Development of a virtual learning environment for the subject Numerical Methods under Moodle Anny Becerra-Romero 1, Miguel Díaz-Rodríguez2,* and Octavio Andrés González-Estrada 3 *Profesor
Titular, Director de la Escuela de Ingeniería Mecánica (ULA). Doctor en Ingeniería Mecánica y de Materiales, Ingeniero Mecánico. E-mail:
[email protected]
1Dpto.
Tecnología para el Diseño Industrial, Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. MECABOT, Universidad de los Andes, Mérida Venezuela. 3 GIEMA, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia 2Laboratorio
Outline of the Talk • MECABOT Lab • Where are we? • What do we do? • Introduction • Motivation • Subject Description • The Virtual Learning Environment • Virtual Learning Objects • Preliminary Assessment of the Course • Conclusions
Where are we?
Where are we? Mérida, Venezuela
Where are we? www.mecabot-ula.org
What do we do? Armax 1.0
What do we do? Aspibot
What do we do? Wrist Rehabilitation Robot [1-3]
What do we do? • We have just published a book on Parallel Manipulators [4]. • Anyone interested ->
[email protected]
Introduction • Subjects taught -> virtual learning environments (VLEs). • VLEs -> Virtual learning objects: • YouTube, podcasts, slides, codes, links or animations showing simulations of concepts difficult to catch up [5] • VLE or LMS -> the environment where the e-learning takes place [6]
Introduction • Numerical Methods -> textbooks such as [7]. • Teaching numerical methods using VLE enhances learning outcomes [8]. • Examples: Numerical Methods for Computer Science Engineering at the University of Malaga. Results [9]. Purpose • To showcase the VLE for teaching Numerical Methods. • VLE developed following instructional design concepts described by CEIDIS as well as the authors' own contributions
Contribution • Capture student’s attention -> problem-solving activity -> movie action sequences. • Example1: James Bond HALO jump (Tomorrow never dies)
1 http://mecabot-ula.org/blog/ecuaciones-diferenciales-aplicadas-al-salto-halo-de-bond-tomorrow-never-dies/
Subject description • Numerical Methods for Engineers gives an introduction to the numerical solution of engineering problems. • Numerical solution -> Matlab, C++, Python, R, FORTRAN, etc.
Subject description Core of the course: • Assessing the error or approximation of a numerical solution. • Finding the numerical solution of a nonlinear equation. • Finding the numerical solution of a linear equation. • Finding the parameters of a linear model through linear regression. • Computing the numerical integration of an equation. • Computing the numerical derivative of an equation. • Solving ordinary differential equations.
Virtual learning environment CEIDIS basic template, • Basic Competencies • Content • Activity • Evaluation
Virtual learning environment Activity based on movie clip sequences
N-R method, nonlinear equations Is it possible that the bike jumps?
Virtual learning objects • Learning objective transversal to all the topics -> programming skills • From many available we pick R. Learning objects based on R programming language • SageMathCell #parametros a=0.2;#[m] b=1.2;#[m] c=0.75;#[mm] d=1;#[m] K1=d/a; K2=d/c; K3=(a^2-b^2+c^2+d^2)/(2*a*c); theta_2=45*pi/180 f=function(x)K1*cos(x)K2*cos(theta_2) +K3-cos(theta_2-x); curve(f,0,2*pi,n=2001) abline(h=0,v=0,col="gray60") a=1;b=2 tol=1e-5 iter=0
while(abs(b-a)*0.5>tol){ c=(a+b)/2 if(f(a)*f(c) 2 hours face-to-face lecture and VLE. • 7 Students -> 80 /100 • Assignments presented in due time • Students gave a mean score of 4.4, scale from 1 to 5 • Movie clips discussions -> some feasibly -> • At the end it is a movie, so action sequences even if they are not feasible as long as they are good enough to entertain they are worth.
Preliminary assessment of the course • An expert Master in Educación Informática y Diseño Instructional, at Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela. • Positive feedback. • Cognitive aspects -> VLE follows a constructivist approach. • Comprehension based on cognitive operations -> logic operation and reasoning. • Active participation -> forums using written language, the resolution of the assigned activities
Preliminary assessment of the course • Behavioral aspects • Sequential order to each assigned activity and questions • Students achieve the competencies -> to provide solutions to the problems. • Students have to repeat the steps shown through tutorials, e.g., Installing R • Enhance mental processes, the VLE presents the instructions through readings in which the teacher developed the particular activity.
Preliminary assessment of the course • Constructive aspects • Students are expected to ask questions on the forum section. • Provide solutions to practical exercises, build numerical calculation using RStudio. • Interpret the results obtained from a numerical solution • Recognize that numerical methods represent approximate solutions.
Preliminary assessment of the course • Recommendations • Extend the constructive approach from individual learning -> collaborative learning. • Example: student can write a part of code that combined together form a whole project. • The actual design of the VLE -> construction of knowledge within the VLE. Building knowledge outside the VLE
Conclusions • We have showcased a VLE developed in Moodle for teaching Numerical Methods. • The course structure, and the learning objects designed for the course have been also presented. • We have discussed the preliminary assessment of the course based on its implementation in a graduate course, and also from a questionnaire applied for an expert on instructional design. • The developed VLE represents a tool for e-learning, blended learning, or flipping classroom strategies. • Currently, the course is being evaluated on undergraduate courses, future works will provide the assessment from students’ feedback.
References 1. Ceballos-Morales E et al. P 2017. Diseño de dispositivos para rehabilitación y órtesis (Mérida: Consejo de Publica. ULA) p 79 2. Ceballos-Morales, et al 2017. Desarrollo de un Robot de Rehabilitación pasiva para la articulación de la muñeca mediante la implementación de un microcontrolador Arduino UNO, Rev. UIS Ing. 16 57-67 3. Ceballos-Morales, et al 2018. Technological development of a low-cost wrist rehabilitation robot: Kinematic and static performance analysis. EISI 2018. 4. Quintero-Riaza HF, et al 2018 Manipuladores paralelos: Síntesis, análisis y aplicaciones (Pereira: Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira) 5. Martín-Blas T and Serrano-Fernández A 2009 Comp. Educ. 52 35 6. Weller M 2007 Virtual Learning Environments (London and New York: Routledge) 7. Chapra S C and Canale R P 2006 Numerical Methods For Engineers (New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education) 8. Handayanto A, Supandi S and Ariyanto L 2018 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1013 012128 9. Mora-Bonilla A and Mérida-Casermeiro E 2011 Rev. Med. y Educ. 38 201
Development of a virtual learning environment for the subject Numerical Methods under Moodle Anny Becerra-Romero 1, Miguel Díaz-Rodríguez2,* and Octavio Andrés González-Estrada 3 *Profesor
Titular, Director de la Escuela de Ingeniería Mecánica (ULA). Doctor en Ingeniería Mecánica y de Materiales, Ingeniero Mecánico. E-mail:
[email protected]
1Dpto.
Tecnología para el Diseño Industrial, Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela. MECABOT, Universidad de los Andes, Mérida Venezuela. 3 GIEMA, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia 2Laboratorio
