Aprender cooperando en aulas universitarias de informática

En este artículo se describe cómo es posible conjugar la docencia tradicional con la puesta en práctica de otras metodologías alternativas en materias tecnológicas. En concreto esta experiencia se ha llevado a la práctica en la asignatura Estructura y Tecnología de Computadores II. Se trata de una asignatura obligatoria de primer curso de la Ingeniería Técnica en Informática de Gestión de la Universidad de Sevilla, en la que cada grupo tiene, de media, 80 alumnos matriculados. Se conjugan técnicas de aprendizaje cooperativo con algunas herramientas de evaluación como las rúbricas (o listas de comprobación) y el portafolio electrónico. Se ha comprobado que, con la combinación de estas metodologías, los alumnos encuentran más satisfactorio el proceso de aprendizaje, se comprometen en ese proceso y, además, fomentan el desarrollo de muchas de las competencias transversales que demanda el EEES

Aprender cooperando en aulas universitarias de Informática

En este artículo se describe cómo es posible conjugar la docencia tradicional con la puesta en práctica de otras metodologías alternativas en materias tecnológicas. En concreto esta experiencia se ha llevado a la práctica en la asignatura Estructura y Tecnología de Computadores II. Se trata de una asignatura obligatoria de primer curso de la Ingeniería Técnica en Informática de Gestión de la Universidad de Sevilla, en la que cada grupo tiene, de media, 80 alumnos matriculados. Se conjugan técnicas de aprendizaje cooperativo con algunas herramientas de evaluación como las rúbricas (o listas de comprobación) y el portafolio electrónico. Se ha comprobado que, con la combinación de estas metodologías, los alumnos encuentran más satisfactorio el proceso de aprendizaje, se comprometen en ese proceso y, además, fomentan el desarrollo de muchas de las competencias transversales que demanda el EEES.Universidad de Sevilla, dentro del Plan de Renovación de Metodologías Docentes del I Pan Propio de Docencia, a través del proyecto titulado “Aplicación de la técnica de aprendizaje role-playing en grupos de diferentes titulaciones y cursos de los estudios de Informática”, del cual la autora es responsable

A Mobile App to Manage Children Dental Anxiety: Context and Approach

Anxiety and fear related to dentistry interventions have been identified as problems affecting children. This reduces their quality of life and may have a negative impact on aspects such as sleep, self –esteem, mood, social relationships, and other psychological issues.The ARCADE project aims to design and develop a technological solution to manage children dental anxiety. This solution consists on a mobile system co-designed with children. An ecological momentary intervention is proposed using this solution before, during and after dentistry treatments. This paper presents a methodological approach to develop the project

A Context-Aware Artificial Intelligence-based System to Support Street Crossings For Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

Artificial intelligence has the potential to support and improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. Mobility is a potentially dangerous activity for people with impaired ability. This article presents an assistive technology solution to assist visually impaired pedestrians in safely crossing the street. We use a signal trilateration technique and deep learning (DL) for image processing to segment visually impaired pedestrians from the rest of pedestrians. The system receives information about the presence of a potential user through WiFi signals from a mobile application installed on the user’s phone. The software runs on an intelligent semaphore originally designed and installed to improve urban mobility in a smart city context. This solution can communicate with users, interpret the traffic situation, and make the necessary adjustments (with the semaphore’s capabilities) to ensure a safe street crossing. The proposed system has been implemented in Maringá, Brazil, for a one-year period. Trial tests carried out with visually impaired pedestrians confirm its feasibility and practicality in a real-life environment

Power Systems Monitoring and Control using Telecom Network Management Standards

Historically, different solutions have been developed for power systems control and telecommunications network management environments. The former was characterized by proprietary solutions, while the latter has been involved for years in a strong standardization process guided by criteria of openness. Today, power systems control standardization is in progress, but it is at an early stage compared to the telecommunications management area, especially in terms of information modeling. Today, control equipment tends to exhibit more computational power, and communication lines have increased their performance. These trends hint at some conceptual convergence between power systems and telecommunications networks from a management perspective. This convergence leads us to suggest the application of well-established telecommunications management standards for power systems control. This paper shows that this is a real medium-to-long term possibility

Deployment of Digital Video and Audio Over Electrical SCADA Networks

With the arrival of new hardware and software technologies, supervisory control and data acquisition human-machine interfaces (SCADA/HMI), usually text-based, can now benefit from the advantages the inclusion of multimedia information brings. However, due to the special requirements imposed by such systems, integrating audio and video data into the SCADA interfaces is not a trivial task. In this document we analyze those special characteristics and propose solutions so this integration is possible in power systems communication.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC2000-0367-P4-0

Innovative learning and teaching methodology in electronic technology area: A case of study in computer science university degrees

This paper describes an experience that has been carried out by several professors in different subjects. Our experience is framed within the First Plan in Teaching of the University of Seville. All involved subjects belong to the electronic technology area and from three Computer Science degrees. We propose to use, in a combined way, some learning techniques: cooperative learning as complement to traditional learning, role-playing technique and jigsaw technique. We have considered a base methodology but in each subject a variant of it has been accomplished. We have used several evaluation techniques, such as reciprocal evaluation, electronic portfolio and check lists. Applying our methodology helps us to detect learning problems before the term ends. Also, in tune with the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), our methology gives a boost to develop transversal competences as important as work (or study) management, empathy and understanding of other members in a workgroup, conflict resolution, capacity to make decisions as well as coordinate and communicate with other members in a workgroup and also with the professor

Robotics software frameworks for multi-agent robotic systems development

Robotics is an area of research in which the paradigm of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) can prove to be highly useful. Multi-Agent Systems come in the form of cooperative robots in a team, sensor networks based on mobile robots, and robots in Intelligent Environments, to name but a few. However, the development of Multi-Agent Robotic Systems (MARS) still presents major challenges. Over the past decade, a high number of Robotics Software Frameworks (RSFs) have appeared which propose some solutions to the most recurrent problems in robotics. Some of these frameworks, such as ROS, YARP, OROCOS, ORCA, Open-RTM, and Open-RDK, possess certain characteristics and provide the basic infrastructure necessary for the development of MARS. The contribution of this work is the identification of such characteristics as well as the analysis of these frameworks in comparison with the general-purpose Multi-Agent System Frameworks (MASFs), such as JADE and Mobile-C.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-2298Junta de Andalucía P08-TIC-0386