A hybrid method for the analysis of learner behaviour in active learning environments

Software-mediated learning requires adjustments in the teaching and learning process. In particular active learning facilitated through interactive learning software differs from traditional instructor-oriented, classroom-based teaching. We present behaviour analysis techniques for Web-mediated learning. Motivation, acceptance of the learning approach and technology, learning organisation and actual tool usage are aspects of behaviour that require different analysis techniques to be used. A hybrid method based on a combination of survey methods and Web usage mining techniques can provide accurate and comprehensive analysis results. These techniques allow us to evaluate active learning approaches implemented in form of Web tutorials

A Layered Software Architecture for the Management of a Manufacturing Company

In this paper we describe a layered software architecture in the management of a manufactur-ing company that intensively uses computer technology. Application tools, new and legacy, after the updating, operate in a context of an open web oriented architecture. The software architecture enables the integration and interoperability among all tools that support business processes. Manufacturing Executive System and Text Mining tools are excellent interfaces, the former both for internal production and management processes and the latter for external processes coming from the market. In this way, it is possible to implement, a computer integrated factory, flexible and agile, that immediately responds to customer requirements.ICT, Service Oriented Architecture, Web Services, Computer-Integrated Factory, Application Software

A framework for deriving semantic web services

Web service-based development represents an emerging approach for the development of distributed information systems. Web services have been mainly applied by software practitioners as a means to modularize system functionality that can be offered across a network (e.g., intranet and/or the Internet). Although web services have been predominantly developed as a technical solution for integrating software systems, there is a more business-oriented aspect that developers and enterprises need to deal with in order to benefit from the full potential of web services in an electronic market. This ‘ignored’ aspect is the representation of the semantics underlying the services themselves as well as the ‘things’ that the services manage. Currently languages like the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) provide the syntactic means to describe web services, but lack in providing a semantic underpinning. In order to harvest all the benefits of web services technology, a framework has been developed for deriving business semantics from syntactic descriptions of web services. The benefits of such a framework are two-fold. Firstly, the framework provides a way to gradually construct domain ontologies from previously defined technical services. Secondly, the framework enables the migration of syntactically defined web services toward semantic web services. The study follows a design research approach which (1) identifies the problem area and its relevance from an industrial case study and previous research, (2) develops the framework as a design artifact and (3) evaluates the application of the framework through a relevant scenario

A web-based learning system for software test professionals

Fierce competition, globalization, and technology innovation have forced software companies to search for new ways to improve competitive advantage. Web-based learning is increasingly being used by software companies as an emergent approach for enhancing the skills of knowledge workers. However, the current practice of Web-based learning is perceived as being less goal-effective due to a lack of alignment of learning with work performance. To solve this problem, a performance-oriented approach is presented in this study. Using this approach, a Web-based learning system has been developed for software testing professionals. An empirical study was conducted by inviting employees working in the software testing sector to use and evaluate the system. The results showed the effectiveness of the proposed approach. © 2011 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Inter-organizational Interoperability through integration of Multiagent, Web Service, and Semantic Web Technologies

This paper presents a software architecture for inter-organizational multiagent systems. The architecture integrates Web service technology into multiagent systems to overcome the technical interoperability problem of current multiagent systems in the fast growing service-oriented environments. We integrate Semantic Web technology to make multiagent systems semantically interoperable. We address the problem of interoperability regarding interfaces, messaging protocols, data exchanged, and security whilst considering a dynamic e-business environment. The proposed architecture enables service virtualization, secure service access across organizational boundaries, service-to-agent communication, and OWL reasoning within agents

Development of an online collaborative working environment for design and manufacturing

This research is to develop a novel collaborative working environment (CWE) for manufacturing and design using advanced Web/Internet technologies such as Web Service, Grid Service and other related software tools/packages. To achieve the above, the following research modules are developed by the author: A service oriented framework for computer aid design, which acts as an online collaboration system, has been developed with the utilisation of the latest technology, Web Service. The concept of Service-Oriented Architecture has been implemented in the framework. Users from anywhere in the world can join the design process from their PCs, no matter what operation system they are using. The service-oriented system has the capability of going through firewalls and can afford multi-users due to the characteristics of Web service. Also the loose-coupling structure makes the system very easy to be updated. Another module for the CWE is to solve the software sharing problem when the platform is used among several geographically dispersed users or organisations. A software package bank system has been developed, which utilised the ideology of service oriented approach and successfully solved traditional problems in this field. Based on the outcomes mentioned above, the research finally developed a more powerful infrastructure using Grid service, which is a further development of Grid computing and Web service. The Grid service is considered to be the most important future solvent for Internet

Web development productivity improvement through object-oriented application framework

Most of the commercial and industrial web applications are complex, difficult to implement, risky to maintain and requires deep understanding of the requirements for customization. As today's software market is more competitive, productivity has become a major concern in software development industry. The aim of this research is to design and develop an application framework for accelerating web development productivity through object-oriented technology. It allows customization, design reuse and automatic code generation to support productivity improvement as a breakthrough solution for the given problem. This research employed systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the source of complexity and productivity factors. Agile development methodology was used to design the framework and it was validated by empirical data from two commercial projects. Results showed that object-oriented application framework (OOAF) has significant factors that affect productivity and dramatically improve higher productivity over traditional approach. It has fulfilled the current needs by reducing complexities, development efforts and accelerates web development productivity. This research contributes in the area of software engineering, specifically in the field of software productivity improvement and software customization. These will lead to faster development time for software industries

Developing Distributed System with Service Resource Oriented Architecture

 Service oriented architecture (SOA) is a design paradigm in software engineering for an enterprise scale which built in a distributed system environment. This paradigm aims at abstracting of application functionality as a service through a protocol in web service technology, namely simple object access protocol (SOAP). However, SOAP have static characteristic and oriented by the service methode, so have restrictiveness on creating and accessing for big numbers of service. For this reason, this reasearch aims at combining SOA with resource oriented architecture (ROA) that is oriented by the service resource use representational state transfer (REST) protocol in order to expand scalability of service. This combination is namely service resource oriented architecture (SROA). SROA can optimize distributing of applications and integrating of services where is implemented to develop the project management software. To realize this model, the software is developed according with framework of Agile model driven development (AMDD) to reduce complexities on the whole stage processing of software development

Web Service Recommender Systems: Methodologies, Merits and Demerits

Web services nowadays are considered a consolidated reality of the modern Web with remarkable, increasing influence on everyday computing tasks. Following Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm, corporations are increasingly offering their services within and between organizations either on intranets or the cloud. Recommender Systems are the software agents guiding the web services to reach the end user. The aim of this paper is to present the survey of advancements in assisting end users and corporations to benefit from Web service technology by facilitating the recommendation and integration of Web services into composite services

ReMoTe: A complete tool to support software process management

The purpose of the project is to provide the Department of Computer Science at California State University, San Bernardino with a software project management tool that will help companies in their software development. ReMoTe (Recursively Estimating Multi-Threaded Observation Technology Enterprise) will assist software engineering teams with defining their scheduled delivery dates, life-cycle definitions, team hierarchy, and communication. Using the object-oriented approach, ReMoTe can support any software life cycle model. ReMoTe can help manage and control the software process over the Web. It also allows people to manage software artifacts using database systems such as mySQL, Microsoft Access, or Oracle