Herramienta en línea para la programación y depuración remota de funciones lógicas digitales.

En el diseño de circuitos electrónicos digitales, los ejercicios y prácticas deben integrarse a los procesos de enseñanza. La mayoría de prácticas se realizan en espacios locales, como aulas de laboratorio especializadas; sin embargo, la educación en línea se ha fortalecido y actualmente es posible experimentar desde ubicaciones remotas. En este trabajo se describen los principales aportes realizados por grupos de investigación en el campo de los laboratorios en línea, enfocándose en los sistemas electrónicos digitales. Se describe también una herramienta software desarrollada para la programación remota de funciones lógicas digitales, que apoya la enseñanza de los Sistemas Digitales. Esta herramienta fue diseñada para trabajo local o en red y permite a los usuarios interactuar con un conjunto de herramientas para la configuración de un FPGA Cyclone II sobre una tarjeta de desarrollo DE2-70

Client-Server Architecture for Remote Experimentation for Embedded Systems

The proliferation of web based distance education courses in recent years poses unique challenges for the teaching of disciplines involving a high level of practical work. Increasingly web based engineering courses are on offer, augmented by the provision of remote experimentation laboratories. The degree of functionality and level of user access to these remote laboratories has evolved in recent years expedited by advances in web applications and technologies. However the design and implementation of effective and usable remote experimentation facilities poses unique challenges given the inherent complexities of the learning environment and the constraints imposed by a web based delivery mechanism. In addition an overriding challenge in the implementation of remote experimentation environments is to maximise the use of existing resources without incurring substantial redevelopment costs needed to adapt hardware and software tools with the extra functionality needed for online remote access. This paper presents and demonstrates a client-server architecture for distant access to an integrated learning environment for remote experimentation for embedded systems which compliments and augments current web based e-learning approaches while fully utilizing existing on-campus resources without substantial redevelopment effort

A novel platform incorporating multiple forms of communication to support applications in a mobile environment

This thesis discusses the creation of a novel platform that incorporates multiple communication methods, including SMS, email and web-based technologies, for interacting with users of mobile communication devices. The platform utilises people in a mobile environment to solve a range of different application problems, where each problem is a separate and distinct scenario type with unique objectives. There are existing applications available that interact with users of mobile communication devices to provide a service, such as regular weather updates to the users. Other applications have been designed to manage and coordinate the users to perform tasks within a mobile environment, such as performing field studies for scientific purposes. However, the existing applications are designed for only one specific scenario, with the design and implementation solely focused on solving the objectives of that scenario. Each component of these applications needs to be developed from scratch in order to cater for the application s requirements. There is currently no integrated communications platform that offers a framework for supporting a range of different scenario types. The new platform, entitled the Connected-Mobile Platform, aims to support the rapid development and implementation of new scenarios. This platform is composed of a framework of generic components that enable the active running of multiple scenarios concurrently, with the ability to tailor to the requirements of new scenarios as they arise via a structured process. The platform facilitates a means to coordinate its users in order to tackle the objectives of a scenario. The thesis investigates several system architectures to determine an appropriate architectural design for constructing the proposed platform. The platform has a generic framework, based on a client-server architecture, to facilitate the inclusion of a multitude of scenarios. A scenario represents a problem or an event, whereby the platform can utilise and interact with users of mobile communication devices to attempt to solve the objectives of the scenario. Three mobile communication methods are supported; the Short Message Service, electronic mail and web-forms via the mobile internet. Users are able to select and switch between the different methods. The thesis describes the platform s tailored communication structure for scenarios and autonomous analysis of messages. The thesis discusses case studies of two different scenarios to evaluate the platform s facilities for rapid scenario development. The Diet Diary scenario, which is for individual users, aims to manage a user s daily calorie intake to help them reach their desired weight goal. The focus is on the platform s functionality for analysing and responding to messages autonomously. The Missing Persons scenario, which utilises multiple users, involves tracking and locating people who have been reported missing. The focus is on the platform s functionality for coordinating the multiple users, through the creation of assignments, in order to distribute the scenario objectives. The thesis concludes by highlighting the novel features of the platform and identifying opportunities for future work