Syndicate. individual service composition in the web-age

Nowadays, for a web site to reach peak popularity it must present the latest information, combined from various sources, to give an interactive, customizable impression. Embedded content and functionality from a range of specialist fields has led to a significant improvement in web site quality. However, until now the capacity of a web site has been defined at the time of creation; extension of this capacity has only been possible with considerable additional effort. The aim of this thesis is to present a software architecture that allows users to personalize a web site themselves, with capabilities taken from the immense resources of the World Wide Web. Recent web sites are analyzed and categorized according to their customization potential. The results of this analysis are then related to patterns in the field of software engineering and from these results, a general conclusion is drawn about the requirements of an application architecture to support these patterns. A theoretical concept of such an architecture is proposed and described in detail. The empirical part of the study includes an implementation of the proposal and a demonstration of the assembly of capabilities found in the World Wide Web. This implementation is based on established technologies but applies them to a new, specially-designed structure. It allows users to add selected facilities to arbitrary web sites simply by calling a specific web address. This gives the user the potential to adapt the appearance and function of web sites to his or her personal needs. An in-depth analysis of the challenges and restrictions of the software design completes the proposed architecture. Practical examples of behavior patterns show possible implementations in a range of fields. Finally, a vision developed from the results presented in this thesis is outlined and subjects for future research are examined

Web-based test and assessment system : design principles and case study

Courseware engineering targets towards the cost-efficient production and maintenance of educational material. We propose a separation of courseware into content parts, presentation parts, and pedagogic and didactic parts as a major step in order to strengthen reusability and adaptability of e-learning contents. This separation should guarantee that specialists can focus on their field and define questions without concerning about presentation or design the look and feel without going into details of the question content. As a case study, we present tetrodo, a framework for web-based education and show its application for the development of test and assessment purposes. Our system supports computer-correctable questions at higher taxonomy levels compared to the multiple-choice and fill-in type supported by commercial e-learning systems. In order to show a flavour what is possible, we give examples from a recent course on Algorithms and Data Structures. We sketch the hierarchy of question patterns built up and report on the authoring tool developed. Finally we describe a new approach in students involvement in questioning and summarize practical experiences so far

Pharmasquare (Pharma²)

The project Pharmasquare (Pharma2) is based on the regular course 'Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Drug Effects on the Molecular Level' alternately presented in Zürich and Basel using the videoconferencing system Telepoly. The course is part of an open learning environment, which is currently complemented by distant learning facilities including a virtual learning environment. Pharma2 receives financial support from the Swiss Virtual Campus, the ETHZ, and matching funds by the Universities of Basel and Neuchâtel. In its final form, the virtual learning environment will offer web-based training modules, a virtual laboratory, the adaptive self-assessment system PharmAskYou, scripts of the Telepoly lectures including learning objectives, a glossary in pharmaceutical sciences, a news-platform, a discussion forum and the 'Question of the Week'