Abstract:

In an ideal physics or engineering course, students should have the chance to perform simple experiments to learn about new concepts that have just been introduced. This approach allows them to develop an intuition of new physical quantities and make sense of their relationships with other physical quantities. However, this practice is not always possible or scalable, and often, there is not enough time in the curriculum to allow for it. A common workaround is to use computer simulations and whenever possible supplement using lecture demonstrations or videos. Well-designed simulations, such as those found at https://phet.colorado.edu/, highlight key physical quantities in systems, their relationships and other important concepts. Other software, like Algodoo and SIMPHY, enables instructors (and students) to create simulations for foundational physics courses. To produce more realistic and "multi-physics" engineering simulations, finite element analysis (FEA) software, such as COMSOL or ANSYS, is required. However, obtaining licences for students in large enrollment classes is not economically feasible. While COMSOL has a Compiler module that creates distributable *.exe files that do not require any licence to run and simple simulations work on most laptops, typically these simulations still require substantial computational resources, can have long computation time and consume a lot of energy. In this presentation, we explore how we can utilize collections of animated GIF files produced by COMSOL to closely emulate the use of simulation software in a scalable and sustainable way. We will also discuss good practices for using collections of animated GIF files in a pedagogical manner to enhance learning.

Keywords:

Computer Simulations, Active Learning, Physics Education, Engineering Education.