Unified Communications: Does It Have A Role In The Classroom?

Unified communications (UC) is being widely adopted by business and industry. Research has shown that UC increases productivity. Within higher education, UC has been implemented to improve administrative functions. However, in the academic environment the use of UC as an educational tool has yet to be explored. This extended abstract proposes a research study to investigate student use of communication tools to support their academic studies and to use this data to propose a model for implementing UC as a means to support the teaching/learning process

An Exploration of the Best Practices for Securing Contractual Helpdesk Services

Contractual Helpdesk Services, which include offering customer service to consumers who have an issue, problem or concern, is a growing industry. For smaller companies outsourcing helpdesk services is becoming more and more popular as there are many technical aspects and high investment costs required to develop the infrastructure needed to support these services. Contracting Helpdesk Services alleviates smaller companies from being concerned with technical issues, doing research on the value proposition of emerging products or services, and in some cases even alleviates the need for hiring additional staff to take customer support calls. This paper explores best practices companies should consider when contracting for the services of a call center environment. The Contractual Helpdesk Service has evolved from just a Business to Consumer model to a Business to Business model via affiliation

STUDENT USE OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES: A PILOT STUDY

Unified Communications (UC) is being widely adopted by business and industry. Research has shown that UC increases productivity. Although UC tools are being used widely on campus, very little research has been done on the use of UC in the classroom. This paper reports the findings of a pilot study that asked students to indicate their use of various communication technologies to support their academic studies. Students indicated heavy use of email, voice and text messaging and limited use of instant messaging, teleconferencing and videoconferencing. Patterns of use were distinct – students prefer to use different technologies when communicating with faculty than when communicating with peers. The academic use of communication technologies will continue to evolve, although gradually. The next generation of Learning Management Systems that purposefully and thoughtfully integrate communications technologies will be positioned to become the infrastructure provider for UC in the classroom

A Decision Model For Contracting Helpdesk Services

Contractual helpdesk services, also known as call center outsourcing is a growing industry. Helpdesk solutions, which offer customer service to consumers who have an issue, problem or concern, are an integral part of many organizations\u27 wider service function. For smaller companies, outsourcing helpdesk services is becoming more and more popular given the technical expertise and high investment costs required to develop, implement and maintain the infrastructure needed to support these services. Contracting for helpdesk services helps to alleviate smaller companies from concerns with technical issues, retaining employees dedicated to continuous research on the value proposition of emerging products or services, and in some cases, the need for hiring additional staff. While the basic principles for negotiating an outsourcing contract apply, this paper explores the special considerations pertinent to contracting helpdesk services. These include determining an optimal solution by mapping business requirements to specific call center resource options, determining the optimal call routing structure given budgetary considerations and understanding technical problems associated with the call center environment and developing a satisficing plan to address problems should they occur. As the technologies, including telecommunications and call routing options, that form the basis of helpdesk services evolve, so does the importance of helpdesk services as they move from cost centers to profit generating ventures

A qualitative study analysing the journey towards an embedded approach to service user involvement

Service user involvement in the design and delivery of education programmes for professionals is a key tenet of current policy. This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of young mothers, students and academics who participated in an initiative aimed to coproduce and deliver a teaching resource focusing on becoming a mother and receiving services. The findings from the focus group interviews suggested that involving service users in student learning can provide an opportunity for open and honest dialogue, where assumptions and stereotypes can be challenged and better understood. It can also encourage users who are often seen as ‘hard to reach’ to be more actively involved in shaping the development of professionals

Length and time scales of cell-cell signaling circuits in agar

A community of genetically heterogeneous cells embedded in an unmixed medium allows for sophisticated operations by retaining spatial differentiation and coordinating division-of-labor. To establish the principles of engineering reliable cell-cell communication in a heterogeneous environment, we examined how circuit parameters and spatial placement affect the range of length and time scales over which simple communication circuits interact. We constructed several "sender" and "receiver" strains with quorum-sensing signaling circuits. The sender cell colony produces acyl homoserine lactones (AHL), which diffuse across the semisolid medium. The receiver cell colony detects these signal molecules and reports by fluorescence. We have found that a single colony of one sender variant is sufficient to induce receiver response at more than 1.5cm separation. Furthermore, AHL degradase expression in receiver colonies produces a signal threshold effect and reduces the response level in subsequent receiver colonies. Finally, our investigation on the spatial placement of colonies gave rise to the design of a multicellular long-range communication array consisting of two alternating colony types. Its signal response successfully propagated colony-by-colony along a six-colony array spanning 4.8cm at a transmission velocity of 12.8 hours per colony or 0.075cm per hour. In addition, we have developed a reaction-diffusion model that recreates the observed behaviors of the many performed experiments using data-informed parameter estimates of signal diffusion, gene expression, and nutrient consumption. These results demonstrate that a mixed community of colonies can enable new patterning programs, and the corresponding model will facilitate the rational design of complex communication networks

Test Taking Tips

Introduction Weeks Before What Kind of Test? Cramming Pretest Study Group Night Before the Test Morning of the Test Test Anxiety Test Taking Strategies Multiple Choice True or False Open Ended Works Cite

Legitimating the Remix: Exploring Electronic Dance Music’s Hybrid Economy

Thesis advisor: Judith SchwartzIncreased access to media and production tools has given the civilized masses the means not only to consume an increasingly comprehensive wealth of content, but also the means to interact with that content in ways never before imagined. This has allowed the digital generation to grow ever more comfortable creating and editing content outside of the professional environment. Much of the creative output of our day comes in the form of the “remix,” a piece of content which is constructed, in full or in part, from bits (most often in the form of bytes) of other media artifacts. However, because of American law and international copyright agreements that prohibit the copying (reproduction or derivation) of creative works, a generation of amateur producers has been criminalized. Despite the message sent by recent prosecutions in light of the letter of copyright law, the original spirit of copyright law was to encourage creative production, not restrict it. Within the music industry, the international electronic dance music community demonstrates how new forms of content and copyright management within a hybrid economy could benefit artists, fans, and industry alike.Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2009.Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: College Honors Program.Discipline: Communication

Connectivity and Continuity: New Fronts in the Platform Wars

Device interconnectedness in video conferencing, telephony, texting, file-sharing and application handoff has become a critical battleground for tech giants. In this panel, we will distinguish between approaches to device connectivity and application continuity, give an overview of current solutions and share projections for the future of connectivity. Apple, Microsoft and Google are predictably focusing on connectivity across devices and applications rather than across platforms. Given the scope of impact of these innovations, tech giants will be under increasing pressure to architect a world wherein devices and platforms are secondary to what users want to achieve via technology. Participants will examine competing approaches to connectivity and continuity, explore emergent issues for research and practice, and discuss the social and business impacts of these technologies