Design of a learning environment for embedded system

Embedded systems have an everyday presence and direct impact in our lives. Therefore, Universities are continuously improving their courses in microprocessor and embedded programming. Although the diversity of curriculums, the availability of learning tools, where the student can practice and improve their skills, is a key factor to the success of the learning process. The platform developed and presented in this paper results from author’s experience in teaching embedded systems. From the analysis of teaching/learning needs, a learning environment based on the MSP430 family was designed. This tool can be expanded by modules and adjusted, at a specific time, to student's real needs. All modules can be interconnected by an I2C bus, allowing to expand the capabilities of the platform. The developed modules allow the practice of subjects related with digital IO, analog interface, user interface, wireless communications, and energy management and conservation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tecnologie al servizio della formazione a distanza, applicazioni e risultati

Un argomento che negli ultimi anni si va configurando come una area tematica di notevole interesse per studiosi e ricercatori, è quello del ruolo delle tecnologie didattiche basate sulle ICT nel miglioramento della qualità dell’apprendimento nei corsi di studio universitari. L’analisi della letteratura ha consentito di rilevare le iniziative di istruzione a distanza e di evidenziare le cause che ne rallentano l’affermazione. Gli obiettivi perseguiti dagli atenei attraverso il ricorso a forme di didattica on-line, sono risultati principalmente la flessibilità e la qualità, testimonianza di un approccio che considera solo in via residuale la possibilità di configurarsi come formazione totalmente a distanza. Questi rilievi e considerazioni hanno orientato la sperimentazione verso scelte di tipo blended: supporti tecnologici a distanza integranti l’insegnamento tradizionale d’aula. Il lavoro è stato sviluppato con la finalità di tracciare una via sostenibile per l’affermazione dell’utilizzo delle ICT a fini didattici: si sono quindi intraprese iniziative che potessero contribuire a superare gli ostacoli riscontrati nella letteratura. La valenza globale in termini di diffusione di sistemi di video sharing come Youtube e di social networking come Facebook, ha portato a considerare anche quelli come possibili canali formativi e a valutare l’efficacia di un loro utilizzo nell’insegnamento. Le conclusioni tratte suggeriscono un approccio alla tematica di tipo bottom-up, nel quale il punto di partenza sia il coinvolgimento del corpo docente in decine di microesperienze che aiutino a diffondere la cultura dell’utilizzo del web nell’insegnamento. Solo allora, con questo patrimonio condiviso di esperienze di integrazione, si potranno ripensare piattaforme complesse il cui utilizzo avrà migliori possibilità di successo rispetto a quelle attuali. L’ultima sezione è stata dedicata alla telemedicina, tematica affrontata con un taglio generale e multidisciplinare, a sottolineare la necessità di un approccio integrato nell’impostazione di lavori riguardanti argomenti così vasti e complessi.The evolution of the web has made available information-sharing tools that have gradually become easily accessible and increasingly affordable for teachers and professors: personal websites, video sharing applications, forums, social networks, etc. The activities I carried out mainly regarded the investigation and use of the above-mentioned tools, and an assessment of how they can be integrated with traditional teaching methods. Starting from an analysis of the existing scenario – mainly with reference to the Chairs of Electronics of several Italian universities and to some foreign examples of excellence (MIT, Yale, Stanford) -, I decided to experiment how the web could support traditional lecture-based teaching. The results thereby achieved were assessed both in quantitative terms and with regard to exam performances, and were compared to the above-mentioned foreign experiences. This allowed me to draw conclusions on the actual use and effectiveness of such teaching supporting tools and to propose ways of approaching them for teachers and professors that have never used them before

Der Einfluss von Inhaltsgestaltung und Lernereigenschaften auf Navigation und Wissenserwerb in hypermedialen Lernumgebungen

Educational software increasingly finds its way into classroom learning. The question arises whether the currently available products ensure effectiveness and efficiency of learning. So far investigations on the learning process when using hypermedia environments and moreover the factors impacting on the software use are scarce. The presented doctoral thesis, set in a realistic classroom scenario and presenting a complex learner-controlled hypermedia environment, aims to brigde this gap. Four evaluation variants of a CD-ROM on cell biology offering different didactical and graphical designs but the same content were produced. Specifically, the impacts of 3D-models, close-up views, static picture as well as animation design were investigated. About 700 students of 15 schools and 3 universities in 5 different German ôBundeslaenderö participated in the study. The knowledge acquisition and navigation behaviour of the examinees was documented with encoded log-files and correlated with the individualÆs learner characteristics such as learning style, prior domain knowledge and visual spatial ability as well as the design features of the software variants. Individual as well as group learning was analysed. Principle component analysis (PCA) was applied to get main usage factors that served as dependent variables in the subsequently calculated statistical tests. The dissertation suggests various influences of learner characteristics and content design on the learning process thereby contributing to the design of learning software that is well adapted to usersÆ needs. The studyÆs results are discussed in light of an extended cognitive load theory for hypermedia learning environments.Neue Medien kommen immer öfter auch im Klassenzimmer zum Einsatz. Die Frage stellt sich daher, ob die derzeit erhältlichen Produkte die Effektivität und Effizienz des Lernens gewährleisten. Untersuchungen, die den Lernprozess bei der Nutzung hypermedialer Lernumgebungen und darüber hinaus die die Softwarenutzung beeinflussenden Faktoren beleuchten, sind bislang rar. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit, unter Verwendung einer Nutzer-kontrollierten hypermedialen Lernumgebung im Klassenraum durchgeführt, und damit die realistische Lernsituation simulierend, zielt darauf ab, diese Lücke zu schließen. Vier Evaluationsvarianten einer CD - ROM zum Thema Zellbiologie verschiedenen didaktischen und graphischen Designs aber gleichen Inhalts wurden produziert. Insbesondere wurden der Einfluss von 3D-Modellen, Detaildarstellungen, des Designs statischer Bilder sowie von Animationen untersucht. Etwa 700 Schüler/innen und Studierende aus 15 Schulen und 3 Universitäten in 5 verschiedenen deutschen Bundesländern nahmen an der Studie teil. Navigation und Prozess des Wissenserwerbs der Teilnehmer wurde mit codierten Logfiles erfasst und mit individuellen Eigenschaften wie Lernstil, fachlichem Vorwissen und räumlichem Vorstellungsvermögen sowie den Designmerkmalen der Softwarevarianten korreliert. Sowohl Einzel- als auch Gruppenlernen wurde untersucht. Mittels einer Faktorenanalyse (PCA) wurden Hauptnutzungsfaktoren ermittelt, die in den nachfolgend durchgeführten statistischen Tests als abhängige Variablen fungierten. Die Studie zeigt verschiedene Einflüsse der Nutzereigenschaften und des inhaltlichen Designs auf den Lernprozess und unterstützt dadurch die Entwicklung von Softwareprodukten, die den Bedürfnissen der Nutzer ausreichend Rechnung tragen. Die Ergebnisse werden im Zusammenhang einer erweiterten kognitiven Beanspruchungstheorie („Cognitive Load Theory“) für hypermediale Lernumgebungen diskutiert