Development of security in wireless sensor network using IPv6

The Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is one of core technologies expected to become a potential basis of future ever-present networks. WSN consists of multiple low cost sensor nodes, which could either, have a fixed location or randomly deployed that can communicate with each other for monitoring environments, medical systems, home network, industry automation and so on. However, most of the application scenarios require connectivity between WSNs and the Internet. Though WSN is typically not IP-enabled, connection to the IP network makes it easy to monitor sensors everywhere in the world. One of the purposes of the research work is to incorporate the IPv6 with WSNs, where IPv6 offers a larger address space. Therefore each of the sensor nodes will have their own IP address compare to IPv4, which has limited address space.The main objective of this research is to implement security in WSNs. Sensor networks are typically characterized by limited power supplies, low bandwidth, small memory sizes and limited energy. In addition, unlike traditional networks, sensor nodes are often deployed in accessible areas, presenting the added risk of physical attack. This leads to a very demanding environment in providing security. The research proposed XOR encryption algorithm that possesses built-in and enhanced security measure. The encryption and decryption of the payload secure the data's of the packet transfer. Other than that the XOR encryption is meant to realize the real time routing where the packets will be delivered within their end-to-end deadlines.XOR encryption security has been implemented in the 61owpan/IPv6 stack for TinyOS 2.1. TinyOS 2.1 an embedded operating system commonly used in wireless sensor networks. The hardware platforms used in this project, the TelosB motes, the 802.15.4 wireless communication standard and the TinyOS 2.1 operating syste

Experiences of students regarding the use of Facebook for mentoring : a case of a writing centre

Includes bibliographical references.Over the last 15 years, many South African universities have established Writing Centres as places to provide academic writing support to their students. The services offered are mostly free and voluntary and as such, there are no strict regulations regarding who should use them, and how often they should visit. Consequently, writing centres especially the newly established ones struggle to monitor the progress of the students they have helped once they have left the place, or even reach students in the places where they continue to write in order to offer additional support to students, which could positively influence their writing self-efficacy. This design-based research case study reports on an intervention run by one such writing centre where social media, specifically Facebook due to its popularity among students, was explored as a technology that can be adopted to reach and offer help to students beyond the confines of its physical space

Use of an online forum to promote use english language among engineering undergraduates

This study looks into the use of an online forum towards promoting use of the English language among engineering undergraduates at Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein. In this study, eleven students from different demographic and educational backgrounds participated in an online forum on various topics of discussion created in a virtual platform over a period of twenty two weeks. An asynchronous online platform was used as a tool and site to collect electronic data consisting of messages posted by participants throughout the duration of the study. Research data was collected, coded and analyzed qualitatively using instruments of participant observation, informal conversation and content analysis. At the end of the study it was found that the various participants despite their differences in academic, proficiency and ethnic backgrounds were encouraged by the freedom of use whereby they had an interestingly unique online opportunity to use the language both for academic and socializing purposes. They were found to be freely and openly indulging in online communication activities touching on many topics of interest using the English language. The study also found that participants used various linguistic features when communicating inside the medium. The online forum, thus, proves beneficial and may serve as a very useful tool towards assisting students to use the English language freely and purposefully in their daily settings

Further education students and the internet : a case study

This research is a case study of the way students at a Further Education College are making use of computer technology, in particular their use of the Internet, both at home and at college. The research used a multi-method approach that involved the collection of data by use of questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire was completed by two hundred students drawn from a range of courses offered at the college. The students invited to complete the questionnaire represented both full time and part time students. From the students who completed the questionnaire twenty were invited to take part in individual interviews. From the data collected the researcher has been able to establish a link between a student's cultural background and their use of computers and the Internet. The researcher has been able to gather data to support the theory that for students from some cultural backgrounds there is a likelihood that they will use Infonnation Technology for certain tasks more than students with a different cultural background. As a means of identifying groups of students who could be described as having the same cultural background the data gathered was analysed by comparing students by gender, ethnic group and religion. This research has shown that the use of computers and the Internet has become part of everyday life and as such part of our society's culture. However the research has shown that different cultural groups within our society are using the Internet in different ways and for different purposes. The data showed that male students had a more positive attitude towards computers than female students; it was also found that male students made more use of email at college than female students. The researcher has found two significant differences regarding students' use of the Internet, namely that males use the Internet more than females for entertainment and that students from a Pakistani ethnic origin use the Internet more than white students for private use. Students from Pakistani ethnic origins were also found to use email at home more than students from other ethnic backgrounds. Part of the questionnaire was used as a student self-assessment of Infonnation Technology (IT) skills and the training they had received. Analysis of this section of data showed that whilst the amount of training of students in the use of IT is independent of gender, religion and ethnicity the level of skills claimed was not. Male students claimed a higher level of IT skills than female students and the level of skill in IT claimed by Christians is significantly less than that claimed by both Muslims and those of no religion. The questionnaire results led the researcher to believe that students from different cultural backgrounds were using computers and the Internet differently. The interviews were used to probe the implications of these differences with students from particular ethnic groups. The results showed that, at the college where the study took place there were Muslim Pakistani females students who were using the Internet as their main means of social interaction, when not at college. For these students this level of social interaction would not have been available to them they did not have access to the Internet. These students were making extensive use of chat rooms on the Internet. They prearranged to talk on line to people they knew, and they did this on a regular basis. This is in contrast to female students from other cultural groups who did not use chat rooms to the same extent, and when they did it was to talk to people they did not know. The research also found that some computer use was independent of a student's cultural background. One such area related to students having difficulties or problems when using the Internet. From the students interviewed the researcher believes that for many of the students the instruction they are receiving, particularly with reference to using the Internet, is inadequate to meet their needs. In addition to the lack of IT training, some students saw the monitoring of computer use as problematic. Parental monitoring students' use of computers at home was mainly done by having the home computer located in a family room. Few of the students said that content monitoring software was being used on these machines. All students accepted this monitoring within the home environment but many were unhappy with the monitoring arrangements that the college had put in place. This research project has shown that it is not sufficient for future education researchers to investigate computer use in terms of type of use alone, as has been the case in many previous studies. This research has shown that how students choose to use computers needs to be interpreted in terms of their gender and cultural background

Process of change in teaching and learning in higher education : integrating information and communication technology

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/876 on 01.02.2017 by CS (TIS)The focus of this thesis was inspired by a small study investigating the way in which students could learn co-operatively using computer-mediated communication. Lessons learnt about the significance of purpose, context, nature and design of courses involving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) led to the idea that a holistic view, involving the study of all aspects that contribute to the whole context, would be necessary to reach a better understanding of the process of change in teaching and learning. The opportunity to pursue this route materialised by being part of a team on a national, ESRC funded, project to undertake in-depth qualitative research in sixteen UK universities to explore innovations in teaching and learning. Questions regarding motivation for innovation as well as factors that promote or inhibit this process were posed to innovators and managers. Distance Learning methodologies involving ICT and a student-centred learning ethos were beginning to evolve in campus-based universities. As a result of progressive focusing the Open University was included as a case study and this research has formed the largest part of the thesis. The OU allowed further exploration into the emerging issues which included institutional culture, frameworks, policy and strategies employed to initiate and implement change in teaching and learning. The ways in which individuals or groups negotiate and initiate change were also investigated by two in-depth mini-case studies involving course teams in the process of developing new courses. Topdown and bottom-up perspectives from central managers and course team members contributed to this section. Finally, implementation aspects from one of the mini-case studies - an internet-based technology degree course - were explored. This produced some powerful insights into the whole process of change involving new technologies. The speed of internet development and global interest in exploiting the potential of ICT in education and training has resulted in pressure on institutions from national policy, funding bodies, market competition and individual educational innovators to move towards the integration of ICT in higher education provision. The findings, which indicate the need for flexibility, collaboration and continual evaluation and development, could assist institutions who have begun making this move.Stage One was funded by the University of Exeter, as it evolved from an internal research project - 'Computer Supported Cooperative Learning'; Stage Two was funded by an ESRC award as I was a research assistant on the 'Innovations in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education' project; Stage Three was funded by a studentship from the University of Plymouth