Automatic student attendance registration using radio frequency identification (RFID)

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2010The main aim of this research was to automate student attendance registration, thereby reducing human involvement in the whole process. This was made possible using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The Central University of Technology uses student cards that are compatible for use with RFID technology. As a result, no initial investment (except for the existing personal computer’s and the constructed RFID reader) in infrastructure was required for this project. The basic working of the project was as follows. The students belonging to a specific class had their vital educational data (Student number, Name) entered into a database table at the time of registration. A student card containing a serial number, with reference to the data contained in the database table, was given to the students after registration. The students walk into their respective classes and scan their student cards with the RFID reader. The serial number stored in the student card is transferred to the reader and from there wirelessly to the main server using ZigBee technology. In the main server, using Java programming language, the card serial number is sent to the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In this project the Netbeans IDE (Java platform) was used. The Netbeans IDE is connected to the Apache Derby database using Java Database Connector (JDBC), so the serial number (which is referenced to the educational data of the students) from the student card is automatically compared with the original database created at the time of registration. Once a match is confirmed between the two entries, the data is entered into a separate database table which serves as the basic attendance sheet for a specific day

Imbedding New Technologies into Current Practice: A Guide for Administrators of Physical Education

Many new technologies are available to the Physical Education teacher, yet few are commonly used. This project contains findings from a review of literature regarding Physical Education technology use in today\u27s schools. The guidelines presented in this project were designed to facilitate the integration of Physical Education technology into the schools curriculum. The project was designed with the fundamentals of the constructivist classroom in mind, as well as including all students in the process. Students from historically marginalized groups, low socio-economic status, high and low achieving students, students with physical exceptionalities and special education students were all included in this project. All activities were designed to maximize the potential of the school, district, students and teachers

A Handheld Fine-Grained RFID Localization System with Complex-Controlled Polarization

There is much interest in fine-grained RFID localization systems. Existing systems for accurate localization typically require infrastructure, either in the form of extensive reference tags or many antennas (e.g., antenna arrays) to localize RFID tags within their radio range. Yet, there remains a need for fine-grained RFID localization solutions that are in a compact, portable, mobile form, that can be held by users as they walk around areas to map them, such as in retail stores, warehouses, or manufacturing plants. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of POLAR, a portable handheld system for fine-grained RFID localization. Our design introduces two key innovations that enable robust, accurate, and real-time localization of RFID tags. The first is complex-controlled polarization (CCP), a mechanism for localizing RFIDs at all orientations through software-controlled polarization of two linearly polarized antennas. The second is joint tag discovery and localization (JTDL), a method for simultaneously localizing and reading tags with zero-overhead regardless of tag orientation. Building on these two techniques, we develop an end-to-end handheld system that addresses a number of practical challenges in self-interference, efficient inventorying, and self-localization. Our evaluation demonstrates that POLAR achieves a median accuracy of a few centimeters in each of the x/y/z dimensions in practical indoor environments

Senior Elective Communications Systems Courses as Pathways to Capstone Projects in Electrical Engineering Technology Program

In any engineering program the capstone project is the most comprehensive work completed by the students, and is regarded as the pinnacle of their engineering studies, with all their course work culminating with this major design, implementation and reporting product. Coming up with the actual topic of the project is sometimes the most difficult part of the project, especially in programs where the project topics are not solely proposed by the faculty, and they are for the student and advisor to develop together. This is especially the case of engineering technology programs, where a large percentage of students have work background (either from military training or industry, as interns or full-time employees) to which they can relate their senior projects, and the programs allow and encourage them to apply their coursework studies to application areas where they have strong hands-on skills. While core courses of any curriculum provide the foundation of the engineering education, the elective courses give the students the chance to refine their education path and focus on the area of their interest. Senior elective courses are defining the areas of specialization within a major, and they may also serve as grounds for the students to explore potential options for the capstone project, and to have the opportunity to get a good starting point for it, ahead of the capstone semester. In this paper, the senior level courses specific to communication systems area of concentration within an electrical engineering technology program are discussed, their course content and the term projects included, and how they offer venues to capstone project choices. The paper presents specific examples of how these course projects gave students successful pathways for capstone projects. The course content that can be covered by the curriculum of an undergraduate technology program is somehow limited, especially for a broad field such as communication systems, and beyond the fundamental theories, the courses can go in more details only on very few narrow areas. Therefore, with a term project in an elective course, students have the opportunity of a semester of deeper study of a topic of their choice, and the learnings and new skills developed can be later applied for the completion of a capstone project. The paper also discusses students’ opinions on the option of developing initial results or skills as part of a course project and continuing such project into a senior project, as well as how their topic selection is related to their background, previous experience and future goals

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

In This Issue Wireless Andrew Colleges Take to the Air Wireless LANs: Coming to a Campus Near You? Going Wireless for Last-Mile Connectivity Cutting the Wires: Wireless Research at Michigan Tech Communicating on a Beam of Light Remote Access at Amherst College Institutional Excellence Award: Michigan Technological University Interview Profile Columns Book Revie

INCORPORATING RADIO FREQUENCY MESH NETWORKS TO LINK LIVE, VIRTUAL, CONSTRUCTIVE TRAINING

Given the importance of modeling and simulation (M&S) for creating realistic training environments and employing or developing tactical systems for warfighters, the Department of Defense is turning toward live, virtual, constructive (LVC) simulations as a means to prepare and equip our military for the next war. M&S offers a unique competency for modeling emergent enemy behaviors in constructive simulations on virtual battlefields across the globe. Transferring these dynamic tactical actions to live command and control (C2) systems used during training can create decision-making opportunities for distributed units to react to and act upon. The research conducted in this thesis assessed, developed, and implemented an appropriate LVC environment that can be used in training for tactical convoy operations in the Marine Corps. We developed a robust mesh network connected to a personal computer running a constructive simulation to create dynamic tracks on handheld, Android-based C2 systems. Using low-bandwidth radios to create the network, we were able to create a rich, tactically realistic training environment while minimally increasing the combat load of our Marines. The system we created has the same functionality of the blue force tracker (BFT). Because the BFT is no longer funded, we recommend the LVC solution we created for this thesis as a potential replacement with embedded training capabilities.Captain, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Commander and User Perceptions of the Army\u27s ITV Architecture

The purpose of this research was to investigate relationships between some of the current, most widely used ITV systems and how they measured up to fulfilling the needs and requirements of the Army. Specifically, this research sought to determine if there were any differences between the various ITV systems and their ability to provide commanders and users with data and information capable of helping them accomplish their mission

Design, Development, and Implementation of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): The Hartford Job Corps Academy Case Study

Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) offer flexibility, mobility, and scalability to educational institutions. Students are increasingly expecting anywhere, anytime access to online resources. Secondary school administrators, who serve a similar population as the National Job Corps Program (NJCP), realize that student success in the 21st century workplace depends upon the student\u27s ability to use new and emerging technologies, including wireless technology. Computer access anytime and anywhere is crucial to the success of students today. Wireless technology has been broadly deployed at educational institutions, such as the Hartford Job Corps Academy (HJCA), but little is known about how these networks are deployed and used, specifically at a Job Corps center. HJCA deployed a WLAN in 2005. Information about the core aspects of the design and implementation of anytime, anywhere initiatives, such as wireless solutions in education, is needed to complement the current research. The NJCP does not have a model for standardizing, organizing, and maintaining wireless networks. The goal of this investigation was to develop a model for planning, designing, and implementing a wireless solution for the Job Corps system. The case study findings from the investigation and the systems development life cycle (SDLC) provided the framework for structuring WLANs at other Job Corps centers. This framework also facilitated the investigation and a determination of the significance of the case study findings, and the analysis and development of the WLAN implementation model for the NJCP. The findings of the HJCA investigation from multiple sources are presented. Using the SDLC framework and the findings from the case study, the NJCP WLAN implementation model is presented. The NJCP WLAN implementation model may be used to facilitate the deployment of WLANs at government-operated, education and training facilities, such as the NJCP

Designing Laboratories for Small Scale Digital Device Forensics

The ubiquity of small scale digital devices (SSDD), the public’s ever increasing societal dependence on SSDD, and the continual presence of SSDD at all types of crime scenes, including non-technical and violent crimes, demand a formalized curriculum for the education and training of future cyber forensic examiners. This paper presents the various SSDD forensics labs currently in use and under development for future use at the Purdue University Cyber Forensics Laboratory. The primary objective of each module is to provide specific real-world cases for the learning, comprehension, and understanding of hands-on investigative techniques and methodologies. The purpose of this paper is to outline those elements that will make effective Small Scale Digital Device Forensics labs. Keywords: Forensics, Cyber Forensics, Digital Evidence, Education, Training, Small Scale Digital Devices, Personal Digital Technologie