Information Systems in University Learning

The authors of this article are going to bring into light the significance, the place and the role of information systems in the university education process. At the same time they define the objectives and the target group of the subject named Economic Information Systems and state the competence gained by students by studying this subject. Special attention is given to the curriculum to be taught to students and to a suggestive enumeration of a series of economic applications that can be themes for laboratory practice and for students’ dissertation (graduation thesis).Information System, Academic Partnership, Curriculum, General Competence, Specific Competence, Open Systems

Creativity and the computer nerd: an exploration of attitudes

This study arises from our concern that many of our best art and design students are failing to make the most of the opportunities provided by IT because of their fear or dislike of computers. This not only deprives them of useful skills, but, even more importantly, deprives many IT based developments of their input. In this paper we investigate the relationship between attitudes to creativity and to computers among students. We quickly discard an approach based on theories of personality types as philosophically and educationally problematic. An approach based on the self-concept of artists and designers, in relation to their own creativity and to their feelings about computers, offers more hope of progress. This means that we do not try to define the attributes of "creative people". Rather, we ask what creativity means to students of art and design and relate these responses to their attitudes to computers. Self-concept depends on how the subjects see themselves within society and culture, and is liable to change as culture changes. One major instrument of cultural change at the present time is the growth of IT itself. We then describe a first attempt at using a psychological method - Kelly's Repertory Grids - to investigate the self-concept of artists and designers. It is hoped to continue with this approach in further studies over the next few years

Physical controller development for real time 3D audio spatialization

The development of space as a musical parameter can be traced back to Baroque and Classical periods where performances would make use of unusual places inside churches or concert halls to augment the dramatic impact of some works. Even so, this wasn’t enough for composers that followed, as they started to think about space as a real parameter for musical composition, just as important as for example pitch and timbre. Direction and trajectory were then in the minds of the XXth century composers, and from then on, they were aided by innovative technology and imaginative musical notation formats to take bigger steps towards present day spatialization in music. This dissertation focuses on what happens next, when computers are a common tool for musicians and composers and spatialization is surrounded by technology and software. Different algorithms and spatialization software allow for improved techniques of manipulating a virtual sound source ‘s behavior in space. This manipulation can either be programed or drawn with the aid of a three-dimensional control mechanism. It was then considered that a qualitative methodological approach would help understand some of the choices made until now surrounding this three-dimensional control of sound sources. With that in consideration, this dissertation describes the process and results of developing a three-dimensional control interface that features physical responsiveness to the user’s movement. The study is then divided and presented in three main chapters that offer an historical view and bibliographical research; an overview of the 3d controller design/construction process; and test description and result analyses on some initial behavior of the controller. The final result is a tested controller that uncovers requirements for future work to transform it into a spatialization instrument.O desenvolvimento do espaço como parâmetro musical remonta aos períodos Barroco e Clássico durante os quais performances musicais utilizavam diferentes posições dentro de igrejas ou salas de concerto para aumentar o impacto dramático de algumas obras. Mesmo assim, isso não foi suficiente para os futuros compositores que começaram a pensar sobre o espaço como um parâmetro composicional, tão importante como, por exemplo, o tom e o timbre. Nas mentes dos compositores do séc. XX estavam a direção e a trajetória, e a partir de então foram auxiliados pela tecnologia inovadora e formatos de notação musical imaginativos para caminharem em direção à atual espacialização na música. Esta dissertação descreve o que acontece a seguir, quando os computadores são uma ferramenta comum para músicos e compositores e a espacialização é cercada por tecnologia e software. Diferentes algoritmos e software de espacialização permitem técnicas aprimoradas de manipulação do comportamento de uma fonte de som virtual no espaço. Esta manipulação pode ser programada ou desenhada com o auxílio de um mecanismo de controle tridimensional. Considerou-se então que uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa ajudaria a entender algumas das escolhas feitas até agora, sobre o controle tridimensional de fontes de som. Paralelamente à pesquisa do estado da arte, existiram processos que compreenderam a criação de uma interface de controle tridimensional que também ofereceria capacidade de resposta física ao movimento do usuário. O estudo é então dividido e apresentado em três capítulos principais, que oferecem: uma visão histórica e pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o estado de arte da espacialização sonora num contexto musical; uma visão geral do processo de projeto/construção do controlador 3d; e uma descrição dos testse e a análise dos seus resultados sobre algum comportamento inicial do controlador. O resultado final foi um controlador testado que revela os próximos passos a serem tomados para o transformar num instrumento de espacialização

Alternative Workspaces: Changing Where + How People Work

The modern workspace is constantly evolving; what is in store for the future of how and where we work? Workspace creators need to provide a variety of activity landscapes intended for specific activities, and accessible to all. One size, one design, does not fit all! This thesis explores possibilities of connecting generations by transforming the traditional workspace to accommodate the ever-blurring boundaries between the workspace, hospitality spaces and the home spaces with the infusion of sophisticated modularity. Four generations contribute to today’s work environment including Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Post Millennials. All of these generations have different expectations, values and motivations about their work environments. How can we become attuned to this emerging generation of workspace users, who often have very different ideas about how work should get done? Moreover, this thesis analyzes the integration and emphasis of work/life balance, workspace flexibility and user wellbeing, reinforced ideas generated through an open design processes, and explores how co-creation can facilitate the diffusion of innovation within an organization’s common workspaces known as lounge space. This thesis builds upon an existing product portfolio of office furniture by implementing human centered design through co-creation, and finding inspiration for innovation through heuristic methodologies in order to inform design decisions. With an emphasis on workspace ideologies and theories, exciting propositions based on design principles and workspace psychology, such as the incorporation of sophisticated modularity, lounge-as-office principles, prioritizing play, and supporting working happy, provide interesting insights into this research. This collection of artifacts provides functional and flexible characteristics while being attractive enough to be enjoyed outside of workspaces.Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of DesignWellbeingCreative workspacesWorkspace cultureWork/life balanceModular furnitureUser choiceOpen desig

Reverbotone - Visualize Music With Design.

This thesis was written as a supporting paper for a graphic design exhibit for a Master of Fine Arts Degree. The focus of my work is to visualize an interpretation of a collection of songs that make up an album in which the design communicates the content of the body of music. This thesis showcases a record that actually exists but has never been released. This affords me the opportunity to create a design that defines the content of the record work in a visual manner. This thesis paper covers the methods and motivations by which I arrived to the final design as well as an analysis of the outcome of the process in regards to the thesis exhibit

Architectural authorship in generative design

The emergence of evolutionary digital design methods, relying on the creative generation of novel forms, has transformed the design process altogether and consequently the role of the architect. These methods are more than the means to aid and enhance the design process or to perfect the representation of finite architectural projects. The architectural design philosophy is gradually transcending to a hybrid of art, engineering, computer programming and biology. Within this framework, the emergence of designs relies on the architect- machine interaction and the authorship that each of the two shares. This work aims to explore the changes within the design process and to define the authorial control of a new breed of architects- programmers and architects-users on architecture and its design representation. For the investigation of these problems, this thesis is to be based on an experiment conducted by the author in order to test the interaction of architects with different digital design methods and their authorial control over the final product. Eventually, the results will be compared and evaluated in relation to the theoretic views. Ultimately, the architect will establish his authorial role

SymbolDesign: A User-centered Method to Design Pen-based Interfaces and Extend the Functionality of Pointer Input Devices

A method called "SymbolDesign" is proposed that can be used to design user-centered interfaces for pen-based input devices. It can also extend the functionality of pointer input devices such as the traditional computer mouse or the Camera Mouse, a camera-based computer interface. Users can create their own interfaces by choosing single-stroke movement patterns that are convenient to draw with the selected input device and by mapping them to a desired set of commands. A pattern could be the trace of a moving finger detected with the Camera Mouse or a symbol drawn with an optical pen. The core of the SymbolDesign system is a dynamically created classifier, in the current implementation an artificial neural network. The architecture of the neural network automatically adjusts according to the complexity of the classification task. In experiments, subjects used the SymbolDesign method to design and test the interfaces they created, for example, to browse the web. The experiments demonstrated good recognition accuracy and responsiveness of the user interfaces. The method provided an easily-designed and easily-used computer input mechanism for people without physical limitations, and, with some modifications, has the potential to become a computer access tool for people with severe paralysis.National Science Foundation (IIS-0093367, IIS-0308213, IIS-0329009, EIA-0202067

Development and impact of english learning courseware eze to diploma students at KPM Bandar Penawar

Multimedia courseware is one of the media to improve the teaching and learning process. The principles of multimedia learning should be viewed as instructional methods with its primary goal to foster meaningful learning. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to design an English courseware based on Cognitive Theory Multimedia Learning approaches to help students nurture their knowledge on types of basic tenses .In addition, this study also evaluates the impact of using courseware in the teaching of basic tenses among the average diploma students. A quasi-experimental method will be used in this study. The study sample involves 80 students of semester 1 from KPM Bandar Penawar , Johor. The sample is divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group. Each group consists of 40 students. To identify the effectiveness of the courseware, the patterns of students’ answers in both tests will be collected and analyzed through pre and post-tests in the evaluation phase. The questionnaire instrument will be used to investigate students’ and teachers’ perception towards the courseware. Also, in this research we will develop an English courseware for teaching basic tenses for KPM students. Hopefully, this courseware will motivate English teachers to develop their own courseware by designing, preparing content and delivering learning materials to assist students in understanding the concepts of learning English tenses using technology

Computer 3D visualization technology: dynamic design representation tool in solving design and communication problems in the early phases of the architectural design process

Paralleling with development of computer technology, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) has been researched and introduced into industry since the 1960s. Until the mid-1980s, CAD means Computer-Aided Drafting in architectural field because the majority of practicing architects originally used computer as an electronic drafting tool to produce construction drawings. However, now computer 3D visualization technology as a design aided tool is impacting the architectural design process. In this research, a review of architectural representation in the early design phases is given. Additionally, a literature review of CAD development is presented as well. As a focus of this research, computer 3D visualization technology has been researched as a design aid. The emerging use of computer 3D visualization technology in some educational settings is also reviewed. Within this research, three Case Studies are presented to provide insights of how computer 3D visualization technology may impact architectural design process, design service quality, and client-architect?s relationship