69,309 research outputs found
Developing High Performance Computing Resources for Teaching Cluster and Grid Computing courses
High-Performance Computing (HPC) and the ability to process large amounts of data are of
paramount importance for UK business and economy as outlined by Rt Hon David Willetts
MP at the HPC and Big Data conference in February 2014. However there is a shortage of
skills and available training in HPC to prepare and expand the workforce for the HPC and
Big Data research and development. Currently, HPC skills are acquired mainly by students
and staff taking part in HPC-related research projects, MSc courses, and at the dedicated
training centres such as Edinburgh Universityâs EPCC. There are few UK universities teaching
the HPC, Clusters and Grid Computing courses at the undergraduate level. To address the
issue of skills shortages in the HPC it is essential to provide teaching and training as part of
both postgraduate and undergraduate courses. The design and development of such courses is
challenging since the technologies and software in the fields of large scale distributed systems
such as Cluster, Cloud and Grid computing are undergoing continuous change. The students
completing the HPC courses should be proficient in these evolving technologies and equipped
with practical and theoretical skills for future jobs in this fast developing area.
In this paper we present our experience in developing the HPC, Cluster and Grid modules
including a review of existing HPC courses offered at the UK universities. The topics covered in
the modules are described, as well as the coursework projects based on practical laboratory work.
We conclude with an evaluation based on our experience over the last ten years in developing
and delivering the HPC modules on the undergraduate courses, with suggestions for future work
A Focus on Corporate Philanthropy: How Intel Integrates Social Impact Into its Philanthropic Programs and Core Business Strategies
Society's expectations of business are fundamentally changing. Now more than ever, the public demands corporations take on increased responsibility for their social and environmental impacts. And many people would like to see corporations provide leadership to address key social challenges. In response, some companies, including Intel, are exploring new and innovative ways of integrating social leadership into core business strategies and operations. For Intel, such initiatives include narrowing the digital divide; improving performance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; and equipping teachers with critical skills they need to support twenty-first century learning. Intel established the Intel Foundation in 1988 to improve the educational opportunities and quality of life for communities worldwide. Over the years, the Intel Foundation has helped fuel innovation in classrooms, empowered women and underserved youth, and enabled Intel employees to serve the needs of their communities. By developing programs and providing funding for national and localized grants, the Intel Foundation, in collaboration with Intel, strives to advance math and science education while helping to build a workforce that represents the diversity around the world. The role of corporate foundations has undergone a fundamental shift in recent years -- the traditional view of a corporate foundation being a separate entity from the business and acting "strictly as a charity" has evolved into the new view of a corporate foundation as an organization integrated within the larger context of business goals to create "shared value" (encompassing both business and social value). This article discusses how Intel and the Intel Foundation align social and business goals in their approach to their mission and programs, and how they measure and evaluate the impact of such initiatives. The article also details the evolution of the foundation and how it has worked in relation to the business, the development of the foundation's measurement and evaluation processes, and some lessons learned in the process. The article makes the case that corporate foundations and corporate giving efforts must adapt continually to changing circumstances
A new framework for the design and evaluation of a learning institutionâs student engagement activities
In this article we explore the potential for attempts to encourage student engagement to be conceptualised as behaviour change activity, and specifically whether a new framework to guide such activity has potential value for the Higher Education (HE) sector. The Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) (Michie, Susan, Maartje M van Stralen, and Robert West. 2011. âThe Behaviour Change Wheel: A New Method for Characterising and Designing Behaviour Change Interventions.â Implementation ScienceâŻ: IS 6 (1): 42. doi:10.1186/1748-5908-6-42) is a framework for the systematic design and development of behaviour change interventions. It has yet to be applied to the domain of student engagement. This article explores its potential, by assessing whether the BCW comprehensively aligns with the state of student engagement as currently presented in the HE literature. This work achieves two things. It firstly allows a prima facie assessment of whether student engagement activity can be readily aligned with the BCW framework. It also highlights omissions and prevalence of activity types in the HE sector, compared with other sectors where behaviour change practice is being successfully applied
Net gen or not gen? Student and Staff Evaluations of the use of Podcasts/Audio Files and an Electronic Voting System (EVS) in a Blended Learning Module.
At the authorsâ institution, blended learning is defined as âeducational provision where high quality e-learning opportunities and excellent campus-based learning are combined or blended in coherent, reflective and innovative ways so that learning is enhanced and choice is increased. Students are at the centre of this visionâ.
This paper outlines work undertaken to investigate the impact of integrating podcasts/audio file downloads and use of an electronic voting system (EVS) to transform module delivery from a traditional mode to a blended delivery. The purpose being to introduce a measure of flexibility in how, when and where students study; to increase interactivity and engagement in classroom sessions, and to enhance students' learning.
The student cohort is diverse in respect of age â the majority or students are direct entry students of the so-called net generation, whilst a significant number of students (35%) are mature students. Would age be an influencing factor on the studentsâ preference for the learning methods employed, or their willingness or ability to engage with the technologies?
An interim student evaluation was undertaken at the midpoint of the taught module, to provide formative, illustrative data to the module leader and teaching team about student opinion of the teaching methods and learning technologies. Given the option of returning to the traditional delivery method, 77.5% of students either âagreedâ or âstrongly agreedâ that the module should continue to run in its blended format.
The final evaluation discovered no discernable differences in the behaviour of the direct entry students compared to the mature students. Both groups accessed the podcasts easily, generally at home, and spent longer than if blended learning technologies had not been used. It was discovered that 16% of the mature and 24% of the direct entry students would have preferred lectures to podcasts, although the students were positive about the flexibility offered. Both groups of students were virtually unanimous on the benefits of the EVS to support learning. The teaching team concluded that the blended learning technologies increased the studentsâ engagement with their learning
Using Augmented Reality as a Medium to Assist Teaching in Higher Education
In this paper we describe the use of a high-level augmented reality
(AR) interface for the construction of collaborative educational applications
that can be used in practice to enhance current teaching
methods. A combination of multimedia information including spatial
three-dimensional models, images, textual information, video,
animations and sound, can be superimposed in a student-friendly
manner into the learning environment. In several case studies different
learning scenarios have been carefully designed based on
human-computer interaction principles so that meaningful virtual
information is presented in an interactive and compelling way. Collaboration
between the participants is achieved through use of a
tangible AR interface that uses marker cards as well as an immersive
AR environment which is based on software user interfaces
(UIs) and hardware devices. The interactive AR interface has been
piloted in the classroom at two UK universities in departments of
Informatics and Information Science
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Adoption of wireless internet parks: An empirical study in Qatar
This paper examines the adoption of free wireless internet parks (iPark) by Qatari citizens as means of accessing electronic services from public parks. The Qatar government has launched the iPark concept with a view of providing free internet access for all citizens while enjoying the outdoors. By offering free wireless Internet access, the Qatari government encourages its citizen's to actively participate in the global information society with a view of bridging the digital divide. Using a survey based study this research set out to examine the Qatari citizens' perceptions of the iPark initiative. Results of the survey showed that there is a positive level of relation between the independent variables, usefulness, ease of use, Internet safety, and Internet speed/response time and one dependent variable, intention to use the iPark in Qatar. The paper provides a discussion on the key findings, research implications, limitations, and future directions for the iPark initiative in Qatar
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