Simulations as Training Content

Creating multimedia-based or interactive content is always a challenge. As a course creator, you need a high level of creativity and excellent competencies in ICT. Some software assists you in your work and offers the potential of inventive and funny opportunities. Always an option is simulations (if they are well planned, structured, and implemented).

What are simulations?

Simulation is an analysis method used in almost all scientific disciplines to optimize the planning and operation of complex (real) systems. Industry and research labs use simulation when experiments and measurements, in reality, would be too slow (population developments), too fast (explosion behaviour), too dangerous (crash tests), impossible (big bang), or simply expensive (factory planning).

Adult education can make use of simulations as well: In all cases, as described above, simulations are useful. Additionally, simulations give the learner to try out something without having expansive equipment, or without the danger to destroy equipment.

Simulations with H5P

H5P offers tools to create simulations. This needs some creativity of the creator, nevertheless – it works!

We present an example from a course about digital photography. The simulation uses the image of a cat to demonstrate the “sharpen process” of images. The learner uses the given slider to simulate sharpening. In the highest level of the sharpening process, the technical background of sharpening is visible: The high level of contrast leads to artefacts in the image. Test it – try it out!

Technical background

The simulation uses the H5P Module “Agamotto”. We used a sequence of images supposed to look at sequentially. In our case, these were 5 images of the cat, with different levels of sharpness. Moving the slides, overlaps one image to the next, providing different levels of transparency. This creates the effect of simulating the sharpening.

When to use this technique?

You can use Agamotto for any kind of content where you want to display several images that people are supposed to look at sequentially. The effect of the changing transparency cares for the smooth flow of images.

Special settings

• You can set a “slider snap”. In this case, the slider snaps at each image. Otherwise, you may move the slider continuously.
• You may display “tick marks”. This enables the user to stop at each image (without transparent overlay).

 

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