Instructional Composite

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SimQuest 6.4 help

A composite is a collection of application-elements that are started all at the same time.
You can add multiple Instructional Composites to a list, and specify how many of these should be successfully completed before the Composite is considered an overall success.

Modifying an Instructional Composite

Modifying an Instructional Composite

To modify an Instructional Composite, you have to fill out a number of tab sheets. To access these, you select the Instructional Composite in the Application window, click right and choose Edit from the menu that appears. The tab sheets you have to fill are:

General

1.	Select the General tab sheet.

2.	In the Name box, you can specify a name which the learner will see in the learner view. As the author, you will still see the original name in the Application window.

3.	In the Description box, type a short description of the Instructional Composite. The learner will see this description in the learner environment when he or she selects the Instructional Composite, but does not (yet) start it.

4.	Under Language, select the language for this element.

5.	Click Apply.

Control On

In the Control On tab sheet you can make this element perform certain actions with regard to other elements in the application. You can for instance change the settings in such a way that once a this element is closed, another one will open. This chapter will help you smoothly control elements in your simulation.

First, set the Start-up state of the Instructional Composite:

1.	Select the Control On tab sheet.

2.	Select the Start-up state using the radio buttons on top of the tab-sheet:

Activated: the Instructional Composite will open when the simulation is opened in the learner view.

Enabled: the Instructional Composite is visible to the learner in the learner view.

Disabled: the learner can see the explanation, but not (yet) activate it.

Invisible: the learner cannot see nor activate this Instructional Composite.

To set the control structure of an Instructional Composite, follow these steps:

1.	Decide WHEN you want something to happen. Select one of the elements from the first list.

Activated: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the Instructional Composite is started.

Succeeded: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the Instructional Composite is successfully finished (at least the amount of assignments specified to succeed did succeed)

Failed: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the Instructional Composite is performed incorrectly (more assignments failed than the maximum amount specified),

Exited: the elements below will be activated, enabled, aborted, disabled, or hidden when the Instructional Composite is closed before all attempts are used up.

2.	Select a command for the simulation:

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.

3.	Decide and select WHAT you want to happen.

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.

Please note! The element itself is automatically added to the Exited-Enable page. Therefore, when closed, the Instructional Composite will become visible in the Learner Environment.

Control Overview

You can use the Control Overview tab sheet to check the controls you set in the Control On tab sheet. You can quickly see what will happen if you activate or exit the Instructional Composite.

1.	Select the Control Overview tab sheet.

2.	Click Activated, Succeeded, Enabled, Failed, or Exited

3.	Look at the controls you specified in each category.

Specification

On this tab sheet you can create a list of assignments that you want to make a composite of. Afterwards you can specify how many of the assignments should be successfully completed for SimQuest to consider this composite a success. To add an assignment to the list:

1.	Select the Specification tab sheet.

2.	Determine the order of the elements by selecting one, and moving it up or down using the arrow-buttons.

3.	Drag an assignment from the Application window and drop it into the list. To be able to do so, the window of the composite editor must be outside of the main SimQuest window.

Next, using the - and + buttons, select how many assignments should be answered correctly before the overall composite is marked as successful. You can do the same for the number of assignments failed. On the Control On tab sheet you can add feedback to the composite. In this way you can give extra feedback after a certain block of assignments has been finished.