Interim Report
Ranan Kuperman
The workshop was divided into four major topics:
1) Development of a theory of simulations. This discussion was necessary because if we want to start teaching and training students to apply this methodological approach it is a good idea to understand what exactly is a simulation in comparison to a standard experiment, and how exactly does this methodology contribute to scientific research? In addition this provides us concepts for evaluating alternative formats of simulation research, which remains a central issue of debate among researchers who pursue this type of research.
2) How do online simulations differ from other forms of simulations? Mainly the concern was what additional information might be obtained or lost with the aid of these types of simulations in comparison to other forms, and what additional functions can be applied with the aid of this type of technology.
3) Technical considerations. This part of the workshop demanded a lot of time and seemed a bit overwhelming for most participants because in most cases this has not been a concern of most researchers who run simulations. However, this tedious discussion was necessary because the use of modules requires some minimal technical skills just like statistical packages and databases require some minimal technical knowledge.
4) Future developments. We did not have sufficient time to discuss this topic in detail and had to continue this over the internet. The issues that were discussed were:
a) The need to simplify as much as possible the use of the online module
b) How to obtain financial support for this project
c) The suggestion that the online module be integrated next year into teaching programs
d) Publishing a symposium of articles dedicated to experimental research using computerized simulators.
Regarding the last issue (d), I assume this will require at least a year. The reason it takes so long is that the purpose of this project is to run experiments with students using this new technology, something that requires considerable preparation.
In the short term there will be an attempt by May to have a fully functional online module that will be sufficient for teaching and research purposes, and then we will plan the next stage of this project. My
assumption is that in preparation for publishing a symposium we will attempt at the next ISA meeting to have a panel dedicated to online simulator research.
Finally, I think this workshop produced one of the most serious academic discussions dedicated to simulation research. My feeling is that everybody learned a lot from the exchange of ideas. Colleagues of mine who did not attend the workshop apparently also heard about it and expressed interest.
Ranan Kuperman
The workshop was divided into four major topics:
1) Development of a theory of simulations. This discussion was necessary because if we want to start teaching and training students to apply this methodological approach it is a good idea to understand what exactly is a simulation in comparison to a standard experiment, and how exactly does this methodology contribute to scientific research? In addition this provides us concepts for evaluating alternative formats of simulation research, which remains a central issue of debate among researchers who pursue this type of research.
2) How do online simulations differ from other forms of simulations? Mainly the concern was what additional information might be obtained or lost with the aid of these types of simulations in comparison to other forms, and what additional functions can be applied with the aid of this type of technology.
3) Technical considerations. This part of the workshop demanded a lot of time and seemed a bit overwhelming for most participants because in most cases this has not been a concern of most researchers who run simulations. However, this tedious discussion was necessary because the use of modules requires some minimal technical skills just like statistical packages and databases require some minimal technical knowledge.
4) Future developments. We did not have sufficient time to discuss this topic in detail and had to continue this over the internet. The issues that were discussed were:
a) The need to simplify as much as possible the use of the online module
b) How to obtain financial support for this project
c) The suggestion that the online module be integrated next year into teaching programs
d) Publishing a symposium of articles dedicated to experimental research using computerized simulators.
Regarding the last issue (d), I assume this will require at least a year. The reason it takes so long is that the purpose of this project is to run experiments with students using this new technology, something that requires considerable preparation.
In the short term there will be an attempt by May to have a fully functional online module that will be sufficient for teaching and research purposes, and then we will plan the next stage of this project. My
assumption is that in preparation for publishing a symposium we will attempt at the next ISA meeting to have a panel dedicated to online simulator research.
Finally, I think this workshop produced one of the most serious academic discussions dedicated to simulation research. My feeling is that everybody learned a lot from the exchange of ideas. Colleagues of mine who did not attend the workshop apparently also heard about it and expressed interest.
