Project Report- Simulators are excellent illustrative tools that provide facets such as hands on experience of a real world system. Such simulators have enormous efficacy in education where critical thinking and decision making skills can be infused with great effectiveness. These simulators allow students to polish various competencies ranging from application to analysis and from synthesis to evaluation. In this project, a simulator is proposed from the area of electronics. The simulator targets junior to senior level electrical engineering students.

Computers and information technology have increased educational opportunities and opened the doors to new instructional methods. Today’s educator and student have adopted technology as a normal part of their curriculum. One common adaptation is for the instructors to create a website or WebCT course folder for their course, which may contain the instructor’s PowerPoint lectures, course handouts, streaming audio/video lectures, and a list of links, which may further aid the student in understanding the material. Interactive learning content revolutionizes the way topics can be traditionally taught. The use of multimedia, rich-graphics, animations, simulations, and virtual environments offer students a way to visualize and actively engage with the content which is otherwise presented to them in a static and passive manner, via textbook and lectures.

This type of new content material is invaluable to disciplines like the engineering and sciences, where visualization coupled to understanding cause and effects of concepts are the heart to mastering the material. Traditional learning materials are not effective resources to support this type of learning, since students repeatedly struggle with the same difficult concepts. Interactive learning content requires a different pedagogical approach from traditional materials. The effective design of interactive learning content includes identifying and utilizing how a technological approach (animation, interactivity, or simulation) can help the student understand the phenomenon, engaging them in active learning environments. This design is then coupled strongly to a usable interface and clear pedagogical goals for the student to grasp. The result is an integration of technology and pedagogy into a new vehicle for teaching: high-quality interactive learning content that is an Interactive Educational Simulator. If a picture is worth a thousand words, and an animation is one thousand pictures, the net worth of simulations and virtual environments is priceless.

The simulator is machine-independent and thus open to wide use. The Visio 2003, Photoshop and Macromedia Flash and Action Script (Flash scripting language) capability of Flash allowed us speedy development and user-friendly presentation. The integration of a web-based simulator, multimedia materials, reference, and feedback creates an effective course environment.