A Project-Based Approach for Teaching Numerical Integration in Continuous Simulation

Differential equations are the main apparatus employed in continuous simulation for modeling dynamics in systems and processes, and an array of numerical integration methods is utilized to solve the differential equations. The standard practice for teaching numerical integration is to provide an expression of the derivative of the state variable with respect to time in a closed form and then find the solution using a numerical method. Many problems in the real-world cannot be represented using a simple differentiable function. It is desired to expose the students to a wide array of real-world problems. One powerful and promising way to accomplish this is through visualization aids. This paper presents a flow visualization project that exposes students to ocean flow visualization using real-world data. The project enables students to investigate a variety of numerical integration methods, analyze their performance, and explore various visualization and interaction techniques, thus improving their learning effectiveness.