5,932 research outputs found
Modelling a layer for real-time management of interactions in web based distance learning
In the last few years, the University of Aveiro, Portugal, has been offering several distance learning courses
over the Web, using e-learning platforms.
Experience showed that different editions of a same course, using the same contents and structure, and having
similar target learners, had different success rates. What would be the reason for that?
A hypothesis was considered: The level of success could be directly related with the remote follow-up of the
learnersâ participation in the courses; the best results usually occur when the follow-up is closer.
The existing e-learning platforms offer and the standardization works being developed by organizations and
consortiums like IMS (IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc), ADL SCORM (Advanced Distributed Learning
Sherable Content Object Reference Model), IEEE LTSC LOM (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
Learning Technologies Standard Committee Learning Object Metadata), ARIADNE (ARIADNE Foundation
for the European Knowledge Pool), AICC CMI (Aviation Industry CBT Committee Computer Managed
Instruction), etc, donât cover the course monitorization concerns mentioned. Those projects were focused on
aspects like contents and its delivery in the context of the execution of the coursesâ activities. This is even
true in the SCORM project that doesnât include any reference to the management of the e-learning processes.
Recently, in the context of the IMS Global Consortium, a new project designated IMS LD (Learning Design) is
under development, providing a framework for the description of learning units under a three level model. In
the most recently defined level, the C level, some functionalities related to notifications were proposed,
expressing similar concerns to the ones that triggered our research. However, the extent at which IMS LD
takes the functionalities is, from our point of view, not complete.
This article describes a proposal of a reference model and functionalities towards a specification of a layer for
real-time management of user interactions on LMSs, and its possible integration with the ADL SCORM
standard proposal. The paper includes a discussion of the management metadata model for the LMS
sub-system and how the integration of the management module under SCORM may be achieved
Enhancing web supported learning in higher education by adding a management layer to LMSs
There are many situations in the e-Learning experiences
that can compromise the success of the courses. Many
times simple reasons are great enough to motivate people
to abandon them. For example, if someone does not
execute a programmed activity inside the defined window
of time, it can compromise the rest of the course to that
person. In such situations it would be important that the
teacher knew about the situation in useful time, to be able
to take any corrective action.
Another example could be presented, involving the
professor and the learners. Let us assume that an activity
A2 is programmed to be executed by the learners and that
it depends on the previous knowledge of the result of the
evaluation of a work submitted by the learners to the
teacher (activity A1). If the teacher doesnât inform the
learners about their classification in useful time, that can
compromise the execution of the activity A2.
It seems to be necessary to use mechanisms of automatic
management, in real time, of the envolvement of each
participant in a distance learning course using LMS
(Learning Management System). Such a functionality
allows the detection of deviations to the scheduled
activities planned for each actor. If it is the case, the
referred mechanism can initiate the process of sending
notifications to the relevant entities, enabling the
correction of these deviations.
Several organizations and consortiuns, involving the
industry, governmental institutions and universities, are
developing projects of standardization. It seemed
important to us to see how the referred aspects were
covered by those projects, and to perceive how it could be
possible to articulate our work with the ones that are
available from these organizations and consortiuns.
This article describes the work that the authors are
developing towards the specification of a layer for
real-time management of user interactions with LMSs,
during the operationalization of a course, and also
includes a management meta-data model, related to that
management layer
Can Brazilian Firms Survive the Chinese Challenge: Effects of Globalization on Markets, Strategies, and Performance
Purpose â The purpose of this paper is to apply the structure-conduct-performance theory and the strategic fit concept to examine the effects of globalization on markets, strategies, and performance of business-to-consumer firms in Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach â The paper takes a qualitative approach to answer the research questions. Top decision makers such as president, chief executive officer, chairman of the board, vice president, and director of the companies were interviewed. The elite approach to in-depth interviewing was followed to obtain reliable information from the decision makers.
Findings â Findings indicate that globalization and especially the entry of Chinese firms significantly changed market contexts in Brazil. Brazilian executives responded to changes in market contexts by shifting from production to customer orientation, building brand equity, developing new products, and differentiating offerings. Overall, marketing performance of Brazilian firms was positive, but profitability suffered.
Originality/value â The study contributes to the literature by showing that globalization has changed market contexts in Brazil by developing a new form of competition in which firms from emerging economies are now competing against each other. Findings from this study can provide useful theoretical and strategic insights into the behavior and performance of firms in other emerging markets
Competitive Threats, Strategic Responses and Performance of Brazilian B2B Firms
Purpose â The economic realignment in Latin America has created two clusters, one stagnant in the north and the other growth-bound in the south. This study aims to focus on Brazil, the key player in the growth-bound southern cluster, and address three fundamental questions: how Brazilian executives in four B2B sectors (telecommunications, business equipment, steel, and transportation) viewed the internal competitive developments, how they strategically responded to these developments, and what were the marketing and financial outcomes of these strategies.
Design/methodology/approach â Data were obtained by interviewing top decision makers such as president, chief executive officer, and director of the companies.
Findings â Findings show that the intensity of competitive pressures due to globalization varied by sector and so did strategic responses of firms. Marketing and financial performance outcomes also varied by sectors.
Originality/value â The study adds to the growing literature on competitive market developments, strategic responses and performance outcomes of firms in Brazil, an important emerging economy and the key player in the southern Latin America cluster
On the convergence to critical scaling profiles in submonolayer deposition models
In this work we study the rate of convergence to similarity profiles in a
mean field model for the deposition of a submonolayer of atoms in a crystal
facet, when there is a critical minimal size for the stability of the
formed clusters. The work complements recently published related results by the
same authors in which the rate of convergence was studied outside of a critical
direction in the cluster size vs. time plane. In this paper
we consider a different similarity variable, ,
corresponding to an inner expansion of that critical direction, and prove the
convergence of solutions to a similarity profile when with fixed, as well as the rate at which the limit is
approached.Comment: Dedicated to the memory of Jack Car
Rates of convergence to scaling profiles in a submonolayer deposition model and the preservation of memory of the initial condition
We establish rates of convergence of solutions to scaling (or similarity)
profiles in a coagulation type system modelling submonolayer deposition. We
prove that, although all memory of the initial condition is lost in the
similarity limit, information about the large cluster tail of the initial
condition is preserved in the rate of approach to the similarity profile. The
proof relies in a change of variables that allows for the decoupling of the
original infinite system of ordinary differential equations into a closed
two-dimensional nonlinear system for the monomer--bulk dynamics and a lower
triangular infinite dimensional linear one for the cluster dynamics. The
detailed knowledge of the long time monomer concentration, which was obtained
earlier by Costin et al. in (O. Costin, M. Grinfeld, K.P. O'Neill and H. Park,
Long-time behaviour of point islands under fixed rate deposition, Commun. Inf.
Syst. 13, (2), (2013), pp.183-200) using asymptotic methods and is rederived
here by center manifold arguments, is then used for the asymptotic evaluation
of an integral representation formula for the concentration of -clusters.
The use of higher order expressions, both for the Stirling expansion and for
the monomer evolution at large times allow us to obtain, not only the
similarity limit, but also the rate at which it is approached.Comment: Revised according to referee's suggestions; to be published in SIAM
J. Math. Ana
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