629 research outputs found
New generation E-learning technology by Web Services.
This paper discusses a new approach to build infrastructures for E-Learning systems for Learning Software Organizations on the basis of Web Services. A requirements context is developed to determine which type of E-Learning applications that can be Web Service Enabled. This is illustrated with a case study on an Encapsulated Software Teaching Environment. Additional facilities, such as didactical agents and deep personalization to facilitate Learning Software Organizations are discussed at the end.
An ABC-Based Approach for Operational Business-ICT Alignment
This paper focuses on Business-ICT Alignment at the operations level by means of anActivity-Based Costing approach. The Service and Technology Operations are defined as cost drivers forthe Business and Service Activities by using analytical production functions (so-called profiles). It isexplained how Service Level Agreements are the boundary conditions for determining these profiles.Managing the profiles ensures operational Business-ICT Alignment, especially for Capacity Planningand Cost Management and comparative Total Cost of Ownership evaluation purposes. Two Case Studiesillustrate the methodology
Greater Space Means More Service: Leveraging the innovative power of architecture and design
Organizational structures certainly are of great importance in order to determine employees’ behaviour and performance. On the other hand, physical structures also significantly influence the way staff and customers view any company and interact with it. In service based activity, such as in retailing, banking, hospitality, and so, firms and institutions are competing thanks to innovations in products/services, delivery processes, and management styles. Innovative approaches may also materialize into the design of facilities. Service providers are in a position to significantly improve convenience, productivity, and attractiveness by designing space and defining appropriate layout carefully. This pattern also has to include identification of the meanings, characterization of size and qualification of the process by which any service facility delivers messages. In the last session of the paper, we address a particular type of service facilities, namely the buildings of institutions for higher education in management. The objective is then to analyze how facilities have evolved in order to cope with the change affecting business education.Service; innovation; architecture; working place; corporate symbols
A VISUAL DESIGN METHOD AND ITS APPLICATION TO HIGH RELIABILITY HYPERMEDIA SYSTEMS
This work addresses the problem of the production of hypermedia
documentation for applications that require high reliability, particularly
technical documentation in safety critical industries. One requirement of this
application area is for the availability of a task-based organisation, which
can guide and monitor such activities as maintenance and repair. In safety
critical applications there must be some guarantee that such sequences are
correctly presented. Conventional structuring and design methods for
hypermedia systems do not allow such guarantees to be made. A formal
design method that is based on a process algebra is proposed as a solution
to this problem. Design methods of this kind need to be accessible to
information designers. This is achieved by use of a technique already
familiar to them: the storyboard. By development of a storyboard notation
that is syntactically equivalent to a process algebra a bridge is made
between information design and computer science, allowing formal analysis
and refinement of the specification drafted by information designers.
Process algebras produce imperative structures that do not map easily into
the declarative formats used for some hypermedia systems, but can be
translated into concurrent programs. This translation process, into a
language developed by the author, called ClassiC, is illustrated and the
properties that make ClassiC a suitable implementation target discussed.
Other possible implementation targets are evaluated, and a comparative
illustration given of translation into another likely target, Java
New concepts integration on e-learning platforms
The learning experience has evolved into the virtual world of the Internet, where learners
have the possibility to shift from face-to-face learning environments to virtual learning environments supported by technologies. This concept, called e-learning, emerged in the early 1960s where a group of researchers from the Stanford University, USA began experimenting different ways to publish and assign learning content using a computer. These experiments were the beginning that led to the creation of countless learning platforms, initially constructed in standalone environments and later ported to the Internet as Webbased
learning platforms. As initial objectives, these learning platforms include a collection
of features to support instructors and learners in the learning process. However, some of these platforms continued to be based on an old instructor-centered learning model and created a collection of outdated technologies that, given the current need to a learner-center learning model and the existence of Web 2.0 technologies, become inadequate. As a solution to address and overcome these challenges, a friendly user interface and a correct root incorporation of Web 2.0 services a platform designed to focus the learning experience and environment personalization into the learner is needed to propose.
In an operating system (OS) context the graphic user interface (GUI) is guided by a collection of approaches that details how human beings should interact with computers. These are the key ideas to customize, install, and organize virtual desktops. The combination of desktop concepts into a learning platform can be an asset to reduce the learning curve necessary to know how to use the system and also to create a group of flexible learning services. However, due to limitations in hypertext transfer protocol-hypertext markup language (HTTP-HTML)
traditional solutions, to shift traditional technologies to a collection of rich Internet
application (RIA) technologies and personal learning environments (PLEs) concepts is needed, in order to construct a desktop-like learning platform. RIA technologies will allow the design of powerful Web solutions containing many of the characteristics of desktop-like applications.
Additionally, personal learning environments (PLEs) will help learners to manage learning
contents.
In this dissertation the personal learning environment box (PLEBOX) is presented. The PLEBOX platform is a customizable, desktop-like platform similar to the available operating systems, based on personal learning environments concepts and rich Internet applications technologies that provide a better learning environment for users. PLEBOX developers have a set of tools that allow the creation of learning and management modules that can be installed on the platform. These tools are management learning components and interfaces built as APIs, services, and objects of the software development kit (SDK). A group of prototype modules were build for evaluation of learning and management services, APIs, and SDKs. Furthermore, three case studies were created in order to evaluate and demonstrate the learning service usage in external environments. The PLEBOX deployment and corresponding features confirms that this platform can be seen as a very promising e-learning platform. Exhaustive experiments were driven with success and it is ready for use.A experiência de aprendizagem baseada em tecnologias evoluiu para o mundo virtual da
Internet, onde os alunos têm a possibilidade de mudar uma aprendizagem presencial em sala
de aula para uma aprendizagem baseada em ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem suportados
por tecnologias. O conceito de e-learning surgiu nos anos sessenta (1960) quando um grupo de
investigadores da Universidade de Standford, nos Estados Unidos, começaram a experimentar
diferentes formas de publicar e atribuir conteúdos de aprendizagem através do computador.
Estas experiências marcaram o começo que levou à criação de inúmeras plataformas de
aprendizagem, inicialmente construÃdas em ambientes isolados e depois migradas para a
Internet como plataformas de aprendizagem baseadas na Web. Como objectivos inicias, estas
plataformas de aprendizagem incluem um conjunto de recursos para apoiar professores e
alunos no processo de aprendizagem. No entanto, algumas destas plataformas continuam a
ser baseadas em velhos modelos de aprendizagem centrados no professor, criadas com base
em tecnologias ultrapassadas que, dadas as necessidades actuais de um modelo de
aprendizagem centrado no aluno e da existência de tecnologias baseadas na Web 2.0, se
tornaram inadequadas. Como abordagem para enfrentar e superar estes desafios propõem-se
uma plataforma focada na personalização do ambiente de aprendizagem do aluno, composta
por uma interface amigável e uma correcta incorporação de raiz de serviços da Web 2.0.
No contexto dos sistemas operativos (SOs) o graphic user interface (GUI) é desenhado tendo
em conta um conjunto de abordagens que detalha como as pessoas devem interagir com os
computadores. Estas são as ideias chave para personalizar, instalar e organizar áreas de
trabalho virtuais. A combinação do conceito desktop com uma plataforma de aprendizagem
pode ser um trunfo para reduzir a curva de aprendizagem necessária para saber como utilizar
o sistema e também para criar um grupo de serviços flexÃveis de aprendizagem. No entanto,
devido as limitações em soluções tradicionais hypertext transfer protocol - hypertext markup
language (HTTP - HTML), é necessário migrar estas tecnologias para um grupo de tecnologias
rich Internet application (RIA) e conceitos presentes em ambientes personalizados de
aprendizagem (personal learning environment - PLE) para construir uma plataforma baseada
em ambientes de trabalho virtuais de aprendizagem. As tecnologias RIA irão permitir a
criação de soluções Web poderosas que contêm muitas das caracterÃsticas disponÃveis em
aplicações desktop. Adicionalmente, o conceitos de PLE irá ajudar os alunos a gerir os seus
próprios conteúdos de aprendizagem.
Nesta dissertação, com base nas caracterÃsticas apresentadas anteriormente, é apresentada a
personal learning environment box (PLEBOX). A plataforma PLEBOX é uma solução de
aprendizagem parametrizável com um ambiente de trabalho semelhante aos sistemas operativos actuais, baseando-se em personal learning environments e tecnologias RIA que
fornecem um melhor ambiente de aprendizagem para os seus utilizadores. Os programadores
da PLEBOX têm ao seu dispor um conjunto de ferramentas que permitem a criação de
módulos de aprendizagem e administração que podem ser instalados na plataforma. Estas
ferramentas são componentes de aprendizagem e interfaces construÃdos como APIs, serviços e
objectos do software development kit (SDK). Foi construÃdo um conjunto de módulos com o
objectivo de avaliar e demonstrar os serviços de aprendizagem, os serviços de gestão, APIs e
SDKs. Para além disso, foram criados três casos de estudo para avaliar e demonstrar a
utilização dos serviços de aprendizagem em ambientes externos. O desenvolvimento
efectuado até ao momento na PLEBOX e respectivos recursos confirma que esta plataforma
pode ser vista com uma promissora plataforma de aprendizagem (e-learning), totalmente
modular e adaptativa. Realizaram-se experiências exaustivas para testar a plataforma e estas
foram realizadas com sucesso num ambiente real, estando assim a plataforma pronta para
exploração real
Programming language trends : an empirical study
Predicting the evolution of software engineering technology trends is a dubious proposition. The recent evolution of software technology is a prime example; it is fast paced and affected by many factors, which are themselves driven by a wide range of sources. This dissertation is part of a long term project intended to analyze software engineering technology trends and how they evolve. Basically, the following questions will be answered: How to watch, predict, adapt to, and affect software engineering trends?
In this dissertation, one field of software engineering, programming languages, will be discussed. After reviewing the history of a group of programming languages, it shows that two kinds of factors, intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors, could affect the evolution of a programming language. Intrinsic factors are the factors that can be used to describe the general desigu criteria of programming languages. Extrinsic factors are the factors that are not directly related to the general attributes of programming languages, but still can affect their evolution. In order to describe the relationship of these factors and how they affect programming language trends, these factors need to be quantified. A score has been assigued to each factor for every programming language. By collecting historical data, a data warehouse has been established, which stores the value of each factor for every programming language. The programming language trends are described and evaluated by using these data.
Empirical research attempts to capture observed behaviors by empirical laws. In this dissertation, statistical methods are used to describe historical programming language trends and predict the evolution of the future trends. Several statistics models are constructed to describe the relationships among these factors. Canonical correlation is used to do the factor analysis. Multivariate multiple regression method has been used to construct the statistics models for programming language trends. After statistics models are constructed to describe the historical programming language trends, they are extended to do tentative prediction for future trends. The models are validated by comparing the predictive data and the actual data
Online Examination System for Introduction to Management course
Online Exam System for introduction to management is an application that designed and developed for students and lecturers. The system helps students to take examination online. It helps also lecturers to upload the questions and answers in the database and they can see the students who fail or pass the exam. The software is developed using Java programming language and database.
In the software we can register as a user and users are of two categories which are Lecturer and Student. Before using the system both users need to register and after that they must login with their username and password in order to enter the system. The online examination system for introduction to management is constituted of different components for instance login function, insertion of data in the database, extraction of data from the database.
The problem with the current system is that students take their exam manually. This outdated system will take long time utilization; the manual procedure used for conducting exam is time consuming process. More time being used for lecturers to bring the questions papers and answer sheets and also more time is needed for students in order to write their exam
Data Persistence in Eiffel
This dissertation describes an extension to the Eiffel programming language that provides automatic object persistence (the ability of programs to store objects and later recreate those objects in a subsequent execution of a program). The mechanism is orthogonal to other aspects of the Eiffel language. The mechanism serves four main purposes: 1) it gives Eiffel programmers a needed service, filling a gap between serialization, which provides limited persistence functions and database-mapping, which is cumbersome to use; 2) it greatly reduces the coding burden incurred by the programmer when objects must persist, allowing the programmer to focus instead on the business model; 3) it provides a platform for testing the benefits of orthogonal persistence in Eiffel, and 4) it furnishes a model for orthogonal persistence in other object-oriented languages.
During my research, I created a prototype implementation of the persistence mechanism using it effectively in several programs. Performance measurements showed acceptable performance with some increase in program memory usage. The prototype gives the programmer the ability to add automatic persistence to existing code with the addition of only a few lines of code. The size of this additional code remains constant regardless of the total number of lines of code in the project. Eiffel syntax remains unchanged and nonpersistent Eiffel code runs as is while incur- ring only a very small speed penalty
Fifth generation networking principles for a service driven future Internet architecture
Published version of an article published in Wireless Personal Communications, vol. 57:393-411. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11277-010-0076-7The vision of all-IP networks where IP forms the simple common layer understandable across the whole network has undeniable advantages. However, such simplicity comes as a major hurdle to flexibility and functionality to the architecture. This is evident from the increasingly numerous and complex engineering solutions and optimizations required to accommodate essential qualities like mobility, security, realtime communication support etc or to mitigate the shortcomings inherent in the 'traditional Internet' architecture. While a clean slate approach to address these shortcomings is not an option in a realistic scenario, it is important to examine the architecture as a whole to address emerging network requirements and overcome existing shortcomings at the architecture level rather than engineering solutions to an existing inefficient one. This architectural re-examination should also facilitate discussion into what design principles for future generations of Network Architectures which will eventually replace the design tenets for the current Internet. While 3G and 4G systems were more focussed on convergence towards an All-IP network and some improvements in the core network, the architectural design remains stagnant with layered paradigms and inherent inefficiencies. A departure from this shackled approach could be the distinguishing feature of 5G systems and beyond. We claim that there is a pressing need to move towards a Next Generation Network architecture built to natively support requirements such as network resource abstraction, mobility, security, enhanced routing, privacy, context communications, QoS, parallel processing, heterogeneous networking etc. Instead of treating the network as just providing connectivity specified by endpoints, it is of great advantage to applications to recognise it as a service characterized by attributes, abstracted to a higher level to represent a collection of capabilities that the network offers. This uniform high level abstraction can effectively mask the heterogeneity and implementation discrepancies in the underlying infrastructure. Besides, in a network environment where an connectivity instance might transverse diverse business/ownership/capability domains, the approach proposed in this article can provide a transparent abstraction for resource negotiations across the domain to be available for end-to-end setup. This architectural change should also be manifested according to the principles of SOA to ensure interoperability, backwards compatibility and migration. In this article, we introduce a Service Oriented framework and network architecture aimed at tackling the heterogeneity of emerging requirements and proposed solutions into a coherent interoperable architecture using Web Services specifications as the basic standards. We propose to model the new architecture on relationships between entities and discuss the motivation this new architecture in the form of a new framework called ROSA
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