DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY, FACULTY SCIENCE AND MATHEMATIC,

SULTAN IDRIS EDUCATION UNIVERSITY

SBI 3013
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN BIOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT 3
SIMULATION AND MODELLING IN EDUCATION
(STELLA)

GROUP MEMBER
NAME
MOHAMMAD ALIF BIN AZMI MURAT
MUHAMMAD FARHAN AZWAN BIN DAUD

1.0 INTRODUCTION

MATRIC NO
D20141066890
D20141066897

Model and simulation

Model and simulation give a lots of benefits in education and has become a part of
advanced learning environment. Model and simulation are the best way to provide a
foundation of an effective integrating of teaching and learning. It also can give some kind of
virtual reality in education. Through modelling and simulation, it will increase the level of
understanding of a students and provide fun learning environment. Students will be more
interested to learn and make the learning and teaching process more effective. Then, it will
helps students to learn in a better way with the used of modelling and simulation.
Modelling is an instructional strategy in which the teacher demonstrates a new concept or
approach to learning and students learn by observing. Modelling is one of an essential
teaching tool and it is similar to but it simpler than the system it represents. However, it
should not be so complex that it is impossible for students to understand and experiment with
it. A model is a simplified representation of the actual system intended to promote better
understanding. Whether a model is a good model or not depends on the extent to which it
promotes understanding.
Simulation is a particular type of modelling. A simulation of a system is the operation of a
model of the system. The model can be reconfigured and experimented with. The operation
of the model can be studied hence, properties concerning the behaviour of the actual system
or its subsystem can be inferred. In its broadest sense, simulation is a tool to evaluate the
performance of a system, existing or proposed, under different configurations of interest and
over long periods of real time. Simulation model programs give the opportunity to
experiment with phenomena or events and a sense of reality in abstract fields, like
information science. The use of simulations represents the natural way of learn by doing.
Just as children do simulation activities by role playing, adults use computer simulations in
order to understand complex systems, real situation or dynamic processes.

What is STELLA?
One of the computer simulation-based model-building and simulation tool is STELLA.
STELLA is a software that can be used to simulate a system over time. It enable
students to creatively change systems and teach the students to look for
relationships. It also clearly communicate system inputs and outputs and
demonstrate outcomes. It provide a practical way to communicate and visualize
on how complex system work.

Figure 1 shows the interphase of STELLA software

Some key features of STELLA are it has mapping and model that support the common
language of systems thinking and provide insight into how systems work. For example, it has
diagrams, charts, and animation to help visual learners discover relationships between
variables in an equation. Next is simulation and analysis that can be run over a time. It shows

a results presented as graphs, tables, animations, QuickTime movies, and file. Then,
communication that describe model components and facilitate manipulation included input
devices such as knobs, sliders, switches, and buttons and output devices such as text, graphs,
tables, and reports.

2.0 ADVANTAGES OF SIMULATION AND MODELLING

Simulation models could be used as a tool in education system, from primary
and secondary school implemented from the users with educational and fun
purpose, up to a high school system where use of specific simulation models
helps certain research, helping in decision making, or in the course relation to
creation of simulation models. Through simulation and modelling, it can attract
the attention of the student thus increase their interest on the subject in turn
sharpened the student understanding on the subject. Compare to traditional way
of teaching, simulation and modelling help to live up the class thus can create a
two way process of teaching and learning that enhance the understanding of
student.
The simulation help the teacher to explain to the student by frame of
motion process thus overcome misconception of the student. By simulation,
teacher can show what really happened to the normal force, gravitational force
and tension force when the degree of the plane board are increase. It also help
the student to relate the relationship between changes in degree of the plane
board with the three forces. Students had the advantage to use the simulation
tools, animations, and learning modules to get more understanding about the
concept of the course. It will help the student to imagines something that they
cant see with their naked eye. For instance, student cannot see force, thus with
this kind of simulation, student are be able to understand more about the topic.
Through simulation the student can virtually observe what happened to the
force. The system is already virtually have been set up and the student will only
have to observe the changed or the outcome of the process.
Next,

simulation

and

modelling

can

increase

student

motivation.

Students will be more motivated because they are able to explore the

experiment by themselves. It can give them a new experience and knowledge

through

this

simulation

and

modelling.

They

also

can

learn

more.

The

students are also be able to carry out the experiment by their own and they
can learn more about the experiment. While doing the experiment, they can
easily

change

and

adjust

the

parameter

given

for

more

understanding.

Besides that, it will help students to make predictions and expectations in

an experiment for a certain cases. Thus, learning by using simulation give
many benefit for students such as the students will feel happy to learn
something and the process of teaching and learning become more meaningful.
The students become very well motivated and interested in the course.

3.0 SAMPLE MODEL

Predator-prey dynamics
A predator is an organism that eats another organism. The prey is the organism which
the predator eats. This model depicts the basic relationships that govern the dynamics of a
simple predator. This experiment is about the main species in the desert including show
shoe rabbit and lynx populations that existed over the past year in wild forest area. Then,
there's a proposal to humanely harvest some portion of the lynx population. This is
intended to be a one-time event. Nature will compensate for this action to once again
balance the populations. This simulation is used to test this assertion. In this simple
predator-prey system, experiment with different predator harvests, and the effects on both
the predator and prey populations over time can be observed . What really happens to the
lynx and hare populations after a one-time harvest?

4.0 DISCUSSION
The purpose of this attempt to develop a model of a system that illustrates
population dynamics involving predators and their prey. We had used a great
deal of the material from from the Stella software. Our attempt here was to
abbreviate the discussion and to bring forth the same ideas.
In order to model a predator vs. prey relationship we need to understand the
relationships at work for each population and the interplay between the

populations. Each population is dependent on the other and so whatever

happens to one effects the other.

Graph 1 : The relationship between Snowshoe hare and Lynx

In order to run the simulation, we have to set with the zero number of removal Lynx.
Since, there is no Lynx, so we can predict that there is no predation occur among Lynx and
snowshoe hares. Based on the Graph 1, the interactions between Snowshoe hares and Lynx
are constant. This is show that the population of both species are stable.

Graph 2

Graph 3

Next, we adjust the reading of the number Lynx harvest up to 260 (Graph
2) and we increase it into 500 (Graph 2). What can we predict that, as the
number of snowshoe hares increase, the number of Lynx also increases
.Therefore, Graph 2 and Graph 3 shows the populations growth and decline
through time of both Lynx and Snowshoe hares. From the graph, we can see
that the snowshoe hares population leads the lynx population through cycle.
At the beginning, we predict as the lynx cannot detect a decrease in
snowshoe hares immediately. Therefore it will experience the difficulties of
finding prey. However, the snowshoe hares does respond immediately to the

Lynx declining numbers. so there is a lag in the response of each population

to the changes that takes place in other.

Graph 4

Lastly, the number of Lynx harvest is adjust up to 720, the maximum value. The
prediction can be made is there are higher number of hares will consumed due to the high
number of Lynx harves. As the number of hares increase, Lynx also increased. From the
graph, we can see that the snowshoe hares population leads the lynx population through
cycle. Suddenly, there are decline in hares population. We predicted this declined maybe
because Lynx have to turn to other prey. Since there are more hares and nutrition available,
the Lynx population grows and the cycle begins.
As a conclusion we can conclude that when the number of predator increases, the
number of prey decrease. Therefore student able to predict the overcome of the graph of preypredator by using Stella.

5.0 CONCLUSION
Simulation and modelling offer many key advantages over real life and
education. It give many benefit and help us to visualize the data. We are able to
see the pattern and draw a conclusions from the experiment. Through simulation
and modelling it can promote the deep learning that can enhanced the
understanding. Moreover, students can know the relationship between the
variables in the model. For example, in this simple model, student can change
the parameter and see the result from the graph. The simulation also make the
students understand better about the interaction among preys and predator.
Besides that, student are able to conduct the experiment more easier and
faster. Simulations help students understand probability and sampling theory.
Even though, there are some disadvantage of simulation such as it can be
expensive to measure how one thing affects another, to take the initial
measurements, to create the model itself ,and limited portability but still
simulation and modeling provide us with many advantages. .

6.0 REFERENCES

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict/modelling/1computersimulationrev3.shtml

http://www.iseesystems.com/community/downloads/tutorials/ModelBuilding.aspx

Angela B. Shiflet and George W 2006. Shiflet.System Dynamics Tool: STELLA Version 9
Tutorial 1 Introduction to Computational Science: Modeling and Simulation for the
Sciences.Wofford College.Princeton University Press