Browsing by Subject "OR-Lernsoftware"

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Lernsoftware für Operations-Research-Methoden – Konzeption von Software für die spezifischen Anforderungen des Selbstlernens von Methoden des Operations Research
(2022) Winterholer, Günter; Kleine, Andreas
Digital learning formats and environments play an increasingly important role, both as a supplement to and a substitute for traditional forms of teaching. The Corona pandemic is accelerating this process to a far-reaching extent, particularly in the field of teaching. The development of digital learning arrangements is often oriented towards mainly technological aspects, neglecting didactic approaches and developments. However, it is precisely these that make a significant contribution to the learning process and the desired learning outcome. This also applies to teaching in the field of Operations Research (OR), the core of which is, among other things, the use of quantitative methods to solve economic problems. The teaching of methods in this area involves numerous learning requirements and special features that must also be taken into account when developing digital forms of learning. Considering this fact, the aim of this thesis is to design a concept for the development of a learning software for the methodology of Operations Research on the basis of learning theory findings and suitable didactic models. For this purpose, an introduction to the field of OR is given first. After considering the development over time and the basic approach of OR, the focus is on the modeling and solution methods of this field, followed by a common classification of OR methods. In order to work out the specifics of OR methods as a learning object, common learning requirements of individual method classes are considered. In addition, a comparison of typical learning requirements of selected OR methods is provided. For more detailed consideration, Dikin’s interior point method is selected for exemplary analysis and described in terms of its approach and the resulting learning requirements. This is followed by explaining the idea of using educational software for learning OR methods. Also, the choice of the mentioned method is justified. For the pedagogical-didactic foundation of the conception of learning software, an overview of the most important learning theories and the basic didactical models is given. The field of media didactics with the transfer of general pedagogical-didactic basics to media forms of learning is considered separately. Since learning software is to be seen as a form of e-learning, an introduction to this area is given. The concept of learning software comes to the fore in order to be able to deal with its various ideal-typical manifestations and characteristic features. General criteria for the suitability of e-learning are presented and analyzed with regard to the use case of OR methods. To this end, the special significance of learning software in the design of e-learning applications is also highlighted. Since the core of this thesis is the development of an learning software didactics for Dikin’s interior point method chosen as a demonstration example, general principles for the design of an educational software, starting with the idea and the original model of instructional design by Gagné, are given first. This is followed by a consideration and investigation of selected situationist models in order to derive conclusions for the concrete software design in the given case. In addition, conclusions for the design of an educational software for the chosen method are drawn from the respective learning requirements. These are then incorporated into the development of the basic didactic structure, which follows Kerres’ 3-2-1 model of didactic elements. The didactic design of the learning software is worked out in detail. Special attention is paid to interactivity and flow control in the learning software. The benefits of different forms of interaction for the learning progress and the learning goal as well as the possibilities to design individual learning paths are considered. Furthermore, the ways in which learning software can influence learner motivation are discussed and corresponding findings are incorporated into the implementation. Thus, in this thesis it is shown that learning software for the methodology of the OR can also be conceptualized under consideration of learning theory insights and corresponding didactic models. In a further step, the opportunities and challenges of learning software, especially in the methodology of the OR, which is the focus of this work, are examined. Tasks, goals and forms of evaluation are shown, quality criteria for multimedia learning and information systems are defined and current methods and models of evaluation are considered. Based on this, on the one hand, the limitations of digital forms of learning with a special focus on their use in methodology and, on the other hand, the resulting computer didactic potentials are identified and described. Finally, an outlook on future developments of specific learning software for Operations Research methods is given.