E-Learning in Business

e-Learning is replacing face-to-face classroom instruction in a growing number of businesses, but what is the prospect for the continued proliferation of e-learning in business? On one hand, the quality of instruction, the cost effectiveness of new technology, a supportive e-learning educational culture, an expansion of the Internet, an increase in online courses, shorter business cycles, mergers, and increasing competition encourage business use of e-learning. On the other hand, employee reticence in using learning technologies, insufficient corporate investment, lack of business-relevant university courses, narrow bandwidth, and Internet access issues are constricting the business use of these technologies

Strange Bedfellows in the Personal Computer Industry: Technology Alliances between IBM and Apple

Until recently technological development in the personal computer industry could be characterized by the competition between two basic designs. The current dominant design in this industry is associated with the IBM and Microsoft personal computing architecture. The other version of personal computing originated in the Macintosh computer from Apple Computer Company. In recent years we also see an increasing number of alliances between IBM and Apple. Joint technological development appears to be a major and somewhat surprising objective of these alliances. This paper analyzes the technology alliances between these companies in the context of recent technological changes, focusing on the timing and the objectives of these alliances. Technology partnering between these proponents of competing basic designs are found to only materialize several years after the DOS-based design of IBM and Microsoft had become dominant. This study is of a qualitative and exploratory nature, using both a small data set and two case studies.management and organization theory ;

The Development of an Interactive Videodisc System

The thesis traces the development of interactive videodisc from origins based on early automatic machines through large-scale computer assisted learning (CAL) to microcomputer-based multi-media CAL. A comprehensive discussion of the interactive videodisc medium is provided, in terms of its features, advantages, problems, authoring and production processes, and educational applications. The requirements for interactive systems, and essential elements of video and videodisc technology are described. A relatively low-cost demonstration interactive videodisc system is developed in three phases, based on a BBC 'B' microcomputer and a Pioneer LD1100 videodisc player. In the first phase, software interfacing routines are developed in assembly language to control the player from the versatile interface adaptor (VIA) of the BBC micro. The signal control codes are based on a pulse code modulated format with uni-directional synchronous transmission. The interfacing routines are linked to, and driven by, a Basic program which provides full manual control of all player functions using the microcomputer keyboard. In the second phase, the interfacing routines are further extended to provide control linkage for interactive video application programs. Using a pilot videodisc, these Basic programs demonstrate interactive video techniques, including still frame access and the presentation of video sequences and sub-sequences. In the third phase, the application programs are converted to the authoring language, Microtext. The assembly language interfacing routines are developed into a corresponding Microtext extension command module. A mixer/genlock unit is used to provide graphics overlay of video still frames. An evaluation of the demonstration system is provided, in terms of developmental difficulties, its hardware and software features and capabilities, and its potential as a base for further suggested research work

Knowledge Extraction from Work Instructions through Text Processing and Analysis

The objective of this thesis is to design, develop and implement an automated approach to support processing of historical assembly data to extract useful knowledge about assembly instructions and time studies to facilitate the development of decision support systems, for a large automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM). At a conceptual level, this research establishes a framework for sustainable and scalable approach to extract knowledge from big data using techniques from Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML). Process sheets are text documents that contain detailed instructions to assemble a portion of the vehicle, specification of parts and tools to be used, and time study. To maintain consistency in the authorship process, assembly process sheets are required to be written in a standardized structure using controlled language. To realize this goal, 567 work instructions from 236 process sheets are parsed using Stanford parser using Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK) as a platform and a standard vocabulary consisting of 31 verbs is formed. Time study is the process of estimating assembly times from a predetermined motion time system, known as MTM, based on factors such as the activity performed by the associate, difficulty in assembling, parts and tools used, distance covered. The MTM compromises of a set of tables, constructed through statistical analysis and best-suited for batch production. These MTM tables are suggested based on the activity described in the work instruction text. The process of performing time studies for the process sheets is time consuming, labor intensive and error-prone. A set of (IF AND THEN ) rules are developed, by analyzing 1019 time study steps from 236 process sheets, that guide the user to an appropriate MTM table. These rules are computationally generated by a decision tree algorithm, J48, in WEKA, a machine learning software package. A decision support tool is developed to enable testing of the MTM mapping rules. The tool demonstrates how NLP techniques can be used to read work instructions authored in free-form text and provides MTM table suggestions to the planner. The accuracy of the MTM mapping rules is found to be 84.6%

Contrast sensitivity of insect motion detectors to natural images

How do animals regulate self-movement despite large variation in the luminance contrast of the environment? Insects are capable of regulating flight speed based on the velocity of image motion, but the mechanisms for this are unclear. The Hassenstein–Reichardt correlator model and elaborations can accurately predict responses of motion detecting neurons under many conditions but fail to explain the apparent lack of spatial pattern and contrast dependence observed in freely flying bees and flies. To investigate this apparent discrepancy, we recorded intracellularly from horizontal-sensitive (HS) motion detecting neurons in the hoverfly while displaying moving images of natural environments. Contrary to results obtained with grating patterns, we show these neurons encode the velocity of natural images largely independently of the particular image used despite a threefold range of contrast. This invariance in response to natural images is observed in both strongly and minimally motion-adapted neurons but is sensitive to artificial manipulations in contrast. Current models of these cells account for some, but not all, of the observed insensitivity to image contrast. We conclude that fly visual processing may be matched to commonalities between natural scenes, enabling accurate estimates of velocity largely independent of the particular scene

Using gaming paratexts in the literacy classroom

This paper illustrates how digital game paratexts may effectively be used in the high school English to meet a variety of traditional and multimodal literacy outcomes. Paratexts are texts that refer to digital gaming and game cultures, and using them in the classroom enables practitioners to focus on and valorise the considerable literacies and skills that young people develop and deploy in their engagement with digital gaming and game cultures. The effectiveness of valorizing paratexts in this manner is demonstrated through two examples of assessment by students in classes where teachers had designed curriculum and assessment activities using paratexts