Background: Problem-solving competences have evolved into key skills for professionals. Computer-based business simulations enable the analysis of problem-solving processes beyond end results. An important aspect of successful problem-solving is to systematically use built-in tools and process the provided information efficiently. Objectives: This…

In this paper I describe an interactive Gauss's law computer simulation using the GlowScript programming environment. The simulation calculates a point charge's electric field at locations on the surface of a Gaussian cube and displays the electric field in GlowScript's 3D graphics window. The point charge can be moved, and the electric field…

Examples of applications of equilibrium-based methods for multicomponent separations usually require the use of simulation packages, which do not allow students to follow the involved algorithms step by step. Excel spreadsheets with examples of six such rigorous methods have been used with MSc students of Chemical Engineering of the University of…

This paper describes a way to simulate and visualise 3D representations of the resultant electric field vector propagation for plane, circular and elliptically polarised waves. These polarisation states are obtained by the superposition of two coherent linearly polarised waves oscillating in two mutually perpendicular directions. The required data…

Microsoft Excel and Access are widely used in introductory courses designed to teach the fundamentals of spreadsheet and relational database modeling skills in various disciplines. To achieve the targeted learning outcomes, instructors of these courses strive to provide students with guided, frequent, and incrementally fruitful practice with the…

The drive in computational methods and more intuitive software has seen a rise in the number of publications in this area in recent years. Computational simulations can be found in many areas of science from computational biology and chemistry to fundamental physics. These may help synthetic chemists in their drug discovery endeavors and…

The benefits of using Microsoft Excel built-in functions in an undergraduate Multistage Separations course are analyzed based on 15 years of experience teaching mass transfer in Chemical Engineering programs at both the Bachelor's and Master's levels. Eight reasons for using spreadsheets in a Mass Transfer virtual course are given. Through the…

In this paper, we present a demonstration of Ohm's law on a spreadsheet. Students can perform an experiment of Ohm's law like they perform in laboratories. The only difference is that the apparatus is virtual. The students record readings of current through the circuit and potential difference across a resistor. A graph is drawn between I and V to…

Item analysis is an integral part of operational test development and is typically conducted within two popular statistical frameworks: classical test theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). In this digital ITEMS module, Hanwook Yoo and Ronald K. Hambleton provide an accessible overview of operational item analysis approaches within these…

This article illustrates ways that dynamic software using some sophisticated techniques in Excel can be used to demonstrate fundamental ideas related to regression and correlation analysis to increase student understanding of the concepts and methods in elementary statistics courses and in courses at the college algebra/precalculus level that…

Issue-based learning is a pedagogical approach that features learning opportunities contextualized in compelling, societal issues that face students in their lives beyond school. COVID-19 is a global health emergency and represents that kind of societal challenge that can serve as the basis for issue-based learning. In this project, we facilitated…

In the 21st century, the competence of instructional technological design is important for pre-service physics teachers. This case study described the pre-service physics teachers' design of optical spreadsheet simulation and evaluated teaching and learning the task in the classroom. The case study chose three of thirty pre-service teacher's…

In this paper, we present a simple spreadsheet based simulation activity that can be performed by students at the undergraduate level. This simulation is implemented in free open source software (FOSS) LibreOffice Calc, which is available for both Windows and Linux platform. This activity aims at building the probability distribution for the…

Computational thinking is a component of the Science and Engineering Practices in the Next Generation Science Standards, which were adopted by some states. We describe the activities in a high school chemistry course that may develop students' computational thinking skills by primarily using Excel, a widely available spreadsheet software. These…

This paper gives an account of an experiment in which thirty-three high school students of ages 17-19 developed spreadsheet numerical models of satellite and space probe motion. The models are free to download. A survey was carried out to find out the students' opinion of the lessons.