Providing equivalent learning activities with software-based remote access laboratories

Laboratory-based learning activities are important components of engineering and surveying education and it is difficult to offering practical activities to distance education students. Remote Access Laboratory (RAL) systems are widely discussed as learning tools to offer students remote access to rigs or hardware. In some disciplines laboratory activities are purely software based and RAL systems can be used to provide access to software. As part of a larger study into the transferability of the remote laboratory concept to non-engineering disciplines this project evaluates the effectiveness of RAL based software activities in supporting student learning is investigated. In the discipline of Surveying and Spatial Science, RAL technology is used to provide Geographic Information System software access to distance students. The key research question discussed in this paper is whether RALbased software activities can address the same learning outcomes as face-to-face practical classes for software activities. Data was collected from students' discussion forums, teaching staff diaries and teaching staff interviews. The project demonstrates that students undertaking learning activities remotely achieve similar learning outcomes than student in practice classes using the same software. Ease of system access and usability are critical and the learning activity needs to be supported by comprehensive learning materials. This research provides a clear case in which the use of RAL technology has provided inclusive educational opportunities more efficiently and these general results are also applicable to experiments that involve physical hardware

Evolving practices of end user articulation in software co-design

The work is focused on new techniques and practices that support end user to get involved in software co-design. Social networks, variations of self-documentation and new interactive technologies enable new forms of user involvement in software development projects. The potential of new practices and also the issues that come with these methods will be reflected.Die Arbeit thematisiert neue Technologien und Praktiken zur Unterstützung der Nutzereinbindung im Software Co-Design. Soziale Netzwerke, Variationen der Selbstdokumentation und neue interaktive Technologien ermöglichen neue Formen der Beteiligung an Software Entwicklungsprojekten. Das Potential neuer Praktiken und auch die Herausforderungen bei der Anwendung solcher Methoden werden reflektiert

Building, Testing and Assessing a Learning Management System

This paper summarizes the experiences of our research group in managing the full process of building, testing and assessing a Learning Management System for a educational institution. We will show how we moved across the “make or buy” dilemma that normally educational institutions have to face when deciding to implement a support for online and distance learning activities. We will deal with this theme by referring to systems and prototypes developed by our research group. Specifically, we will describe our experiences in realizing systems for making didactic material available on Internet, such as in the Learning Management Systems - LMS. This experience is based on what has been developed, tested, and put to use in some faculties of the University of Trento, where non-traditional learning environments in which students require more than the traditional face-to-face lessons are becoming ever more important. The prototypes produced are based on platform-independent technologies, and they make it possible to broaden one’s horizons, even for those students, such as lifelong learners, who want freedom from time constraints and also freedom from some technological constraints that are imposed by some forms of distance education currently available on the market. Some extensions to mobile tools like PDA, tablet PC, cellular phones etc. are presented, with regards to the impact of their introduction on the LMS and in general on the information system of the institution

Issues Related to the Emergence of the Information Superhighway and California Societal Changes, IISTPS Report 96-4

The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies (IISTPS) at San José State University (SJSU) conducted this project to review the continuing development of the Internet and the Information Superhighway. Emphasis was placed on an examination of the impact on commuting and working patterns in California, and an analysis of how public transportation agencies, including Caltrans, might take advantage of the new communications technologies. The document reviews the technology underlying the current Internet “structure” and examines anticipated developments. It is important to note that much of the research for this limited-scope project was conducted during 1995, and the topic is so rapidly evolving that some information is almost automatically “dated.” The report also examines how transportation agencies are basically similar in structure and function to other business entities, and how they can continue to utilize the emerging technologies to improve internal and external communications. As part of a detailed discussion of specific transportation agency functions, it is noted that the concept of a “Roundtable Forum,” growing out of developments in Concurrent Engineering, can provide an opportunity for representatives from multiple jurisdictions to utilize the Internet for more coordinated decision-making. The report also included an extensive analysis of demographic trends in California in recent years, such as commute and recreational activities, and identifies how the emerging technologies may impact future changes

Online Service Quality Evaluation for Residential Hall in Universiti Utara Malaysia

The advantages of internet services cannot be overemphasized especially in the academic environment where it is mainly used for e-learning as online services. The universities are known to provide for their students by giving them shelters, known as Student Hall of Residence. Maybank Hall of Residence officers provide many services for their occupants in the hall. However, these services are yet to be evaluated in order to know the services quality they are giving to their occupants. This project designs a requirement model and developed a prototype to allow the Service Quality for the occupants of the Maybank Student Hall of Residence to evaluate the services using the on-line evaluation system. The result generated during the implantation phase of this project shows that the system is effective and easy to learn