Incorporating the Development of a Graphical User Interface in Courses Teaching Numerical Methods for Engineers

Abstract

This paper describes how students' learning interests can be stimulated and their understanding of topics in numerical methods can be improved by incorporating the development of graphical user interface (GUI) in a numerical methods course or related courses. The students' interest and understanding are raised because they are able to implement the theory to solve practical problems and see how the methods can be used in practical situations with the help of the GUI that they design and create. To illustrate how development of GUI can be incorporated into numerical methods courses, two illustrative examples are given: solution of systems of ordinary differential equations related to vibratory motion of masses, springs and dampers system; and solution of an elliptic partial differential equation (i.e. Poisson equation). The tool of choice in the authors' class was MATLAB. The two examples have been tested on final-year undergraduate and postgraduate engineering courses. The authors also discuss delivery strategy of GUI-related materials in their numerical course.