Sistem Maklumat Akademik UUM

Academic and Student Imformation (ASIS) was developed by Pusat Komputer in 1998 to help lecturers and Jabatan Hal Ehwal Akademik Universiti Utara Malaysla to process students' results. The purpose of this research is to develop a system that can be used together with ASIS to manage courses more systematically and to perform statistical analysis on the considered data. The system enables lecturers to create a workspace to input and edit assignments, quizzes, tests and final examination scores. The number of fields to store students' performance such as assignments, tests etc will be determined by the lecturer and the system will calculate automatically the contribution of each set of the data to the total coursework score and final score depending on the percentage specified. The list of students registered for the course will directly be retrieved from ASIS. Coursework and final examination score will be transferred online to ASIS at the end of semester. Besides that, it is noticed that ASIS database contains a lot of data that can be utilised to assist System Penasihatan Pelajar. Graphical user interfaces (GUI) of the system will be developed using Visual Basic meanwhile data will be processed by SAS

Component-based tools for educational simulations

e-Learning is an effective medium for delivering knowledge and skills. In spite of improvements in electronic delivery technologies, e-Learning is still a long way away from offering anything close to efficient and effective learning environments. To improve e-Learning experiences, much literature supports simulation based e-Learning. This thesis begins identifying various types of simulation models and their features that induce experiential learning. We focus on designing and constructing an easy-to-use Discrete Event Simulation (DES) tool for building engaging and informative interactive DES models that allow learners to control the models' parameters and visualizations through runtime interactions. DES has long been used to support analysis and design of complex systems but its potential to enhance learning has not yet been fully utilized. We first present an application framework and its resulting classes for better structuring DES models. However, importing relevant classes, establishing relationships between their objects and representing lifecycles of various types of active objects in a language that does not support concurrency demand a significant cognitive workload. To improve this situation, we utilize two design patterns to ease model structuring and logic representation (both in time and space) through a drag and drop component approach. The patterns are the Delegation Event Model, used for linking between components and delegating tasks of executing and updating active objects' lifecycles, and the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, used for connecting the components to their graphical instrumentations and GUIs. Components implementing both design patterns support the process-oriented approach, can easily be tailored to store model states and visualizations, and can be extended to design higher level models through hierarchical simulation development. Evaluating this approach with both teachers and learners using ActionScript as an implementation language in the Flash environment shows that the resulting components not only help model designers with few programming skills to construct DES models, but they also allow learners to conduct various experiments through interactive GUIs and observe the impact of changes to model behaviour through a range of engaging visualizations. Such interactions can motivate learners and make their learning an enjoyable experienc

Component-Based Tools for Educational Simulations

e-Learning is an effective medium for delivering knowledge and skills. In spite of improvements in electronic delivery technologies, e-Learning is still a long way away from offering anything close to efficient and effective learning environments. To improve e-Learning experiences, much literature supports simulation based e-Learning. This thesis begins identifying various types of simulation models and their features that induce experiential learning. We focus on designing and constructing an easy-to-use Discrete Event Simulation (DES) tool for building engaging and informative interactive DES models that allow learners to control the models’ parameters and visualizations through runtime interactions. DES has long been used to support analysis and design of complex systems but its potential to enhance learning has not yet been fully utilized. We first present an application framework and its resulting classes for better structuring DES models. However, importing relevant classes, establishing relationships between their objects and representing lifecycles of various types of active objects in a language that does not support concurrency demand a significant cognitive workload. To improve this situation, we utilize two design patterns to ease model structuring and logic representation (both in time and space) through a drag and drop component approach. The patterns are the Delegation Event Model, used for linking between components and delegating tasks of executing and updating active objects’ lifecycles, and the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, used for connecting the components to their graphical instrumentations and GUIs. Components implementing both design patterns support the process-oriented approach, can easily be tailored to store model states and visualizations, and can be extended to design higher level models through hierarchical simulation development. Evaluating this approach with both teachers and learners using ActionScript as an implementation language in the Flash environment shows that the resulting components not only help model designers with few programming skills to construct DES models, but they also allow learners to conduct various experiments through interactive GUIs and observe the impact of changes to model behaviour through a range of engaging visualizations. Such interactions can motivate learners and make their learning an enjoyable experience

The implementation of student automation evaluation system using SAS/IntrNet

Academic and Student Information System (‘4SIS) was developed by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to provide information and facilities to process students’ results submitted by UUM lecturers. These functionalities were a part of the whole processes of student information system currently implemented in UUM. But, the constraint was arisen when the current system unable to provide a facility to assist the lecturers to manage the score and perform an evaluation on students’ performance through assignments, quizzes, tests, projects and final examination. Thus, we have developed a system to provide these facilities and become complimentary to the current system - ASIS. The system was developed using PowerDynamo as a front-end and SAS/lntrNet@ as a flavor in ingredients to enrich the output and enhancing interface functionality. The system allows lecturers to create a temporary workspace to input and edit the fields mentioned. The number of fields and the percentage of each field to store score on students’ assessment are determined by the lecturer itself. The system will calculate the contribution of each field and store as a total coursework. With SAS/IntrNet@ the performances of the students’ grades were easily evaluated prior the final scores submitted for result processing. Finally, the total coursework and final examination scores will be submitted online to ASIS when instructed by the lecturers and this will end the student examination processes. Furthermore, the system has successfully supported the implementation of Student Advisory System by providing useful information to the lecturer (Mentor) in order to advice students (Mentee) more effectively, whose main purpose is to help and assist UUM students to boost their academic performance

Component based modelling for animated educational queuing networks

This paper presents two well known design patterns that are appropriate for designing Interactive Simulation components for educational purposes. These are the Delegation Event Model, used for linking between components, and the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, used for connecting the components to their visualizations and graphical user interfaces (GUIs).Combining both architectures, we have constructed Discrete Event Simulation (DES) components for modelling queuing networks in the Flash environment.The resulting components not only help teachers with little programming skill to construct simulation models, but also allow learners to conduct various experiments through interactive Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) and obtain feedbacks of model behaviour through a range of engaging visualizations

Optimizing University Shuttle Buses to Reduce Students’ Waiting Time Using a Discrete Event Simulation Technique

Shuttle buses replacing private transports have long been used to reduce traffic congestion in a university campus. However, to estimate the optimal number of buses taking into account human behaviour using a manual method to provide a better service is very difficult. This is especially true when the shuttle buses have multiple routes and are significantly affected by unpredictable human behaviour such as their stochastic arrival at the available bus stops. This paper thus employs modelling and simulation methodologies specifically a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) technique to observe the effects of various configuration of bus number to student waiting time. For this, a DES model for bus transportation in a university using various available modules in Arena software was first developed. The simulation model was then fed with relevant data; e.g., the total number of students having classes at certain time periods, the current allocation of the buses for each bus stop, etc. The model was later used as a test bed for various configurations and analysis of the number of buses and their effects on students waiting time including their optimal number. The simulation results show that the current number of used buses can be reduced to its optimal number while maintaining student waiting time. This simulation model employs a new approach of using a transport module to transport a huge amount of entities to multiple stations as opposed to its traditional usage to only transport a single entity to a particular station

Pengautomasian penilaian pelajar

Sistem Makluniat Akademik dan Rekod Pelajar (ASIS) telah dibangunkan oleh Pusat Komputer, Universiti Utara Malaysia pada tahun 1989 untuk membantu pensyarah dan Jabatan Hal Ehwal Akademik memproses markah pelajar. Penyelidikan ini bertujuan membentuk satu sistem aplikasi berasaskan web yang boleh diguna bersama dengan ASIS bagi membolehkan pensyarah mengurus markah sesuatu kursus secara lebih sistematik dan menjalankan analisis statistik terhadap data markah tersebut. Sistem yang telah dibangunkan menyediakan ruang kerja bagi membolehkan pensyarah menginput dan mengedit markah tugasan: projek, kuiz, ujian dan peperiksaan akhir. Bilangan dan bentuk penilaian kursus dan peratus sumbangannya kepada jumlah markah ditetapkan sendiri oleh pensyarah. Data pelajar-pelajar yang mengambil sesuatu kursus diambil secara talian oleh sistem ini dari pangkalan data ASIS setelah proses pendaftaran kursus selesai. Sistem akan menjumlahkan semua sumbangan markah tersebut dan seterusnya memberikan gred mengikut skala yang telah ditetapkan oleh universiti. Sistem juga membenarkan data markah keseluruhan kerja kursus dan markah peperiksaan akhir dihantar ke pangkalan data ASIS secara talian di akhir semester.Sistem dibangunkan dengan menggunakan PowerDynamo manakala data-data markah diproses dengan menggunakan perisian SAS

E-compare of Soccer Tournament Structures

This paper develops a system integrating the knowledge of statistical modeling and Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate various types of soccer tournament structures. A system called as “E-compare of Soccer Tournament Structures” aims to assist decision makers to choose the competitive soccer design.The system reports various tournaments metrics such as the expected number of goals scored and conceded, the expected number of wins, draws, and losses, and the expected final ranking at the end of the tournament.Based on a large number of simulations using teams participated in the Malaysian soccer super league, our analysis showed that different designs gave different impacts on the final ranking of the teams.Round robin is found to be the best structure in terms of identifying the strongest team to win the league compared to a knockout structure

A comparative study of heuristic methods to solve Traveling Salesman Problem (TPS)

Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a famous problem in combinatorial optimization. The objective of the TSP is to find the shortest path that reaches all the cities which are interconnected with each other by straight lines.The symmetric TSP is used and the distance between two cities is calculated by using Euclidean equation.In this study, three heuristic methods, namely simulated annealing (SA), tabu search (TS) and reactive tabu search (RTS) are used to solve TSP.SA is a generic probabilistic meta-algorithm for the global optimization problem and TS is a meta-heuristic search technique that guides a local search procedure to explore the solution space beyond local optimality. RTS is an improved method of TS and it dynamically adjusts tabu list size based on how the search is performed.The performance of SA, TS and RTS algorithms in solving TSP with different size of problems are evaluated by using empirical testing, benchmarking solution and simple probabilistic analysis. The implementations of the three methods to solve TSP show that the RTS algorithm provides a better solution in terms of minimizing the objective function while SA algorithm is less time consuming in solving problem with large number of cities.In conclusion, RTS is more effective in producing good quality solution and on the other hand, SA may be used to obtain instant results

Analyzing and Optimizing Pedestrian Flow through a Single Route in a Topological Network

In emergency cases, people are typically recommended to use the shortest route to minimize their travelling time. This recommendation may however not yield the optimal performance in the long run since the route may be over utilized after a certain point of time and this situation eventually causes heavy blockages. This paper thus measures the pedestrian flow performance through all available single routes in a topological network based on relevant arrival rates. The performance was measured using an M/G/C/C state dependent queuing approach which dynamically models pedestrians’ walking speed in relation to their current density in a route. The analysis was based on an imaginary network consisting of various routes and topologies. For each route, its performance in terms of the throughput, blocking probability, expected number of pedestrians and expected travel time was first evaluated. The performance was then compared to each other and also compared to the flow performance if all available routes were utilized. The results indicated that the shortest route did not necessarily generate the optimal throughput and that the utilization of all available routes to flow pedestrians generated better performance. The optimal performance could be obtained if the arrival rate was controlled at a certain level