New Perspectives in Science Education

Course materials, practical exercises, simulations and assessments are increasingly online. Students have the flexibility to study at any time, and any place. Intelligent design of digital tools and resources can help the students become experienced and autonomous learners. Academic staff may also be able to help the students with core learning skills such as managing their time, taking and organizing notes, planning written assignments. Lecturers and students describe their experience on how to use the most useful teaching and learning technologies. The domains where the technology is used to enhance teaching and learning are data visualizations, flipped classrooms, gamification, modelling and simulations, lecture capture, mind maps, mobile devices, online assessments, polling tools, practical exercises, smartboards, tutorials, videoconferencing and webinars, virtual reality, and so on. The paper presents MATLAB-based interactive simulation model with a graphical user interface, demonstrating the processes of encoding and decoding using Hamming codes. The model allows demonstrating the process of detecting and correcting the wrong bit in the codeword received. The model can work in three modes: Step by Step, Automatic and Manual. In Step by Step mode, the micro operations required for the encoding and decoding are performed after pressing the key "Next", the user is able to monitor and learn every action in the encoding/decoding process. In Automatic mode, the entire encoding/decoding process takes place without interruption from the beginning to the end. In Manual mode, the user selects micro operations on his/her own and the system monitors the sequence of actions. If the choice is wrong, an error message appears and prevents the next action until the correct micro operation is performed. In this mode, the system enables the user to be evaluated by assigning points to his/her account for each correct answer. The tool will be used in the courses "Coding in Telecommunication Systems" and "Reliability and Diagnostics of Computer Systems" by students at the University of Ruse.
 

Keywords:Teaching and learning, Hamming codes, Interactive simulation model, Encoding, MATLAB;

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