Growing the use of Virtual Worlds in education : an OpenSim perspective

The growth in the range of disciplines that Virtual Worlds support for educational purposes is evidenced by recent applications in the fields of cultural heritage, humanitarian aid, space exploration, virtual laboratories in the physical sciences, archaeology, computer science and coastal geography. This growth is due in part to the flexibility of OpenSim, the open source virtual world platform which by adopting Second Life protocols and norms has created a de facto standard for open virtual worlds that is supported by a growing number of third party open source viewers. Yet while this diversity of use-cases is impressive and Virtual Worlds for open learning are highly popular with lecturers and learners alike immersive education remains an essentially niche activity. This paper identifies functional challenges in terms of Management, Network Infrastructure, the Immersive 3D Web and Programmability that must be addressed to enable the wider adoption of Open Virtual Worlds as a routine learning technology platform. We refer to specific use-cases based on OpenSim and abstract generic requirements which should be met to enable the growth in use of Open Virtual Worlds as a mainstream educational facility. A case study of a deployment to support a formal education curriculum and associated informal learning is used to illustrate key points.Postprin

Scalable Layer-2/Layer-3 Multistage Switching Architectures for Software Routers

Software routers are becoming an important alternative to proprietary and expensive network devices, because they exploit the economy of scale of the PC market and open-source software. When considering maximum performance in terms of throughput, PC-based routers suffer from limitations stemming from the single PC architecture, e.g., limited bus bandwidth, and high memory access latency. To overcome these limitations, in this paper we present a multistage architecture that combines a layer-2 load-balancer front-end and a layer-3 routing back-end, interconnected by standard Ethernet switches. Both the front-end and the back-end are implemented using standard PCs and open- source software. After describing the architecture, evaluation is performed on a lab test-bed, to show its scalability. While the proposed solution allows to increase performance of PC- based routers, it also allows to distribute packet manipulation functionalities, and to automatically recover from component failures

Development of a building information modelling (BIM) migration path model for construction professionals

The construction professionals have the notion that by implementing Building Information Modelling (BIM) in construction could overcome problems such as delay, cost overrun, clashes in project design and undesirable quality in construction. However, they failed to take the advantages of the BIM benefit as they are still trying to find the best way to take on board the BIM into current practices. Most of the professionals do not know ‘when’ and ‘how’ to apply BIM throughout the construction lifecycle. Several research models related to BIM has been developed to improve and encourage BIM implementation. Nevertheless, the developed models have limitations in highlighting the steps involved that could assist the construction professionals in implementing BIM effectively in Malaysia. Therefore, this research is aimed to develop a model that would be able to assist Malaysian construction professionals in implementing BIM in a structured way. A semi-structured interview was carried out with respondents that have various experienced and currently involved in BIM projects in the Malaysian construction industry. Findings show that the construction professionals are lacking in knowledge and experience in using BIM in various stages of construction. Thus, they were unable to fully capitalise the benefit of 3D models. Migration path model was proposed and evaluated as a strategic approach for BIM implementation in the Malaysian construction industry. The identification of five (5) activities (BIM Awareness, Develop BIM Strategy, Implement BIM, Monitor BIM and Expand BIM Implementation) with the three (3) enablers (BIM work contract, BIM work process and BIM technology) in the model is expected to be able to assist construction professionals to implement BIM with the right BIM concept and later, the benefit could be obtained for improving construction project. The proposed model could be as a guideline for construction professionals in implementing BIM, specifically in countries that new in BIM. The model is also expected to be able to fill the gap in BIM implementation by supporting the initiatives by the Malaysian government for increasing productivity in construction projects by using new technology like BIM

Online Learning and Experimentation via Interactive Learning Resources

Recent trends in online learning like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) are changing the landscape in the education sector by allowing learners to self-regulate their learning and providing them with an abundant amount of free learning materials. This paper presents FORGE, a new European initiative for online learning and experimentation via interactive learning resources. FORGE provides learners and educators with access to world- class facilities and high quality learning materials, thus enabling them to carry out experiments on e.g. new Internet protocols. In turn, this supports constructivist and self-regulated learning approaches, through the use of interactive learning resources, such as eBooks

Multifaceted Faculty Network Design and Management: Practice and Experience Report

We report on our experience on multidimensional aspects of our faculty's network design and management, including some unique aspects such as campus-wide VLANs and ghosting, security and monitoring, switching and routing, and others. We outline a historical perspective on certain research, design, and development decisions and discuss the network topology, its scalability, and management in detail; the services our network provides, and its evolution. We overview the security aspects of the management as well as data management and automation and the use of the data by other members of the IT group in the faculty.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, TOC and index; a short version presented at C3S2E'11; v6: more proofreading, index, TOC, reference