Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of computer simulations on students learning Physics. The control group was composed of students that were enrolled in a course where traditional teaching methodologies were applied. However, the experimental group was taught using the same teaching methods like the control students in addition to the computer simulations.

The final individual performance of each student was calculated according to their marks based on four online tests and a final exam. A statistical analysis of students’ marks was conducted and demonstrated that the experimental group achieved higher scores in each test and the final exam in comparison to the control group. The online test pass rate was at least 9% higher in the experimental group. Regarding the final exam, experimental students were also more successful than the control group. Using F-test, under a significance level of 0.05, mark averages and variances in both groups were significantly different in the final exam and in three of the four tests, while non-significant differences were noticed for the remaining one. Adopting and introducing progressively these types of new technologies in teaching methodologies and learning processes should be considered due to its visible success in recent researches.

Keywords:

Interactive simulations, Teaching Methods, Higher Education.