1,830 research outputs found

    Interplay of Desktop and Mobile Apps with Web Services in an Introductory Programming Course

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    This paper describes a case study of a second-semester introductory programming course for information systems (IS) students that combined desktop and mobile application development and consumption of existing web services. Our aim was to provide students with a holistic view of how different types of applications can be developed and combined to solve real-world problems, as the students learned the basics of programming. Students progressively built a desktop Java application with a graphical user interface for a local public transit system. It combined the use of basic algorithms, existing web services for geo-coding and mapping to illustrate a recommended route on the system. Students then ported this application to the Android platform re-using most of the code they had already developed. Along with fulfilling the traditional objectives of an introductory course, this course also demonstrated the possible interplay of stand-alone components and web services in desktop and mobile applications and kept the students motivated and engaged throughout the semester

    Fort Vancouver Mobile

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    Mobile phones have become ubiquitous yet remain untapped as a storytelling medium. They offer the power of media, text, audio, video, animation, in a fully personalized format. Through GPS technology these devices even can locate a user and share, on the precise spot, data tailored just for that user's particular interest. Users then can add written responses, video or sound about a site or event. The implications for such authoring precision, audience awareness and interactivity pose exciting challenges to the team creating the Fort Vancouver Mobile project, a storytelling environment accessible via smart phones that tells the history of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Phase I, just completed, comprises apps for the iPhone and Android and a story module focusing on Hawaiians who lived and worked at the site in the mid 1800s. Phase II, the focus on this proposal, seeks $50,000 to create modules focusing on gender issues at the site that have, heretofore, gone unexamined

    iPad use in fieldwork: formal and informal use to enhance pedagogical practice in a bring your own technology world

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    We report on use of iPads (and other IOS devices) for student fieldwork use and as electronic field notebooks and to promote active. We have used questionnaires and interviews of tutors and students to elicit their views and technology and iPad use for fieldwork. There is some reluctance for academic staff to relinquish paper notebooks for iPad use, whether in the classroom or on fieldwork, as well as use them for observational and measurement purposes. Students too are largely unaware of the potential of iPads for enhancing fieldwork. Apps can be configured for a wide variety of specific uses that make iPads useful for educational as well as social uses. Such abilities should be used to enhance existing practice as well as make new functionality. For example, for disabled students who find it difficult to use conventional note taking. iPads can be used to develop student self-directed learning and for group contributions. The technology becomes part of the students’ personal learning environments as well as at the heart of their knowledge spaces – academic and social. This blurring of boundaries is due to iPads’ usability to cultivate field use, instruction, assessment and feedback processes. iPads can become field microscopes and entries to citizen science and we see the iPad as the main ‘computing’ device for students in the near future. As part of the Bring Your Own Technology/Device (BYOD) the iPad has much to offer although, both staff and students need to be guided in the most effective use for self-directed education via development of Personal Learning Environments. A more student-oriented pedagogy is suggested to correspond to the increasing use of tablet technologies by student

    Drone control and monitoring by means of a web application

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    The project aims to design and implement a software framework for controlling and monitoring drones through a web application, built using the Vue.js framework. With this, I offer a contribution to the Drone Engineering Ecosystem (DEE) , an ecosystem dedicated to the control and monitoring of drones through different technologies in which students of the EETAC, a university that belongs to the UPC, can contribute and enhance the ecosystem while doing their bachelor or masters degree final project. Currently, there is a desktop application in the ecosystem that does the tasks of drone monitoring, control and mission planning. However, as the technology evolves, there is a need for web app as the advantages of a web platform for drone control and monitoring are numerous and compelling. The main benefit is the enhanced accessibility as the only needs are Internet connection and a browser, that no matter whether it is in the laptop, tablet or on a smartphone. As technology continues to evolve, web applications undoubtedly stand at the forefront of innovation in all domains. So, the focus of this project is to provide a web platform for drone controlling and monitoring. The culmination emerges as a remarkably professional and contemporary web application that empowers the user with countless levels of control over drone operations. Notably, users have the freedom to decide the drone's movements and actions, ensuring a seamless and intuitive interface that facilitates effortless navigation. The capabilities extend beyond mere control, as users can devise a diverse range of missions. One standout attribute is the ability to create geofences, a vital tool for ensuring safe and responsible drone operations. Moreover, the web app enables users to fine tune drone's flying parameters. This level of customization guarantees that the drone's performance aligns precisely with the intended goals. The outcome of the efforts yield a high level of satisfaction as the web platform has been successfully built, enhancing the basic functionalities of the desktop application while introducing additional features. However, the broader implication is that the Drone Engineering Ecosystem now boasts a new platform for drone control and monitoring. This achievement marks a significant stride forward for the DEE.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructur

    Exploring mobile learning opportunities and challenges in Nepal: the potential of open-source platforms

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    With the increasing access to mobile devices in developing countries, the number of pilots and projects embracing mobile devices as learning tools is also growing. The important role it can play in improving education is also positively received within education communities. But, providing a successful mobile learning service is still significantly challenging. The considerable problems arise due to existing pedagogical, technological, political, social and cultural challenges and there has been a shortage of research concerning how to deploy and sustain this technology in a resource constrained educational environment. There are studies mainly conducted in sub-Saharan countries, India, and Latin America, which provide some guidelines for incorporating technology in the existing educational process. However, considering the contextual differences between these regions and other countries in Asia, such as Nepal, it requires a broader study in its own challenging socio-cultural context. In response to this difficulty, the aims of this exploratory research work are to study the distinct challenges of schools’ education in Nepal and evaluate the use of open-source devices to provide offline access to learning materials in order to recommend a sustainable mobile learning model. The developmental study was conducted in University of West London in order to assess the feasibility of these devices. The main study in Nepal explored i) the overall challenges to education in the challenging learning environment of schools with limited or no access to ICT, ii) how ICT might be helping teaching and learning in the rural public schools, and iii) how an offline mobile learning solution based on the open source platforms may facilitate English language teaching and learning. Data collection primarily involved interviews, questionnaires, observations and supplemented by other methods. This thesis presents the sustainable model for deploying and supporting mobile technology for education, which is based on the findings emerging from completed exploratory studies in Nepal. It highlights all the aspects that need to be addressed to ensure sustainability. However, to translate this understanding to a design is a complex challenge. For a mobile learning solution to be used in such challenging learning contexts, the need is to develop simple and innovative solutions that provide access to relevant digital learning resources and train teachers to embed technology in education. This thesis discusses these findings, limitations and presents implications for the design of future mobile learning in the context of Nepal

    THE USE OF MOBILE DEVICES FOR FORMAL LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: INVESTIGATING STUDENT BEHAVIORS AND EXPECTATIONS

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    The use of mobile devices has transformed the way we live, work, and study. Nearly every student in higher education owns a smart phone and the majority of those that do report that they use those devices, at least in part, to conduct academic work. Institutes of higher education (IHEs) have widely adopted technologies to connect instructors and students, and most instructors incorporate digital materials into their curriculum. However, the selection of these learning technologies is often the domain of the institution or the instructor. Students are expected to provide the personal technology required to utilize these systems, which may include their mobile device. The purpose of this study is to discover what types of academic work students would like to perform on their mobile devices, what barriers to doing so they have encountered, how their learning behavior differs based on the device in use, and students' preferred instructional design practices for designing learning activities on mobile devices. A mixed-methods approach was used to answer these questions. Surveys and focus groups asked students about the personal technology that they own, the learning activities they perform, and how different devices are used to complete those activities. The log data of the Canvas learning management system was also analyzed to detail student behavior in the context of the device being used to interact with the system. The results show that students do use their mobile devices for significant amounts of academic work and consider them to be an important educational tool, but they are generally selective about the types of activities in which they will engage on a mobile device. Students tend to use their mobile devices for activities that are most convenient to them but identified several factors that prevented them from using those devices to engage in more detailed work. This study will inform instructors and instructional designers who produce academic content for students and assist IHEs in their decision-making process when adopting course materials and technologies

    A mobile applications innovation ecosystem framework for Botswana

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    Text in EnglishThe role that locally relevant services and content can play in the development of societies cannot be underestimated. The proliferation of mobile phones in Africa’s developing countries is a significant enabler, which provides access to such locally relevant services and content. Mobile applications have the potential to support the development of the African continent through bolstering the main mechanisms of innovation, inclusion and efficiency. This has been demonstrated by instances of increased literacy, improved access to health care, banking, crowd sourcing and provision of farming and/or agricultural assistance. Successful cases of such mobile-based services include Kenya’s M-Pesa, which has allowed millions of rural people, who do not have access to traditional banking facilities, to send and receive money as well as pay utility bills and school fees. The development of similar innovative and locally relevant mobile-based solutions, which is currently considered to be in its infancy, is key to improving the lives of people in developing countries. This study identifies the essential components of an innovation ecosystem, for the development and presentation of a Mobile Applications Innovation Ecosystem Framework for Botswana. An innovation ecosystem enables effective interaction amongst entrepreneurs, companies, universities, research organisations, investors and government agencies towards maximising economic impact and potential. To gain a practical understanding of the context in which locally relevant mobile-based services can be developed, the study adopted a pragmatic research approach. Through combining the 4Cs Framework for ICT and the systems theory’s Triple Helix Model of Innovation, the study proceeded to develop the framework using a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology. DSR guided the identification of the components, which make up the mobile applications innovation ecosystem within government, industry and higher education sectors, as extracted from the literature review. This process facilitated initial framework designs, which were demonstrated to and evaluated by conveniently sampled stakeholders from relevant helices. Thereafter a synthesised framework was presented for evaluation by knowledgeable professionals from the mobile applications innovation ecosystem. The study contributes to the theoretical knowledgebase by presenting a theoretical framework for understanding ICT4D innovation frameworks and mobile applicationsSchool of ComputingPh. D. (Information Systems

    A survey on the design space of end-user-oriented languages for specifying robotic missions

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    Mobile robots are becoming increasingly important in society. Fulfilling complex missions in different contexts and environments,robots are promising instruments to support our everyday live. As such, the task of defining the robot’s missionis moving from professional developers and roboticists to the end-users. However, with the current state-of-the-art, definingmissions is non-trivial and typically requires dedicated programming skills. Since end-users usually lack such skills, manycommercial robots are nowadays equipped with environments and domain-specific languages tailored for end-users. As such,the software support for defining missions is becoming an increasingly relevant criterion when buying or choosing robots.Improving these environments and languages for specifying missions toward simplicity and flexibility is crucial. To this end,we need to improve our empirical understanding of the current state-of-the-art of such languages and their environments. Inthis paper, we contribute in this direction. We present a survey of 30 mission specification environments for mobile robots thatcome with a visual and end-user-oriented language. We explore the design space of these languages and their environments,identify their concepts, and organize them as features in a feature model. We believe that our results are valuable to practitionersand researchers designing the next generation of mission specification languages in the vibrant domain of mobilerobots
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