Achieving Security Assurance with Assertion-based Application Construction

abstract: Modern software applications are commonly built by leveraging pre-fabricated modules, e.g. application programming interfaces (APIs), which are essential to implement the desired functionalities of software applications, helping reduce the overall development costs and time. When APIs deal with security-related functionality, it is critical to ensure they comply with their design requirements since otherwise unexpected flaws and vulnerabilities may consequently occur. Often, such APIs may lack sufficient specification details, or may implement a semantically-different version of a desired security model to enforce, thus possibly complicating the runtime enforcement of security properties and making it harder to minimize the existence of serious vulnerabilities. This paper proposes a novel approach to address such a critical challenge by leveraging the notion of software assertions. We focus on security requirements in role-based access control models and show how proper verification at the source-code level can be performed with our proposed approach as well as with automated state-of-the-art assertion-based techniques.The final version of this article, as published in EAI Endorsed Transactions on Collaborative Computing, can be viewed online at: http://eudl.eu/doi/10.4108/eai.21-12-2015.15081

Media Usage in Post-Secondary Education and Implications for Teaching and Learning

The Web 2.0 has permeated academic life. The use of online information services in post-secondary education has led to dramatic changes in faculty teaching methods as well as in the learning and study behavior of students. At the same time, traditional information media, such as textbooks and printed handouts, still form the basic pillars of teaching and learning. This paper reports the results of a survey about media usage in teaching and learning conducted with Western University students and instructors, highlighting trends in the usage of new and traditional media in higher education by instructors and students. In addition, the survey comprises part of an international research program in which 20 universities from 10 countries are currently participating. Further, the study will hopefully become a part of the ongoing discussion of practices and policies that purport to advance the effective use of media in teaching and learning

SocialCloudShare: a Facebook Application for a Relationship-based Information Sharing in the Cloud

In last few years, Online Social Networks (OSNs) have become one of the most used platforms for sharing data (e.g., pictures, short texts) on the Internet. Nowadays Facebook and Twitter are the most popular OSN providers, though they implement different social models. However, independently from the social model they implement, OSN platforms have become a widespread repository of personal information. All these data (e.g., profile information, shared elements, users' likes) are stored in a centralized repository that can be exploited for data mining and marketing analysis. With this data collection process, lots of sensitive information are gathered by OSN providers that, in time, have become more and more targeted by malicious attackers. To overcome this problem, in this paper we present an architectural framework that, by means of a Social Application registered in Facebook, allows users to move their data (e.g., relationships, resources) outside the OSN realm and to store them in the public Cloud. Given that the public Cloud is not a secure and private environment, our proposal provides users security and privacy guarantees over their data by encrypting the resources and by anonymizing their social graphs. The presented framework enforces Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC) rules over the anonymized social graph, providing OSN users the possibility to selectively share information and resources as they are used to do in Facebook

Wayfinding and Navigation for People with Disabilities Using Social Navigation Networks

To achieve safe and independent mobility, people usually depend on published information, prior experience, the knowledge of others, and/or technology to navigate unfamiliar outdoor and indoor environments. Today, due to advances in various technologies, wayfinding and navigation systems and services are commonplace and are accessible on desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. However, despite their popularity and widespread use, current wayfinding and navigation solutions often fail to address the needs of people with disabilities (PWDs). We argue that these shortcomings are primarily due to the ubiquity of the compute-centric approach adopted in these systems and services, where they do not benefit from the experience-centric approach. We propose that following a hybrid approach of combining experience-centric and compute-centric methods will overcome the shortcomings of current wayfinding and navigation solutions for PWDs

The Immersive Education Laboratory: understanding affordances, structuring experiences, and creating constructivist, collaborative processes, in mixed-reality smart environments

In this paper we describe how the iClassroom and other technologies are providing the testbed through which we are able to design, develop, and research future intelligent environments. We describe the process of distinguishing between the technical and pedagogical aspects of immersive learning environments, while simultaneously considering both in the redefinition of effective intelligent learning spaces. This paper describes how our laboratory is working on specific projects that increase our understanding of the distinct advantages of technical design elements, like immersive visual displays, and pedagogical design elements that need to be in place as we go through the process of structuring learning situations that create constructivist, collaborative experiences. We describe specific technologies and their design across these multiple dimensions and the ways in which they are helping us better understand how to maximize technological affordances for increased positive learning outcomes. Finally, through this design research process, as we begin to better understand the affordances and iteratively create design guidelines, our hope is that eventually a prescriptive framework emerges that informs both the practice of embedded technology development and the deliberate incorporation of technical attributes into both the educational space and the pedagogy through which students learn

E-Learning through an Adaptive cMOOC: Is it Worthyof Further Research?

This paper describes the types of MOOC considered by researchers, and highlights the latter's focus on Connectivist MOOC. In addition, it analyses MOOC methodologies, and learners' interest in MOOC based on the concepts of adaptability, connectivism, and socio-constructivism. This is to address the high dropout rate issue on MOOC platforms. The main objective of this work is to review the empirical results reported in these studies. To reach this goal, a Systematic Literature Review of 798 papers was carried out from 2013 until April 2021, where 446 papers were selected as primary studies. The results obtained from the classification and the analysis of the collected data confirmed the importance of continuing research in the field. Based on the concepts of socio-constructivism and adaptability, the objective is to provide an adaptive cMOOC for the profile and the needs of each learner; blending learning styles and pedagogical models with machine learning technologies

Sandtime: A Tangible Interaction Featured Sensory Play Installation For Children To Increase Social Connection

From the study of social-interaction enhanced gaming design, aimed at providing a public environment which supports tangible & social interactions among children, we designed Sandtime. Sandtime is a public installation designed to encourage such interaction. Using the Tangible Interaction Design approach, this gaming installation features collaborative play and social interactions under public context, where children can collaboratively interact with the virtual onscreen characters by manipulating physical objects. This design is based on the study of how interactive gaming facilities can help to ease anxiety and enhance social interactions among children. In this paper, we want to continue this line of research by exploring further the elements that can enhance such interaction experience. This paper focuses specifically on the sensory play and how it can help to facilitate social interaction

Towards a collaborative experience to generate knowledge: Use of gamification in robotics for Good Agricultural Practices

Currently gamification strategies are implemented in the most diverse fields. This paper discusses the design of gamification environment on a collaborative wiki on good agricultural practices. The aim of the project is to present a gamification design is complemented by a robotic interface, aimed at increasing customizing the experience from a cooperative community context. The robot interface also presents the possibility of containing a living organism, linked to the actions of the wiki.Laboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

A survey of the benefits and issues arising from the deployment of physical artefacts in computer science teaching

This paper describes the introduction of the use of physical artefacts in the teaching of the curriculum in the Department of Computer Science at Middlesex University. The rationale for the change is discussed, together with a description of the various technologies and the areas in which they were deployed. We conclude with a discussion of the outcomes of the work and the conclusions reached, prime amongst which are that the policy has been successful in motivating and engaging students, with a resultant improvement in student progression. In addition to their value in the taught part of the curriculum, these technologies have enabled students to become involved in real-world projects, interacting with external organizations and producing products of value in diverse areas such as the arts and assistive technologies