Investigation and prototype design of collaborative virtual learning environments

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are online learning systems that are used to enhance a student's learning experience by providing a set of teaching, learning and communication tools. The current VLEs, however, are not fully utilised or exploited to support effective collaborative learning. This paper investigates how to build effective online collaborative virtual learning environments, by exploring the requirements of VLEs from personal users. A prototype is then created to show how the designs of current VLEs can be improved to provide the essential functionalities and ease of use. © 2012 IEEE

Increasing workload on simulated remotely piloted system interaction and task completion – gamers versus non-gamers

With the current high rate of development and deployment of Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) for both commercial and military sectors globally, it is key to understand the implications this technology has on current and future RPAS operators and the consequential effect on licensing, training and performance measurement. This thesis investigates aspects of training and potential objective performance measurement of RPAS operators, this is carried out by reviewing current literature relating to RPAS and associated human factors thus a gap analysis was undertaken and a set of experiments/evaluations were devised to provide important new insights. Attention is drawn to the type of skill set required for future RPAS operations. A factor has been to understand whether a regular computer games player displays differing simulator interaction, in this case information gathering and analysis patterns, to that of someone with limited to no computer games experience. To achieve the aims of the research experimentation had to be carried which required the development of an appropriate simulator followed by the inclusion of a case study and the creation of bespoke performance data analysis software, SimPACT. Although performance differentials have been observed through action it was hoped to be able to identify performance differential characteristics through the means of evaluating the use of disparate physical data sets; the research, in fact, identified no significant difference between data set use and it must be concluded that any pre-action performance differential cannot be measured, at least not with the equipment available. However computer gamers, rather than having differing information acquisition strategies, have differing and more effective information retention and processing pathways likely to have been developed through continuous gaming which can be applied to any game-type environment and, potentially, any type of interactive task. These results have been proven to be statistically viable and observable. This research has contributed to the understanding of human performance measurement within the RPAS sector, including the addition of new data processing software, as well as provide new evidence relating to difference within human data gathering and processing between groups of differing experiences

CITIES: Energetic Efficiency, Sustainability; Infrastructures, Energy and the Environment; Mobility and IoT; Governance and Citizenship

This book collects important contributions on smart cities. This book was created in collaboration with the ICSC-CITIES2020, held in San José (Costa Rica) in 2020. This book collects articles on: energetic efficiency and sustainability; infrastructures, energy and the environment; mobility and IoT; governance and citizenship