Integrating testing techniques through process programming

Integration of multiple testing techniques is required to demonstrate high quality of software. Technique integration has three basic goals: incremental testing capabilities, extensive error detection, and cost-effective application. We are experimenting with the use of process programming as a mechanism of integrating testing techniques. Having set out to integrate DATA FLOW testing and RELAY, we proposed synergistic use of these techniques to achieve all three goals. We developed a testing process program much as we would develop a software product from requirements through design to implementation and evaluation. We found process programming to be effective for explicitly integrating the techniques and achieving the desired synergism. Used in this way, process programming also mitigates many of the other problems that plague testing in the software development process

Towards a narrative-oriented framework for designing mathematical learning

This paper proposes a narrative-oriented approach to the design of educational activities, as well as a CSCL system to support them, in the context of learning mathematics. Both Mathematics and interface design seem unrelated to narrative. Mathematical language, as we know it, is devoid of time and person. Computer interfaces are static and non-linear. Yet, as Bruner (1986; 1990) and others show, narrative is a powerful cognitive and epistemological tool. The questions we wish to explore are - - If, and how, can mathematical meaning be expressed in narrative forms - without compromising rigour? - What are the narrative aspects of user interface? How can interface design be guided by notions of narrative? - How can we harness the power of narrative in teaching mathematics, in a CSCL environment? We begin by giving a brief account of the use of narrative in educational theory. We will describe the environment and tools used by the WebLabs project, and report on one of our experiments. We will then describe our narrative-oriented framework, by using it to analyze both the environment and the experiment described

Cloudworks: social networking for learning design

Why do some social networking services work and others fail? Can we apply the best of Web 2.0 principles to an educational context? More specifically can we use this as a means of shifting teaching practice to a culture of sharing learning ideas and designs? Can we harness the potential of technologies to create more engaging learning experiences for students? These are the key questions this paper addresses. We describe how we are using the concept of 'object-orientated social networking' to underpin the creation of a social networking tool, Cloudworks, for sharing learning ideas and designs

How Not to Build a CubeSat – Lessons Learned from Developing and Launching NMSU\u27s First CubeSat

Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer (INCA), a student led CubeSat project at New Mexico State University (NMSU). INCA is launching on NASA’s ELaNa 20 mission carrying a neutron detector designed and built by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The INCA mission is the first spacecraft built by New Mexico State University in many years, as such, the program was essentially started from scratch with minimal pre-existing resources. While eventually successful, INCA took many missteps along the way, starting out as a 6U, eventually being completely redesigned to a 3U, before launching after around six years of development. This paper documents INCA’s design, build, and early operations, along the way the team learned many lessons about designing and building a small satellite in the context of a university program. This paper is targeted at new university teams considering starting a mission, documenting best practices learned by the INCA team, and some pitfalls to avoid