Qualitative and mixed methodology for online language teaching research

This paper provides an overview of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning), its history and current developments. It presents a rationale for moving CALL research forward, and outlines a particular approach to researching online language teaching and learning: the use of qualitative methodology. It is in this historical context that a case for more qualitative and integrative research designs is made. Examples of qualitative and mixed method studies are taken from the context of language teaching at the Open University in the United Kingdom, the largest institution of its kind in Europe, with a remit of teaching all subjects at university level to adults, regardless of their prior qualifications. With the help of these examples the scope and promise of qualitative approaches are discussed

Security in networks of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance with an agent-based approach inspired by the principles of blockchain

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can support surveillance even in areas without network infrastructure. However, UAV networks raise security challenges because of its dynamic topology. This paper proposes a technique for maintaining security in UAV networks in the context of surveillance, by corroborating information about events from different sources. In this way, UAV networks can conform peer-to-peer information inspired by the principles of blockchain, and detect compromised UAVs based on trust policies. The proposed technique uses a secure asymmetric encryption with a pre-shared list of official UAVs. Using this technique, the wrong information can be detected when an official UAV is physically hijacked. The novel agent based simulator ABS-SecurityUAV is used to validate the proposed approach. In our experiments, around 90% of UAVs were able to corroborate information about a person walking in a controlled area, while none of the UAVs corroborated fake information coming from a hijacked UAV

Get yourself connected: conceptualising the role of digital technologies in Norwegian career guidance

This report outlines the role of digital technologies in the provision of career guidance. It was commissioned by the c ommittee on career guidance which is advising the Norwegian Government following a review of the countries skills system by the OECD. In this report we argue that career guidance and online career guidance in particular can support the development of Norwa y’s skills system to help meet the economic challenges that it faces.The expert committee advising Norway’s Career Guidance Initiativ

Why Internal Moral Enhancement Might Be politically Better than External Moral Enhancement

Technology could be used to improve morality but it could do so in different ways. Some technologies could augment and enhance moral behaviour externally by using external cues and signals to push and pull us towards morally appropriate behaviours. Other technologies could enhance moral behaviour internally by directly altering the way in which the brain captures and processes morally salient information or initiates moral action. The question is whether there is any reason to prefer one method over the other? In this article, I argue that there is. Specifically, I argue that internal moral enhancement is likely to be preferable to external moral enhancement, when it comes to the legitimacy of political decision-making processes. In fact, I go further than this and argue that the increasingly dominant forms of external moral enhancement may already be posing a significant threat to political legitimacy, one that we should try to address. Consequently, research and development of internal moral enhancements should be prioritised as a political project

Use of nonintrusive sensor-based information and communication technology for real-world evidence for clinical trials in dementia

Cognitive function is an important end point of treatments in dementia clinical trials. Measuring cognitive function by standardized tests, however, is biased toward highly constrained environments (such as hospitals) in selected samples. Patient-powered real-world evidence using information and communication technology devices, including environmental and wearable sensors, may help to overcome these limitations. This position paper describes current and novel information and communication technology devices and algorithms to monitor behavior and function in people with prodromal and manifest stages of dementia continuously, and discusses clinical, technological, ethical, regulatory, and user-centered requirements for collecting real-world evidence in future randomized controlled trials. Challenges of data safety, quality, and privacy and regulatory requirements need to be addressed by future smart sensor technologies. When these requirements are satisfied, these technologies will provide access to truly user relevant outcomes and broader cohorts of participants than currently sampled in clinical trials

Participación de los padres en el aprendizaje de idiomas extranjeros asistido por dispositivos móviles de los niños en edad preescolar chinos

This paper reports on an exploratory study examining parental involvement in preschool-level English language learners’ use of smartphone apps in a Chinese context. The study aimed at understanding the challenges that Chinese parents experienced, and how they responded to these in their engagement with their children’s mobile-assisted language learning. We collected data from 12 Chinese parents using surveys, daily records, and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis revealed that the parents participated in their children’s smartphone-based English learning by regulating their involvement time and selecting the learning content in response to their children’s needs. The findings suggest that Chinese parents’ knowledge of using smartphone apps and their awareness of the English language, as essential cultural capital, increased their active involvement in their children’s English learning. They also faced challenges such as English knowledge constraints and the perceived risks associated with children’s smartphone exposure. The results highlight the need for schools and teachers to support parents’ efforts to get effectively involved in their children’s smartphone-based language learning through modelling, reinforcement, and direct instruction. Implications for English language teachers, schools, and app developers are discussed in relation to the application of smartphone apps in supporting young language learners’ learning.Este trabajo trata de un estudio exploratorio que investiga la participación de los padres en el uso de aplicaciones móviles por parte de estudiantes de inglés de nivel preescolar en el contexto chino. El estudio tenía como objetivo entender los desafíos que los padres chinos experimentaron y cómo respondieron a estos al participar en el aprendizaje de idiomas asistido por dispositivos móviles de sus hijos. Se recogieron datos de 12 padres chinos mediante encuestas, registros diarios y entrevistas semiestructuradas. El análisis de datos mostró que los padres, a través de regular el tiempo dedicado y seleccionar el contenido de estudio, participaban en el aprendizaje de inglés basado en los smartphones de sus hijos según las necesidades de estos. Los resultados también sugieren que los conocimientos de los padres chinos sobre el uso de aplicaciones móviles y su conciencia del idioma inglés, como capitales culturales esenciales, aumentaron su participación activa en el aprendizaje del inglés de sus hijos. Además, se enfrentaron a retos como limitaciones de conocimiento del inglés y riesgos percibidos relacionados con la exposición de los niños a los dispositivos móviles.&nbsp

Strengthening Construction Management in the Rural Rehab Line of Business

The Five Key ObservationsObservation#1: Rural rehab success emanated from positive thinking and persistent implementationObservation #2: Almost every RHRO would benefit from a substantial increase in the per unit funding available, especially in light of the forthcoming HUD HOME requirement to establish written rehab standards in ten subcategories.Observation #3: A smartphone and tablet with 20 to 40 apps is the rehab specialist's Swiss Army knife. They are our, GPS, calculator, spec writer, office lifeline in case of danger, camera, clock, cost estimator calendar and a hundred other single-purpose but very important uses.Observation #4: NeighborWorks® Rural Initiative could provide a clearinghouse for success techniques targeted to rural rehab. Each month it might focus on a specific aspect of rehab management; inspection checklists in January, green specs in February, feasibility checklist in March, contractor qualification questionnaires in April and so on.Observation #5: Even with most components of in-house contractor success formula in place, per the Statistic Research Institute 53% of construction firms go out of business with in the first 4 years. It remains a very risky model that requires significant; funding, staff experience, administrative support and risk tolerance.Three Rehab Production Models And Their AlternativesThis middle section restates the introduction and methodology and offers a detailed review of the Traditional Rehab Specialist, Construction Management Of Subcontractor and the In-House General Contractor production models .for each model the article provides: definition and staffing pattern, design roles and tasks for each major player, benefits and challenges, alternative models and finally recommendations for successful implementationFocus TopicsDuring our interview process, three ideas surfaced that were best served with a mini discussion of the topic rather than being embedded in the already large middle section.The three topics are; software and technology, management of community relations – marketing and quality control, and budget solution

Current Practices for Product Usability Testing in Web and Mobile Applications

Software usability testing is a key methodology that ensures applications are intuitive and easy to use for the target audience. Usability testing has direct benefits for companies as usability improvements often are fundamental to the success of a product. A standard usability test study includes the following five steps: obtain suitable participants, design test scripts, conduct usability sessions, interpret test outcomes, and produce recommendations. Due to the increasing importance for more usable applications, effective techniques to develop usable products, as well as technologies to improve usability testing, have been widely utilized. However, as companies are developing more cross-platform web and mobile apps, traditional single-platform usability testing has shortcomings with respect to ensuring a uniform user experience. In this report, a new strategy is proposed to promote a consistent user experience across all application versions and platforms. This method integrates the testing of different application versions, e.g., the website, mobile app, mobile website. Participants are recruited with a better-defined criterion according to their preferred devices. The usability session is conducted iteratively on several different devices, and the test results of individual application versions are compared on a per-device basis to improve the test outcomes. This strategy is expected to extend on current practices for usability testing by incorporating cross-platform consistency of software versions on most devices

Smartphones

Many of the research approaches to smartphones actually regard them as more or less transparent points of access to other kinds of communication experiences. That is, rather than considering the smartphone as something in itself, the researchers look at how individuals use the smartphone for their communicative purposes, whether these be talking, surfing the web, using on-line data access for off-site data sources, downloading or uploading materials, or any kind of interaction with social media. They focus not so much on the smartphone itself but on the activities that people engage in with their smartphones