Qualitative Evaluation of the Java Intelligent Tutoring System

In an effort to support the growing trend of the Java programming language and to promote web-based personalized education, the Java Intelligent Tutoring System (JITS) was designed and developed. This tutoring system is unique in a number of ways. Most Intelligent Tutoring Systems require the teacher to author problems with corresponding solutions. JITS, on the other hand, requires the teacher to only supply the problem and problem specification. JITS is designed to “intelligently” examine the student’s submitted code and determines appropriate feedback based on a number of factors such as JITS’ cognitive model of the student, the student’s skill level, and problem details. JITS is intended to be used by beginner programming students in their first year of College or University. This paper discusses the important aspects of the design and development of JITS, the qualitative methods and procedures, and findings. Research was conducted at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Ontario, Canada

Developmental Process Model for the Java Intelligent Tutoring System.

The Java Intelligent Tutoring System (JITS) was designed and developed to support the growing trend of Java programming around the world. JITS is an advanced web-based personalized tutoring system that is unique in several ways. Most programming Intelligent Tutoring Systems require the teacher to author problems with corresponding solutions. JITS, on the other hand, requires the teacher to supply only the problem and problem specification. JITS rigorously analyzes the student’s submitted code, determines the intent of the student, and intelligently guides the student towards a potentially unique solution to the programming problem. JITS is intended to be used by beginner programming students in their first year of College or University. This article discusses the process by which the design and development of JITS took place. JITS has been and is currently being field-tested at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Determining the Effectiveness of the 3D Alice Programming Environment at the Computer Science I Level

Student retention in Computer Science is becoming a serious concern among Educators in many colleges and universities. Most institutions currently face a significant drop in enrolment in Computer Science. A number of different tools and strategies have emerged to address this problem (e.g., BlueJ, Karel Robot, etc.). Although these tools help to minimize attrition, they have not made significant improvements to this widespread problem. A newcomer to the scene called Alice has been met with positive results by captivating student interest through its rich 3D visual programming environment. During the fall of 2005, Alice, a newly published textbook, and numerous resources were used in Computer Science I at McMaster University. This paper provides an overview of Alice, an assessment of this new course including qualitative surveys, informal observations, and quantitative analysis including student performance score results. Despite numerous technical problems, it was found that the Alice Group exceeded the performance of Comparison Groups: F(1,93) = 30.322, p \u3c .001 (between C1 and Alice group); F(1,81) = 4.182, p = .044 (between C2 and Alice Group)

Reasoning about ideal interruptible moments: A soft computing implementation of an interruption classifier in free-form task environments

Current trends in society and technology make the concept of interruption a central human computer interaction problem. In this work, a novel soft computing implementation for an Interruption Classifier was designed, developed and evaluated that draws from a user model and real-time observations of the user\u27s actions as s/he works on computer-based tasks to determine ideal times to interact with the user. This research is timely as the number of interruptions people experience daily has grown considerably over the last decade. Thus, systems are needed to manage interruptions by reasoning about ideal timings of interactions. This research shows: (1) the classifier incorporates a user model in its’ reasoning process. Most of the research in this area has focused on task-based contextual information when designing systems that reason about interruptions; (2) the classifier performed at 96% accuracy in experimental test scenarios and significantly out-performed other comparable systems; (3) the classifier is implemented using an advanced machine learning technology—an Adaptive Neural-Fuzzy Inference System—this is unique since all other systems use Bayesian Networks or other machine learning tools; (4) the classifier does not require any direct user involvement—in other systems, users must provide interruption annotations while reviewing video sessions so the system can learn; and (5) a promising direction for reasoning about interruptions for free-form tasks–this is largely an unsolved problem

Bridging the Gap Using Access Grid Video Collaboration Technology: A Case Study in Music Performance Education across Two Continents

Researchers employed a mixed-methods design of inquiry involving survey designs and phenomenological methods research techniques to determine the Access Grid\u27s effectiveness for remote music performance education and to assess the students\u27 impression of this videoconferencing system

SQL Injection in Oracle: An Exploration of Vulnerabilities

Structured Query Language (SQL) injection is one of the most devastating vulnerabilities to impact a business, as it can lead to the exposure of sensitive information stored in an application’s database. SQL Injection can compromise usernames, passwords, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details. It is the vulnerability that results when an attacker achieves the ability to influence SQL queries that an application passes to a back-end database. The attacker can often leverage the syntax and capabilities of SQL, as well as the power and flexibility of supporting database functionality and operating system functionality available to the database to compromise the web application. In this article we demonstrate two non-web based SQL Injection attacks one of which can be carried out by executing a stored procedure with escalating privileges. We present the unique way in which Oracle handles single and double quotes in strings because, as shown in this paper, this is one of the features of the language that can be exploited in the construction of an injection attack. Recommendations on how to resolve these vulnerabilities are proposed

A 3D Computer-assisted Treatment Planning System for Breast Cancer Brachytherapy Treatment

Purpose Brachytherapy is an option for treatment of breast cancer in some cases. This modality requires patient-specific dosimetry based on CT simulator scans. A 3D computerassisted breast brachytherapy treatment planning system called Vision was developed and tested. Methods The brachytherapy treatment planning system used volume estimation and dose analysis with advanced 3D visualization. The patient treatment volume reconstruction was designed to ensure high-volume accuracy requirement of radioactive seed implantation procedure for this treatment. The system enables interactive placement of radioactive seeds embedded in original patient CT images with 3D display. Results The system achieved 99.73% accuracy in volume estimation measured against the true volume and is statistically significantly more accurate than current existing commercial software at the p = 0.05 level. Conclusion A virtual 3D environment was developed to perform volume measurements, seed placements, and dose distribution planning and analysis based on 2D contours on patient CT images. This system was demonstrated to be feasible and accurate in a clinical setting

MPI Enhancements in John the Ripper

John the Ripper (JtR) is an open source software package commonly used by system administrators to enforce password policy. JtR is designed to attack (i.e., crack) passwords encrypted in a wide variety of commonly used formats. While parallel implementations of JtR exist, there are several limitations to them. This research reports on two distinct algorithms that enhance this password cracking tool using the Message Passing Interface. The first algorithm is a novel approach that uses numerous processors to crack one password by using an innovative approach to workload distribution. In this algorithm the candidate password is distributed to all participating processors and the word list is divided based on probability so that each processor has the same likelihood of cracking the password while eliminating overlapping operations. The second algorithm developed in this research involves dividing the passwords within a password file equally amongst available processors while ensuring load-balanced and fault tolerant behavior. This paper describes John the Ripper, the design of these two algorithms and preliminary results. Given the same amount of time, the original JtR can crack 29 passwords, whereas our algorithms 1 and 2 can crack an additional 35 and 45 passwords respectively

Context-Aware Mobile Apps using iBeacons: Towards Smarter Interactions

In this paper we describe four mobile apps for iOS devices that use Bluetooth Low Energy iBeacons to provide contextual relevance and personalized experiences for the user. The applications span a number of vertical markets including asset tracking, food transportation logistics and health care. We developed these apps in collaboration with an industry partner located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. In this paper we present the relevant background of work in this area, the architectural framework that we designed and developed to support these context-aware apps, the apps themselves, and report on the findings of real use test case scenarios

Design, development and assessment of the Java Intelligent Tutoring System

The "Java Intelligent Tutoring System" (JITS) research project focused on designing, constructing, and determining the effectiveness of an Intelligent Tutoring System for beginner Java programming students at the postsecondary level. The participants in this research were students in the School of Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences at Sheridan College. This research involved consistently gathering input from students and instructors using JITS as it developed. The cyclic process involving designing, developing, testing, and refinement was used for the construction of JITS to ensure that it adequately meets the needs of students and instructors. The second objective in this dissertation determined the effectiveness of learning within this environment. The main findings indicate that JITS is a richly interactive ITS that engages students on Java programming problems. JITS is equipped with a sophisticated personalized feedback mechanism that models and supports each student in his/her learning style. The assessment component involved 2 main quantitative experiments to determine the effectiveness of JITS in terms of student performance. In both experiments it was determined that a statistically significant difference was achieved between the control group and the experimental group (i.e., JITS group). The main effect for Test (i.e., pre- and postiest), F( l , 35) == 119.43,p < .001, was qualified by a Test by Group interaction, F( l , 35) == 4.98,p < .05, and a Test by Time interaction, F( l , 35) == 43.82, p < .001. Similar findings were found for the second experiment; Test by Group interaction revealed F( 1 , 92) == 5.36, p < .025. In both experiments the JITS groups outperformed the corresponding control groups at posttest