163,048 research outputs found
An Experimental Nexos Laboratory Using Virtual Xinu
The Nexos Project is a joint effort between Marquette University, the University of Buffalo, and the University of Mississippi to build curriculum materials and a supporting experimental laboratory for hands-on projects in computer systems courses. The approach focuses on inexpensive, flexible, commodity embedded hardware, freely available development and debugging tools, and a fresh implementation of a classic operating system, Embedded Xinu, that is ideal for student exploration. This paper describes an extension to the Nexos laboratory that includes a new target platform composed of Qemu virtual machines. Virtual Xinu addresses two challenges that limit the effectiveness of Nexos. First, potential faculty adopters have clearly indicated that even with the current minimal monetary cost of installation, the hardware modifications, and time investment remain troublesome factors that scare off interested educators. Second, overcoming the inherent complications that arise due to the shared subnet that result in students\u27 projects interfering with each other in ways that are difficult to recreate, debug, and understand. Specifically, this paper discusses porting the Xinu operating systems to Qemu virtual hardware, developing the virtual networking platform, and results showing success using Virtual Xinu in the classroom during one semester of Operating Systems at the University of Mississippi
XinuPi3: Teaching Multicore Concepts Using Embedded Xinu
As computer platforms become more advanced, the need to teach advanced computing concepts grows accordingly. This paper addresses one such need by presenting XinuPi3, a port of the lightweight instructional operating system Embedded Xinu to the Raspberry Pi 3. The Raspberry Pi 3 improves upon previous generations of inexpensive, credit card-sized computers by including a quad-core, ARM-based processor, opening the door for educators to demonstrate essential aspects of modern computing like inter-core communication and genuine concurrency.
Embedded Xinu has proven to be an effective teaching tool for demonstrating low-level concepts on single-core platforms, and it is currently used to teach a range of systems courses at multiple universities. As of this writing, no other bare metal educational operating system supports multicore computing. XinuPi3 provides a suitable learning environment for beginners on genuinely concurrent hardware. This paper provides an overview of the key features of the XinuPi3 system, as well as the novel embedded system education experiences it makes possible
A game-based approach to the teaching of object-oriented programming languages
Students often have difficulties when trying to understand the concepts of object-oriented programming
(OOP). This paper presents a contribution to the teaching of OOP languages through a game-oriented
approach based on the interaction with tangible user interfaces (TUIs). The use of a specific type of
commercial distributed TUI (Sifteo cubes), in which several small physical devices have sensing, wireless
communication and user-directed output capabilities, is applied to the teaching of the C# programming
language, since the operation of these devices can be controlled by user programs written in C#. For our
experiment, we selected a sample of students with a sufficient knowledge about procedural programming,
which was divided into two groups: The first one had a standard introductory C# course, whereas
the second one had an experimental C# course that included, in addition to the contents of the previous
one, two demonstration programs that illustrated some OOP basic concepts using the TUI features.
Finally, both groups completed two tests: a multiple-choice exam for evaluating the acquisition of basic
OOP concepts and a C# programming exercise. The analysis of the results from the tests indicates that the
group of students that attended the course including the TUI demos showed a higher interest level (i.e.
they felt more motivated) during the course exposition than the one that attended the standard introductory
C# course. Furthermore, the students from the experimental group achieved an overall better
mark. Therefore, we can conclude that the technological contribution of Sifteo cubes â used as a
distributed TUI by which OOP basic concepts are represented in a tangible and a visible way â to the
teaching of the C# language has a positive influence on the learning of this language and such basic
concepts
Onâline student feedback: A pilot study
This paper reports on the outcomes of two experimental trials of the use of onâline questionnaires to assess student satisfaction with courses at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In the first year, eighteen course modules were selected from three departments, surveying a total of 1,100 student places. Students on ten of the courses were invited to complete the âexperimentalâ onâline survey and the remainder were invited to complete the paperâbased questionnaires which have been in use for several years. In the second year, the scale of the experiment was increased, to include fortyâsix courses across seven departments. Response rates were compared and possible barriers to completion of the onâline questionnaire were considered Whilst electronic monitoring indicated that 95 per cent (first trial) and 80 per cent (second trial) of those contacted for the onâline survey opened the introductory email, only 23 per cent (first trial) and 27 per cent (second trial) completed the onâline survey, compared with a 60 per cent response rate on the paperâbased survey. The onâline response is also slightly lower than that achieved by postal surveys of LSE students (30â50 per cent response rates). Whilst some technical difficulties could have acted as a barrier, motivation appeared to be the main barrier. Initial results from the second trial, which included two reminder emails and some small incentives, show that it is possible to increase the response rate, but this may still be unacceptably low for staff whose promotion prospects may be affected by results. A third trial has been proposed, looking at ways in which the process as a whole could be amended, to overcome the problem of âsurvey fatigueâ that the current system faces
Development of a heat transfer and artificial neural networks teaching laboratory practical for biotechnology students
The paper describes a newly developed laboratory practical that teaches students how to develop an Artificial Neural Network model and its possible use in bio-processing. An
emphasis is placed on giving students "hands on" experience with bio-processing equipment, namely bio-reactors and data acquisition systems in an attempt to help prepare them for work in bio-processing and chemical engineering industries
Educating and Training Accelerator Scientists and Technologists for Tomorrow
Accelerator science and technology is inherently an integrative discipline
that combines aspects of physics, computational science, electrical and
mechanical engineering. As few universities offer full academic programs, the
education of accelerator physicists and engineers for the future has primarily
relied on a combination of on-the-job training supplemented with intense
courses at regional accelerator schools. This paper describes the approaches
being used to satisfy the educational interests of a growing number of
interested physicists and engineers.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure
A gentle transition from Java programming to Web Services using XML-RPC
Exposing students to leading edge vocational areas of relevance such as Web Services can be difficult. We show a lightweight approach by embedding a key component of Web Services within a Level 3 BSc module in Distributed Computing. We present a ready to use collection of lecture slides and student activities based on XML-RPC. In
addition we show that this material addresses the central topics in the context of web services as identified by Draganova (2003)
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