The Use of an Interactive Simulator to Teach Automotive Troubleshooting

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to develop a Flash based interactive simulator to help automotive students learn how to troubleshoot automotive electrical faults. The simulator consists of a case library based on real world solved faults, background system information, and interactive diagnostic scenarios for students to solve. It was developed based on two theory based models for teaching problem solving. The first model, dubbed the R2D2 model, developed by Bonk and Zhang (2006) integrates four learning activities: Reading; Reflecting; Displaying; and Doing. The second model used was developed by Jonassen and Hung (2006) and has been named the “Troubleshooting Learning Environment” or “TLE”. The question under investigation was: What does an interactive diagnostic simulator based on the TLE and R2D2 models look like? Once developed, the simulator was evaluated through the use of a focus group consisting of automotive educators. The simulator can be viewed at: http://people.morrisville.edu/~makila/starter/start.swf