vastligt
  
• over het maken van een applet (in het algemeen)
  - java (introductie) (voorbeeld)
  - runable applets (een voorbeeld: CASCADE)
• over het JavaTHESIS systeem
  - de HTML-sjabloon (met CASCADE)
  - de java-sjabloon (met CASCADE)
  - een voorbeeld product: ZONNEBOILER (met parallelle instructie)

An example of a "learning environment" on the Mac:

Example of a learning environment with parallel instruction: A multi windowing "a-synchronious" learning environment with (1) some "talking heads" (left), (2) the HyperCard coach, (3) intelligent feedback (talking head from a desktop video fragment database) (right) and (4) two or more other windows (MacTHESIS; Min & Reimerink, 1996).

The same model with complet other techniques on the web:

Example of a learning environment with parallel instruction: A multi windowing "a-synchronious" learning environment with (1) some "talking heads" (left), (2) the HyperCard coach, (3) intelligent feedback (talking head from a desktop video fragment database) (right) and (4) two or more other windows (JavaTHESIS and SimLib; Min & de Goeijen, 1999).

For more information about 'simulation', 'learning environment', 'parallelism' and the 'parallel instruction theory' see on my scientific rapports, papers and my other WEB-pages.

Rik Min (1995),
Simulation Technology and Parallelism in Learning Environments; Methods, Concepts, Models and Systems. Book. Publisher: Academic Book Center (ABC), De Lier (1995). ISBN 900-5478-036-3.