Visual iconic object-oriented programming to advance computer science education and novice programming

Learning how to program a computer is difficult for most people. Computer programming is a cognitively challenging, time consuming, labor intensive, and frustrating endeavor. Years of formal study and training are required to learn a programming language\u27s world of algorithms and data structures. Instructions are coded in advance before the computer demonstrates the desired behavior. Seeing all the programming steps and instruction code is complicated. There exists a tremendous gap between the representations the human brain uses when thinking about a problem and the representations used in programming a computer. Often people are much better at dealing with specific, concrete objects than working with abstract ideas. Concrete and specific programming examples and demonstrations can be very useful. When cleverly chosen and properly used, programming examples and demonstrations help people understand the abstract concepts. Programming by example or demonstration attempts to extend these novel ideas to novice programming

Sharing practice, problems and solutions for institutional change

This chapter critiques the roles of different forms of representation of practice as part of an institutional change process. It discusses how these representations can be used both to design and to share learning activities at the various levels of decision-making in a university. We illustrate our arguments with empirical data gathered on change processes associated with an institution-wide change programme: the introduction of a new virtual learning environment (VLE). In particular, we describe a case study of the introduction of the VLE tools in a business course. We focus on two particular forms of representations to describe the essence of the innovation: a pedagogical pattern and a visual learning design. We argue that pedagogical patterns and learning design have emerged as parallel approaches to describing practice in recent years. Despite their very different origins, both provide complementary representations, which emphasize different aspects of the practice being described. We are attempting to combine these approaches. We briefly outline the Open University Learning Design initiative, of which this work is part, and describe its key underpinning philosophies. We believe our approach provides a vehicle for enabling a better articulation of design principles and the discussion of issues concerning the re-use of educational resources and activities

Using learning design as a framework for supporting the design and reuse of OER

The paper will argue that adopting a learning design methodology may provide a vehicle for enabling better design and reuse of Open Educational Resources (OERs). It will describe a learning design methodology, which is being developed and implemented at the Open University in the UK. The aim is to develop a 'pick and mix' learning design toolbox of different resources and tools to help designers/teachers make informed decisions about creating new or adapting existing learning activities. The methodology is applicable for designers/teachers designing in a traditional context – such as creation of materials as part of a formal curriculum, but also has value for those wanting to create OERs or adapt and repurpose existing OERs. With the increasing range of OERs now available through initiatives as part of the Open Courseware movement, we believe that methodologies, such as the one we describe in this paper, which can help guide reuse and adaptation will become increasingly important and arguably are an important aspect of ensuring longer term sustainability and uptake of OERs. Our approach adopts an empirically based approach to understanding and representing the design process. This includes a range of evaluation studies (capturing of case studies, interviews with designers/teachers, in-depth course evaluation and focus groups/workshops), which are helping to develop our understanding of how designers/teachers go about creating new learning activities. Alongside this we are collating an extensive set of tools and resources to support the design process, as well as developing a new Learning Design tool that helps teachers articulate and represent their design ideas. The paper will describe how we have adapted a mind mapping and argumentation tool, Compendium, for this purpose and how it is being used to help designers and teachers create and share learning activities. It will consider how initial evaluation of the use of the tool for learning design has been positive; users report that the tool is easy to use and helps them organise and articulate their learning designs. Importantly the tool also enables them to share and discuss their thinking about the design process. However it is also clear that visualising the design process is only one aspect of design, which is complex and multi-faceted

Using learning design as a framework for supporting the design and reuse of OER

The paper will argue that adopting a learning design methodology may provide a vehicle for enabling better design and reuse of Open Educational Resources (OERs). It will describe a learning design methodology, which is being developed and implemented at the Open University in the UK. The aim is to develop a 'pick and mix' learning design toolbox of different resources and tools to help designers/teachers make informed decisions about creating new or adapting existing learning activities. The methodology is applicable for designers/teachers designing in a traditional context – such as creation of materials as part of a formal curriculum, but also has value for those wanting to create OERs or adapt and repurpose existing OERs. With the increasing range of OERs now available through initiatives as part of the Open Courseware movement, we believe that methodologies, such as the one we describe in this paper, which can help guide reuse and adaptation will become increasingly important and arguably are an important aspect of ensuring longer term sustainability and uptake of OERs. Our approach adopts an empirically based approach to understanding and representing the design process. This includes a range of evaluation studies (capturing of case studies, interviews with designers/teachers, in-depth course evaluation and focus groups/workshops), which are helping to develop our understanding of how designers/teachers go about creating new learning activities. Alongside this we are collating an extensive set of tools and resources to support the design process, as well as developing a new Learning Design tool that helps teachers articulate and represent their design ideas. The paper will describe how we have adapted a mind mapping and argumentation tool, Compendium, for this purpose and how it is being used to help designers and teachers create and share learning activities. It will consider how initial evaluation of the use of the tool for learning design has been positive; users report that the tool is easy to use and helps them organise and articulate their learning designs. Importantly the tool also enables them to share and discuss their thinking about the design process. However it is also clear that visualising the design process is only one aspect of design, which is complex and multi-faceted

AI at Ames: Artificial Intelligence research and application at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, February 1985

Charts are given that illustrate function versus domain for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and interests and research area versus project number for AI research. A list is given of project titles with associated project numbers and page numbers. Also, project descriptions, including title, participants, and status are given

Development Process for Multi-Disciplinary Embedded Control Systems

This report contains the progress report for the qualification exam for Industrial PhD student Sune Wolff. Initial work on describing a development process for multi-disciplinary systems using collaborative modelling and co-simulation is described

Systems, interactions and macrotheory

A significant proportion of early HCI research was guided by one very clear vision: that the existing theory base in psychology and cognitive science could be developed to yield engineering tools for use in the interdisciplinary context of HCI design. While interface technologies and heuristic methods for behavioral evaluation have rapidly advanced in both capability and breadth of application, progress toward deeper theory has been modest, and some now believe it to be unnecessary. A case is presented for developing new forms of theory, based around generic “systems of interactors.” An overlapping, layered structure of macro- and microtheories could then serve an explanatory role, and could also bind together contributions from the different disciplines. Novel routes to formalizing and applying such theories provide a host of interesting and tractable problems for future basic research in HCI

Energy assessment in early architectural design stages : framework and validation methodology for architect-friendly computacional energy assessment

Today’s buildings are responsible for about 40% of the global energy demand. To reduce energy consumption by using Energy Assessment (EA) methods, the Early Architectural Design Stages (EADS) are especially suitable to implement the best cost-benefit measures. To integrate EA into EADS, two main challenges must be simultaneously tackled: (a) the architect-(un)friendliness of computational models and (b) the results’ reliability. To accomplish both goals a Framework for Energy Assessment Tools in Early Architectural Design Stages (FORwArDS) and a validation methodology, Relative Validation (RV), is presented. FORwArDS feature three components: Input Model, Assessment Model, and Output Model, but focuses on the creation of a Simplified Input Model (SIM) throughout parameters reduction, the creation of alternative values for the chosen parameters and exemplary mathematical and geometrical simplification steps. In the case study, a SIM is created according to the exemplary simplification rules described in FORwArDS, springing from a detailed project model; a validation procedure follows the proposed methodology. The results are presented, analyzed and conclusions are drawn regarding the framework’s and validation methodology’s contributions to the improvement of the EADS. The framework’s open structure and the applicability of the validation methodology to any simulation contribute to the discussion about the integration problems of energy assessment in EADS and present useful tools for the creation and test of model simplification methodologies and EA for architects during EADS.Edifícios são responsáveis por cerca de 40% da demanda global de energia. Para reduzir este consumo utilizando métodos de avaliação de energia (Energy Assessment – EA), as primeiras etapas de projeto arquitetônico (Early Architectural Design Stages – EADS) são especialmente adequadas para implementar medidas eficientes com a melhor relação custo-benefício. Para integrar a EA na EADS, dois desafios principais devem ser abordados simultaneamente: (a) a (não-)amigabilidade para arquitetos dos modelos computacionais e (b) a confiabilidade dos resultados. Para realizar ambos os objetivos, é apresentado neste trabalho um ambiente para o desenvolvimento de ferramentas de aferição de energia em EADS (Framework for Energy Assessment Tools in Early Architectural Design Stages –FORwArDS) e uma metodologia de validação, a validação relativa (Relative Validation – RV). FORwArDS possui três componentes: o modelo de entrada, o modelo de avaliação e o modelo de saída, mas o trabalho concentra-se na criação de um modelo de entrada simplificado (Simplified Input Model – SIM) através da redução de parâmetros, da criação de valores alternativos para os parâmetros escolhidos e, por fim, passos de simplificação matemática e geométrica. A estrutura aberta do ambiente permite uma ampla variedade de aplicações em pesquisa, prática e educação. A metodologia de validação proposta baseia-se no conceito de que a contextualização dos resultados obtidos representa a mais importante contribuição para a orientação de projeto no EADS. Este trabalho confronta pares de resultados, representando a mudança de projetos arquitetônicos similares originados em dois modelos de entrada diferentes, visando avaliar a precisão de seus correspondentes. No estudo de caso, um SIM, proveniente de um modelo de projeto detalhado, é criado de acordo com as regras de simplificação descritas no FORwARrDS. Os resultados são apresentados e analisados permitindo conclusões sobre as principais contribuições deste trabalho. O trabalho apresenta uma ferramenta útil para o desenvolvimento de metodologias de simplificação de modelos e EA para arquitetos durante EADS