Using laboratory to improve understanding of 802.3 physical characteristics

When teaching computer networks as part of a Computer Engineering degree, emphasis is placed on higher-layer protocols while Physical and Data-Link layers usually play a secondary role. Physical aspects of data communication are sometimes taught as an independent, not-related, topic whereas Data-Link concepts are “hard” to our students. We propose a new lab experience in which students can see IEEE 802.3 frames in a new way; by using standard digital oscilloscope we are able to go deeper into lower-level layers. The lab session will be divided into two parts, focusing on topics that are usually considered “hard” by our students. The first part will focus on physical aspects of a frame transmission whereas the second will focus on MAC-layer. For example, topics like physical layer synchronization, signal attenuation, 5-4-3 rule and even Interframe Gap are exercised at the lab session. This experience has been tested with a group of last year students; we have analyzed students "own perception" of previous knowledge of some related topics, the results from a evaluation questionnaire (a small exam given out to students) and students evaluation of this exercise.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-0843

A learning methodology using Matlab/Simulink for undergraduate electrical engineering courses attending to learner satisfaction outcomes

Learner-centred approaches follow the prevailing tendency in modern University reforms which are primarily concerned about ‘‘how people learn’’. The methodologies can be learner-centred in the sense of placing the student as the main actor of the teaching–learning process by increasing his interactivity and participation, but also considering what is relevant for the student by measuring the learner satisfaction. In order to promote both aspects, this paper proposes a synchronous software-based active methodology that makes use of the simulations to show a virtual scenario to the students and challenge them to predict and discuss the evolution of the scenario. The proposed methodology improves the visual interface, promotes discussion both among students and with the teacher in a brainstorming stage and shows real-world examples. This software-based methodology has been implemented into an Electric Machinery course at the University of Seville (Spain), and the evaluation has been carried out considering both the affective and cognitive domains. Principal components analysis proves to be useful to highlight the dimensions with a higher influence on learner satisfaction and the affective and cognitive results confirm the successful implementation of the proposa

Relatório anual de atividades de doutoramento

Este relatório apresenta o reporte de atividade da primeira autora que se encontra a realizar o seu doutoramento, de acordo com as seguintes especificações: Nome Completo: Selma Maria Gonçalves Cavaignac Tema/Título Provisório: Jogos Sérios no Ensino Superior: avaliação da aprendizagem formal Domínio Científico: Doutoramento em Ciências da Informação, especialidade em Sistemas, Tecnologias e Gestão da Informação. Área de Conhecimento: Uso de TIC na Educação/Aprendizagem Data de início do programa: Julho/2018 Orientador: Prof. Dr. Luís Borges Gouveia Coorientador: Prof. Dr. Pedro Reis Nesse contexto, foi produzido o relatório anual da atividade desenvolvida, no contexto específico da pandemia que assola o nosso planeta e que embora tenha tido impacto no trabalho, permitiu ainda a realização dos resultados reportados.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A blended learning approach for teaching computer programming : design for large classes in Sub-Saharan Africa

The challenge of teaching programming in higher education is complicated by problems associated with large class teaching, a prevalent situation in many developing countries. This paper reports on an investigation into the use of a blended learning approach to teaching and learning of programming in a class of more than 200 students. A course and learning environment was designed by integrating constructivist learning models of Constructive Alignment, Conversational Framework and the Three- Stage Learning Model. Design science research is used for the course redesign and development of the learning environment, and action research is integrated to undertake participatory evaluation of the intervention. The action research involved the Students’ Approach to Learning survey, a comparative analysis of students’ performance, and qualitative data analysis of data gathered from various sources. The paper makes a theoretical contribution in presenting a design of a blended learning solution for large class teaching of programming grounded in constructivist learning theory and use of free and open source technologies.NORAD project of Hawassa University from the third phase of a Norwegian Government-supported project.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ncse20hb201

Development test suite for FPGA TekBot learning platform

As the Tekbots program expands into senior and graduate level classes at Oregon State University, so does the need arise for more complex learning platforms. These complex hardware platforms cannot be adequately tested in a manufacturing environment as we have done previously. Also, due to their complexity, these platforms require substantial collateral documentation to allow first-time users to quickly become productive learners. This thesis details the development of a post-manufacturing test suite, known as OMICRON, to comprehensively test an FPGA learning platform. It also documents the development of a user guide for the board that explains user accessible features as well as providing the necessary startup information so students can quickly become acquainted with the new learning platform. While developing OMICRON, a new feature surfaced that provides a cycle-accurate hardware testbench debugger for testing student component modules that are implemented within the FPGA. This functionality serves a practical as well as an educational use by enabling test generation for detecting logic errors at a hardware level. Students can probe their own designs from an intuitive low-level command line interface once the designs have been loaded into the FPGA. The debugger can also be used to probe external circuits connected to the FPGA. In addition to simple probes, the hardware debugger is able to output testbench bit vectors in a continuous flow, and simultaneously receive cycle-accurate vector results. These test vectors can either be manually constructed, or extracted from simulation software. This thesis shall also demonstrate this unique test flow

Avaliação de jogos voltados para a disseminação do conhecimento

O conhecimento é um recurso valioso que pode ser capturado, codificado, armazenado e disseminado para a sociedade por meio de diferentes tipos de mídias. Os jogos educacionais são mídias voltadas para a educação e usados para transferir e adquirir conhecimentos em diversas áreas, sendo um dos seus benefícios importantes, possibilitar que alunos possam ter experiências práticas. A engenharia de software é uma área que tem buscado nos jogos uma forma alternativa para sair do ensino excessivamente centrado no professor para tentar proporcionar uma maior aplicação prática dos conceitos. Vários jogos já foram desenvolvidos para apoiar o ensino e aprendizagem da engenharia de software. Entretanto, ao desenvolver ou utilizar jogos educacionais é importante realizar avaliações da qualidade destes artefatos para assegurar que trazem benefícios a fim de justificar sua utilização. Um jogo de qualidade é aquele que tem objetivos educacionais bem definidos, motiva os alunos para os estudos e promove a aprendizagem de conteúdos curriculares por meio de atividades divertidas, prazerosas e desafiadoras. Este trabalho propõe um modelo para a avaliação da qualidade de jogos educacionais baseado no modelo de avaliação de treinamentos de Kirkpatrick, nas estratégias motivacionais do modelo ARCS, na área de experiência do usuário e na taxonomia de objetivos educacionais de Bloom. A estrutura teórica do modelo e um questionário para a coleta de dados com base da percepção dos alunos foram criados e são apresentados. O modelo foi testado com três jogos educacionais para avaliação de sua validade e confiabilidade, com o emprego de técnicas estatísticas, além da avaliação de sua aplicabilidade e utilidade. Os primeiros resultados foram satisfatórios e espera-se que este modelo possa trazer contribuições para a qualidade de jogos educacionais e a orientar professores na seleção e uso deste tipo de material de ensino e aprendizagem.Knowledge is a valuable resource which can be captured, codified, stored and disseminated to society through different types of media. Educational games are media-oriented education and used to transfer and acquire knowledge in several areas. One of the important benefits of educational games, in addition to theoretical knowledge, is enabling students to have practical experiences in classroom. The area of software engineering has sought a game alternative in order to move away from teacher focused education and to provide a greater practical application of concepts. Several games have been developed to support teaching and learning of software engineering, however, in the process of developing or using educational games it is important to perform quality evaluation to ensure that these artifacts provide benefits and by doing so, justify its use. A quality game is one that has well-defined educational goals, motivates students to study, and promotes learning of the curricular content through enjoyable and challenging activities. This work proposes a model for evaluating the quality of educational games based on the model of training evaluation by Kirkpatrick, the ARCS model of motivational strategies, the area of user experience, and the taxonomy of educational objectives by Bloom. Both the theoretical framework of the model and the questionnaire to collect data based on the perception of students were created and here presented. The model was tested in a series of three case studies to evaluate its validity and reliability through the use of statistical techniques and evaluation of its applicability and usefulness. Early results were satisfactory and it is hoped that this model can yield insights into the quality of educational games as well as guide teachers when selecting and using such material for teaching and learning

Jogos digitais como método de ensino: uma proposta de modelo de jogo para o ensino do jornalismo

Diante do cenário das transformações geradas pela revolução tecnológica vive-se um novo momento na educação, que vem exigindo um repensar dos métodos de ensino tradicionais. O mundo mudou, os aprendizes mudaram e a educação também está mudando. No entanto, a verdadeira revolução nessa área verifica-se no contexto da aprendizagem, com a inclusão das tecnologias no processo de ensino, contribuindo para transformações profundas na didática de sala de aula. No que se refere à área do jornalismo, na última década, esta vem vivenciando uma das suas maiores crises, gerada, principalmente, pela revolução digital. A prática profissional está em mutação para se adaptar à nova conjuntura comunicacional e as consequências advindas. Nesse cenário, o processo de formação dos novos jornalistas também precisa mudar. Dispondo-se a responder a este contexto, esta tese objetiva desenvolver uma proposta de modelo de jogo voltado para o ensino do jornalismo. Para tanto, partiu-se de um aprofundamento teórico sobre as transformações impostas à educação com o advento das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação. Em seguida, buscou-se compreender o artefato jogo a partir de uma concepção histórica, para então relacioná-lo ao ensino e a aprendizagem. A base teórica foi fundamental para a construção do protótipo do jogo que, após duas sessões de teste de jogo, evoluiu para o modelo final. Completou-se o estudo com a aplicação do jogo digital desenvolvido – ‘Jornalistando’, e com a avaliação do artefato pelos usuários. Esta fase foi baseada em uma investigação empírica qualitativa e quantitativa, apoiada em uma coleta de dados, que utilizou como instrumento o questionário. A amostra constituiu-se de 185 participantes – alunos cursando o 1º e 2º períodos do curso de jornalismo, de três universidades, sendo uma instituição particular e duas públicas. Mediante os dados obtidos, buscou-se analisara percepção dos alunos em relação ao modelo de jogo digital desenvolvido, com base em critérios específicos relacionados a usabilidade e as contribuições para a aprendizagem. Os resultados alcançados nesta pesquisa demonstraram positivamente a consistência do modelo de jogo educacional digital proposto, oferecendo aos desenvolvedores de jogos, assim como aos mediadores da prática pedagógica e às demais partes interessadas no processo de ensino e aprendizagem com o uso de jogos educacionais digitais, um caminho pelo qual eles possam criar, aplicar e avaliar a qualidade dos jogos.Faced with the scenario of transformations generated by the technological revolution, we are living a new phase in education, which is demanding a rethink of traditional teaching methods. The world has changed, learners have changed and education is also changing. However, the real revolution in this area is in the context of learning, with the inclusion of technologies in the teaching process, contributing to profound changes in classroom didactics. In the last decade, journalism has been experiencing one of its greatest crises, generated mainly by the digital revolution. The professional practice is in mutation to adapt to the new communication conjuncture and its consequences. In this scenario, the training process of new journalists also needs to change. In order to respond to this context, this thesis aims to develop a proposed model of game focused on the teaching of journalism. In order to do so, we started from a theoretical deepening on the transformations imposed on education with the advent of information and communication technologies. It was then sought to understand the artifact game from a historical conception, to then relate it to teaching and learning. The theoretical basis was fundamental for the construction of the game prototype that, after two sessions of plays tests, evolved to the final model. The study was completed with the application of the developed digital game – 'Jornalistando', and with the evaluation of the artifact by the users. This phase was based on a qualitative and quantitative empirical investigation, supported by data collection, which used a questionnaire as an instrument. The sample consisted of 185 participants – students attending the 1st and 2nd periods of the journalism course, from three universities, one private and two public institutions. In order to obtain the data obtained, it was sought to analyses the students' perception regarding the model of digital game developed, based on specific criteria related to usability and the contributions to learning. The results achieved in this research have positively demonstrated the consistency of the proposed digital educational game model, offering game developers, as well as mediators of pedagogical practice and other stakeholders in the teaching and learning process with the use of digital educational games, a path through which they can create, apply and evaluate the quality of games.Face au scénario des transformations générées par la révolution technologique, nous vivons un nouveau moment dans l'éducation, qui exige de repenser les méthodes d'enseignement traditionnelles. Le monde a changé, les apprenants ont changé et l'éducation change également. Cependant, la véritable révolution dans ce domaine se situe dans le contexte de l'apprentissage, avec l'inclusion des technologies dans le processus d'enseignement, contribuant à de profonds changements dans la didactique de la classe. Au cours de la dernière décennie, le journalisme a connu l'une de ses plus grandes crises, générée principalement par la révolution numérique. La pratique professionnelle est en mutation pour s'adapter à la nouvelle conjoncture de la communication et à ses conséquences. Dans ce scénario, le processus de formation des nouveaux journalistes doit également changer. Afin de répondre à ce contexte, cette thèse vise à développer une proposition de modèle de jeu axé sur l'enseignement du journalisme. Pour ce faire, nous sommes partis d'un approfondissement théorique sur les transformations imposées à l'éducation avec l'avènement des technologies de l'information et de la communication. On a ensuite cherché à comprendre le jeu d'artefact à partir d'une conception historique, pour ensuite le relier à l'enseignement et à l'apprentissage. La base théorique a été fondamentale pour la construction du prototype de jeu qui, après deux sessions de tests ludiques, a évolué vers le modèle final. L'étude a été complétée par l'application du jeu numérique développé - "Jornalistando", et par l'évaluation de l'artefact par les utilisateurs. Cette phase s'est appuyée sur une enquête empirique qualitative et quantitative, soutenue par la collecte de données, qui a utilisé un questionnaire comme instrument. L'échantillon était composé de 185 participants - des étudiants suivant les 1ère et 2ème périodes du cours de journalisme, issus de trois universités, une privée et deux publiques. Afin d'obtenir les données obtenues, on a cherché à analyser la perception des étudiants concernant le modèle de jeu numérique développé, sur la base de critères spécifiques liés à la convivialité et aux contributions à l'apprentissage. Les résultats obtenus dans cette recherche ont démontré de manière positive la cohérence du modèle de jeu éducatif numérique proposé, offrant aux développeurs de jeux, ainsi qu'aux médiateurs de la pratique pédagogique et aux autres acteurs du processus d'enseignement et d'apprentissage avec l'utilisation de jeux éducatifs numériques, un chemin à travers lequel ils peuvent créer, appliquer et évaluer la qualité des jeux