How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
(OP)
Here is an interesting article from engineering.com...
How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
The authors feel that students in high school should be exposed to simulation software. It seems to me that high school students would be shown the equivalent of a magic box that knows the answer to the questions they ask. Is this really a good idea?
How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
The authors feel that students in high school should be exposed to simulation software. It seems to me that high school students would be shown the equivalent of a magic box that knows the answer to the questions they ask. Is this really a good idea?
--
JHG





RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Regards,
Mike
The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
The article completely overlooks the more important issue that teaching "simulation" comes at the cost of loss of teaching the fundamental physical principles that the simulation tools use.
"I don't have to understand it because I can simulate it."
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
I have it on good authority that the reduction in payroll cost was actually, specifically, overtly, used as a selling point to justify purchase of the necessary hardware and leasing of the software.
Now, the software purveyors are taking things a step further by proposing to make even the designers redundant by hiring high school graduates to replace them.
I have nothing remotely printable to say about the practice, or the purveyors.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Now, my nieces carry a tablet with them instead of books...ya, ya...books are heavy.
At high school level, I don't think any electronics should be allowed in the Math classrooms (Perhaps allowed in advanced math classes where the students have shown some aptitude to get there).
I tutored Freshmen and Sophomores a few years ago, and they couldn't do anything without a calculator....simple addition and subtraction. They just thoughtlessly grabbed for it and punched keys. They never verified if they hit the correct keys...and they had no idea whatsoever if the number the calculator showed was even close. They couldn't even estimate. Hell...I've even seen that at work by the accounting team.
No. Computers, Software, Apps should not be allowed in the classroom until at least college...and maybe not until one gets into Advanced Calculus or Engineering classes.
______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Steve
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
I would put Mathworkd, Matlab, and Simulink in a different category. Those are math tools which to me are different than simulation packages. There are simulation packages that you can get but if you forced people to write their own tools, I would be all for that. There is no learning lost there.
Octave ,which is open source and free, was written with the attempt to make it as compatible as possible with Matlab. If a high school teacher is looking for math tools, there are plenty out there that are good and free. I use Octave for calcs and had to use it for one of my grad classes. I think I would only pick Matlab over it if there was a specific Matlab package I wanted to use.
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
No, it's not the tool; it's the people. It's up to the teacher and school district to ensure that's the case. But, people are lazy, and there are teachers who hand out the final exam problems and solutions before the finals. That's not much in the way of teaching.
We no longer teach anything about slide rules, even though there are lots of teaching lessons that can be applied. But, when we (I) was using slide rules, we didn't get any lessons about them in school, either.
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Comparing to Matlab(ML) is not quite the same concept. As in ML there is must be fundamental understanding and coding involved before anything can happen. I strongly encourage anyone wanting to study engineering or science to pick up ML as early as possible.
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Steve
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
I recall taking a linear algebra or FEA course way back, and writing a program to solve matrices on my Commodore 64. It was able to do a 49×49 matrix, and it needed an hour. A kid would have a much better chance today with Matlab or Octave.
--
JHG
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
(except for pasting pictures and other mundane things like that)
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Although, programming might be a good thing to learn, even in middle school.
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
"Formal education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." ~ Joseph Stalin
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
I had a slide rule and a typewriter.
--
JHG
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Try 3D modelling on a typewriter.
For that matter, try touch typing on a manual typewriter. My typing rhythm is gone completely. It's back to two finger technique any time I need to use it.
--
JHG
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
None of this is a bad thing, per se. In order to stand on the shoulders of giants to make progress, some things do have to be taken at face value. If we all were required to re-derive all the basic theorems in math and science, we'd never get to doing anything related to modern engineering until we were middle-aged.
TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
Well certainly wouldn't say all, but in my high school math and then Engineering at university there was an awful lot of deriving equations etc. and at least at uni not that much application.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: How to Prevent Free Student Simulation Software from Becoming “Shelfware”
I believe the acronym for that would be 'TAD' as opposed to 'CAD'.
Now that I've heard of this I'm a bit saddened that I was born too late to learn about the wonderful world of Typewriter Aided Design.