FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

SULTAN IDRIS EDUCATION UNIVERSITY

SSI3013
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN
SCIENCE

ASSIGNMENT 3
SIMULATION AND MODELLING IN EDUCATION
(STELLA)

NAME AND MATRIX NO. LIM SHIU MAN D20151071000

CHONG XIN YI D20152072021
SHAFIQAH AWATIF BINTI ZAHIR D20152072050
B
GROUP
LECTURER’S NAME ENCIK AZMI BIN IBRAHIM

DATE 23 APRIL 2018

Content

1. Introduction of simulation and modelling

2. What is STELLA?
3. Advantage of simulation and modelling
4. Disadvantage of simulation and modelling
5. Conclusion
6. Reference
INTRODUCTION OF SIMULATION AND MODELLING

Model and simulation have a lots of benefits in education. Model and simulation are the
best way to provide a foundation of an effective integrating of teaching and learning. It also can
give some kind of virtual reality in education. Through modelling and simulation, it will increase
the level of understanding of a student and provide fun learning environment. Students will be
more interested to learn and make the learning and teaching process more effective. Then, it will
helps students to learn in a better way with the used of modelling and simulation.

Modelling is an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a new concept or

approach to learning and students learn by observing. Modelling is one of an essential teaching
tool and it is similar to but it simpler than the system it response. However, it should not be so
complex that it is impossible for students to understand and experiment with it. A model is a
simplified representation of the actual system intended to promote better understanding. Whether
a model is a good model or not depends on the extent to which it promotes understanding.

Simulations is a particular type of modelling. A simulation of a system is the operation of

a model of the system. The model can be reconfigured and experimented with. The operation of
the model can be inferred. In its broadcast sense, simulation is a tool to evaluate the performance
of a system, existing or proposed, under different configurations of interest and over long periods
of real time. Simulation model programs give the opportunity to experiment with phenomena or
events and sense of reality in abstract fields, like information science. The use of simulations
represents the natural way of “learn by doing”. Just as children do simulation activities by role
playing, adults use computer simulations in order to understand complex systems, real situation
or dynamic processes.

WHAT IS STELLA?

STELLA is a software that can be used to stimulate a system over time. It enable students
to creatively change systems and teach the students to look for relationships. It also clearly
communicate system inputs and outputs and demonstrate outcomes. It provide a practical way to
communicate and visualize on how complex system work.

Some key features of STELLA are it has mapping and model that support the common
language of systems thinking and provide insight into how systems work. For example, it has
diagrams, charts, and animation to help visual learners discover relationships between variables
in an equation. Next is simulation and analysis that can be run over a time. It shows a results
presented as graphs, tables, animations, QuickTime movies, and file. Then, communication that
describe model components and facilitate manipulation included input devices such as knobs,
sliders, switches, and buttons and output devices such as text, graphs, tables, and reports.

ADVANTAGES OF SIMULATION AND MODELLING

Simulation models could be used as a tool in education system, from primary and
secondary school implemented from the users with educational and fun purpose, up to a high
school system where use of specific simulation models helps certain research, helping in decision
making, or in the course relation to creation of simulation models. Through simulation and
modelling, it can attract the attention of the student thus increase their interest on the subject in
turn sharpened the student understanding on the subject. Compare to traditional way of teaching,
simulation and modelling help to live up the class thus can create a two way process of teaching
and learning that enhance the understanding of student.

The simulation help the teacher to explain to the student by “frame” of motion process thus
overcome misconception of the student. By simulation, teacher can show what really happened
to the normal force, gravitational force and tension force when the degree of the plane board are
increase. It also help the student to relate the relationship between changes in degree of the plane
board with the three forces. Students had the advantage to use the simulation tools, animations,
and learning modules to get more understanding about the concept of the course. It will help the
student to imagines something that they cannot see with their naked eye. For instance, student
cannot see force, thus with this kind of simulation, student are be able to understand more about
the topic. Through simulation the student can virtually observe what happened to the force. The
system is already virtually have been set up and the student will only have to observe the changed
or the outcome of the process.

Next, simulation and modelling can increase student motivation. Students will be more
motivated because they are able to explore the experiment by themselves. It can give them a new
experience and knowledge through this simulation and modelling. They also can learn more. The
students are also be able to carry out the experiment by their own and they can learn more about
the experiment. While doing the experiment, they can easily change and adjust the parameter
given for more understanding. Besides that, it will help students to make predictions and
expectations in an experiment for a certain cases. Thus, learning by using simulation give many
benefit for students such as the students will feel happy to learn something and the process of
teaching and learning become more meaningful. The students become very well motivated and
interested in the course.

DISADVANTAGES OF SIMULATION AND MODELLING

There are few disadvantages of simulation and modelling to be implemented fully in

school. First and foremost, the cost to get a full package license for a simulation and modelling is
usually high cost. It is because the software developer usually spend a lot of time to create
simulation and modelling as every model starts from scratch. For example, to create a prey-
predator simulation, researchers need to investigate the behaviors of the animals and plant and
do some calculations. Then they need to write useable code as there are limited reusable code
and thus they are impossible to copy the code to fulfill the investigation and simulation creation.
As the consequence, the price for a full version of simulation and modelling is usually high in cost
and private usage only which any copying is not allowed as they have put so many efforts to finish
the simulation.

The second limitation is there might be inappropriate usage of the program. As the
simulation is about manipulation of single variable in few variables which is representing a real
situation, thus a single misuse of variable will change the whole plot. It is important to collect the
correct data as the accuracy data will influence the end result of simulation. An official simulation
has to be paid to use. Thus the misuse of using unofficial and unauthorized simulation should be
avoided even during education process.

The third disadvantage is the development of interpersonal skill among the students in
class. In the process of education, simulation and modelling can use in the classroom whenever
there are computer and internet. Thus the communication skills in students cannot be trained and
modified since there are no discussion among themselves. Students’ emotional and intuitive
awareness rarely can be observed during the learning process since the relationship involved is
simply about students and simulation itself. As the result, teacher needs to explore and use other
methods to improve the students’ relationship and emotional in the classroom.

Next, by using simulation and modelling in class, teacher is assuming all the students are
in the same level as simulation will not adapt in different levels unless teacher has set up it in
different level. Thus, by taking account of a class with different levels of understanding and
learning process, weaker students might have issue to self-learning themselves since they need
teacher’s assistance. However the problem can be overcome if teacher acts as facilitator and
create different levels of simulation to make sure every student understands it.

In the nutshell, simulation and modelling have few limitations need to be overcome by the
students and teachers. However ones should not forget by using simulation and modelling,
students can easily understand hard or bored concept in their fingertips. Thus, teacher should
figure few ways to overcome the obstacles as simulation and modelling have more advantages
than disadvantages.

SAMPLE MODEL

1. Stella simulation graph 1

In the given example, the simulation is about the environment in a palm oil estate which contained
owl and mice. The blue, red and pink line in the graph represent as owl, palm oil and mice
respectively. As in prey and predator relationship, mice are the food for owl. Thus, it is predictable
as the increase of number of owl will decrease the number of mice. It is clearly shown by the
simulation since the starting point to the end point. Since palm oil is eaten by the mice, as the
number of mice decrease, number of fruity palm oil is increasing smoothly. Palm oil is predicted
as increasing throughout the graph. Meanwhile, at the starting point, number of mice is higher
than owl, however by the end of the graph, it is clearly shown that number of mice has decreased
to the minimum point causing some owls to die too. As the consequence, number of mice
increases a little but cause no harm to the number of palm oil.

2. Stella simulation graph 2

For the second graph, some variables have been changed to predict the real situation with
different parameter. At the starting point of the graph, number of oil is dropped drastically because
there are not enough food for them to eat since number of mice is in low. However, with the dying
of owls, the number of mice has increased drastically as well. Regardless of how, number of mice
has dropped when number of owls start to increase. Number of palm oil still remains in rising
mode throughout the prediction of graph.
 3. Stella simulation graph 3

In the third graph, number of owl is dropped to zero throughout the graph which as the vice versa,
mice has grown in drastically amount. As the theory of prey and predator, since the predator which
is owl is extinct in the palm oil environment, its prey which is mice will reproduce in faster way as
none of the animals can harm the prey anymore. Thus, by the end of the graph, number of mice
has increased until it causes the decreasing of palm oil.
CONCLUSION

In conclusion, based on the graph for the simulation of STELLA, we will know about the
relationship between palm oil, mice and owl in a food chain. When the number of owl increases,
the number of mice decreases. When there is no mice, it means the number of palm oil increases.
When the number of owl decreases, the number of mice will increase hence the number of palm
oil will decreases.

STELLA is a tool to hep students to create simulation and modeling. It allow student to
predict the outcome based on the data analysis and explore more into experiment. STELLA is
good to attract student’s interest to learn in school. Through simulation, students can have better
visualization and better understanding. With the use of STELLA, students will be more motivated
to learn in a fun way.

But there are limitations in applying STELLA in education. First, this application must be
purchased and installed in teacher’s and student’s computer. Next, teachers need to be trained
to use simulation to teach. However, in shorts, simulation and modeling supposed to give
advantages to learning process. It is better and complete than the old teaching method.

REFERENCES

1. Law, A. M., Kelton, W. D., & Kelton, W. D. (2007). Simulation modeling and analysis (Vol. 3).
New York: McGraw-Hill.

2. Rubinstein, R. Y., & Melamed, B. (1998). Modern simulation and modeling (Vol. 7). New York:
Wiley.

3. Lehman, R. S. (1977). Computer simulation and modeling: An introduction. Lawrence Erlbaum.