An Inductive Approach for Modal Transition System Refinement

Modal Transition Systems (MTSs) provide an appropriate framework for modelling software behaviour when only a partial specification is available. A key characteristic of an MTS is that it explicitly models events that a system is required to provide and is proscribed from exhibiting, and those for which no specification is available, called maybe events. Incremental elaboration of maybe events into either required or proscribed events can be seen as a process of MTS refinement, resulting from extending a given partial specification with more information about the system behaviour. This paper focuses on providing automated support for computing strong refinements of an MTS with respect to event traces that describe required and proscribed behaviours using a non-monotonic inductive logic programming technique. A real case study is used to illustrate the practical application of the approach

Answer-set programming as a new approach to event-sequence testing

In many applications, faults are triggered by events that occur in a particular order. Based on the assumption that most bugs are caused by the interaction of a low number of events, Kuhn et al. recently introduced sequence covering arrays (SCAs) as suitable designs for event sequence testing. In practice, directly applying SCAs for testing is often impaired by additional constraints, and SCAs have to be adapted to fit application-specific needs. Modifying precomputed SCAs to account for problem variations can be problematic, if not impossible, and developing dedicated algorithms is costly. In this paper, we propose answer-set programming (ASP), a well-known knowledge-representation formalism from the area of artificial intelligence based on logic programming, as a declarative paradigm for computing SCAs. Our approach allows to concisely state complex coverage criteria in an elaboration tolerant way, i.e., small variations of a problem specification require only small modifications of the ASP representation

Computational alignment of goals and scenarios for complex systems

The purpose of requirements validation is to determine whether a large requirements set will lead to the achievement of system-related goals under different conditions - a task that needs automation if it is to be performed quickly and accurately. One reason for the current lack of software tools to undertake such validation is the absence of the computational mechanisms needed to associate scenario, system specification and goal analysis tools. Therefore, in this paper, we report first research experiments in developing these new capabilities, and demonstrate them with a non-trivial example associated with a Rolls Royce aircraft engine software component

Developing supplementary reading materials to promote critical thinking for the X grade students of vocational high school based on the 2013 Curriculum

This research is aimed at developing supplementary reading materials to promote critical thinking as a part of the 21st-century competencies (Critical thinking, Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration) and to reveal the effectiveness of the developed product. The methodology was Research and Development by Borg and Gall (1983). The research steps consist of three main stages; (1) preliminary study covering document analysis, classroom observation, and need analysis, (2) development covering drafting, internal experts judgement, revision, a prototype of the product, (3) field testing covering try out, reflection and interview, external expert judgement, revision, and final product. In analyzing the data, the researcher used descriptive qualitative research. It was adapted from Qualitative Data Analysis by Miles, Huberman & Saldana (1994) that are condensing data, displaying data, drawing, and verifying conclusion. The results of the preliminary study showed that supplementary reading materials to promote the 4’Cs were needed. The textbook evaluation revealed that there were four chapters (chapter 1, chapter 5, chapter 8 and chapter 12) which need to be developed. In need analysis, the researcher interviewed three English teachers and nine students who were in low, middle and high level from the same class. Based on the data, the teachers and the students required the developed product. The researcher then made abound of drafts which were then revised into the prototype of the product. The developed product was tried out in class X TKJ A SMKN 1 Saptosari by having collaboration with the fellow teachers. To catch the real situation, the researcher recorded the teaching and learning process, wrote the transcripts, noted the classroom observation, and did reflection. After the final revision, the supplementary reading materials came to the final product. The try out proved that the developed supplementary reading materials are effective in promoting critical thinking. Based on the analysis, the students are able to complete the tasks that were designed to promote critical thinking ( making predictions, differentiating relevant and irrelevant information, relating different concepts, thinking inductively, and comparing or analyzing the texts)

Automated goal operationalisation based on interpolation and SAT solving

Goal oriented methods have been successfully employed for eliciting and elaborating software requirements. When goals are assigned to an agent, they have to be operationalised: the agent’s operations have to be refined, by equipping them with appropriate enabling and triggering conditions, so that the goals are fulfilled. Goal operationalisation generally demands a significant effort of the engineer. Although there exist approaches that tackle this problem, they are either in-formal or at most semi automated, requiring the engineer to assist in the process. In this paper, we present an approach for goal operationalisation that automatically computes required preconditions and required triggering conditions for operations, so that the resulting operations establish the goals. The process is iterative, is able to deal with safety goals and particular kinds of liveness goals, and is based on the use of interpolation and SAT solving

Where do statistical models come from? Revisiting the problem of specification

R. A. Fisher founded modern statistical inference in 1922 and identified its fundamental problems to be: specification, estimation and distribution. Since then the problem of statistical model specification has received scant attention in the statistics literature. The paper traces the history of statistical model specification, focusing primarily on pioneers like Fisher, Neyman, and more recently Lehmann and Cox, and attempts a synthesis of their views in the context of the Probabilistic Reduction (PR) approach. As argued by Lehmann [11], a major stumbling block for a general approach to statistical model specification has been the delineation of the appropriate role for substantive subject matter information. The PR approach demarcates the interrelated but complemenatry roles of substantive and statistical information summarized ab initio in the form of a structural and a statistical model, respectively. In an attempt to preserve the integrity of both sources of information, as well as to ensure the reliability of their fusing, a purely probabilistic construal of statistical models is advocated. This probabilistic construal is then used to shed light on a number of issues relating to specification, including the role of preliminary data analysis, structural vs. statistical models, model specification vs. model selection, statistical vs. substantive adequacy and model validation.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/074921706000000419 in the IMS Lecture Notes--Monograph Series (http://www.imstat.org/publications/lecnotes.htm) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

The impossible quest: increasing students’ participation and Interaction in the L2 in secondary education’s EFL classrooms

(English) he main purpose of this Dissertation is to propose an innovation project which aims at increasing students’ participation and interaction in the L2 in Secondary Education’s EFL classrooms. In order to do that, a didactic unit has been designed, which includes a combination of methods and approaches which are recommended in the LOMCE Aragonese Curriculum and others which have proven to be the most effective in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language, such as Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) or active methodologies, like the Project-Based Language Learning (PBLL) and Cooperative Learning, as well as Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) and the PPP lesson format taught through an inductive approach, and a process-oriented instruction of the written production skill. Other factors have also been taken into account, such as the interaction patterns, the type of feedback provided and the techniques incorporated for differentiation. This learning unit’s effectiveness has been critically analysed and discussed in this paper, applying the theoretical and curricular framework previously presented to justify all the decisions taken during its creation. As a conclusion, this didactic proposal seems to have a good chance to work out within an EFL classroom, although it should always be considered that not all classes work in the same way and that we still need to adapt to individual learners’ needs and characteristics. (Español) El principal propósito de esta disertación es proponer un proyecto de innovación que aspira a incrementar la participación e interacción en la segunda lengua del alumnado en las aulas de inglés como Lengua Extranjera de Educación Secundaria. Para ello, ha sido diseñada una unidad didáctica que combina métodos y enfoques que aparecen recomendados en el Currículo LOMCE Aragonés y otros que han demostrado ser los más efectivos en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera, como el enfoque comunicativo o las metodologías activas, tanto el Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) como el Aprendizaje Cooperativo, además del Aprendizaje Basado en Tareas, las lecciones que siguen el formato Presentación-Práctica-Producción a través de un enfoque inductivo y una enseñanza de la producción escrita orientada al proceso. También se han tenido en cuenta otros factores, como los patrones de interacción, el tipo de retroalimentación y las técnicas de atención a la diversidad incorporadas. La efectividad de esta unidad didáctica ha sido analizada y comentada críticamente en este trabajo, aplicando el marco teórico y curricular anteriormente presentado con el objetivo de justificar las decisiones tomadas durante su creación. Como conclusión, esta propuesta didáctica parece propicia a funcionar en una clase de inglés, aunque siempre se debe considerar que no todas las clases trabajan de la misma forma y que aún debemos adaptarnos a las características y necesidades individuales del alumnado.<br /

Learner autonomy and awareness through distance collaborative group work in English for Academic Purposes

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40956-6_13Learner autonomy is considered to be both an important skill and attitude of learners, which involves responsibility for and control of the learning process. A key notion in autonomy is interdependence, developed through collaboration and which results in heightened awareness. Precisely, this concept lies at the core of technology applications, which facilitate interaction and collaboration at a distance. With a growing number of online ESP situations, more attention needs to be paid to virtual classrooms and the development of learner autonomy through collaboration. In the context of a distance EAP course, this chapter examines how students carry out a collaborative language awareness task, considering that peer interaction can be an appropriate setting to develop language awareness, whether in face-to-face or online situations. Based on the framework of 'community of inquiry' (Garrison et al. 2000), this study looks at how group members interact through forum posts and wiki edits, showing how students initiate, manage and carry out the task, together with the social, cognitive, and meta-cognitive processes that are generated. Given the nature of the task, creating a language learning activity, special attention is paid to students’ focus on and discussion of topics related to language and learning. From these observations we can derive implications for online language teaching and materials design.Peer ReviewedPreprin

Proceedings of the 11th European Agent Systems Summer School Student Session

This volume contains the papers presented at the Student Session of the 11th European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS) held on 2nd of September 2009 at Educatorio della Providenza, Turin, Italy. The Student Session, organised by students, is designed to encourage student interaction and feedback from the tutors. By providing the students with a conference-like setup, both in the presentation and in the review process, students have the opportunity to prepare their own submission, go through the selection process and present their work to each other and their interests to their fellow students as well as internationally leading experts in the agent field, both from the theoretical and the practical sector. Table of Contents: Andrew Koster, Jordi Sabater Mir and Marco Schorlemmer, Towards an inductive algorithm for learning trust alignment . . . 5; Angel Rolando Medellin, Katie Atkinson and Peter McBurney, A Preliminary Proposal for Model Checking Command Dialogues. . . 12; Declan Mungovan, Enda Howley and Jim Duggan, Norm Convergence in Populations of Dynamically Interacting Agents . . . 19; Akın Günay, Argumentation on Bayesian Networks for Distributed Decision Making . . 25; Michael Burkhardt, Marco Luetzenberger and Nils Masuch, Towards Toolipse 2: Tool Support for the JIAC V Agent Framework . . . 30; Joseph El Gemayel, The Tenacity of Social Actors . . . 33; Cristian Gratie, The Impact of Routing on Traffic Congestion . . . 36; Andrei-Horia Mogos and Monica Cristina Voinescu, A Rule-Based Psychologist Agent for Improving the Performances of a Sportsman . . . 39; --Autonomer Agent,Agent,Künstliche Intelligenz

Goal-conflict detection based on temporal satisfiability checking

Goal-oriented requirements engineering approaches propose capturing how a system should behave through the speci ca- tion of high-level goals, from which requirements can then be systematically derived. Goals may however admit subtle situations that make them diverge, i.e., not be satis able as a whole under speci c circumstances feasible within the domain, called boundary conditions . While previous work al- lows one to identify boundary conditions for con icting goals written in LTL, it does so through a pattern-based approach, that supports a limited set of patterns, and only produces pre-determined formulations of boundary conditions. We present a novel automated approach to compute bound- ary conditions for general classes of con icting goals expressed in LTL, using a tableaux-based LTL satis ability procedure. A tableau for an LTL formula is a nite representation of all its satisfying models, which we process to produce boundary conditions that violate the formula, indicating divergence situations. We show that our technique can automatically produce boundary conditions that are more general than those obtainable through existing previous pattern-based approaches, and can also generate boundary conditions for goals that are not captured by these patterns