Interaction-aware development environments: recording, mining, and leveraging IDE interactions to analyze and support the development flow

Nowadays, software development is largely carried out using Integrated Development Environments, or IDEs. An IDE is a collection of tools and facilities to support the most diverse software engineering activities, such as writing code, debugging, and program understanding. The fact that they are integrated enables developers to find all the tools needed for the development in the same place. Each activity is composed of many basic events, such as clicking on a menu item in the IDE, opening a new user interface to browse the source code of a method, or adding a new statement in the body of a method. While working, developers generate thousands of these interactions, that we call fine-grained IDE interaction data. We believe this data is a valuable source of information that can be leveraged to enable better analyses and to offer novel support to developers. However, this data is largely neglected by modern IDEs. In this dissertation we propose the concept of "Interaction-Aware Development Environments": IDEs that collect, mine, and leverage the interactions of developers to support and simplify their workflow. We formulate our thesis as follows: Interaction-Aware Development Environments enable novel and in- depth analyses of the behavior of software developers and set the ground to provide developers with effective and actionable support for their activities inside the IDE. For example, by monitoring how developers navigate source code, the IDE could suggest the program entities that are potentially relevant for a particular task. Our research focuses on three main directions: 1. Modeling and Persisting Interaction Data. The first step to make IDEs aware of interaction data is to overcome its ephemeral nature. To do so we have to model this new source of data and to persist it, making it available for further use. 2. Interpreting Interaction Data. One of the biggest challenges of our research is making sense of the millions of interactions generated by developers. We propose several models to interpret this data, for example, by reconstructing high-level development activities from interaction histories or measure the navigation efficiency of developers. 3. Supporting Developers with Interaction Data. Novel IDEs can use the potential of interaction data to support software development. For example, they can identify the UI components that are potentially unnecessary for the future and suggest developers to close them, reducing the visual cluttering of the IDE

Inside COP26: narratives and dialogues dealing with climate justice and fossil fuel-non proliferation treaty

openAd oggi, il cambiamento climatico è una delle maggiori sfide che l’umanità sta affrontando per quanto riguarda la salvaguardia della biosfera, incluso l’essere umano stesso. Con riferimento al periodo tra il 1850 e il 1900, osservando le temperature medie globali, gli ultimi otto anni sono stati i più caldi mai registrati. Secondo l’ultimo report dell’International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR6), le attività umane hanno inequivocabilmente influenzato il cambiamento climatico e i relativi impatti su ecosistemi e società. La diplomazia climatica riguarda i processi di negoziazione della governance al fine di raggiungere accordi internazionali contro il cambiamento climatico. La Conferenza delle Parti (COP) è il contesto politico all’interno del quale vengono prese le decisioni necessarie al fine di stabilizzare le emissioni dei gas serra (GHG) e promuovere un percorso di sviluppo sostenibile. Alla COP21 del 2015, le Nazioni Unite hanno stipulato un accordo internazionale globale per affrontare la crisi climatica: l'Accordo di Parigi. L’obiettivo è quello di ridurre le emissioni di gas serra in modo da non superare i 2°C di aumento delle temperature globali, cercando di limitarsi ad 1.5°C grazie all’implementazione di misure per la mitigazione e l’adattamento, e promuovendo un modello di governance multi-livello. L’ultima COP rilevante, basandosi sui risultati delle negoziazioni, è stata la COP26 (2021) a Glasgow. Questa ricerca, implementata grazie al progetto “Visto Climatico” analizza la COP26 dal suo interno investigando i temi ed i risultati fondamentali e concentrandosi sulla giustizia climatica e sulle iniziative di non proliferazione dei combustibili fossili come il Trattato di Non Proliferazione Fossile (FFNPT).At present, climate change is one of the most important challenges which humanity is facing to safeguard the Biosphere, including human beings. The last eight years on record have been the hottest eight ever recorded in terms of global mean temperature, since reference period 1850-1900. The last report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, AR6) declared unequivocal the influence of human activities on the actual climate change and the relative impacts on ecosystems and societies. Climate diplomacy concerns the negotiation process of governance to reach international agreements against climate change. The Conference of Parties (COP) is the political context where the promotion of the necessary decisions have been taken with the main goal to stabilize the greenhouse gasses (GHG) emission and define a sustainable development path. During the COP21 in 2015, the United Nation defined a global international pledge to tackle the ongoing climate crisis: the Paris Agreement. The goal is to cut off the GHG emission and not exceed the 2°C of global warming , aiming to stay below 1.5°C through the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures as well promoting a multilevel governance model. The last relevant COP based on the negotiation results obtained is the COP26 (2021) in Glasgow. The present research implemented thanks to the “Visto Climatico” project analyses from inside the COP26 with the aims to investigate the key aspects and outcomes focusing on the fossil fuel non-proliferation initiative as the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) and climate justice

Nursing students’ clinical learning: Combining simulation training with nursing home practice

Background: The traditional clinical practice model for first-year nursing students in Norwegian nursing education is placement in nursing homes for six to eight weeks supervised by on-site registered nurses. In nursing homes, increased care complexity, high workloads, and a limited number of registered nurses serving as student supervisors can pose significant challenges to students’ clinical learning. Simulation training may provide an evidence-based learning alternative during students’ clinical practice period. However, research on clinical practice models that combine simulation training with clinical practice in nursing homes for first-year nursing students is limited internationally and unexplored in a Norwegian context. Aim: The overall aim of this thesis is to gain knowledge by investigating firstyear students’ experiences with and relevant outcomes of simulation training combined with clinical practice in nursing homes in a Norwegian context. To achieve the overall aim, we initially identified elements in simulation training (based on the National League for Nursing (NLN) Jeffries Simulation Theory) associated with student outcomes of satisfaction and self-confidence (Paper I). Second, student experiences of multiple simulation training as a supplement during the students’ clinical practice period were investigated (Paper II). The Clinical Learning Environment Comparison Survey (CLECS) was then translated and tested for its psychometric properties (Paper III). The CLECS was used in the final investigation, in which student outcomes regarding knowledge acquisition, self-efficacy, and fulfilment of clinical learning needs were examined after integrating the simulation training as a partial replacement for clinical hours during the students’ clinical practice period (Paper IV). Methods: A multimethod design was employed. First, a study with a cross-sectional design using the NLN questionnaire (n = 187) was conducted to identify associations. Data were analysed using descriptive and correlation statistics (Paper I). The second study, which investigated student experiences (n = 27) had a qualitative descriptive study design with focus group interviews. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation (Paper II). The third study had a cross-sectional design with a longitudinal component (n = 122), and the CLECS’ psychometric properties were investigated using validity and reliability statistics (Paper III). The fourth study had an experimental design with pre- and post-test comparisons of an intervention group (n = 52) versus a control group (n = 48) to examine student outcomes using a knowledge test and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Furthermore, a descriptive, survey-based comparison was used to examine the fulfilment of clinical learning needs in the intervention group using the CLECS. Data in the fourth study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Paper IV). Results: Active learning was significantly associated with satisfaction, while active learning and clear objectives were associated with self-confidence (Paper I). Three categories of student experiences were identified: enhancing the reasoning behind care, transferring knowledge and experiences between learning environments, and enhancing the sense of mastery (Paper II). The CLECS had acceptable construct validity and internal consistency, and most subscales displayed moderate to good test-retest reliability (Paper III). The mean improvement in knowledge acquisition from the pre- to post-test was higher in the intervention group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant, with a moderate to high effect size. No significant difference in self-efficacy improvement was observed. The intervention group scored the simulation training significantly higher on meeting their clinical learning needs compared with the nursing homes. Learning needs within the nursing process, self-efficacy, and the teaching–learning dyad especially excelled, showing moderate to high effect sizes (Paper IV). Conclusions: This thesis suggests that simulation training (based on a theoretical framework), either as a supplement to or as a partial replacement for clinical hours, combined with clinical practice in nursing homes, might be of great benefit for Norwegian first-year nursing students. Active student engagement in simulation training may increase both student satisfaction and self-confidence, and the first-year students experienced enhanced knowledge, confidence, and mastery due to the simulation training after attending simulation training combined with clinical practice. Active student engagement, collective reflections, and feedback from facilitators and peers in the simulation training seemed pivotal for promoting the students’ clinical learning during the practice period. The CLECS (Norwegian version) was proven adequate for evaluating clinical learning to meet students’ learning needs and; combining simulation training with clinical practice in nursing homes was positively associated with knowledge acquisition and with meeting the clinical learning needs of first-year students, especially within the areas of the nursing process, self-efficacy, and the teaching-learning dyad

Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences

Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education. This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience

Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.

With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012). The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators. The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission

An Online Environmental Approach to Service Interaction Management in Home Automation

Home automation is maturing with the increased deployment of networks and intelligent devices in the home. Along with new protocols and devices, new software services will emerge and work together releasing the full potential of networked consumer devices. Services may include home security, climate control or entertainment. With such extensive interworking the phenomenon known as service interaction, or feature interaction, appears. The problem occurs when services interfere with one another causing unexpected or undesirable outcomes. The main goal of this work is to detect undesired interactions between devices and services while allowing positive interactions between services and devices. If the interaction is negative, the approach should be able to handle it in an appropriate way. Being able to carry out interaction detection in the home poses certain challenges. Firstly, the devices and services are provided by a number of vendors and will be using a variety of protocols. Secondly, the configuration will not be fixed, the network will change as devices join and leave. Services may also change and adapt to user needs and to devices available at runtime. The developed approach is able to work with such challenges. Since the goal of the automated home is to make life simpler for the occupant, the approach should require minimal user intervention. With the above goals, an approach was developed which tackles the problem. Whereas previous approaches solving service interaction have focused on the service, the technique presented here concentrates on the devices and their surrounds, as some interactions occur through conflicting effects on the environment. The approach introduces the concept of environmental variables. A variable may be room temperature, movement or perhaps light. Drawing inspiration from the Operating Systems domain, locks are used to control access to the devices and environmental variables. Using this technique, undesirable interactions are avoided. The inclusion of the environment is a key element of this approach as many interactions can happen indirectly, through the environment. Since the configuration of a home’s devices and services is continually changing, developing an off-line solution is not practical. Therefore, an on-line approach in the form of an interaction manager has been developed. It is the manager’s role to detect interactions. The approach was shown to work successfuly. The manager was able to successfully detect interactions and prevent negative interactions from occurring. Interactions were detected at both device and service level. The approach is flexible: it is protocol independent, services are unaware of the manager, and the manager can cope with new devices and services joining the network. Further, there is little user intervention required for the approach to operate

CONCERTO AL PIANO. SUSTAINABLE URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS

Concerto AL Piano, in Alessandria at the NW of Italy, is one of the 58 integrated energy demonstration sites promoted by the European Commission within the 6th and 7th Framework Programme. Concerto AL Piano is aimed at demonstrating the economic and social benefits in investing in energy saving and renewable energy in urban regeneration. The project includes a mix of interventions: the renovation of existing social housing, the construction of new eco-buildings and the provision of a cogeneration district heating, integrated in the urban environment

From Exception to Promotion

From Exception to Promotion: Re-Thinking the Relationship between International Trade and Environmental Law tells a new, unconventional story of the relationship between international trade and environmental law, where the keyword is synergy rather than conflict, and where sustainable development and environmental protection are portrayed as part of the very nature and purpose of the trade regime.; Readership: Academics and students interested in international trade and environmental law, as well as in the interface between different areas of international law