BPS2026 – Developing interactive teaching applications in HTML5/JavaScript: Tools for non-programmers

Interactive simulation software has long been used to complement the teaching of biophysical concepts, with evidence favoring its use both within the classroom and laboratory. Until recently, instructors have been somewhat limited to existing software already available through free and commercial sources. In addition to being typically produced with the assistance of experienced software developers, these programs may be limited in scope or otherwise not address the core principles the instructor wishes to convey. Furthermore, many of these programs are also limited in cross-platform compatibility, with few that can be as easily accessed via mobile phone as via computer. Fortunately, the popularization of HTML5/JavaScript-based videogame development software targeted toward non-programmers, and the tremendous advances in large language model (LLM)-assisted programming, have provided powerful tools with which instructors can create their own interactive teaching content. Programs produced in HTML5/JavaScript have the benefit of being accessible to any device capable of running a browser, making them easy for students to use in the classroom and to integrate effectively into any learning management system. Here, we provide examples of the sorts of programs that can be developed using a combination of generative AI and videogame development software. These range from simple models of the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz voltage equation and plasma concentration time curves, to more complex simulations of action potential propagation and drug-evoked tissue responses. In each case, we describe the steps taken to produce the programs highlighted and suggest ways in which they might be employed within the learning environment.