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SimQuest 6.4 help |
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Control Structure
The control structure is an important feature of SimQuest, that allows the author to specify which elements should open and close under which conditions. Also, commands can be given to the simulation after a certain event, such as the opening of an explanation, has occurred.
The Control Structure can be specified on the Control On tab sheet of various elements. Setting the control structure consists of several steps. Basically, you must first specify when you want what to happen, and then to which elements. . The 'when' and 'what' are specified using the drop down menu's, whereas the elements are selected by dragging them into the white box at the bottom of the tab sheet. Optionally, you can also set a command for the simulation. Below, a general overview is given of the various options you can find in the Control On tab sheets of various elements.
Start-up state First of all, you must select the Start-up state using the radio buttons on top of the tab-sheet:
Activated: the element will open when the simulation is opened in the learner view. Enabled: the element is visible to the learner in the learner view. Disabled: the learner can see the element, but not (yet) activate it. Invisible: the learner cannot see nor activate this element.
Specifying controls To specify the control structure follow these steps: (Note that not all elements are found on all different Control On tab sheets!)
Activated: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the current element is started. Succeeded: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the current element is performed correctly. Failed: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the current element is performed incorrectly. Exited: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the current element is closed before all attempts are used up.
No command to: the simulation stays as it is Compute: the simulation calculates the output value for the given input. Only when ‘Recompute output variables every time a value changes’ is not selected in Simulation Properties. Compute and Record: the model runs with the current input values and the results are displayed. Record Value: only for static models: the most recently computed value is recorded on screen. By default, this happens automatically, but you can change it under Simulation Properties. Reset: all variables in the simulation will be reset to their initial value.
Activate: The elements that you dragged into the box below will be started/opened. Enable: The elements below will be presented in the learner view but not started. The learner has to start them. Abort: The elements below will be closed. Disable: The elements below will be presented in the learner view but the learner cannot start them. Hide: The elements below will not be visible in the learner view.
You must, as stated above, drag the elements that you want to be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled or hidden into the white box at the bottom of the Control On tab sheet.
Please note! The element itself is automatically added to the Exited-Enable page. Therefore, when all attempts have been used up, the assignment will be visible and available.
Examples Example 1: We are editing an assignment called assignment2, and we want assignment3 to become visible in the learner view after the learner has successfully completed assignment 2. We specify this as shown in the figure below.
Example 1: The control structure of Assignment2
Example 2: We are editing assignment 3, an open answer assignment, and we want a sound to be played when the assignment is exited (closed). We set the control structure as seen below:
Example 2: The control structure of Assignment3
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