Using a BCI to Assess Attention During an Online Lecture

Brain computer interfaces (BCI) use neural signals as input into computer applications. In this study, we demonstrate the use of a low-cost, commercially available BCI to directly measure participants’ attention levels while using WUtopia, and online learning platform developed at Winthrop University. Previous research demonstrated that students using this platform performed better on a post-lecture quiz than those who only viewed the lecture (Grossoehme et al.). We hypothesize that the increase in performance is due to an increase in attentiveness when using the WUtopia platform. We divided participants into the intervention (n = 7) and non-intervention (n = 12) groups. Both groups viewed the chosen lecture video, completed a survey on their experience and attentiveness during the video, and took a quiz on the content of the video while wearing the BCI. Preliminary results corroborate the finding that WUtopia users perform better on post-lecture quizzes. However, readings from the BCI indicate that the non-intervention group had greater attentiveness during the video, while participants in the intervention group rated themselves higher on the attention survey. This suggests that either a) the BCI chosen is not effective at gauging attentiveness or b) there is a disconnect between actual and self-perceived attentiveness

Managing Software Engineering Student Teams Using Pellerin\u27s 4-D System

In this article, we discuss the use of Pellerin’s Four Dimension Leadership System (4-D) as a way to manage teams in a classroom setting. Over a 5-year period, we used a modified version of the 4-D model to manage teams within a senior level Software Engineering capstone course. We found that this approach for team management in a classroom setting led to qualitatively fewer incidents of teams unable to effectively work together, better projects, and greater group cohesion. In this article, we discuss our experience using the 4-D System, which was not originally designed for use in the classroom. We find our modified version of the 4-D System to be viable in a classroom setting and provide the reader with everything needed to implement 4-D in his or her own course

The design and implementation of fuzzy query processing on sensor networks

Sensor nodes and Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) enable observation of the physical world in unprecedented levels of granularity. A growing number of environmental monitoring applications are being designed to leverage data collection features of WSN, increasing the need for efficient data management techniques and for comparative analysis of various data management techniques. My research leverages aspects of fuzzy database, specifically fuzzy data representation and fuzzy or flexible queries to improve upon the efficiency of existing data management techniques by exploiting the inherent uncertainty of the data collected by WSN. Herein I present my research contributions. I provide classification of WSN middleware to illustrate varying approaches to data management for WSN and identify a need to better handle the uncertainty inherent in data collected from physical environments and to take advantage of the imprecision of the data to increase the efficiency of WSN by requiring less information be transmitted to adequately answer queries posed by WSN monitoring applications. In this dissertation, I present a novel approach to querying WSN, in which semantic knowledge about sensor attributes is represented as fuzzy terms. I present an enhanced simulation environment that supports more flexible and realistic analysis by using cellular automata models to separately model the deployed WSN and the underlying physical environment. Simulation experiments are used to evaluate my fuzzy query approach for environmental monitoring applications. My analysis shows that using fuzzy queries improves upon other data management techniques by reducing the amount of data that needs to be collected to accurately satisfy application requests. This reduction in data transmission results in increased battery life within sensors, an important measure of cost and performance for WSN applications

The WUtopia! Effect

The delivery of educational materials through an online platform is becoming increasingly prominent among universities worldwide; however, the presentation of this material often deviates from successful pedagogical strategies for online, or hybrid courses that are beginning to emerge. WUtipia!, first introduced to the campus community at the first annual TLC Conference, is an online learning platform that was developed at Winthrop as a collaborative undergraduate research project. This website was designed to provide educators a way to offer electronic video content in a way that promotes student interaction with the content and, consequently, enhance understanding and retention. Since its introduction two years ago, the site has undergone a major transformation that dramatically enhances the visual appeal and the capabilities of the website. This presentation will reintroduce WUtopia!; the main features of the student and instructors views will be highlighted with special emphasis on the steps you can take to try out the site. In addition, the results of the first WUtopia! Study, which explored the effectiveness of the learning platform, will be presented