Atlas of Physiology and Pathophysiology - Web Based Simulators for Medical Education
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Abstract
Background
The connection of the Internet and interactive multimedia environment with simulation models provides quite new pedagogical opportunities, particularly when it comes to explaining complex interconnected relationships, active exercising of practical skills, and verifying theoretic knowledge.
Objective
Our goal was to design a web based interactive teaching tools, which helps to explain the function of interconnected physiological systems using interactive multimedia connected with simulation models.
Methods
When creating a web simulator, two types of problems must be taken into consideration. The first problem is the creation and identification of the mathematical model. This work is more of a research than development work, based on the creation of formalized mathematical description of the modeled reality. For the creation of simulation models, special software development tools are used. For a long time we have mostly been using Matlab/Simulink models for the development process. Simulink belongs to block-oriented simulation languages, which enables the user to assemble computer models from each block with defined inputs and outputs, interconnect these blocks into computer networks and group computer networks into blocks with higher hierarchy. From the description of the block-oriented structure it is clear, how the value of each variable parameter is calculated in the model, that is, what is the algorithm for the relevant calculation process. Recently, we have been using a simulation environment based on the Modelica language. The most important innovation in Modelica is the option to describe each part of the model as a set of equations and not as an algorithm used to solve these quotations. Models created in Modelica are well-arranged and better reflect the structure of the modeled reality. The other problem apparent during the creation of tutorial and educational simulators is the creation of the tutorial software itself. It is a very demanding development work, which requires the combination of ideas and experiences of teachers who create the script of the tutorial application, the creativity of art designers who create the multimedia components interconnected with the simulation model in the background, as well as the efforts of programmers who finally “sew up†the final masterpiece into its final shape. To automate the model debugging transfer from the simulation development environment (using Simulink or Modelica) into the development environment where the development application is programmed, specialized software tools (developed by us) are used. We have been creating tutorial simulators in Microsoft .NET and Adobe Flash environments. Recently, we use the Microsoft Silverlight platform, which enables distribution of simulators over the internet and may be executed directly into the internet browser environment.
Results
The result of our effort is the internet Atlas of physiology and pathophysiology, created as a multimedia tutorial aid combining explanation with simulation games - see http://physiome.cz/atlas. The Atlas is an open source project. It is created in a Czech and English version.
Conclusions
Educational applications using simulation games, available through the web, represent a very efficient teaching aid in explaining complex pathophysiological processes. However, their process of creation is not very easy – it requires multidisciplinary team cooperation and use of suitable development tools.
The connection of the Internet and interactive multimedia environment with simulation models provides quite new pedagogical opportunities, particularly when it comes to explaining complex interconnected relationships, active exercising of practical skills, and verifying theoretic knowledge.
Objective
Our goal was to design a web based interactive teaching tools, which helps to explain the function of interconnected physiological systems using interactive multimedia connected with simulation models.
Methods
When creating a web simulator, two types of problems must be taken into consideration. The first problem is the creation and identification of the mathematical model. This work is more of a research than development work, based on the creation of formalized mathematical description of the modeled reality. For the creation of simulation models, special software development tools are used. For a long time we have mostly been using Matlab/Simulink models for the development process. Simulink belongs to block-oriented simulation languages, which enables the user to assemble computer models from each block with defined inputs and outputs, interconnect these blocks into computer networks and group computer networks into blocks with higher hierarchy. From the description of the block-oriented structure it is clear, how the value of each variable parameter is calculated in the model, that is, what is the algorithm for the relevant calculation process. Recently, we have been using a simulation environment based on the Modelica language. The most important innovation in Modelica is the option to describe each part of the model as a set of equations and not as an algorithm used to solve these quotations. Models created in Modelica are well-arranged and better reflect the structure of the modeled reality. The other problem apparent during the creation of tutorial and educational simulators is the creation of the tutorial software itself. It is a very demanding development work, which requires the combination of ideas and experiences of teachers who create the script of the tutorial application, the creativity of art designers who create the multimedia components interconnected with the simulation model in the background, as well as the efforts of programmers who finally “sew up†the final masterpiece into its final shape. To automate the model debugging transfer from the simulation development environment (using Simulink or Modelica) into the development environment where the development application is programmed, specialized software tools (developed by us) are used. We have been creating tutorial simulators in Microsoft .NET and Adobe Flash environments. Recently, we use the Microsoft Silverlight platform, which enables distribution of simulators over the internet and may be executed directly into the internet browser environment.
Results
The result of our effort is the internet Atlas of physiology and pathophysiology, created as a multimedia tutorial aid combining explanation with simulation games - see http://physiome.cz/atlas. The Atlas is an open source project. It is created in a Czech and English version.
Conclusions
Educational applications using simulation games, available through the web, represent a very efficient teaching aid in explaining complex pathophysiological processes. However, their process of creation is not very easy – it requires multidisciplinary team cooperation and use of suitable development tools.
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