The Sim Editors and Template Product
Developed by Lee Karns and Tom Hall
Background
For anyone currently creating Simulations in ToolBook, you likely are aware of the complexity of the built-in Simulation Editor. It is a powerful tool, yet for the novice to intermediate user (and even the experts), it often can be quite a task to set up even the simplest Simulation. The graphic here shows a simple 1 step Simulation with two trigger events. A Properties grid at the bottom changes dynamically to allow you to set the properties of the Simulation, the step, and the trigger events. Basically, there is a lot of information that needs to be set or inputted.
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One approach is to have a set of template pages built in the beginning of a project where each template page might correspond to a particular Simulation Scenario such as this: The user clicks once to advance to the next step. This would be a 1 Step Simulation such as that shown above. Even with template pages built, you would still have to have some knowledge of the existing Simulation Editor in order to input your instructional and feedback text, along with information related to a Simulation Scenario where you would have an Evaluation object such as a text field that the learner would type text into before clicking something to advance.
Our Instructional Model
In order to understand what we have done, it is important to know what we have chosen as our instructional model, a model that has proven itself in numerous projects we have worked on. Our current design for a Simulation is one that allows the learner to go through a series of steps to perform a task using Practice mode. That is, the learner is given instructional text (information on how to do the current step) and the Simulation runs in Practice mode. Thus, the learner gets to "Try it" by attempting to perform the step per the instructions with a total number of 3 attempts. On the first bad attempt, very generic feedback is given such as "Incorrect. Try again." On the second bad attempt, additional generic feedback is provided such as "Incorrect. Read the instructions and try again. On the final bad attempt, very specific feedback is provided in a Feedback Text Pane that has an arrow that points to where the learner was supposed to have clicked, etc. Each Simulation page also has a Show Me/Try Again button set with the Show Me button initially being visible. At any time, the learner has the option of clicking the Show Me button which then runs the Simulation in Demonstration mode, the results being an animated cursor that would point to where the learner is supposed to click or autotyping for input into a field. Once the Show Me button is clicked, a Try Again button is available to allow the learner to switch the Simulation back to Practice mode where they have 3 additional attempts to perform the task correctly. With this model, we do not provide a score in Practice mode nor do we provide an Assessment mode.
An Introduction to Our Editors and Template
We have built a set of template pages that provide most of the information already in the existing Simulation Editor but our goal was to take it a step further. Thus, for each template page, and therefore, each Simulation scenario, we have created a simple Simulation Editor that can be used to bypass the complexity of the existing Simulation Editor in ToolBook. This is a sample Simulation page in our template book.
After adding a Simulation page such as that shown above from the Catalog to a Starter book we provide, you have quick access to a simple editor such as that shown below. From this editor, you can:
Set the Page Name.
Locate the graphic (screen capture) to be imported into the Web Graphic Placeholder object
Determine where the screen capture is to be located on the screen.
Input the Practice and Show Me instructions.
Accept the defaults for generic feedback or input your own.
Assign the Summary Feedback (3rd Attempt).
Add text for any Sticky Note.
Bold any text as needed.
A Simulation Style Guide tab provides sample text for this Simulation scenario which can be used to help write the needed text. This is a great feature since it should help standardize the writing. A Development Information tab allows you to input any special instructions as to additional needs on the current screen.
Once OK is clicked, all that you need to do this move and resize things like the Sticky Note, the hotspot to be clicked (which automatically positions the red highlighter), and the Summary Feedback text pane. This page is now ready and you move on to adding another page.
