Using a modular construction kit for the realization of an interactive Computer Graphics course

In [8] we described the concept and realization of a interactive computer graphics course combining lectures, example applets, programming exercises, documentation etc. within a common sophisticated web-based framework. This course allowed for adequate teaching of topics that require both, visualization and interaction. Although it greatly simplifies teaching and learning of the various contents extending the course is still difficult for several reasons: the restricted reusability of its programmed components, the complexity of the particular applets, the complicated low-level programming of the applets and various inhomogeneous API’s. Recently, new platform independent software component models like JavaBeans appeared that allow to write reusable components and compose them in a visual builder tool into new applications. In this paper we describe how we used such models to transform the existing course into a modular construction kit consisting of components of teaching text and program classes. The program classes consists of Java Beans which can be composed together into an application using a Visual builder Tool. Although the components are used for the generation of a computer graphics course they are much more general and might also be used for the generation of other extendable and interactive Web-based courses.