An Enhanced Model For Developing Students’ Computer Modeling Skills Based On The Use Of A Web Platform
Keywords:
Web-based learning, computer modeling, parametric designAbstract
Web-based learning environments have matured into robust ecosystems for teaching computer modeling, enabling ubiquitous access, immediate feedback, and collaborative design workflows. This article presents an enhanced instructional model that integrates a browser-accessible platform for parametric and numerical modeling with structured pedagogy grounded in experiential and sociocultural learning theories. The model sequences learning from conceptual representation to validated simulation and communicative visualization, while the platform orchestrates content delivery, versioned artifacts, embedded assessments, and analytics. Implemented in an undergraduate context, the approach demonstrated measurable gains in representational fluency, accuracy of model assumptions, and transfer of skills to domain-specific tasks. Students progressed from isolated tool operation to principled reasoning about constraints, boundary conditions, meshing, and numerical stability. The discussion analyzes design choices that produced these outcomes, including formative feedback loops, interoperability with desktop tools, and reflective prompts that externalize tacit modeling decisions. The article concludes with implications for curriculum design and institutional policy to sustain equity of access, academic integrity, and analytics-supported advising.
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