Whilst the tools we produce are freely available, we understand that the skills or time to produce educationally valid simulations may not always be present within small teams. using our Using our inside knowledge of the tools and the educational use of simulations, we can help with all aspects of the design and development process: from model specification and coding, through to interface design and delivery.

We see the delivery of interactive learning content with simulations as a linear (sometimes iterative) process which has the following steps:

Planning and specifying the simulation model, as highlighted above, is the key stage in the process. Usually the need for a simulation is identified by a teacher who may see their students struggling with a particular concept, or who feels that the course requires more active learning. Once a need has been identified, a simulation team can be assembled. The team might include:

• Teacher
  who provides the initial specification and ensure that the interfaces produced are educationally valid.
• Subject Expert
  who will ensure that the simulation is valid and accurate. The subject expert may also be able to extend the scope of the simulation so that it can be used in other contexts and at other levels.
• Programmer
  who will actually write the model, and who may be able to suggest novel visualisations or optimise the model.
• Instructional Designer
  who may suggest novel applications for the simulation model based on other educational uses of simulations. the instructional designer can also provide advice on how simulations might be integrated with existing content.
• Designer
  who can make the final simulations look attractive, and provide a consistent 'look and feel' or house style.

During an initial planning meeting we would expect to elicit user requirements through the use of a User Requirements Document

Once these requirements have been captured, the user requirements are given to the programmer who can create a model. This is then supplied to the teacher or designer with sample interfaces which can then be customised to fit specific educational requirements.

The key advantage of the JeLSIM tools is that a single simulation model can give rise to any number of visualisations, each suited to a particular educational objective. The programmer provides the simulation model to the teacher or designer who then loads the model into the JeLSIM tools and starts to create interfaces. In addition to the model, sample interfaces and documentation can be supplied.

Advising on and creating simulation models and interfaces would be charged at our normal consultancy rates. As we see the value of providing content to the community more generally, we are sometimes able to reduce costs if the model is put into the public domain. There may also be the opportunity to raise some money from external agencies if the work is of research value.