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A recent trend in hydroinformatics has been the growing number of data, models, and cyber tools, which are web accessible, each aiming to improve common research tasks in hydrology through web technologies. Coupling web-based models and tools holds great promise for an integrated environment that can facilitate community participation, collaboration, and scientific replication. There are many examples of server-side, hydroinformatics resource coupling, where a common standard serves as an interface. Yet, there are few, if any, examples of client-side resource coupling, particularly cases where a common specification is employed. Toward this end, we implemented the basic model interface (BMI) specification in the JavaScript programing language, the most widely used programing language on the web. By using BMI, we coupled two client-side hydrological applications (HydroLang and HLM-Web) to perform rainfall–runoff simulations of historical events with rainfall data and a client-side hydrological model as a case study demonstration. Through this process, we present how a common and often tedious task – the coupling of two independent web resources – can be made easier through the adoption of a common standard. Furthermore, applying the standard has facilitated a step toward the possibility of client-side ‘Model as a Service’ for hydrological models. HIGHLIGHTS We present the basic model interface (BMI) specification for the JavaScript programming language.; We present a comprehensive example of how BMI may be used as a common standard to couple client-side, hydroinformatics web resources.; For developers, BMI for JavaScript simplifies the effort needed to implement an Application Programing Interface for their resource.; For users, BMI for JavaScript accelerates learning and working with a new resource.;

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Computational hydrological models and simulations are fundamental pieces of the workflow of contemporary hydroscience research, education, and professional engineering activities. In support of hydrological modelling efforts, web-enabled tools for data processing, storage, computation, and visualization have proliferated. Most of these efforts rely on server resources for computation and data tasks and client-side resources for visualization. However, continued advancements of in-browser, client-side compute performance present an opportunity to further leverage client-side resources. Towards this end, we present an operational rainfall-runoff model and simulation engine running entirely on the client side using the JavaScript programming language. To demonstrate potential uses, we also present an easy-to-use in-browser interface designed for hydroscience education. Although the use case presented here is self-contained, the core technologies can extend to leverage multi-core processing on single machines and parallelization capabilities of multiple clients or JavaScript-enabled servers. These possibilities suggest that client-side hydrological simulation can play a central role in a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem of web-ready hydrological tools. HIGHLIGHTS We present the Hillslope Link Model (HLM)-Web, a simulation engine for rainfall-runoff modelling in JavaScript.; The simulation engine runs full-scale, physically based rainfall-runoff models.; All computations are performed on the client side within the browser.; HLM-Web is demonstrated with a use case for hydroscience education.; The use case facilitates hydrological education and research ‘sandboxing’.;

Context: Dealing with professional complexity has been of scientific interest in the research field of vocational education and training for decades. So far, there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding how professional complexity finds its way into learning processes in VET. A common option is to model complexity through authentic simulations and/or problemsolving tasks. This study does both: Complex problem-solving tasks are integrated into an authentic office simulation and are expanded to include collaborative elements, using computer-based agents. Collaboration is used to improve learning, but it is also an authentic representation of current work processes, so we ask whether apprentices perform better in the individual or in the collaborative test setting. Methods: To compare skills used for complex problem-solving tasks within an authentic business simulation, the test settings are systematically varied between individual and collaborative test settings. The test environment is a technology-based assessment (TBA). Test tasks reflect a complex professional problem; they are presented in an office simulation, in which apprentices can collaborate with a computer-based agent. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis is conducted to test for measurement invariance across test settings, and the two-dimensional Rasch-model incorporating between-item multidimensionality with correlated dimensions is used for ability estimation. We also conduct ANOVA tests to determine if there is a statistically significant difference regarding the problem-solving ability between the individual and collaborative test settings. Findings: The study provides various findings: First, collaboration helps apprentices to deal with complexity. Second, to solve complex problem-solving tasks, two bundles of skills are activated: Cognitive and social skills. The two-dimensional construct of skills with correlated dimensions showed better fit than the unidimensional construct. The scalar measurement invariance was established after excluding three items. ANOVA tests confirmed that the collaborative setting enhances the problem-solving ability of learners significantly regarding both, cognitive skills and social skills, with cognitive skills being fostered more. Conclusion: The findings suggest the validation of the two-dimensional construct with cognitive and social skills in economic domains. The results show the effectiveness of collaboration with a computer-based agent. In the practice of vocational training and education, teachers can use digitalized collaborative approaches to enhance learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Collaboration and digitization in work and production process have been of scientific interest in the research field of vocational education and training for decades. So far, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the extent to which the performance of collaborative problem-solving can outperform individual problem-solving. An appropriate instrument for measuring collaborative performance appropriately has been lacking to this point: It is challenging to (1) collect data on interaction in collaboration in a standardized way and (2) to assign the individual performances to the group performance. In a web-based office simulation, this study examined the two-dimensional construct of collaborative problem-solving ability, which consists of cognitive and social components, and explored the effectiveness of collaboration. Methods: The test settings are systematically varied between individual and collaborative problem-solving in a domain-typical problem scenario in the economic domain. A theory-driven two-dimensional authentic instrument with a complex commercial problem in a web-based office simulation was applied to measure the performance in these two test settings. Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis was conducted to test for measurement invariance across test settings, the two-dimensional RASCH-Model incorporating between-item multidimensionality with correlated dimensions was used for ability estimation. ANOVA test was conducted to determine if there is a statistically significant difference with respect to the ability between the individual and collaborative test settings. Findings: The two-dimensional construct of collaborative problem-solving ability with correlated dimensions showed better fit than the unidimensional construct. The scalar measurement invariance was established after excluding three items. ANOVA tests confirmed that the collaborative setting enhances the problem-solving ability of learners significantly in both the cognitive component and social component, and the ability in cognitive component was more fostered. Conclusion: The findings suggested the validation of this multidimensional authentic instrument to measure the performance in a collaborative work environment in economic domains. The results showed the effectiveness of collaboration with a computer-based agent. In the practice of vocational training and education, teachers can use this instrument for the evaluation of the effectiveness of collaboration.

The majority of conventional evaluations of cognitive skills (CSs) utilise paper-based or online multiple-choice questions or single best-answer questions. However, examination that uses online simulation of real scenarios has the potential to complement medium-to-high level CSs that make use of the intellectual capabilities of applying, analysing and evaluating complex information. Nevertheless, the reliability of online simulation as an alternative learning and assessment tool for Malaysian pharmacy courses has never been investigated. This paper illustrates online remote simulation-based assessment, its psychometric properties and students' feedback towards this new learning and assessment tool opportunity. A virtual web-based simulation examination consisting of three infectious disease scenarios was administered in an undergraduate pharmacy course to assess physically distanced students for medium-level clinical pharmacy CSs. Students responded through written typed communication to online enquiries from health professionals, patients or caretakers' avatars. Rasch analysis and a feedback survey were employed to measure the reliability of online simulation and to understand students' experiences with the new web-based tool. This study found that the remote simulation examination had good reliability (ir = 0.95, pr = 0.73) for measuring medium-level clinical pharmacy CSs. The students' survey indicates that the web-based simulation activities improved knowledge, engagement and cognitive reasoning. This article contributes to the pharmacy education literature by illustrating how a different type of assessment is feasible and reliable for evaluating students' CSs for final examinations and potentially has equitable opportunities for distance-learning students to enhance their learning capabilities and show their performances. Future research to investigate the potential of remote online simulation examinations for inter-professional learning and assessment is highly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• H5P technology is a cost-effective way to build virtual simulation games. • Replacement of clinical hours with simulation anecdotally improved the course. • Gamification encouraged students to co-create simulation scenarios. Quality clinical placements have become increasingly challenging to locate, supervise, and learn from. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to describe the process used to develop virtual simulations for a family assessment course using H5P technology; and (2) to describe how gamification was used to leverage student creativity as scenario creators and actors. Anecdotally, the use of H5P technology and students as simulation co-creators has improved the learning experience in a first-year family assessment course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual labs have proven to be very versatile and valuable for providing realistic experience for students in STE (Science, Technology, and Engineering) fields. As we progress from delivery of instructional material from classroom to the Internet, there is need to develop laboratory exercises to supplement the theoretical lessons. A Web-based virtual simulation model of an anaerobic digester (AD) using a flexible Javascript-based platform was developed to support courses in process control and process design. The objective was to provide a virtual laboratory experience that could be used on any device capable of accessing the Web (laptops, tablets, or smartphones) to explore multiple facets (design, operation, control, and optimization) associated with a complex biochemical system. A user-friendly interface that allows easy specification and testing of operational parameters is provided. In this article, we discuss how the model and simulation is developed and deployed along with illustrative examples of its use in a training or educational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Today, learning is perceived as a challenge that must be faced simultaneously on numerous fronts. Indeed, learning is no longer confined to the classroom. Students have the opportunity to learn inside and outside the classroom walls. Technology plays its part, as does the abundance of information available on social networks and in the mass media. Educators must stay abreast of change as information and potentially useful technological resources leave traditional education behind. Optimising class time through new methods, techniques and resources is paramount in today’s education systems. This paper presents the results of a quantitative study of students’ written production in English. The English writing skills of engineering students were developed using situational (or class) simulations and a large-scale web-based simulation in real time. Quantitative analysis of students’ written production was used to test for differences between experimental and control groups. The goal of this study was to show that simulation-based instruction contributes significantly to students’ progress in written production in English. The results showed that students who received simulation-based instruction (experimental group) significantly improved their English writing skills, primarily in terms of organisation and linking of ideas more than students who attended a regular English course (control group).

In response to the closure of universities and the canceling of in-person classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study was designed to focus on a solution for adapting simulation-based education to this situation. A mixed study was conducted to analyze nursing students' satisfaction and perceptions (n = 48) about simulated nursing video consultations. Nursing students expressed a high level of satisfaction and positive perceptions about this innovative proposal. Simulated nursing video consultations could be considered as another choice of high-fidelity simulation not only in the current COVID-19 situation, but its use could be extended to other contexts. • Despite the confinement by COVID-19, nursing students participated in simulation sessions. • Students expressed a high level of satisfaction with simulated nursing video consultations. • They were trained in healthcare education for the prevention of COVID-19 contagion. • Simulated nursing video consultations may be an option for high-fidelity simulation training. • These could be extended to other contexts, as they are the future of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid development and omnipresence of the World-Wide-Web and its technologies have had remarkable impact on the field of computer simulation, understood as a numerical technique for conducting experiments with certain types of mathematical and logical models, describing the behavior of a system on a computer over extended periods of time. One of the computer simulation methods used to solve complex management problems is System Dynamics (SD). The aim of this paper is the review of SD Web-based tools in the context of some technology aspects of Web-based simulation and its advantages and disadvantages.

Outsourcing is a major driver in the growth of virtual organizations (VOs) in the manufacturing domain. These outsourcing networks can be classified as VOs as they are created from different organizational entities for a specific purpose and exist for a specified period of time. This paper proposes the use of discrete event simulation (DES) as a means of evaluating proposed VO configurations within the request for quotation (RFQ) process. The work presented is targeted at manufacturing-based VOs that are created to carry out specific manufacturing tasks as outlined in an RFQ, rather than more general project-based VOs that are formed to carry out work within a less defined structure. Data from an existing virtual breeding environment (VBE), obtained during field research into outsourcing networks, is used to illustrate the use of DES to support VO creation. As DES requires a high level of skill to use, the design of an easy-to-use web-based application with an embedded simulation engine is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign language teachers and researchers face a major challenge enabling students' learning. Not only must they provide training in the target language, but they must also find ways to optimise class time and enhance students' communication skills in the target language. How does technology intersect with English teaching in ways that benefit learning? A possible approach would align with integrating web-based strategies and optimising class time through new methodologies, techniques and resources. In this study, a group of university engineering students were taught with simulations to aid their learning of English as a foreign language. These engineering students were taught English through both class-based and a large-scale real-time web-based simulation. We present the results of quantitative analysis of students' oral production. The goal was to show whether simulation-based instruction contributes to significant progress in oral language production in English. The results indicate that students progressed significantly in four language-related areas: vocabulary, pronunciation, variety of expression and grammar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Non-technical skills (NTS) are fundamental requirements for health professional graduates for safe and competent practice. Technology enhanced simulation, including virtual patients (VPs), is suggested to be effective in developing NTS. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore what participants learnt about NTS following interactions with the VPs in the case study. Design Case study methodology was used to explore learning by undergraduate nursing students related to NTS following interactions with VPs. First- (n = 40) and third-year (n = 31) undergraduate nursing students from two universities in Victoria, Australia agreed to participate in focus groups and interviews. These were audio-recorded, transcribed and then underwent framework analysis. A priori codes in the framework used NTS categories including communication, situation awareness, teamwork, decision-making skills, leadership, managing stress and coping with fatigue. Findings Overall, students in both years and universities reported that interactions with VPs developed knowledge and skills across all categories of NTS to varying degrees. Third-year students suggested that interactions with VPs enabled development of knowledge and skills, as well as practise of selected NTS in the clinical setting. Conclusion Interactions with VPs across the curriculum may assist undergraduate nursing students in developing knowledge, skill and practice of NTS categories including communication, situation awareness, teamwork, decision-making skills and duty, advocacy and empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Preparing nursing students to perform competently in complex emergency situations, such as during rapid patient deterioration, is challenging. Students' active engagement in such scenarios cannot be ensured, due to the unexpected nature of such infrequent events. Many students may consequently not experience and integrate the management of patient deterioration into their knowledge and practical competency by the end of their studies, making them unprepared to manage such situations as practicing nurses. This study investigated the effectiveness of virtual simulation in improving performance during rapid patient deterioration. Objective To investigate the effectiveness of virtual simulation in improving student nurses' knowledge and performance during rapid patient deterioration. Design A pre- and post-test design was used. Setting Nursing students at a university in Malta were invited to participate in a virtual simulation program named FIRST 2 ACTWeb™, using their own computer devices. Participants A total of 166 (response rate = 50%) second and third year diploma and degree nursing students participated in the study. Methods The simulation included three scenarios (Cardiac-Shock-Respiratory) portraying deteriorating patients. Performance feedback was provided at the end of each scenario. Students completed pre- and post-scenario knowledge tests and performance during each scenario was recorded automatically on a database. Results Findings showed a significant improvement in the students' post-scenario knowledge ( z = − 6.506, p < 0.001). Highest mean performance scores were obtained in the last scenario (M = 19.7, median: 20.0, s.d. 3.41) indicating a learning effect. Knowledge was not a predictor of students' performance in the scenarios. Conclusions This study supports virtual simulation as an effective learning tool for pre-registration nursing students in different programs. Simulation improves both knowledge about and performance during patient deterioration. Virtual simulation of rare events should be a key component of undergraduate nurse education, to prepare students to manage complex situations as practicing nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the shipping industry, staffing expenses have become a vital competition parameter. In this paper, an approach and a software tool are presented to support decisions on the staffing of merchant ships. The tool is implemented in the form of a Web user interface that makes use of discrete-event simulation and allows estimation of the workload and of whether different scenarios are successfully performed taking account of the number of crewmembers, watch schedules, distribution of competencies, and others. The software library ‘SimManning’ at the core of the project is provided as open source. The tool is conceived as a support for the maritime authorities, certifying bodies and shipping companies to assess whether a ship is safely manned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed an information management tool for the EDISON (EDucation-research Integration through Simulation On the Net) open platform. EDISON is, at present, a web-based simulation service for education and research in five computational areas, namely, nanophysics, fluid dynamics, chemistry, structural dynamics, and computer aided optimal design. The EDISON open platform consists of three tiers: EDISON application framework, EDISON middleware, and EDISON infra-resources. The platform provides web portals for education and research in areas such as computational fluid dynamics, computational chemistry, computational nanophysics, computational structural dynamics, and computer aided optimal design along with user service. The main purpose of this research is to test the behavior of the release version of the EDISON Open-Platform under normal operating conditions. This management tool has been implemented using the RESTful API designed in EDISON middleware. The intention is to check co-operation between the middleware and the infrastructure. Suggested tools include User management, Simulation and Job management, and Simulation software (i.e., solver) testing. Finally, it is considered meaningful to develop a management tool that is not supported in other web-based online simulation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper relates the experience that students have while accessing Virtual Property Manager (VPM), a Web-based simulation learning tool designed to introduce students to a new discipline being offered at the university – Residential Property Management. The VPM simulation was designed in part to develop student interest in the new program. Results indicate that this simple simulation device did make a notable impact on student interest. Additionally, student acceptance and self-reported impact differed significantly based upon the delivery context. Adding a competitive reward element to the simulation experience improved student's evaluation of the software and self-reported interest in the field. Results indicate that educational simulation evaluation, acceptance, and performance may often be substantially influenced by the delivery context, rather than simply the program itself. Developers may do well to focus "outside the box" of program content to promote audience-specific delivery environments.

In the traditional deductive approach in teaching any engineering topic, teachers would first expose students to the derivation of the equations that govern the behavior of a physical system and then demonstrate the use of equations through a limited number of textbook examples. This methodology, however, is rarely adequate to unmask the cause-effect and quantitative relationships between the system variables that the equations embody. Web-based simulation, which is the integration of simulation and internet technologies, has the potential to enhance the learning experience by offering an interactive and easily accessible platform for quick and effortless experimentation with physical phenomena.This paper presents the design and development of a web-based platform for teaching basic food engineering phenomena to food technology students. The platform contains a variety of modules (“virtual experiments”) covering the topics of mass and energy balances, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. In this paper, the design and development of three modules for mass balances and heat transfer is presented. Each webpage representing an educational module has the following features: visualization of the studied phenomenon through graphs, charts or videos, computation through a mathematical model and experimentation. The student is allowed to edit key parameters of the phenomenon and observe the effect of these changes on the outputs. Experimentation can be done in a free or guided fashion with a set of prefabricated examples that students can run and self-test their knowledge by answering multiple-choice questions.

In the traditional deductive approach in teaching any engineering topic, teachers would first expose students to the derivation of the equations that govern the behavior of a physical system and then demonstrate the use of equations through a limited number of textbook examples. This methodology, however, is rarely adequate to unmask the cause-effect and quantitative relationships between the system variables that the equations embody. Web-based simulation, which is the integration of simulation and internet technologies, has the potential to enhance the learning experience by offering an interactive and easily accessible platform for quick and effortless experimentation with physical phenomena. This paper presents the design and development of a web-based platform for teaching basic food engineering phenomena to food technology students. The platform contains a variety of modules ("virtual experiments") covering the topics of mass and energy balances, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. In this paper, the design and development of three modules for mass balances and heat transfer is presented. Each webpage representing an educational module has the following features: visualization of the studied phenomenon through graphs, charts or videos, computation through a mathematical model and experimentation. The student is allowed to edit key parameters of the phenomenon and observe the effect of these changes on the outputs. Experimentation can be done in a free or guided fashion with a set of prefabricated examples that students can run and self-test their knowledge by answering multiple-choice questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The importance of team dynamics with regard to clinical performance is being emphasized to improve patient safety and the quality of health care. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation and differences in team dynamics and team clinical performance in a web-based simulation (WS) and high-fidelity simulation (HS) in the medical students. Methods: The simulations were held for 15 teams of fourth year medical students (n=52). They were given two clinical cases, dyspnea (case 1) and chest pain (case 2) by WS and then HS. The scores on the team dynamics and the team's clinical performance were analyzed by paired t-test and multiple regression using SPSS version 21.0 (IBM Corp.). Results: The teamwork scores on case 2 (22.67±6.58) were higher than for case 1 in the HS (20.47±7.22). Team clinical performance scores were the same the WS and HS. Team clinical performances were significantly associated with team dynamics in both cases by HS. Teamwork scores of team dynamics were each explanation on case 1 (74.9%), case 2 (63.4%) in the HS. Conclusion: The team dynamics and clinical performance can improve if undergraduate medical students have more opportunities. They should be trained in these endeavors to become future doctors for which scenario-based simulations could be valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective The objective of this article was to review the literature on utilisation and place of Web-based simulation within nursing education. Web-based simulation combines electronic multimedia options with a central video or virtual world to produce interactive learning activities mediated by the learner. Design An integrative review. Data sources A search was conducted of healthcare databases between 2000 and 2014 and of Internet sources for hosted simulation programs in nursing. Eighteen primary programs were identified for inclusion. Review methods A strategy for integrative review was adopted in which studies were identified, filtered, classified, analysed and compared. Results and discussion Of 18 programs, two game-based programs were identified which represented a ‘virtual world’ in which students could simultaneously or individually immerse themselves in a character role-play. However, most programs ( n = 10) taught an aspect of procedural patient care using multimedia (e.g. video, audio, graphics, quiz, text, memo). Time-limited sequences, feedback and reflective activities were often incorporated. Other studies ( n = 8) taught interpersonal communication skills or technical skills for equipment use. Descriptive study outcomes indicated ease of program use, strong satisfaction with learning and appreciation of program accessibility. Additionally, four studies reported significant improvements in knowledge post-intervention. Conclusion Web-based simulation is highly acceptable to students and appears to provide learning benefits that align with other simulation approaches and it augments face-to-face teaching. Web-based simulation is likely to have a major place in nursing curricula in the next decade, yet further research is necessary to objectively evaluate learner outcomes and to justify its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces Floasys, a Web-based platform to foster the collaboration among engineers involved in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The platform has been designed around the simulation data, i.e., fostering and stimulating sharing, re-use and aggregation of models, simulation results and engineers annotations. Floasys requirements come directly from an extensive requirements study that we conducted with two different teams in Automobiles (FCA), geographically distributed, who daily perform an intense activity of CFD simulations to design vehicle products. Collaborative requirements were gathered through stakeholders' interviews and a user survey. We describe, first, Functional and Non-Functional requirements as suggested by relevant literature (both in scientific and industrial setting) and by the user survey performed within FCA teams. Then, we show Floasys functionalities and its architecture, that is based on a centrally managed repository of simulation data. By enriching the repository with metadata annotations, Floasys provides all the desired functionalities to allow CFD analysts an easy and immediate access to simulation data and results performed within the teams so that they can leverage them to make the right design decisions. In this paper, we were able to (1) identify key collaborative requirements for CFD design, (2) address each of them with an integrated, extensible and modular architecture, (3) implement a working industrial prototype (currently under testing and evaluation in a real setting like FCA), and (4) identify the possible extensions to different contexts (like aeronautic, rail and naval sectors). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]