The Usability of E-learning Platforms in Higher Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

The use of e-learning in higher education has increased significantly in recent years, which has led to several studies being conducted to investigate the usability of the platforms that support it. A variety of different usability evaluation methods and attributes have been used, and it has therefore become important to start reviewing this work in a systematic way to determine how the field has developed in the last 15 years. This paper describes a systematic mapping study that performed searches on five electronic libraries to identify usability issues and methods that have been used to evaluate e-learning platforms. Sixty-one papers were selected and analysed, with the majority of studies using a simple research design reliant on questionnaires. The usability attributes measured were mostly related to effectiveness, satisfaction, efficiency, and perceived ease of use. Furthermore, several research gaps have been identified and recommendations have been made for further work in the area of the usability of online learning

Gestión sostenible de paisajes rurales: aplicación de nuevas rutinas implementadas en SIG para la modelización de las relaciones visuales

The purpose of this paper was to introduce a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for site selection of new buildings in rural landscapes. It is based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This process consists of a twostage methodology: namely, land suitability mapping, followed by visual interpretation of potential sites. The SDSS is part of integrated computer software which can perform both functions, being specifically developed for this purpose and registered as GISCAD 2.0. This is a programme created in ARC/INFO Macro Language (AML) programming language. This is the means to generate macros and routines in ARC/INFO versions 7 and 8 for the consecutive execution of linked commands. As regards the computer routines, they are more than a mere concatenation of orders to be carried out successively by ARC/INFO. Some of them, such as COMPOSITION.AML, BACKGROUND.AML, CAPACITY.AML, SETTLE.AML and INTEGRATION.AML, are actually a logical analysis system which provides GISCAD 2.0 with a decision-making capacity according to the information supplied. At present these routines are being worked into a fully efficient system incorporating the ability to learn from the decisions taken, and for this information to form part of the initial data for the following calculation cycle.El objetivo del presente artículo fue desarrollar un sistema de toma de decisiones, basado en Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG), encaminado a la selección de localizaciones para nuevos edificios en paisajes rurales. Este proceso consiste en una metodología dividida en dos fases: análisis de la capacidad territorial seguido por un estudio visual de localizaciones potenciales. El sistema de toma de decisiones es una parte del programa informático que realiza ambas funciones y que fue específicamente desarrollado con este propósito y registrado como GISCAD 2.0. Éste es un programa elaborado en lenguaje de programación AML (ARC/INFO Macro Language), que es el modo de generar macros y rutinas en el SIG ARC/INFO versiones 7 y 8 para la realización sucesiva y concatenada de comandos. Respecto a las rutinas informáticas, no constituyen únicamente una mera concatenación de órdenes para ser ejecutadas en sucesión por ARC/INFO. Algunas de ellas, como por ejemplo COMPOSITION.AML, BACKGROUND.AML, CAPACITY. AML, SETTLE.AML e INTEGRATION.AML constituyen realmente un sistema de análisis lógico que permite a GISCAD 2.0 la toma de decisiones según la información suministrada. Actualmente se está trabajando para hacer de este sistema de inteligencia artificial un sistema experto que incorpore la posibilidad de aprender de las decisiones que vaya tomando y que esta información forme parte de los datos de partida para el siguiente ciclo de cálculo

Systematic layout planning of wineries: The case of Rioja region (Spain)

Winery design can be very varied - the consequence of different influences acting at different times of construction. Unlike the designs of other food industries, those of wineries are commonly influenced by aesthetics - sometimes to potentiate wine tourism, and sometimes to safeguard the agricultural landscape of which they are part. However, the functionality of the production space cannot be ignored; the efficient distribution of space in a winery contributes towards both economic and environmental sustainability - two requisites of an ever more demanding and competitive market. The present work gathers qualitative and quantitative information on the design of industrial wineries in Spains Rioja winemaking region. Different classes of winery are identified and, using the systematic layout planning method, several type layouts proposed. With the necessary adaptations made to suit particular circumstances, these could be used to guide future winery design in the same and other winemaking areas. © J. Gómez et al., 2018

Mechanical properties of some granular agricultural materials used in silo design

The aim of this research was to provide values for different material properties considered in either traditional or more recent numerical silo design methods. Different samples of granular agricultural materials commonly stored in silos were tested. Common geotechnical devices have been used in order to make the replications easier. Based on these experiments it was determined that the different material properties were not affected by the test velocity, except in the case of Poisson ratio. From a practical point of view, the test velocity correlates well with the sliding velocity of grain during discharge. The values obtained for material properties considered in traditional silo design methods were similar to those reported by other authors. No significant differences were observed in the results obtained when using either the square shear box or the circular shear cell. The same conclusion was reached when comparing the results from direct shear tests with preconsolidated and unconsolidated samples. This means that simplified devices and procedures can be used in agricultural grains against other products. Finally, a table with the recommended values for the different parameters determined for each sample tested was provided in this work