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

Learning Group Formation Factors in a Career and Technical Education Networking Program

Team based learning based on the transformation of permanent student groups into powerful learning teams is widely and successfully used as an instructional strategy in postsecondary career and technical education. Failure of groups to reach the learning team status is a major learning drawback of this approach. Factors affecting the transformation of groups to teams are applied consistently to the whole class, with the exception of group formation and membership. Career and technical education populations differ from other postsecondary populations and examination of group formation factors may result in improvement of student results.Abstract / Introduction / Problem Statement / Purpose of Study / Literature Review / Method / Results / Conclusion / References / Appendix 1 - Consent Form / Appendix 2 Student Questionnaire - Group Selection / Appendix 3 Student Response Dat

Pervasive Parallel And Distributed Computing In A Liberal Arts College Curriculum

We present a model for incorporating parallel and distributed computing (PDC) throughout an undergraduate CS curriculum. Our curriculum is designed to introduce students early to parallel and distributed computing topics and to expose students to these topics repeatedly in the context of a wide variety of CS courses. The key to our approach is the development of a required intermediate-level course that serves as a introduction to computer systems and parallel computing. It serves as a requirement for every CS major and minor and is a prerequisite to upper-level courses that expand on parallel and distributed computing topics in different contexts. With the addition of this new course, we are able to easily make room in upper-level courses to add and expand parallel and distributed computing topics. The goal of our curricular design is to ensure that every graduating CS major has exposure to parallel and distributed computing, with both a breadth and depth of coverage. Our curriculum is particularly designed for the constraints of a small liberal arts college, however, much of its ideas and its design are applicable to any undergraduate CS curriculum

OFDM over IEEE 802.11b hardware for telemedical applications

Using a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to transmit live high-quality video suitable for a telemedical application presents many challenges, including ensuring sufficient Quality of Service (QoS) for the end-user to be able to make an accurate diagnosis. One of the many problems that exist when developing such a system is the multipath effect caused by the reflections of the transmitted signals on various surfaces including walls, floors, furniture and people. This degrades the signal quality and reduces the amount of available bandwidth and, thus, the quality of the image. Presently, most of Europe is using the IEEE 802.11b hardware for such applications. As an alternative to the existing modulation of 802.11b, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is investigated, especially for use inside hospitals. The advantages of using this modulation over IEEE 802.11b hardware for a telemedicine application are examined by means of simulation using three different simulation packages

An Investigation of Digital Literacy Needs of Students

This paper describes the results of a survey of teaching faculty at a medium-sized university in the southeastern United States to determine core curriculum items that should be taught to ensure that graduates have the capabilities and skills to fully participate in the digital society. There was considerable agreement between the colleges regarding the importance of twenty aspects of digital literacy. Application skills continued to be viewed as very relevant. However, our findings also show the need for a greater focus on information literacy skills that go beyond the focus of the current one-credit-hour software applications course designed to achieve computer application literacy. A case can be made for additional topics to be included in the curriculum common to all students such as ethics, security and privacy, and how to validate the relevance and usefulness of data. The study also highlights the need for discipline-specific topics to be embedded in subject-knowledge courses

Technology-enabled Learning (TEL): YouTube as a Ubiquitous Learning Aid.

The use of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the society has become ubiquitous. The advent of communication technologies alongside other unification trends and notions such as media convergence and digital content allow the users of the social network to integrate these networks in their everyday life. There have been several attempts in the literature to investigate and explain the use of social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp by university students in the Arab region. However, little research has been done on how university students utilise online audiovisual materials in their academic activities in the UAE. This research aims to elucidate the use of YouTube as a learning aid for university students in the UAE. We adopt the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the theoretical framework for this investigation. A quantitative methodology is employed to answer the research question. Primary data consisting of 221 correspondents were analysed, covering patterns of using YouTube as an academic audiovisual learning aid. Statistical techniques including descriptive, correlations, regression tests were used to analyse the data. The study concluded that students use YouTube as a learning tool for their academic studies and enriching their general knowledge; and there is a positive relationship between the use of YouTube videos in academic settings and the students’ overall performance. This study can shed light for teachers, curriculum designers, government entities, and other stakeholders on how to best utilise and integrate the online technology — YouTube — as a learning aid

IS 2002 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems

This article contains the official text of the IS 2002 Model Curriculum for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems as approved by The Association for Computing Machinery, The Association for Information Systems, and The Association of Information Technology Professionals. It is presented in its original form