Split and Migrate: Resource-Driven Placement and Discovery of Microservices at the Edge

Microservices architectures combine the use of fine-grained and independently-scalable services with lightweight communication protocols, such as REST calls over HTTP. Microservices bring flexibility to the development and deployment of application back-ends in the cloud. Applications such as collaborative editing tools require frequent interactions between the front-end running on users\u27 machines and a back-end formed of multiple microservices. User-perceived latencies depend on their connection to microservices, but also on the interaction patterns between these services and their databases. Placing services at the edge of the network, closer to the users, is necessary to reduce user-perceived latencies. It is however difficult to decide on the placement of complete stateful microservices at one specific core or edge location without trading between a latency reduction for some users and a latency increase for the others. We present how to dynamically deploy microservices on a combination of core and edge resources to systematically reduce user-perceived latencies. Our approach enables the split of stateful microservices, and the placement of the resulting splits on appropriate core and edge sites. Koala, a decentralized and resource-driven service discovery middleware, enables REST calls to reach and use the appropriate split, with only minimal changes to a legacy microservices application. Locality awareness using network coordinates further enables to automatically migrate services split and follow the location of the users. We confirm the effectiveness of our approach with a full prototype and an application to ShareLatex, a microservices-based collaborative editing application

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching

Predicting Students’ Continuance Intention Related to the Use of Collaborative Web 2.0 Applications

One of the main prerequisites for the implementation of collaborative Web 2.0 applications in higher education is their acceptance by students. With the objective to identify the predictors of students’ satisfaction and their intentions related to further use of collaborative Web 2.0 applications, a two-part research was conducted. After completing the collaborative educational activities by means of Google Docs, students were asked to fill out a post-use questionnaire. The aim of this paper is to examine the psychometric characteristics of the research framework which reflects the interplay among relevant aspects of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectation-Confirmation Theory (ECT). Empirical findings and practical implications are presented and discussed

Cloud Collaboration: Its Effect toward Writing Achievement and Impact toward Attitude to Learning

The study aims at finding out the effect of cloud collaboration toward writing achievement and students’ perception toward its impact to attitude of English learning. It was an experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design, and the forty-eight samples of which were randomly taken from seventy-nine students taking paragraph writing course. The data were collected using an adapted writing test and cloud service impact questionnaire. The data from the test were analysed using t-test, while the data form questionnaire were descriptively analysed. The results show that there was an increase of writing achievement before and after the treatment and the increase was caused by the cloud collaboration implementation. The results also report that the cloud collaboration implementation had a high positive impact toward students’ confidence, affective engagement and behavioural engagement to English learning, especially in writing course

What would learning in an open world look like? A vision for the future

The pace of current technological advancement is phenomenal. In the last few years we have seen the emergence of ever more sophisticated gaming technologies, rich, immersive virtual worlds and new social networking services that enable learners and teachers to connect and communicate in new ways. The pace of change looks set to continue as annual Horizon reports testify (http://www.nmc.org/horizon). Clearly new technologies offer much in an educational context, with the promise of flexible, personalised and student-centred learning. Indeed research over the past few years, looking at learners' use of technologies, has given us a rich picture of how learners of all ages are appropriating new tools within their own context, mixing different applications for finding/managing information and for communicating with others (Sharpe and Beetham, forthcoming)

To enhance collaborative learning and practice network knowledge with a virtualization laboratory and online synchronous discussion

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internatinal License.Recently, various computer networking courses have included additional laboratory classes in order to enhance students' learning achievement. However, these classes need to establish a suitable laboratory where each student can connect network devices to configure and test functions within different network topologies. In this case, the Linux operating system can be used to operate network devices and the virtualization technique can include multiple OSs for supporting a significant number of students. In previous research, the virtualization application was successfully applied in a laboratory, but focused only on individual assignments. The present study extends previous research by designing the Networking Virtualization-Based Laboratory (NVBLab), which requires collaborative learning among the experimental students. The students were divided into an experimental group and a control group for the experiment. The experimental group performed their laboratory assignments using NVBLab, whereas the control group completed them on virtual machines (VMs) that were installed on their personal computers. Moreover, students using NVBLab were provided with an online synchronous discussion (OSD) feature that enabled them to communicate with others. The laboratory assignments were divided into two parts: Basic Labs and Advanced Labs. The results show that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in two Advanced Labs and the post-test after Advanced Labs. Furthermore, the experimental group's activities were better than those of the control group based on the total average of the command count per laboratory. Finally, the findings of the interviews and questionnaires with the experimental group reveal that NVBLab was helpful during and after laboratory class