Language design for a personal learning environment design language

Approaching technology-enhanced learning from the perspective of a learner, we foster the idea of learning environment design, learner interactions, and tool interoperability. In this paper, we shortly summarize the motivation for our personal learning environment approach and describe the development of a domain-specific language for this purpose as well as its realization in practice. Consequently, we examine our learning environment design language according to its lexis and syntax, the semantics behind it, and pragmatical aspects within a first prototypic implementation. Finally, we discuss strengths, problematic aspects, and open issues of our approach

Development of a MATLAB/Simulink - Arduino environment for experimental practices in control engineering teaching

This project presents the steps followed when implementing a platform based on MATLAB/Simulink and Arduino for the restoration of digital control practices. During this project, an Arduino shield has being designed. Along with this, a web page has also been created where all the material done during all this project is available and can be freely used. So anyone interested on doing a project can have a starting point instead of starting a project from scratch, which most of times this results hard to implement. Taking all this into account, the document is structured in the following manner. The first chapter talks about the hardware used and designed. The second one explains the software used and the configurations done on the laboratory’s PCs. After that, the web page Duino-Based Learning is explained, where you can find the five projects carried out in the "Control Automàtic" subject with their corresponding results. In this section too, as an additional research, the implemented indirect adaptive control will be explained, where the parameter estimation has been done by the Recursive Least Square algorithm. The last four sections before presenting the conclusions of the work, correspond to a satisfaction questionnaire done to the teachers that have used the setup, the costs and saves of the project, the environmental impact and the planning of the project respectively

Adaptive E-Learning Based on Learner's Styles

In this paper, a new model for adaptive e-learning based on learner's styles is presented. In the previous work, the dimensions of learner's styles given by Felder-Silverman did not consider some important issues of the learner himself. Here, new learner's parameters such as his social environment, health conditions, psychological and economical states are taken into account. Such parameters greatly affect the ability of student to learn and understand. Therefore, in order to perfectly recognize the ability of the student to be interactive in the leaning environment and accept information, new learner's styles are added to the dimensions of Felder-Silverman learning style model and our previous work [24]. The new proposed model is applied for logic gates and functions used in data encoding and computer networks. Such model presents suitable courses for each student in a dynamic and adaptive manner using existing database and workflow technologies. Furthermore, it is powerful, user friendly and easy to interpret. Moreover, it suggests a learning strategy and appropriate electronic media that match the learner’s preference

VoIP Packet Delay Techniques: A Survey

The continuous development in the field of communication have paved the way for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP is a group of hardware and software that facilitates people to utilize the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls by transmitting voice data in packets using IP instead of using conventional circuit transmissions of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). At present, VoIP is becoming an important tool for quick communication across the world. There are several Internet telephony applications existing at present. The major disadvantage in VoIP is that the packet delay. In VoIP, the terminology jitter is used to refer the type of packet delay where the delay has a huge setback in the quality of the voice conversation. Several packet delay techniques were proposed in recent years. Some of the important packet delay techniques are discussed in the literature. This survey would definitely help the researchers to carry out their research for providing better communication in VoIP without any delay

Low-cost Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) Simulator for Simulation and Analysis of Embedded Systems with non-real-time Applications

Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation is an approach that is used for embedded systems testing which was popular in the early days of embedded systems. This technology was wrapped and was stored away for a long time. One of the main reasons is that the less use of embedded systems in society. Recent developments in embedded systems, data science, and control systems lead to a focus on testing these systems. The earliest method of testing these systems was by doing destructive testing which is a waste of money, resources, and time. The HIL provided a safe and economical way of testing the embedded systems while in development. The major problem is that HIL systems are really expensive and normal users, hobbyists, and students cannot afford them. Usually, they are the group who are most effectively burning up electrical systems while testing and learning on systems. There are many types of research on HIL and its use in many applications. Mostly they are on an industry level or highly funded researches. The normal users or our targeted users do not have access to such advanced equipment. The HIL is used recently for rapid designing of embedded systems for nuclear power plants and vehicles. This system is simulating the external environment and sensors and actuators to the embedded system which make them ``feel like\u27\u27 they are in the actual environment. By this the embedded systems responses and state changes are monitored which help the developers to debug quickly than conventional methods. Our main target is to create a low-cost device but which can perform nearly good as the industry-level simulators. This helps these users to create embedded systems in very low cost and test them rapidly than their conventional method of destructive testing. This saves the users resources , money, and time. As an example a user can create a motor control system and test the embedded systems (motor control systems main controlling unit) proper functioning while the user code the system. This also prevents users making mistakes and burning the electrical equipment while testing (destructive testing). The users can make more accurate and complex systems with lesser effort than the previous manual process. The start of this journey is to create a system that can detect slow processing elements and their changes. We have used 4 System designs that are different from one another by several small factors and tested them using several conditions. We also have implemented a communication protocol which is using the wireless network. This is enabling the users to remotely access and control these simulators. The controllers we have used are Arduino Mega, Node MCU, and TSM320 DSP. The devices we have designed were undergone different test strategies and criteria to be selected. The main concern was to have a device with lowest cost as possible within little change in hardware elements and with highest precision and efficiency of monitoring. We have selected the Device two which is Arduino Mega which is connected to a Multiplexer switch and WiFi module that we have designed. This development is done to show that the target of making a HIL is achievable for slow systems at a very lower cost. This also proves that this could help normal users, hobbyists, and students with their work in embedded systems without damaging the hardware and in a lower time span

Low-Cost Inventions and Patents

Inventions have led to the technological advances of mankind. There are inventions of all kinds, some of which have lasted hundreds of years or even longer. Low-cost technologies are expected to be easy to build, have little or no energy consumption, and be easy to maintain and operate. The use of sustainable technologies is essential in order to move towards a greater global coverage of technology, and therefore to improve human quality of life. Low-cost products always respond to a specific need, even if no in-depth analysis of the situation or possible solutions has been carried out. It is a consensus in all industrialized countries that patents have a decisive influence on the organization of the economy, as they are a key element in promoting technological innovation. Patents must aim to promote the technological development of countries, starting from their industrial situations

Building a Strong Undergraduate Research Culture in African Universities

Africa had a late start in the race to setting up and obtaining universities with research quality fundamentals. According to Mamdani [5], the first colonial universities were few and far between: Makerere in East Africa, Ibadan and Legon in West Africa. This last place in the race, compared to other continents, has had tremendous implications in the development plans for the continent. For Africa, the race has been difficult from a late start to an insurmountable litany of problems that include difficulty in equipment acquisition, lack of capacity, limited research and development resources and lack of investments in local universities. In fact most of these universities are very recent with many less than 50 years in business except a few. To help reduce the labor costs incurred by the colonial masters of shipping Europeans to Africa to do mere clerical jobs, they started training ―workshops‖ calling them technical or business colleges. According to Mamdani, meeting colonial needs was to be achieved while avoiding the ―Indian disease‖ in Africa -- that is, the development of an educated middle class, a group most likely to carry the virus of nationalism. Upon independence, most of these ―workshops‖ were turned into national ―universities‖, but with no clear role in national development. These national ―universities‖ were catering for children of the new African political elites. Through the seventies and eighties, most African universities were still without development agendas and were still doing business as usual. Meanwhile, governments strapped with lack of money saw no need of putting more scarce resources into big white elephants. By mid-eighties, even the UN and IMF were calling for a limit on funding African universities. In today‘s African university, the traditional curiosity driven research model has been replaced by a market-driven model dominated by a consultancy culture according to Mamdani (Mamdani, Mail and Guardian Online). The prevailing research culture as intellectual life in universities has been reduced to bare-bones classroom activity, seminars and workshops have migrated to hotels and workshop attendance going with transport allowances and per diems (Mamdani, Mail and Guardian Online). There is need to remedy this situation and that is the focus of this paper