Application of IoT and BEMS to Visualise the Environmental Performance of an Educational Building

This paper presents the application of Internet of Things (IoT) Technology and Building Energy Management System (BEMS) within the Marylebone Campus of the University of Westminster, located in central London, to improve the environmental performance of the existing building as well as enhance the learning experience on energy and sustainability. Sixty IoT sensors connected to minicomputers were planned to be deployed within three floors of the building to continuously measure the real-time environmental parameters, such as dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, illuminance level, carbon dioxide, and sound levels. Experimental workshops were also arranged with undergraduate and post-graduate students at their classrooms using IoT sensors, portable Bluetooth sensors and online questionnaires to increase awareness of the effect of environmental and behavioural changes on energy saving through real-time visualisation. Users’ subjective feedback on their workplace was also collected through Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) questionnaire surveys. The results show the effectiveness of IoT systems and BEMS in supplying the building users and management with high-resolution, low-cost data acquisition systems highlighting the existing challenges and future scopes. The study also documents the process and the improvement in students’ awareness of environmental and energy performance of their building through IoT data visualizations and POE

Internet of Things-aided Smart Grid: Technologies, Architectures, Applications, Prototypes, and Future Research Directions

Traditional power grids are being transformed into Smart Grids (SGs) to address the issues in existing power system due to uni-directional information flow, energy wastage, growing energy demand, reliability and security. SGs offer bi-directional energy flow between service providers and consumers, involving power generation, transmission, distribution and utilization systems. SGs employ various devices for the monitoring, analysis and control of the grid, deployed at power plants, distribution centers and in consumers' premises in a very large number. Hence, an SG requires connectivity, automation and the tracking of such devices. This is achieved with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). IoT helps SG systems to support various network functions throughout the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy by incorporating IoT devices (such as sensors, actuators and smart meters), as well as by providing the connectivity, automation and tracking for such devices. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey on IoT-aided SG systems, which includes the existing architectures, applications and prototypes of IoT-aided SG systems. This survey also highlights the open issues, challenges and future research directions for IoT-aided SG systems

mLearning, development and delivery : creating opportunity and enterprise within the HE in FE context

This research project was funded by ESCalate in 2006-7 to support Somerset College in developing the curriculum, as well as widening participation via the use of mobile communications technologies such as mp3 players and mobile phones. The Project represents a highly topical and timely engagement with the opportunities for learning provided by the burgeoning use of mobile computing/ communications devices. Activities bring together colleagues from Teacher Education and Multimedia Computing in an innovative approach to designing for and delivering the curriculum. The Project addresses pedagogic issues and also vitally involves current and future learners, providing them with a new context for skills development and entrepreneurship. Anticipated outcomes include informed development of new HE modules and professional CPD activities which address the skills and context of this emerging approach to delivering the curriculum. The Project also intends to trial and evaluate the use of mobile technologies to support a blended learning approach to programme delivery and the development of a FD module which could be delivered via a mobile computing device. An interim report and a final project report are available as Word and PDF file

An investigation into the security behaviour of tertiary students regarding mobile device security

The use of mobile devices is becoming more popular by the day. With all the different features that the smart mobile devices possess, it is starting to replace personal computers both for personal use and business use. There are also more attacks concerning security on mobile devices because of their increased usage and the security measures not as effective and well-known as on personal computers. The perceived perception is that the young adult population does not act safely and they have a low level of technical advanced knowledge when using their mobile devices. Mobile users are largely responsible to protect themselves and other users from a security viewpoint. This paper reports on a study including a survey done regarding the behaviour of tertiary students concerning security of their mobile devices. Aspects of mobile device security will be discussed and the current status of tertiary students’ behaviour regarding mobile device security will be presented resulting from a survey conducted at a South African University. Findings indicate that tertiary students have diverse behaviour levels concerning mobile device security. The value of these results is that we can focus on specific content when educating smart device users on the subject of security including avoidance of risky or unsafe behaviour. Recommendations in this regard are presented in this paper

Effects of Real-World Experiences in Active Learning (R.E.A.L.) Applied in an Information Systems Data Communication and Networking Course

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of Real-World Experiences in Active Learning (R.E.A.L.) impacted student learning outcomes in an undergraduate information systems (IS) data communication and networking course. A quasi-experimental, quantitative approach was used to investigate whether the R.E.A.L. treatments, used as active learning strategies, significantly impacted student performance, short-term retention, long-term retention, and student engagement. The data collection was completed in one semester. Participants were students enrolled in an IS data communication and networking course during the Fall 2019 semester. The students, enrolled in the two sections of the course, were taught using a crossover design where each student received eight treatments. The researcher of the study served as the instructor for both sections. The research question and four hypotheses were analyzed using repeated measures MANCOVA and multi-level modeling (MLM). After a statistical analysis of the direct effects of the R.E.A.L. treatments on student performance, short term retention, long term retention, and engagement, none of the four hypotheses were fully supported. The results indicated that the R.E.A.L. xiii treatments did not significantly impact the student learning outcomes from the course. Research findings partially supported hypothesis H1 indicating that age, ethnicity, and major have some influence on students’ performance and age may have some influence on short-term retention. Statistically significant results were obtained for the H1a Network treatment (F(1,28) = 6.033, p = 0.021, partial η2 = 0.177), meaning that the mean for the H1a Network treatment (M = 90.842) was significantly different than the lecture mean (M = 75.533). The H1b Handshake treatment (F(1,28) = 15.405, p = .001, partial η2 = 0.355) and the H1c Wireless treatment (F(1,28) = 11.385, p = .002, partial η2 = 0.289) produced results in the reverse direction of what was hypothesized, meaning that the mean for the H1b Handshake treatment (M = 49.800) and the H1c Wireless treatment (M = 86.842) were significantly lower than the lecture means for both hypothesis tests. Research findings partially supported hypothesis H2 indicating that age may have influence on short-term retention. Statistically significant results were obtained for the H2e Network speed treatment (F(1,28) = 5.709, p = 0.024, partial η2 = 0.164) and H2f Network management treatment (F(1,28) = 5.654, p = 0.024, partial η2 = 0.163). However, findings from the MLM post hoc tests of direct, interaction, and indirect effects did show some areas for future work in certain demographics, especially gender and ethnicity. Findings of the study were not shown to be significant however, the post hoc testing revealed areas where future work could be beneficial

Using Adobe Flash Lite on mobile phones for psychological research: reaction time measurement reliability and inter-device variability

Mobile telephones have significant potential for use in psychological research, possessing unique characteristics—not least their ubiquity—that may make them useful tools for psychologists. We examined whether it is possible to measure reaction times (RTs) accurately using Adobe Flash Lite on mobile phones. We ran simple and choice RT experiments on two widely available mobile phones, a Nokia 6110 Navigator and a Sony Ericsson W810i, using a wireless application protocol (WAP) connection to access the Internet from the devices. RTs were compared within subjects with those obtained using a Linux-based millisecond-accurate measurement system. Results show that measured RTs were significantly longer on mobile devices, and that overall RTs and distribution of RTs varied across device

Looking to the future: M-learning with the iPad

Might Apple’s new iPad gain unprecedented traction in education, or is just another example of the over-hyping of new devices in a time of technological determinism (Postman, 2000)? This paper explores the potential affordances and limitations of the Apple iPad in the wider context of emergent mobile learning theory, and the social and economic drivers that fuel technology development. Against the background of effective teaching and learning, the functionality offered by the iPad, and its potential uses for learning, are discussed. A critical review of the way the iPad may support learning, that draws on learning theory, contemporary articles and e-learning literature, suggests that the device may offer an exciting platform for consuming and creating content in a collaborative, interactive way. However, of greater importance is that effective, evidence-driven, innovative practices, combined with a clear-sighted assessment of the advantages and limitations of any product, should take priority over the device itself

Internet of robotic things : converging sensing/actuating, hypoconnectivity, artificial intelligence and IoT Platforms

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is evolving rapidly and influencing newdevelopments in various application domains, such as the Internet of MobileThings (IoMT), Autonomous Internet of Things (A-IoT), Autonomous Systemof Things (ASoT), Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), Internetof Things Clouds (IoT-C) and the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) etc.that are progressing/advancing by using IoT technology. The IoT influencerepresents new development and deployment challenges in different areassuch as seamless platform integration, context based cognitive network integration,new mobile sensor/actuator network paradigms, things identification(addressing, naming in IoT) and dynamic things discoverability and manyothers. The IoRT represents new convergence challenges and their need to be addressed, in one side the programmability and the communication ofmultiple heterogeneous mobile/autonomous/robotic things for cooperating,their coordination, configuration, exchange of information, security, safetyand protection. Developments in IoT heterogeneous parallel processing/communication and dynamic systems based on parallelism and concurrencyrequire new ideas for integrating the intelligent “devices”, collaborativerobots (COBOTS), into IoT applications. Dynamic maintainability, selfhealing,self-repair of resources, changing resource state, (re-) configurationand context based IoT systems for service implementation and integrationwith IoT network service composition are of paramount importance whennew “cognitive devices” are becoming active participants in IoT applications.This chapter aims to be an overview of the IoRT concept, technologies,architectures and applications and to provide a comprehensive coverage offuture challenges, developments and applications