Showcase
Simulations
Some learning materials require even more complex interactions. Reading, reflection and discussions in online forums work well with more discursive subjects but other topics truly benefit from allowing learners to test their knowledge within a practical setting.
Simulations are ideal for this kind of instruction. They come into their own when teaching skills-based activities such as clinical coding.
EMIS Sim
Here, a software simulation of an Electronic Patient Record System, (authored with PHP/MySQL) is a simplified replica of an existing commercial system. It provides students with a safe environment in which to practice their skills.
XSLT Editor
Another way to provide students with a sandbox in which to try out new ideas is to build software editors specifically designed to promote testing and innovation.
This XSLT editor displays XML documents both in code view and as folder trees, reinforcing the hierarchical nature of XML data. It includes a live HTML preview of XSL stylesheets together with full save and undo functionality, therefore encouraging experimentation and 'learning by doing'.
Students are initially instructed to load example files from their tutors which they can then alter and export as their own versions. These are shared amongst the cohort so that each student can learn by working on each other's code.
Because of the file level operating system permissions required for this kind of resource, the XSLT Editor was authored in Flex and published as a desktop application running on the Adobe Air runtime. A versioning system that automatically pushes updates to users has been implemented in order to facilitate the roll-out of any new features or bug fixes.
