Minimal Mark-Up of multiple choice exams using XML

We describe a minimal XML mark-up for multiple choice exams. In our system, exams may be generated at anytime, by choosing a subset of questions from a pool. Furthermore, the system randomises the order of the choices within each chosen question. Thus a student may sit the exam many times. Our first version of this system has been described elsewhere. In this paper, we discuss the limitations of our first system that led to our current work, and give a description of the new system features, including XML tags for supporting collaborative authoring

MCQ Exams Correction in an Offline Network Using XML

One of vital subject in education facility isstudent assesment. A common way used to compute there workis making exams. Generaly class sizes tend to expand in somesocities. As a result there is a trend to give a quick accurateevaluation which is become more demand. A computerizedquestions make the process of taking an exam easier andsomther. This caused the move towards the use of multiple-choicequestions (MCQ). The rapid progress of using XML (ExtensibleMarkup Language) for large amount of structured data, due toits ability of saving time and manipulate data makes it suitablefor MCQ exam environment. Moreover, XML manipulates anddeals with networks suffering from failure occurrences. Themain contribution of this paper is to present an efficient methodof transfer data related to online questions between the serverand clients stations without being affected if the connection failsduring taking the exam. An analytical study of the efficiency ofmodule is also presented

Using digital pens to expedite the marking procedure

This is the Post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 Inderscience PublishersDigital pens have been introduced over the last six years and have demonstrated that they can be used effectively for collecting, processing and storing data. These properties make them ideal for use in education, particularly in the marking procedure of multiple-choice questions (MCQ). In this report, we present a system that was designed to expedite the marking procedure of MCQ, for use at any educational level. The main element of the system is a digital pen, i.e. given to the students prior to the examination. On return of the pen, the system immediately recognises the students' answers and produces their results. In this specific research, four groups of students were studied and a variety of data were collected, concerning issues, such as accuracy, time gained by the use of the system and the impressions of the students. The pedagogic value of the use of the system is also presented

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

Generalized Platform for Creating of Testing Games

The thesis is an extension and a generalization of a previous theses done by Antonio Carro and Eduard Martínez. The goal of this work is to create a virtual platform where the teachers will be able to define different structures for the tests,create tests and follow the students progress. This virtual platform will have an architecture of server-client allowing the platform independence and the future development of mobile clients also the possible integration of other e-learning platforms in the market. The main programming languages will be PHP, Javascriptii, CSS for the Internet platform and web services

A gentle transition from Java programming to Web Services using XML-RPC

Exposing students to leading edge vocational areas of relevance such as Web Services can be difficult. We show a lightweight approach by embedding a key component of Web Services within a Level 3 BSc module in Distributed Computing. We present a ready to use collection of lecture slides and student activities based on XML-RPC. In addition we show that this material addresses the central topics in the context of web services as identified by Draganova (2003)

Interoperability between information systems of the results of clinical analysis and electronic record of the patient

The issue of interoperability between institutions in underdeveloped countries always presents good opportunities for science to contribute to substantial improvements in real-world issues. Basic support systems, such as health institutions, are among those that can benefit most from scientific advances. This paper reports an analysis made on the lack of interoperability between health institutions, specifically with regard to the interaction between physicians' offices and clinical analysis laboratory. This research was validated with a real practical use case that is presented in this paper. In order to make the information stored in different computer applications of the health information system (HIS), more specifically in the Hospital Center Dr. Ayres de Menezes, in São Tomé and Príncipe, interoperable, two distinct applications were developed, Patient Management System (PMS) and Clinical Analysis Laboratory Management System (LMS) to implement interoperability between them. In this way, take advantage of the interoperability logic implemented between these two applications and later integrate other systems. The PMS requests medical exams through your Medical Consultation panel. The second system, LMS receives the exam request and after the exams are processed and validated, the results are sent to the requesting system. To make the interoperability service effective, the SOAP protocol was used, which allowed the exchange of information synchronously between these two applications, allowing for faster transactions of patients' pathological data, and greater confidentiality of this same information. And as the work progressed, we felt the need to create a functional prototype with REST to meet the cloud model proposal.A questão da interoperabilidade entre instituições em países subdesenvolvidos sempre apresenta boas oportunidades para a ciência contribuir para melhorias substanciais em questões do mundo real. Os sistemas de apoio básico, como as instituições de saúde, estão entre os que mais podem se beneficiar dos avanços científicos. Este trabalho relata uma análise feita sobre a falta de interoperabilidade entre instituições de saúde, especificamente no que diz respeito à interação entre consultórios médicos e laboratórios de análises clínicas. Esta pesquisa foi validada com um caso de uso prático real que é apresentado neste trabalho. De forma a tornar a informação armazenada nas diferentes aplicações informáticas do sistema nacional de saúde (SIS), mais concretamente no Centro Hospitalar Dr. Ayres de Menezes, em São Tomé e Príncipe, interoperáveis, foram desenvolvidas duas aplicações distintas, Sistema de Gestão de Pacientes (SGP) e Sistema de Gestão do Laboratório de Análises Clínicas (SGL) para implementar a interoperabilidade entre eles. Desta forma, aproveitar a lógica implementada entre estas duas aplicações e posteriormente integrar outros sistemas. O SGP solicita exames médicos através do seu painel de Consulta Médica. O segundo sistema, o SGL, recebe a solicitação dos exames e após os exames serem processados e validados, os resultados são enviados ao sistema solicitante. Para tornar o serviço de interoperabilidade efetivo, foi utilizado o protocolo SOAP, que permitiu a troca de informações de forma síncrona entre essas duas aplicações. Por outro lado, sentimos a necessidade de criar um protótipo funcional com REST para atender a proposta do modelo em nuvem

Information Technologies for the Healthcare Delivery System

That modern healthcare requires information technology to be efficient and fully effective is evident if one spends any time observing the delivery of institutional health care. Consider the observation of a practitioner of the discipline, David M. Eddy, MD, PhD, voiced in Clinical Decision Making, JAMA 263:1265-75, 1990, . . .All confirm what would be expected from common sense: The complexity of modern medicine exceeds the inherent limitations of the unaided human mind. The goal of this thesis is to identify the technological factors that are required to enable a fully sufficient application of information technology (IT) to the modern institutional practice of medicine. Perhaps the epitome of healthcare IT is the fully integrated, fully electronic patient medical record. Although, in 1991 the Institute of Medicine called for such a record to be standard technology by 2001, it has still not materialized. The author will argue that some of the technology and standards that are pre-requisite for this achievement have now arrived, while others are still evolving to fully sufficient levels. The paper will concentrate primarily on the health care system in the United States, although much of what is contained is applicable to a large degree, around the world. The paper will illustrate certain of these pre-requisite IT factors by discussing the actual installation of a major health care computer system at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in Rochester, New York. This system is a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). As the name implies, PACS is a system of capturing health care images in digital format, storing them and communicating them to users throughout the enterprise