Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Education in 2007"
TL;DR: It is suggested that assigning work to student teams can lead to learning benefits and student satisfaction, provided that the instructor pays attention to how the teams and the assignments are set up.
Abstract: A teamwork survey was conducted at Oakland University, Rochester, MI, in 533 engineering and computer science courses over a two-year period. Of the 6435 student respondents, 4349 (68%) reported working in teams. Relative to the students who only worked individually, the students who worked in teams were significantly more likely to agree that the course had achieved its stated learning objectives (p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that roughly one-quarter of the variance in belief about whether the objectives were met could be explained by four factors: 1) student satisfaction with the team experience; 2) the presence of instructor guidance related to teamwork; 3) the presence of slackers on teams; and 4) team size. Pearson product-moment correlations revealed statistically significant associations between agreement that the course objectives had been fulfilled and the use of student teams and between satisfaction with teams and the occurrences of instructor guidance on teamwork skills. These and other results suggest that assigning work to student teams can lead to learning benefits and student satisfaction, provided that the instructor pays attention to how the teams and the assignments are set up.
131 citations
TL;DR: A comparison of the two groups seems to indicate that the PBL method is a better way of imparting education in circuit analysis, or even technology in general.
Abstract: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a motivating, problem-centered teaching method. The methodology and its application to education in elementary circuit analysis is discussed in detail. Because of administrative constraints, the implemented course does not strictly adhere to the PBL methodology in the sense that the course curriculum is strictly defined. Also, the PBL students take the same exam as the students in the traditional form of the course. The learning experience in the two course forms is compared via a questionnaire response and exam results. This comparison of the two groups seems to indicate that the PBL method is a better way of imparting education in circuit analysis, or even technology in general. The PBL students appear to grasp better the details and the overall picture of the issues taught. In addition to the subject matter, the PBL course students learn social skills through interaction in small groups, how to identify and define a problem, and how to look for and filter out relevant information. Presentation skills are also practiced
116 citations
TL;DR: A practical VNL implementation, the open virtual lab (OVL), is used to describe the added value that open source VNLs can give to e-Learning frameworks, achieving a level of students' performance comparable or better than the one obtained when students directly interact with physical networking equipment.
Abstract: Learning practical information communication technology skills such as network configuration and security planning requires hands-on experience with a number of different devices which may be unavailable or too costly to provide, especially for institutions under tight budget constraints. This paper describes how a specific open software technology, paravirtualization, can be used to set up open source virtual networking labs (VNLs) easily and at virtually no cost. The paper highlights how paravirtual labs can be adopted jointly by partner organizations, e.g., when the institution hosting the virtual lab provides hands-on training and students' skill evaluation as a service to partner institutions overseas. A practical VNL implementation, the open virtual lab (OVL), is used to describe the added value that open source VNLs can give to e-Learning frameworks, achieving a level of students' performance comparable or better than the one obtained when students directly interact with physical networking equipment.
78 citations
TL;DR: The experience has indicated that framework-assisted, computer-game programming is a highly effective way to keep the learners engaged and facilitated in broadening and deepening their OOP skills.
Abstract: This paper reports the experiences in the design and execution of an object-oriented programming (OOP) laboratory course. In this course, the students are required to implement a small-to-medium scale interactive computer game in one semester, making use of a game framework. The students begin with a small number of the most tangible objects of an immediate concern. Then, as the semester unfolds and the game becomes increasingly sophisticated, OOP principles and design patterns are introduced as the means to cope with design complexity. The experience has indicated that framework-assisted, computer-game programming is a highly effective way to keep the learners engaged and facilitated in broadening and deepening their OOP skills. The ability to design nontrivial computer games that actually work has induced a consistently high level of sense of achievement among the students.
71 citations
TL;DR: Study results indicate that the self-directed learning approach used in the course was quite successful in providing adult students with an autonomous and self- directed learning experience.
Abstract: Research has shown that adult learners have a strong desire for a self-directed and autonomous learning experience. This paper presents an evaluation of an approach to supporting self-directed learning employed in a graduate-level Web application design and development course. The approach allows students to define and develop semester-long team projects in an independent fashion including the definition of their own grading metric and the evaluation of themselves against the measure. This paper presents the results of a survey on student opinion of the self-directed learning approach and an evaluation of grades. Study results indicate that the self-directed learning approach used in the course was quite successful in providing adult students with an autonomous and self-directed learning experience
56 citations
TL;DR: This work presents a methodology for assessing educational capacity and planning its distribution and utilization, implemented as a decision support system allowing simulation and evaluation of various proposals and scenarios.
Abstract: Decision-making in the field of academic planning involves extensive analysis of large data volumes originating from multiple systems. With the many new technology application areas evolving from the domain of electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science, deans and department chairs must ensure that new specializations and programs are adequately supported. Academic workload management is concerned with distributing teaching resources to support the university's educational framework adequately (faculties, degrees, courses, admission policies, teaching workload, etc.). This work presents a methodology for assessing educational capacity and planning its distribution and utilization, implemented as a decision support system allowing simulation and evaluation of various proposals and scenarios. The system integrates input data from relevant sources into an autonomous data warehouse. Graphical client front-end ensures adequate output presentation to the decision-makers by revealing significant details and dependencies in the data. Applying the system as an "on-the-fly" decision-support utility by the policy-makers leads to significant acceleration of planning procedures, deepens the insight into the data and the underlying methodology, and, consequently, provides for more efficient academic administration
48 citations
TL;DR: The limited usefulness of the maximum power transfer theorem in practice is argued and some reasons for this type of impedance matching exists, other than effectingmaximum power transfer.
Abstract: The limited usefulness of the maximum power transfer theorem in practice is argued. Inappropriately, the utility and value of the maximum power transfer theorem are often elevated to be religious icons of electrical engineering. While the theorem appears to be useful, often in real circuits the load impedance is not set equal to the complex conjugate of the equivalent impedance of the connecting source. When the load impedance happens to be equal to the complex conjugate of the source impedance, other practical reasons for this type of impedance matching exists, other than effecting maximum power transfer. Some reasons are discussed in a straightforward fashion.
45 citations
TL;DR: A comparison with previous academic years has been performed showing the students' rated score evolution, and results fully confirm the validity of the technique and the novel course organization.
Abstract: This paper proposes and details a course organization methodology based on learner satisfaction achievement. The approach follows the prevailing tendency in modern university reforms which are primarily concerned about "how people learn." As a consequence, the learner has been placed as the main actor of the teaching-learning process. Nevertheless, the current learning literature has not addressed the measurement of learner satisfaction within laboratory and practical subjects. This study develops a general and comprehensive methodology for learner satisfaction measurement in practical subjects. As a case example, the proposed methodology has been applied to an electronic instrumentation and measurement course, confirming the variables with a significant influence on learner satisfaction and becoming the starting point for curriculum redesign based on the learner satisfaction approach. To assess the improvement of the proposed course organization methodology, a comparison with previous academic years has been performed showing the students' rated score evolution. Results fully confirm the validity of the technique and the novel course organization
41 citations
TL;DR: This study presents a learning behavior diagnosis system to study students' learning status from learning portfolios and the proposed linking layer enables the proposed system to work on various e-learning platforms without reprogramming.
Abstract: This study presents a learning behavior diagnosis system to study students' learning status from learning portfolios. The proposed linking layer enables the proposed system to work on various e-learning platforms without reprogramming. Additionally, the use of a supervisory agent enables teachers and students to obtain their learning status or information provided by the proposed system in both Web and e-mail. Furthermore, the computer engineering curriculum operating systems was adopted to evaluate the proposed system. Evaluations of confidence between learning status and learning achievement yield positive experimental results.
41 citations
TL;DR: A model of personalized learning environment is proposed through 1) learning object design based on elaboration theory and e-learning standards; 2) applying item response theory in student ability test; 3) managing course materials by a dynamic conceptual network (DCN); and 4) adopting a user profile to understand students' behaviors.
Abstract: Nowadays, students can easily access online course materials at anytime or anywhere. Since the learning initiative is taken by students in an e-learning environment, student-centered course materials become more critical. They may be prepared based on an individual student's learning expectation and academic background. In this paper, a model of personalized learning environment is proposed through 1) learning object design based on elaboration theory and e-learning standards; 2) applying item response theory (IRT) in student ability test; 3) managing course materials by a dynamic conceptual network (DCN); and 4) adopting a user profile to understand students' behaviors. Finally, these building blocks are developed by open-source software tools and integrated into a single system for real-life experimental study.
41 citations
TL;DR: The structure and methodology used in the proposed course are oriented to the design and implementation of an fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectrum analyzer, which enables students and engineers to understand and develop complex fixed-point applications.
Abstract: This paper presents a course on digital signal processing with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) devices. The course integrates two separate disciplines, digital signal processing (DSP) and very large scale integration (VLSI) design, and focuses on the development of a sophisticated DSP design from simulation to fixed-point implementation. The structure and methodology used in the proposed course are oriented to the design and implementation of an fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectrum analyzer. This application covers most topics included in a DSP course and gives better results that those obtained with typical courses performing independent multiple simple experiments. The project is divided into modules that show specific learning necessities and determine the course contents and organization. Each laboratory part is dedicated to design and implements the block of the analyzer related to the theoretical content presented in the class. At the end of the course the students have designed all the pieces in the DSP project and have completed and verified the system. The used methodology enables students and engineers to understand and develop complex fixed-point applications, looking for the best signal processing algorithms on hardware implementations, and also results in more motivated and active students.
TL;DR: The authors present an educational method based on a specific application of the quality philosophy in the development of digital electronics laboratory courses during two academic years to provide students with a methodology to manage problems and to start a process of continuous improvement.
Abstract: In this paper, the authors show an educational method based on a specific application of the quality philosophy in the development of digital electronics laboratory courses during two academic years. The authors present two main goals: to provide students with a methodology to manage problems and to start a process of continuous improvement. The level of achievement and the student evaluation show that the objectives have been fulfilled. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary character of this method allows for its application in other subjects.
TL;DR: The results of a case study show that standard Wiki functions improve communication and information sharing by means of explicit observation and experience documentation, and believe that experience gathering and reuse are effective techniques to stimulate reflective activities.
Abstract: Software engineering curriculum guidelines state that students should practice methods, techniques, and tools. A capstone project is one possibility to address this aim. A capstone project helps the students to increase their problem solving competencies, improve their social skills (e.g., communication skills), and gather practical experience. A crux of such projects is that students perform ldquoreflectiverdquo practice in order to learn from their experiences. The authors believe that experience gathering and reuse are effective techniques to stimulate reflective activities. An adapted free- and open-source Wiki-based system called software organization platform (SOP) is used to support students in managing their observations and experiences. The system can be used for experience exchange within the team and for experience reuse in forthcoming projects. The results of a case study show that standard Wiki functions improve communication and information sharing by means of explicit observation and experience documentation. A total of 183 documented observations and experiences at the end of the project provide a measure for the amount of reflection students have had during the capstone project. Still, the advantages of using Wikis will decrease when no technical adaptations of the Wiki to the learning objectives and to the software engineering tasks are made. Limitations of the case study, future evaluation steps, and planned developments of SOP will be provided in this paper.
TL;DR: The case study shows that the use of two computing tools developed by the authors and based on free-and open-source software (FOSS) provide significant educational benefits over traditional engineering pedagogical approaches in terms of both concepts and engineering competencies acquisition.
Abstract: This paper describes a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) case study in engineering education carried out within the context of a network management course The case study shows that the use of two computing tools developed by the authors and based on free-and open-source software (FOSS) provide significant educational benefits over traditional engineering pedagogical approaches in terms of both concepts and engineering competencies acquisition The Collage authoring tool guides and supports the course teacher in the process of authoring computer-interpretable representations (using the IMS learning design standard notation) of effective collaborative pedagogical designs Besides, the Gridcole system supports the enactment of that design by guiding the students throughout the prescribed sequence of learning activities The paper introduces the goals and context of the case study, elaborates on how Collage and Gridcole were employed, describes the applied evaluation methodology, and discusses the most significant findings derived from the case study
TL;DR: This paper describes an approach to develop these and other transferable skills through individual and collaborative reflective learning using open-source software and the main problems encountered by the tutors and learners were plagiarism and a tension between students' reflections and knowledge sharing.
Abstract: Reflective thinking and learning skills are essential for engineers in the knowledge economy. This paper describes an approach to develop these and other transferable skills through individual and collaborative reflective learning using open-source software. The learning activities and an open-source e-portfolio system called Dotfolio were tested by freshman engineering students. Findings from a survey-based study, which investigated students' beliefs about reflective learning and their expectations and experiences related to the task and open-source tool, are reported. From the beginning of the semester the students understood the significance of reflective learning and chose to work with the tool. However, they were less positive about the collaboration with peers during this activity. At the end of the semester, students were significantly more positive about the tool, but even more negative about the collaboration. The main problems encountered by the tutors and learners were plagiarism and a tension between the privacy of students' reflections and knowledge sharing. The open-source modular architecture allowed for the use of student and tutor feedback for the addition of new features that addressed their concerns.
TL;DR: This methodology has been applied in a computer architecture course that uses the Moodle platform as a framework for collaboration between students and teachers and goes one step beyond by using SIMDE with an educational methodology based on constructivism and collaborative learning.
Abstract: Simulators are widely used to teach instruction level parallelism (ILP) topics. A simulator called SIMDE, which combines the superscalar and very long instruction word (VLIW) approaches to ILP processors in a single environment, has been developed. SIMDE has been validated and improved using feedback from students during two academic years. Although the simulator is a valuable tool in and of itself, this paper goes one step beyond by using SIMDE with an educational methodology based on constructivism and collaborative learning. This methodology has been applied in a computer architecture course that uses the Moodle platform as a framework for collaboration between students and teachers
TL;DR: The pedagogical and technical challenges the authors faced in developing a distributed laboratory for the execution of virtual scientific experiments (VSEs) superimposed on a Grid infrastructure for a course on sensor networks that is part of the Master's in Information Networking program.
Abstract: This paper presents the pedagogical and technical challenges the authors faced in developing a distributed laboratory for the execution of virtual scientific experiments (VSEs) superimposed on a Grid infrastructure, for a course on sensor networks that is part of the Master's in Information Networking (MSIN) program jointly offered by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA and Athens Information Technology (AIT), Athens, Greece. The MSIN program utilizes virtual classroom technologies because of its strong distance learning component. Courses taught by CMU faculty are attended in real-time by students in Athens, Greece, via video-wall teleconferencing sessions. Vice versa, visiting CMU faculty to AIT teach classes that are attended by students at CMU. Students in both institutions enjoy full interactivity with their classmates on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. A distributed shared virtual laboratory is needed for many of the more empirical courses. This paper describes the challenges and issues the authors faced in developing such a lab
TL;DR: This document describes a pedagogical model enhanced for effectively providing courses to a large number of students and producing media-rich content suitable to be managed by the open-source e-learning platform .LRN.
Abstract: The significant quality increase in open-source e-learning platforms allows for large-scale e-learning courses with significantly reduced costs. This document describes a pedagogical model enhanced for effectively providing courses to a large number of students and producing media-rich content suitable to be managed by the open-source e-learning platform .LRN. Two case studies are presented: 1) a course for high school students to increase the popularity of engineering degrees; and 2) a regular engineering course with a blended learning approach. In both cases the proposed paradigm allowed the creation of successful learning experiences impossible with conventional teaching methodologies and tools.
TL;DR: This paper reports on recent initiatives aimed at significantly enhancing the teaching of engineering design at the Westcoast University of Applied Sciences.
Abstract: This paper reports on recent initiatives aimed at significantly enhancing the teaching of engineering design at the Westcoast University of Applied Sciences. A good design experience offers opportunities for learning to synthesize, solve, and utilize a given problem. Design problems should be open-ended, moderately difficult, and common to all groups. The outcome of creating a multicourse design project, with the intention of attending an international design contest (Crazy Car Race), is described. Students with different design experience have to work together to build a racing car which navigates a given route autonomously. The course structure, its placement in the regular curriculum, and the student and instructor's evaluation results are presented and discussed
TL;DR: This paper shows how object-oriented design patterns represented in unified modeling language (UML) can be used to both teach type systems and develop the semantic analysis phase of a compiler.
Abstract: A course in compiler construction seeks to develop an understanding of well-defined fundamental theory and typically involves the production of a language processor. In a graduate degree in software engineering, the development of a compiler contributes significantly to the developer's comprehension of the practical application of theoretical concepts. Different formal notations are commonly used to define type systems, and some of them are used to teach the semantic analysis phase of language processing. In the traditional approach, attribute grammars are probably the most widely used ones. This paper shows how object-oriented design patterns represented in unified modeling language (UML) can be used to both teach type systems and develop the semantic analysis phase of a compiler. The main benefit of this approach is two-fold: better comprehension of theoretical concepts because of the use of notations known by the students (UML diagrams), and improvement of software engineering skills for the development of a complete language processor.
TL;DR: The results indicate that SE is related to academic success for computing students, and emotional intelligence does predict SE for computingStudents, but computing and noncomputing majors differed significantly on emotional intelligence and the ldquoaccommodationrdquo coping strategy.
Abstract: As the number of students enrolling in computing majors [computer science (CS), information systems (IS), information technology (IT)] has declined, retaining students in these curricula becomes increasingly important. Student success is important to retention, and one of the premises of this study is that meeting the challenges of demanding curricula often requires more than innate intelligence. To explore this assumption, two intrapersonal variables rarely studied in the computing field were measured: coping strategies and emotional intelligence as contributors to within-major grade point average (GPA). Based on data collected from 613 upper-level undergraduate students enrolled at multiple universities in the USA, the effects of coping strategies and emotional intelligence on academic performance were tested, with self-efficacy (SE) used as a covariate. The results indicate that SE is related to academic success for computing students. Emotional intelligence does predict SE for computing students. However, computing and noncomputing majors differed significantly on emotional intelligence and the ldquoaccommodationrdquo coping strategy. Further, the ldquochange the situationrdquo coping strategy was directly linked to academic success for noncomputing students, but not for computing students. Implications of these findings are discussed.
TL;DR: The need for stronger emphasis in developing problem-solving and metacognitive skills in engineering education is highlighted, and the importance of fluency in the language of study emerges as a significant factor in learning technical subjects.
Abstract: Mathematical logic is one of the scientific foundations of information technology and computer engineering. Therefore, engineering students must be proficient in logical operations. First-year engineering students answered four logical reasoning tasks as part of a larger survey on scientific thinking, producing more incorrect responses than previous studies would have predicted, most notably in international student groups. This paper presents and analyzes these results, and compares and discusses the differences between natural human reasoning and engineering logic. It seeks to explain failures in logical reasoning that occur despite formal training and considers several possible cultural and psychological explanations to this phenomenon. The conclusion highlights the need for stronger emphasis in developing problem-solving and metacognitive skills in engineering education. The importance of fluency in the language of study emerges as a significant factor in learning technical subjects.
TL;DR: The curricular objectives and key course elements that guide course development, the resulting content and structure of the course, and the assessment data that indicate successful achievement of the curricular goals are described.
Abstract: The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Duke University, Durham, NC, is undergoing extensive curriculum revisions that incorporate novel content, organization, and teaching methods. The cornerstone of the new curriculum is a theme-based introductory course, fundamentals of ECE. To introduce students to the major areas of ECE in their first year of study, this course is organized around three concepts: 1) how to interface with the physical world; 2) how to transmit energy and information; and 3) how to extract, interpret, and analyze information. To provide insight and motivation, the course is designed to introduce multiple areas of ECE, emphasizing how they are interrelated and how they contribute to the design and functioning of real-world applications. Also, the course must engage its students, many of whom are evaluating ECE as a prospective major and career. To achieve these goals, the course adopts a unifying theme, tightly couples lecture and laboratory exercises, and includes a laboratory experience that emphasizes design, integration, and real applications. The interactive classroom content and laboratory exercises are developed iteratively so that each course component supports the other, rather than one being dominant and driving the other. As the context focus of the laboratory, a robotic platform enables the exploration of a broad range of ECE concepts, both independently and integrated into an entire system. For their final design project, students form small groups, which in turn combine into larger teams, to create robots that work together to overcome realistic challenges. This paper describes the curricular objectives and key course elements that guide course development, the resulting content and structure of the course, and the assessment data that indicate successful achievement of the curricular goals.
TL;DR: The paper reaches the conclusion that open-source solutions provide a sound technological platform that can cover, to a great extent, the needs for advanced educational services of the school community.
Abstract: The Greek school network (GSN) is a closed nationwide educational network that offers advanced telematic and networking services to all primary/secondary education schools and administration offices in Greece. The primary objective of GSN is the provisioning of a network infrastructure for the interconnection of school PC laboratories so that modern educational methods and pedagogical models can be applied to the school community. GSN has scaled in size, has reached maturity, and is currently delivering a wide range of network and telematic services to its users. The emerging power of open-source software provides a sound technological basis for building cutting-edge services, capable of meeting internal administrative and monitoring needs, and modern pedagogical requirements for tools and services. The current paper presents an overview of GSN and an evaluation of its services based on the opinions of its users, and on service utilization and traffic measurement statistics. The paper reaches the conclusion that open-source solutions provide a sound technological platform that can cover, to a great extent, the needs for advanced educational services of the school community.
TL;DR: An evaluation of BioLab has revealed that students found it useful for understanding the general concepts of digital processing and biosignal processing in particular, and found BioLab very easy to learn and use.
Abstract: This paper introduces and evaluates BioLab, a tool for teaching biosignal processing. BioLab has been used in the biomedical engineering module that is given in the second semester of the fifth year of the electronic engineering degree at the University of Valencia, Spain. This module and its correspondent curricular pathway are also reviewed. BioLab allows the results obtained with digital processing techniques to be shown interactively in the theory classes, and it also provides support in laboratory sessions. The graphic interface of BioLab simplifies its learning and use and provides access to processing and visualization functions by means of menus. The tool is based on Matlab since the students have had previous experience in this environment. BioLab also supports diverse formats of data files, which facilitate access to real records and their conversion to usable formats. The modular structure of BioLab allows it to be easily extended to other educational materials that are related to signal processing and to research applications. An evaluation of BioLab has revealed that students found it useful for understanding the general concepts of digital processing and biosignal processing in particular. The students also found BioLab very easy to learn and use
TL;DR: Ciclope offers software and content to replicate the educational Web labs that the authors have designed, and whose architecture and work methodology are intended for teachers who want to create new Web labs.
Abstract: This paper describes Ciclope, a free software project designed to solve the problem of the lack of practical assignments in technical universities due to scarce resources and to the design of the educational system. Ciclope offers software and content to replicate the educational Web labs that the authors have designed, and whose architecture and work methodology are intended for teachers who want to create new Web labs. The biggest advantages of these kinds of laboratories are that users can work through the Internet as if they were present in the lab, but without space or time restrictions. Furthermore, teachers can have full control of what students do, since all operations are registered in a database which helps them to evaluate the students. Ciclope proposes a modular structure based on software components that are easy to install, configure, and extend according to teachers' needs. So far, various Web labs have been built to carry out practical assignments in astronomy, automatic control, chemistry, image processing, robotics, and real-time operating systems. The software, documentation, and content developed in this project are free, under GNU (a recursive acronym meaning GNU is Not UNIX) licenses, and as in all free projects, the authors welcome all collaboration from the educational community.
TL;DR: It is shown that Japanese puzzles are constrained combinatorial optimization problems, that can be solved using EAs with different encodings, and are challenging problems for EAs.
Abstract: In this paper, a method to teach advanced features of evolutionary algorithms (EAs), using a famous game known as Japanese puzzles is presented. The authors show that Japanese puzzles are constrained combinatorial optimization problems, that can be solved using EAs with different encodings, and are challenging problems for EAs. Other features, such as special operators and local search heuristics and its hybridization with genetic algorithms, can also be taught using these puzzles. The authors report an experience using this method in a course taught at the Universidad de Alcalaacute, Madrid, Spain
TL;DR: The Open University course T396: Artificial Intelligence for Technology makes use of electronic delivery and a carefully designed assessment strategy to address the challenge of keeping the course up-to-date while remaining economically viable.
Abstract: Distance education is most economical when delivered to large groups of students over several years. The Open University course T396: Artificial Intelligence for Technology makes use of electronic delivery and a carefully designed assessment strategy to address the challenge of keeping the course up-to-date while remaining economically viable. Three aspects of currency are considered: academic content, organizational context, and breaking news. An electronic study guide permits new forms of interactivity and presentational styles, while allowing the course team the flexibility to maintain the academic content of the course. The organizational context of the course is maintained through integrated Web pages. An electronic conference provides news, such as course announcements, correction of errata, data files for assignments, and lists of frequently asked questions. It also enables students to participate in an extended learning community. Continuous assessment and the final project are designed to assess the students, to allow practice and experimentation, and to provide a vehicle for constructive feedback. The assessment strategy aims to maintain currency by introducing the latest contexts in which artificial intelligence is used. Detailed marking guides ensure consistent marking and demonstrable achievement of the intended learning outcomes. In a survey at the end of the course, a clear majority of students favored the use of the electronic study guide, particularly for teaching genetic algorithms, where the interactivity enabled difficult concepts to be demonstrated in a way that would not be possible on the printed page. The same survey also gave an overwhelming endorsement to the assessment strategy and the online electronic conference
TL;DR: Evaluating the use of SMDs for teaching network technology to international students whose first language is not English and how they allow technical detail to be introduced in an integrated and controlled manner is evaluated.
Abstract: State model diagrams (SMDs) have been successfully used as the pedagogical foundation of network technology curriculum. SMDs selectively integrate relevant output from network devices by means of tables. SMDs are modular and hierarchical, thereby providing top-down decomposition by means of levelling, allowing a complex network to be partitioned or structured into independent units of an amenable size so that the entire system can be more easily understood. An overview of the entire network or increasing levels of detail may be obtained while maintaining links and interfaces between the different levels. Furthermore, SMDs allow technical detail to be introduced in an integrated and controlled manner, thereby supporting student learning at both introductory and advanced levels. In effect, as students progress they do not have to learn a new conceptual model; rather they can build upon and extend their existing knowledge. This paper evaluates the use of SMDs for teaching network technology to international students whose first language is not English. This study was further extended to include an evaluation of SMDs, as a teaching tool, by Cisco academics within the Asia/Pacific region.
TL;DR: Assessment data shows that with preparatory material and hands-on exercises, undergraduate computer science students can master grid programming, and recommendations include using stand-alone containers on individual student computers and following a first grid programming exercise that builds confidence with at least one more elaborateGrid programming exercise.
Abstract: Grid protocols and technologies are being adopted in a wide variety of academic, government, and industrial environments, and a growing body of research-oriented literature in grid computing is being compiled. However, there is a need for educational material that is suitable for classroom use. This paper describes topics, exercises, and experiences of teaching grid computing at two different universities. Course material in grid computing can be grouped into several knowledge areas. The focus in this paper is on grid programming, i.e., developing grid-enabled services using the Globus toolkit. Assessment data shows that with preparatory material and hands-on exercises, undergraduate computer science students can master grid programming. Topics and exercises for security, network programming, Web services, and grid programming are described. Recommendations include using stand-alone containers on individual student computers and following a first grid programming exercise that builds confidence with at least one more elaborate grid programming exercise