Grid-based virtual laboratory experiments for a graduate course on sensor networks

This paper presents the pedagogical and technical challenges the authors faced in developing a distributed laboratory for the execution of virtual scientific experiments (VSEs) superimposed on a Grid infrastructure, for a course on sensor networks that is part of the Master's in Information Networking (MSIN) program jointly offered by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA and Athens Information Technology (AIT), Athens, Greece. The MSIN program utilizes virtual classroom technologies because of its strong distance learning component. Courses taught by CMU faculty are attended in real-time by students in Athens, Greece, via video-wall teleconferencing sessions. Vice versa, visiting CMU faculty to AIT teach classes that are attended by students at CMU. Students in both institutions enjoy full interactivity with their classmates on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. A distributed shared virtual laboratory is needed for many of the more empirical courses. This paper describes the challenges and issues the authors faced in developing such a lab

Grid-Based Interactive Virtual Scientific Experiments for Distributed Virtual Communities

E-learning technologies have matured to a point where distance learning classes are commonly offered from many leading Universities around the world. A major challenge in such distributed classrooms is the formation of virtual communities among the participating students, enhancing the overall learning experience. Shared virtual laboratories offer the possibility of forming such virtual communities as students form lab teams to run the same interactive simulation and in the course of such experiments learn to interact and understand each other better. We have designed and implemented a Virtual Scientific Experiment architectural framework on top of a Grid infrastructure for running interactive virtual laboratory experiments for such distributed student communities with visualization capabilities. The architecture is based on Web Services standard protocols such as WSDL and WS-Notification as implemented in the WSRF specification. For the first concrete instantiation of this architecture, we ported a stand-alone Wireless Sensor Network simulator written in Java in our Grid-based architecture and extended it to allow for initial collaborative parameter setup and on-the-fly visualization of the simulation execution and interaction with it, a capability not present in the original simulator. We report on results from running such simulations on a local Grid infrastructure. System evaluation results from a distributed pool of students show the added value of our system in enhancing distance-learning programs and Virtual Classes with extensible collaborative and interactive Virtual Laboratories sessions

CrowdUI:supporting web design with the crowd

Abstract Web design is a complex and challenging task. It involves making many design decisions that materialise preconceived notions of user needs that may or may not be true. In this paper, we investigate supporting the co-design of a website with visual feedback elicited from the website’s community of users. Website users can express their needs by re-arranging and modifying the website’s layout and design. To explore and validate this idea, we present CrowdUI, a web-based tool that enables members of the community of a website to visually express their design improvement ideas, frustrations and needs, and to send this feedback to the person in charge of designing or maintaining the website. CrowdUI is validated in a study with 45 users of a popular social media and networking website. Second, our qualitative evaluation with 60 experienced web developers shows that CrowdUI is able to elicit diverse and meaningful feedback. Put together, our results suggest that CrowdUI’s approach constitutes a productive setting for eliciting visual feedback from the user community as a complement to traditional ways of eliciting feedback and participatory design. Finally, based on our experiences, we discuss a design space for crowdsourced web design and provide design recommendations for similar future tools

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This paper shows how some of the TINA principles used in the development of Service Management techniques for the Broadband ISDN may be applied to the management of Internet Services. In the original B-ISDN concept of these services, it was assumed that there would be B-ISDN components in both the network and subscriber systems. In the Internet version of the services, it was considered that IP Multicast would be used for the multimedia conferencing services. In the approach adopted here, the normal Internet functionality is maintained unchanged in the subscriber equipment; modifications in the access network dealt with the differences between the BISDN and the Internet. The paper discusses the architecture adopted, the applications services integrated and the methods employed to demonstrate remotely the system. The latter encompassed the novel use of Direct Broadcast Satellite connectivity, for the purposes of the demonstration