Coping with a changing world: the UK Open University approach to teaching ICT

The rapid pace of change in the ICT field has affected all HE providers, but for the UK Open University (UKOU), used to print-based courses lasting eight years or more, it has been a particular challenge. This paper will present some of the ways the UKOU has been coping with this problem by discussing the design of three courses, the first developed almost a decade ago. All three are distance learning courses that are either core or optional in a variety of bachelors' degrees, including the BSc programmes in: Information and Communication Technology; IT and Computing; and Technology; as well as the BEng (Hons) engineering programme. The first course, Information and Communication Technology: people and interactions is a level 2 (second year undergraduate) course first presented in 2002. It is predominately a print-based course with an eight year lifetime. The second course Networked Living: exploring information and communication technologies is a level 1 (first year undergraduate) course first presented some three-and-a-half years later in 2005. It is expected to have a course life of five years, and uses a mix of print-based (60%) and computer-based (40%) material. Both these courses use assignments as key tools for annual updating. The third course, Keeping ahead in ICT is aimed primarily at equipping students with advanced information searching and evaluation skills that will serve them well in professional life, and is presented at level 3 (final year undergraduate). It was first presented in 2007 and has an expected course life of 8 years. It uses much less print than in most OU courses, and has a greater reliance on third-party resources such as newspaper, conference and journal articles, websites, and other electronic resources. Some elements in each block are designed to change from year to year, in order to retain currency. Finally, the paper will look forward to the development of a new level 2 course with an expected first presentation in 2010, drawing out the lessons learned about course updating, and predicting the approach that the course team may tak

Exploring utilization of visualization for computer and network security

The role of the network security administrator is continually morphing to keep pace with the ever-changing area of computer and network security. These changes are due in part to both the continual development of new security exploits by attackers as well as improvements in network security products available for use. One area which has garnered much research in the past decade is the use of visualization to ease the strain on network security administrators. Visualization mechanisms utilize the parallel processing power of the human visual system to allow for the identification of possible nefarious network activity. This research details the development and use of a visualization system for network security. The manuscript is composed of four papers which provide a progression of research pertaining to the system. The first paper utilizes research in the area of information visualization to develop a new framework for designing visualization systems for network security. Next, a visualization system is developed in the second paper which has been utilized during multiple cyber defense competitions to aid in competition performance. The last two papers deal with evaluating the developed system. First, an exploratory analysis provides an initial assessment using participant interviews during one cyber defense competition. Second, a quasi field experiment explores the intention of subjects to use the system based on the type of visualization being viewed

Faster ground state energy estimation on early fault-tolerant quantum computers via rejection sampling

A major thrust in quantum algorithm development over the past decade has been the search for the quantum algorithms that will deliver practical quantum advantage first. Today's quantum computers and even early fault-tolerant quantum computers will be limited in the number of operations they can implement per circuit. We introduce quantum algorithms for ground state energy estimation (GSEE) that accommodate this design constraint. The first estimates ground state energies and has a quadratic improvement on the ground state overlap parameter compared to other methods in this regime. The second certifies that the estimated ground state energy is within a specified error tolerance of the true ground state energy, addressing the issue of gap estimation that beleaguers several ground state preparation and energy estimation algorithms. We note, however, that the scaling of this certification technique is, unfortunately, worse than that of the GSEE algorithm. These algorithms are based on a novel use of the quantum computer to facilitate rejection sampling. After a classical computer is used to draw samples, the quantum computer is used to accept or reject the samples. The set of accepted samples correspond to draws from a target distribution. While we use this technique for ground state energy estimation, it may find broader application. Our work pushes the boundaries of what operation-limited quantum computers are capable of and thus brings the target of quantum advantage closer to the present.Comment: 31 pages + appendix, 5 figure

Breast Ultra-Sound image segmentation: an optimization approach based on super-pixels and high-level descriptors

International audienceBreast cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women. Medical imaging has become an indispensable tool for its diagnosis and follow up. During the last decade, the medical community has promoted to incorporate Ultra-Sound (US) screening as part of the standard routine. The main reason for using US imaging is its capability to differentiate benign from malignant masses, when compared to other imaging techniques. The increasing usage of US imaging encourages the development of Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems applied to Breast Ultra-Sound (BUS) images. However accurate delineations of the lesions and structures of the breast are essential for CAD systems in order to extract information needed to perform diagnosis. This article proposes a highly modular and flexible framework for segmenting lesions and tissues present in BUS images. The proposal takes advantage of optimization strategies using super-pixels and high-level de-scriptors, which are analogous to the visual cues used by radiologists. Qualitative and quantitative results are provided stating a performance within the range of the state-of-the-art

Electronic music and the computer: a critical study of the development of electronic music systems and the introduction of computer-based technology, with particular reference to the interface problems encountered in composer/machine communications

This thesis examines the development of electronic synthesis systems and their associated philosophies from the antecedents of the first half of the twentieth century to the early part of the current decade, viewed in the first instance from a musical rather than a technical standpoint. Such a task is in itself an exercise in communications, for it is necessary to evaluate the artistic characteristics of a rapidly expanding area of inter-disciplinary activity which has been largely dominated by technological interests, not always to the best advantage of the art and practice of music. Although the development of the medium has led to the publication of numerous books and articles, ranging from general descriptions to detailed scientific accounts, the former for the most part are uncritical in their approach, and the latter are rarely presented in a form which may be readily appreciated and commented upon by musicians in general. This account thus attempts to fill a major gap in the literature of the subject by presenting a broadly based critique of its most important historical features. After an introductory perspective of the background to electronic music systems, the first volume continues with a critical study of the main developments during the period 1948-1964, concluding with an examination of the characteristics of both voltage and digitally based control technology and their impact on studio designs during the remainder of the latter decade. The second volume is primarily concerned with the application of the digital computer, both as a means of directly generating sound information and also as a control device for analogue studios, particular attention being paid to the systems MUSIC 360 and MUSYS. The overriding objective of this study is to establish a sound and coherent basis for determining the artistic criteria which must be applied if future technical advances are to benefit the creative uses of the medium

The Transformation of Accounting Information Systems Curriculum in the Last Decade

Accounting information systems (AIS) are an extremely important component of accounting and accounting education. The purpose of the current study is to examine the transformation of accounting information systems (AIS) curriculum in the last decade. The motivation for this research comes from the vast advances made in the world of information technology (IT) and information systems (IS). The specific research questions addressed in the current study are: (1) how has AIS curriculum changed in the 18 years since SOX? (2) How has AIS curriculum adjusted in recent years with the emergence of the new hot-button topic big data/data analytics? Overall, this study finds that the core of AIS curriculum has not significantly changed over the last decade. However, more emphasis is being placed on topics such as enterprise wide systems/ERP, IT audits, computer fraud, and transaction-processing. Related, several new topical coverages have been introduced such as business analysts and big data/data analytics. The key contribution of this paper is to provide accounting students and accounting educators with useful information regarding the most significant shifts in AIS over the last decade and insight into the most valuable current AIS topics

Engineering at San Jose State University, Winter 2014

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/engr_news/1012/thumbnail.jp

Usability dimensions in collaborative GIS

Collaborative GIS requires careful consideration of the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability aspects, given the variety of users that are expected to use these systems, and the need to ensure that users will find the system effective, efficient, and enjoyable. The chapter explains the link between collaborative GIS and usability engineering/HCI studies. The integration of usability considerations into collaborative GIS is demonstrated in two case studies of Web-based GIS implementation. In the first, the process of digitising an area on Web-based GIS is improved to enhance the user's experience, and to allow interaction over narrowband Internet connections. In the second, server-side rendering of 3D scenes allows users who are not equipped with powerful computers to request sophisticated visualisation without the need to download complex software. The chapter concludes by emphasising the need to understand the users' context and conditions within any collaborative GIS project. © 2006, Idea Group Inc