LEAF (Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback) Final project report

The LEAF (Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback) project was funded under the Teaching Fellowship in TU Dublin, city campus for 18 months beginning in January 2018. The project team comprised 18 academics from across the TU Dublin - City Campus and there are representatives from all colleges. Also included were two further members who represented the student voice: the Director of Student Affairs and the Students’ Union Education Officer. This project sought to address a key issue in third level Teaching and Learning, that of assessment and assessment feedback. Assessment strategies have been shown to have a large impact on shaping how students learn and how they develop key employability skills. Learning from best practice nationally and internationally, and research from staff, students and quality documents, this project has developed a set of recommendations which will enhance practices in, and experiences of, assessments and feedback in TU Dublin

Evolution versus Revolution as a Strategy for Thin Client Acceptance: Case Study

Thin Clients have evolved from simple text based CRT dumb terminal devices in the 1960s, into a sophisticated architecture encompassing hardware, software, networks and protocols. However despite this recent evolution the Thin Client model has yet to re-emerge as a relevant design in an IT industry where Fat Clients (desktops and laptops) thrive. This paper describes two case studies performed within the Dublin Institute of Technology School of Computing, focused on the issue of student acceptance of this technology. The first case study provides a dedicated single service Thin Client implementation, while the second case study adopts a process of coexistence with Fat Clients in addition to providing new services to users. This paper examines both approaches as strategies for the integration of Thin Client technology into a Higher Level Educational Institute and through our data analysis demonstrates that while co-existence improves acceptance there are clearly additional factors to be resolved

Context Aware Smart Classroom for Real Time Configuration of Computer Rooms

The Context Aware Smart Classroom (CASC) is a classroom that responds to lecturers and student groups based on preset policies and the lecture timetables. CASC has been enhanced in two ways: initially to support the real-time software configuration of computers as required by specific laboratory activities; secondly to improve the decision making using knowledge engineering techniques. This paper outlines the design, implementation and evaluation of an enhanced system, CASC for Software Configuration (CASC–SC). Context aware environments respond in a pseudo-intelligent manner depending on the identity of occupants, particular location, desired activity and specific time. With the pervasive nature of personal mobile devices it is now possible to investigate development of low-cost location and identification systems that support development of a smart classroo

Deploying a Context Aware Smart Classroom

Context aware environments respond in a pseudo-intelligent manner depending on the identity of occupants, particular location, desired activity and specific time. The Context Aware Smart Classroom (CASC) is a classroom that responds to lecturers and student groups based on preset policies and the lecture timetable. The pervasive nature of personal mobile devices permits the investigation of developing low-cost location and identification systems that support development of a smart classroom. Material used during the teaching activity is distributed to students based on students’ policies using WLAN, LAN or email. The smart classroom CASC uses a central scheduling system to determine the teaching activity. In this paper we present CASCs’ system design and results from the trial deployment. In particular we review the issues related to using low-cost solutions such as existing communications infrastructure for developing large scale environments. Finally we present the plans for ongoing development of the Context Aware Smart Classroom

RFID: an Ideal Technology for Ubiquitous Computing?

This paper presents a review of RFID based approaches used for the development of smart spaces and smart objects. We explore approaches that enable RFID technology to make the transition from the recognized applications such as retail to ubiquitous computing, in which computers and technology fade into the background of day to day life. In this paper we present the case for the use of RFID technology as a key technology of ubiquitous computing due to its ability to embed itself in everday objects and spaces. Frameworks to support the operation of RFID-based smart objects and spaces are discussed and key design concepts identified. Conceptual frameworks, based on academic research, and deployed frameworks based on real world implementations are reviewed and the potential for RFID as a truly ubiquitous technology is considered and presented