PhyVis: Problem Solving in Physics through Visualizations Andrew Bimba, Nurul F. Mohd Noor, Mohd Nizam Ayub, Nornazlita Husin, Hannyzzura Affal, Zeeshan Rasool Multimedia Unit, Department of System & Computer Technology, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. {fazmidar, nizam, nazlita, hannyz} @um.edu.my, {abimba, zeeshan} @siswa.um.edu.my, Abstract. PhyVis is an adaptive learning environment for problem solving through creating visualization as verification of understanding in Physic problems. The common problem among students is they have difficulty to understand the schemata and principles of Physics which hidden behind the formulas. We use visualization to highlight and explicit these schemata. The fundamental principle underlying the design of PhyVIs is based on Polya’s problem solving model: (1) understand the problem, (2) devise a plan (3) executing the plan, and (4) reviewing the solution. Executing the plan by creating visualization in step 3 allows students to review and verify their solution. In doing this will enable students to predict what strategy to use to solve the future problems. This paper gives an overview of PhyVis, focusing on the design, architecture and the work flow of the system. Keywords: problem solving, dynamic visualization, teaching/learning strategies 1. Introduction Over the years, various research works have been conducted in developing authoring platforms such as Scratch [3], [7], [8], Alice.org [5], Construct which is allow to create game, animation and visualization in order to help students learn effectively. With the aim to impact different ability of students effectively, teachers utilize several methods in teaching. Since computer’s can represent things such as concepts, relationships, sounds, images etc. in various visual forms, then it is possible to address one educational topic in many ways. The computer enables diverse learning styles to be implemented. It also allows learners to solve a specific problem in different ways, thus deepen their knowledge of the subject. Learning according to Steinmetz, [1] requires the ability to focus attention to a subject matter. This can be achieved through games and visualization that allow players the freedom to fail, experiment thus providing choices to make effort and interpretation [2]. Connecting new skill and knowledge to what a learner knows is one of the key challenges in education [1]. Previous work suggested that one successful way to establish a connection between what a student knows and a new knowledge acquired is by allowing him or her to construct meaningful knowledge based on the knowledge acquired [1] [4] [6]. This creativity process of creating an entity gives learners a chance to experiment various ways of solving problems, experimenting with new ideas thereby fostering a new way of thinking [3]. The developed application named PhyVis is designed to help Secondary School Physics students to have a good understanding of basic physics concepts, by providing an environment for simulating this concepts as it will occur in real world. Questions relating to some Physics principles will be provided to the student, the student is expected to solve the problem using Polya’s problem solving methodology, by understanding the problem through the identification of the principals involved, coming up with a plan of solving the problem and then finally simulating the plan in form of visualization. The simulation environment will handle the checking aspect based on the fourth step of the Polya’s methodology, by providing a realistic occurrence of the solution if the plan developed by the student is correct. The simulation environment will also allow the student to tweak the plan developed until a realistic visualization is obtained. The aim of the system is to provide a platform for student to correctly simulate an occurrence, based on a plan he/she develops for solving a particular Physics problem. This will allow the student to understand deeply from the recent knowledge acquired, thereby improving his/her learning process. This