Learning object semantic description for enhancing reusability

In the design of activities for Web-Based Education Systems, the concept of Didactic Object or Learning Object, has appeared as the axis of a new paradigm concerned with the reusability of contents and activities, due to its organization from a conceptual point of view, the use of metadata in known formats and the setting of new standards. In this article, the concept of reusability is analyzed within the context of the systems mentioned. In addition, Sowa-Style Conceptual Maps as well as Hypermedia Conceptual Maps are proposed as schemes capable of representing knowledge, since they allow for a clear visualization and tend to enable known automated functionalities accurately. The above mentioned resources tend to complete the information in metadata with regard to the semantic aspect.Facultad de Informátic

Learning object semantic description for enhancing reusability

In the design of activities for Web-Based Education Systems, the concept of Didactic Object or Learning Object, has appeared as the axis of a new paradigm concerned with the reusability of contents and activities, due to its organization from a conceptual point of view, the use of metadata in known formats and the setting of new standards. In this article, the concept of reusability is analyzed within the context of the systems mentioned. In addition, Sowa-Style Conceptual Maps as well as Hypermedia Conceptual Maps are proposed as schemes capable of representing knowledge, since they allow for a clear visualization and tend to enable known automated functionalities accurately. The above mentioned resources tend to complete the information in metadata with regard to the semantic aspect.Facultad de Informátic

Learning object semantic description for enhancing reusability

In the design of activities for Web-Based Education Systems, the concept of Didactic Object or Learning Object, has appeared as the axis of a new paradigm concerned with the reusability of contents and activities, due to its organization from a conceptual point of view, the use of metadata in known formats and the setting of new standards. In this article, the concept of reusability is analyzed within the context of the systems mentioned. In addition, Sowa-Style Conceptual Maps as well as Hypermedia Conceptual Maps are proposed as schemes capable of representing knowledge, since they allow for a clear visualization and tend to enable known automated functionalities accurately. The above mentioned resources tend to complete the information in metadata with regard to the semantic aspect.Facultad de Informátic

Modes of Interaction in Computational Architecture

This thesis is an enquiry into the importance and influence of interaction in architecture, the importance of which is observed through different modes of interaction occurring in various aspects of architectural discourse and practice. Interaction is primarily observed through the different use of software within architectural practice and in the construction of buildings, façades and systems. In turn, the kind of influences software has on architecture is one of the underlying questions of this thesis. Four qualities: Concept, Materiality, Digitization and Interactivity, are proposed as a theoretical base for the analysis and assessment of different aspects of computational architecture. These four qualities permeate and connect the diverse areas of research discussed, including architecture, cybernetics, computer science, interaction design and new media studies, which in combination provide the theoretical background. The modalities of computational architecture analysed here are, digital interior spaces, digitized design processes and communicational exterior environments. The analysis is conducted through case studies: The Fun Palace, Generator Project, Water Pavilion, Tower of Winds, Institute du Monde Arabe, The KPN building, Aegis Hyposurface, BIX Façade, Galleria Department Store, Dexia Tower, and also E:cue, Microstation, Auto-Cad, Rhino, Top Solid and GenerativeComponents software. These are important for discussion because they present different architectural concepts and thoughts about interactivity within architecture. The analytical processes used in the research distinguished and refined, eight modes of interaction: (1) interaction as a participatory process; (2) cybernetic mutualism; (3) thematic interaction; (4) human-computer interaction during architectural design production; (5) interaction during digital fabrication; (6) parametric interaction; (7) kinetic interaction with dynamic architectural forms; and (8) interaction with façades. Out of these, cybernetic mutualism is the mode of interaction proposed by this thesis

Comments on the cybernetics of stability and regulation in social systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The methods and principles of cybernetics are applied to a discussion of stability and regulation in social systems taking a global viewpoint. The fundamental but still classical notion of stability as applied to homeostatic and ultrastable systems is discussed, with a particular reference to a specific well-studied example of a closed social group (the Tsembaga studied by Roy Rappaport in New Guinea). The discussion extends to the problem of evolution in large systems and the question of regulating evolution is addressed without special qualifications. A more comprehensive idea of stability is introduced as the argument turns to the problem of evolution for viability in general. Concepts pertaining to the problem of evolution are exemplified by a computer simulation model of an abstractly defined ecosystem in which various dynamic processes occur allowing the study of adaptive and evolutionary behaviour. In particular, the role of coalition formation and cooperative behaviour is stressed as a key factor in the evolution of complexity. The model consists of a population of several species of dimensionless automata inhabiting a geometrically defined environment in which a commodity essential for metabolic requirements (food) appears. Automata can sense properties of their environment, move about it, compete for food, reproduce or combine into coalitions thus forming new and more complex species. Each species is associated with a specific genotype from which the species’ behavioural characteristics (its phenotype) are derived. Complexity and survival efficiency of species increases through coalition formation, an event which occurs when automata are faced with an “undecidable” situation that is resolvable only by forming a new and more complex organization. Exogenous manipulation of the food distribution pattern and other critical factors produces different environmental conditions resulting in different behaviour patterns of automata and in different evolutionary “pathways.” Eve-1, the computer program developed to implement this model, accepts a high-level command language which allows for the setting of parameters, definition of initial configurations, and control of output formats. Results of simulation are produced graphically and include various pertinent tables. The program was given a modular hierarchical structure which allows easy generation of new versions incorporating different sets of rules. The model strives to capture the essence of the evolution of complexity viewed as a general process rather than to describe the evolution of a particular “real” system. In this respect it is not context-specific, and the behaviours which are observable in different runs can receive various interpretation depending on specific identifications. Of these, biological, ecological, and sociological interpretations are the most obvious and the latter, in particular, is stressed.J. M. Kaplan Fund in New Yor

Situated Aesthetics: Interaction and Participation in Biofeedback Performances

This practice-based PhD explores how the implementation of biofeedback in audio-visual performances can challenge the traditional divisions between the roles of the artist, the audience and the artwork. This was achieved by designing a system to accommodate these performances and iterating the system across three performances. At the centre of the system is the use of biometric devices to collect real-time data from audience participants. Their brainwaves and heart rates were interfaced with audio-visual outputs which were made both visible and audible to them, thereby influencing the original data and creating a biofeedback loop. The first of the four experiments took place in a controlled studio environment without an audience and served to establish which technologies were most suited to this end. The technologies were tested for their prospective reliability and accessibility in a live performance environment, with the ultimate aim of enabling the greatest level of interaction between the roles of artist, audience and artwork. The following three experiments took place between 2015-18 and were funded by commissioning bodies to be hosted in galleries and exhibition spaces with an audience present. Each of these latter three performances continued to iterate the system’s design, implementing changes in response to the obstacles and opportunities presented at each stage of the process. The research question took as its starting point the principles of practice as research and the fields of social practice and cybernetics. Broadly defined, social practice is a field of art whose theory and practice foregrounds participation and an awareness of context and process in the production of artworks. Cybernetics is a field of science and philosophy which studies how systems self-regulate within, and adapt to, their environments through mechanisms of feedback and circularity, exploring principles of situatedness, embodiment, interaction and control. By drawing on the respective theories and practices of these fields, this thesis will document how they each informed the experiments in addressing the research question. Little research exists on the points of contact between social practice and cybernetics. Considered together, they mutually inform one another and present a number of illuminating points of departure when considering the embedded hierarchies and relationships between the roles of artist, audience and artwork

Eniatype: Transdisciplinary Practice for Methodologies of Communication

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.The thesis demonstrates a rethinking of methodologies of communication through ecological design. Human communication and ecological accountability are inextricably linked in architectural design: the current global ecological crisis underscores this fundamental connection. Within architectural practice the communication from architect to participant or environment is not at all straightforward. This is also true of the dyadic relation between context, design and communication in architectural education. Notational systems within architectural education used as a communication tool have made the composition of architecture an activity like the composition of fiction: the activity of communication. So deep is the connection between architecture and communication in our culture that for much of the time we ignore it and behave as if notation were really a transparent window – just as in reading a working drawing in architectural practice we may ignore the intermediacy of notation and imagine that thoughts are reaching us directly from the architect’s mind. The most important criterion of notational systems, whether literally or architectural, is precisely that it should not draw attention to itself, nor disturb the illusion of neutrality and faithfulness. Through original design exploration, this work proffers a critical vision towards the built environment. These conceptions challenge the everyday education of architectural design by offering a transdisciplinary framework for design production. The work concludes with the necessity for a new design field entitled ‘Eniatype’. Eniatype is still in its nascent stages. It has the potential to become a far-reaching awareness that bonds the disciplines of design ecologies, theory of notation, instructional design and aesthetics; together they form the acronym ENIA. The work establishes the theoretical foundation for Eniatype in four parts. Part one, ideation, is a survey of visions on architectural practice illustrating original concepts such as ‘Correalism‘, ’Reflexive Architecture‘ and ’Recursive Vision‘. Part two, Enia, illustrates the principles of design ecologies, theory of notation, instructional design and aesthetical strands in projects such as ’Basque Enia‘ and ’Beijing Enia‘. Part three, Type, conveys the principles of the logical theory of types in ’Working Drawing, Participant and Environment‘. Part four, Eniatype, synthesise these approaches through a series of research sessions towards a transdisciplinary idea of architectural education and practice. The work describes a burgeoning field, Eniatype, which promotes ecological transitions within local and global contexts through architectural education. By linking working drawing and environment within architectural education, unique ecological design proposals were produced, which promote a new role in defining the ciphers of future design thought

Computer assisted education : design, development and evaluation.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 2001.Educational institutions throughout the world are increasingly facing classes of educationally, culturally and linguistically diverse student groups. At the same time economic constraints require these institutions to expand their student base and they are therefore looking to distance education and continuing education modules to meet these challenges. Simultaneously rapid advances in desktop computing capabilities and Internet delivered information have revived interest in Computer Assisted Education (CAE). The University of Natal is no exception to these trends; schools, departments and individual members of staff are increasingly exploring the possibility of using the University's computer infrastructure to assist in delivering quality education, maintaining current standards, and addressing the multiple needs of the students. To investigate these issues a CAE program was developed for use in the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine to investigate how students would make use 'of the technology, and to report on the development and evaluation processes of such a development. In doing so various lessons could be learnt which could inform the further development of such software at the University. In order to support the development of the CAE program an extensive literature survey into current educational theory was conducted. Its objectives were to explore and understand all the factors affecting the development and use of computer based systems as an educational tool. Particular aspects considered were • the debate between constructivist and instructivist theory in their applicability to both the medium and the subject material. • instructional styles, and with them the learning styles, that could be used to support the educational goals of the diverse student population. • instructional design methodologies that are currently used as well as media production methodologies. The goal of this aspect of the research was to advise both the development of the case study and to gain a broader understanding of the methodology that could be used for other developments. Included in this phase of the research are methods and criteria for selection of authoring systems and interface design issues in a multi-cultural multi-lingual environment. • the review of different evaluation strategies in order to incorporate appropriate evaluation in the CAE case study. • the investigation of broader sociological and historical factors that may influence the way in which CAE can be used effectively in a South African context. The presumption was that students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds and those with English as a second language would be less willing to use technological interventions than those who were more likely to have had access to computers earlier in their education. The case study set out to investigate if this presumption was valid, and if so what elements of design and delivery could facilitate these students' usage of such systems. However, these presumptions were not validated by the case study, showing the exact opposite of expectations, with more historically disadvantaged students showing a willingness to use the module

Paradigms for the design of multimedia learning environments in engineering

The starting point for this research was the belief that interactive multimedia learning environments represent a significant evolution in computer based learning and therefore their design requires a re-examination of the underlying principles of learning and knowledge representation. Current multimedia learning environments (MLEs) can be seen as descendants of the earlier technologies of computer-aided learning (CAL), intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and videodisc-based learning systems. As such they can benefit from much of the wisdom which emerged from those technologies. However, multimedia can be distinguished from earlier technologies by its much greater facility in bringing to the learner high levels of interaction with and control over still and moving image, animation, sound and graphics. Our intuition tells us that this facility has the potential to create learning environments which are not merely substitutes for "live" teaching, but which are capable of elucidating complex conceptual knowledge in ways which have not previously been possible. If the potential of interactive multimedia for learning is to be properly exploited then it needs to be better understood. MLEs should not just be regarded as a slicker version of CAL, ITS or videodisc but a new technology requiring a reinterpretation of the existing theories of learning and knowledge representation. The work described in this thesis aims to contribute to a better understanding of the ways in which MLEs can aid learning. A knowledge engineering approach was taken to the design of a MLE for civil engineers. This involved analysing in detail the knowledge content of the learning domain in terms of different paradigms of human learning and knowledge representation. From this basis, a design strategy was developed which matched the nature of the domain knowledge to the most appropriate delivery techniques. The Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (CAM) was shown to be able to support the integration and presentation of the different categories of knowledge in a coherent instructional framework. It is concluded that this approach is helpful in enabling designers of multimedia systems both to capture and to present a rich picture of the domain. The focus of the thesis is concentrated on the domain of Civil Engineering and the learning of concepts and design skills within that domain. However, much of it could be extended to other highly visual domains such as mechanical engineering. Many of the points can also be seen to be much more widely relevant to the design of any MLE.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Counci