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This paper examines the cloud computing for education (CCE) literature, and analyzes if the research is developing scientifically with adequate empirical validation. All aspects of empirical investigations covered in the literature are shown as weak, hence, the necessary scientific development of CCE requires extending its scope of interest, and involving scholars synergistically to create and maintain a “common research agenda.” Background: A need to develop research on CCE has been recognized, and considerable efforts made to create an accurate understanding of the development of its scope of interest, in terms of supporting pedagogical developments and processes for better quality of studies. Research Questions: This paper has three main aims: 1) to evaluate the scope of interest in the literature for CCE with specific reference to pedagogy and educational processes; 2) to analyze the characteristics of papers, specifically empirical studies, from the various points of view of the daily improvement activities of teachers and learners at all levels of education; and 3) to identify eventual research gaps to consider and stimulate new topics or further investigations. Methodology: This systematic mapping study review followed a rigorous, replicable process to collect and analyze representative studies of CCE. Findings: Differences are found across geographic areas in applying CCE infrastructure and technologies in educational institutions; few studies address CCE’s impact on pedagogic processes. The scope of interest in CCE is only partially covered; with empirical research being very shallow. Suggestions are made for more effective research on concerning the production and use of content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies electrical engineering learners’ preferences for learning methods with various degrees of activity. Less active learning methods such as homework and peer reviews are investigated, as well as a newly introduced very active (constructive) learning method called “slectures,” and some others. The results suggest that graduate students’ perception of the usefulness of the activity increases with its level of activity. For undergraduate students, an increased perception of the usefulness of the activity was observed for lightly active but structured learning methods. Group-based analysis focusing on two types of learners, defined as “instructor-dependent” and “instructor-independent” according to their perception of the usefulness of the classroom lectures, was also performed. The results suggest that instructor-independent learners may benefit more from active learning methods than instructor-dependent learners. For example, instructor-independent undergraduate learners were found to perceive the homework assignment as being more useful than the lectures. Such a preference was not seen in the average group data. In fact, no learning method was found to be perceived as more useful than the lectures, on average. Thus this paper illustrates the pertinence of group-based data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum mechanics (QMs) is a foundational subject in many science and engineering fields. It is difficult to teach, however, as it requires a fundamental revision of the assumptions and laws of classical physics and probability. Furthermore, introductory QM courses and texts predominantly focus on the mathematical formulations of the subject and lay less emphasis on its conceptual understanding. Consequently, students struggle to build robust mental models of the concepts. This paper posits that games can provide an effective platform for an experiential and conceptual understanding of introductory QM. Games are particularly suitable for demonstrating QM characteristics because their repetitive nature is conducive to demonstrating probability concepts that form a core part of QM. Games can also immerse students in an engaging environment that motivates them to learn. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a digital game for learning introductory QM concepts. The evaluation of the game indicates an improvement in students’ conceptual understanding of probability. Students also reported an increase in comfort level with key concepts taught in the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: A redesign of the Moodle platform to adapt digital educational content [learning objects (LOs)] to the specific needs of students with disabilities. The approach, extendable to a range of disciplines, was empirically tested with blind and deaf engineering students. Background: Previous studies identified difficulties that blind and deaf students face in accessing digital content for learning. General guidelines and specific tools are available to help educators adapt digital content and existing learning platforms for access by students with varying abilities/capacities. Such tools are usually for a specific disability rather than a range of capacities, and few provide empirical evidence of effectiveness. Intended Outcomes: The engineering-related digital content adapted using the techniques described in this paper should enable blind and/or deaf students to use an oscilloscope, understand communication channels, and distinguish the different types of telecommunication networks. Application Design: The Moodle learning platform was adapted using existing e-learning accessibility standards so that digital LOs could be automatically presented in formats accessible to blind and/or deaf students. This model is extendable for other types of disabilities, helping educators adapt existing content for access by students with differing capacities. The teacher adds content (in non-auditory and non-visual formats to describe content otherwise inaccessible to deaf or blind students) and students upload reusable profiles/metadata describing their specific accessibility needs to connect to suitably adjusted content. Findings: Learning improvement with the adjusted platform was evaluated via multiple choice pre- and post-tests. Students’ learning performance improved significantly across all groups: blind (45%), deaf (46.25%) and deaf-blind (87.5%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper employs the automatic scoring of short essays as a novel way to determine pre-service teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) from their written reflections. Implications about designing CT courses for pre-service teachers are discussed. Background: CT is an essential 21st-century competency that supports the development of problem-solving skills. Inspired by computing science problem-solving practices, CT should transcend disciplines, but few universities or colleges include CT courses or CT content in their core courses. It is also difficult to know what pre-service teachers think about CT and their role in promoting it. Research Questions: Do pre-service teachers’ coding reflections reveal any important information about their knowledge of, skills in, and attitudes toward CT? Methodology: Traditional qualitative techniques based on human raters are impractical in analyzing hundreds of essays. Topic modeling, an unsupervised machine learning modeling technique, was employed to extract topical features from participants’ reflections. In one section of an undergraduate Introduction to Educational Technology course offered at a large university in Western Canada, n = 139 pre-service teachers wrote a short reflection on their experience following a 20 h Accelerated Intro to Computer Science Code.org course. Topics were identified by analyzing contextual trends in participants’ written reflections. Findings: Results showed that pre-service teachers’ reflections included CT concepts, practices, and perspectives. Specifically, participants connected the coding activity to prior knowledge and experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper adds to existing literature on teaching basic concepts of electricity using computer-based instruction; findings suggest that students can develop an accurate understanding of electric circuits when they generate multiple and complementary representations that build toward computational models. Background: Several studies have explored the efficacy of computer-based, multi-representational teaching of electric circuits for novice learners. Existing research has found that instructional use of computational models that move from abstract to concrete representations can foster students’ comprehension of electric circuit concepts, but other features of effective instruction using computational models need further investigation. Research Questions: 1) Is there a correlation between students’ representational fluency and their ability to reason qualitatively on electric circuits? and 2) Is the quality of student-generated computational representations correlated to their conceptual understanding of electric circuits? Methodology: The study comprised two cases in which 51 sophomore-engineering students completed a voluntary assignment designed to assess their representational fluency and conceptual understanding of electric circuits. Qualitative insights from the first case informed the design of a scoring rubric that served as both the assessment and the data collection instrument. Findings: The results suggest that a multi-representational approach aimed at the construction of computational models can foster conceptual understanding of electric circuits. The number and quality of students’ representations showed a positive correlation with their conceptual understanding. In particular, the quality of the computational representations was found to be highly, and significantly, correlated with the correctness of students’ answers to qualitative reasoning questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper shows how significantly computer science instructors can disagree when grading code writing questions in introductory computer science (CS1) exams. Certain solutions are considered “very good” by some instructors and “very bad” by others. The study identifies four factors as possible contributors to such differences between graders: 1) disagreement on the role of syntax in CS1; 2) absence of objective measures for the seriousness of logic errors; 3) variance in how rubrics are constructed; and 4) the use of subjective judgement while grading. Background: Code writing questions are widely used in CS1 exams. Understanding differences in how graders approach such questions can help the CS education community become more informed about how to design valid assessments for summative and formative purposes. Research Questions: Do graders differ significantly in how they score student programs? What are the main factors to which differences between graders could be attributed? Methodology: A number of CS1 instructors and TAs were asked to score pieces of code resembling student solutions to CS1 exam questions, and were asked to answer open ended questions on how they approach grading in CS1 exams. Responses were then analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Findings: There is no consensus on how code writing questions in CS1 exams should be graded. Differences in opinion on how many points to award can be very significant, even for very simple programs and between graders in the same institution. Some graders assign grades that do not necessarily agree with how many points they believe the student solution is worth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Internet era, students have increasingly lost interest in traditional lectures; as a consequence, their learning motivation and exam performance have decreased. The widespread adoption of learner-centered teaching methods that address this issue faces certain barriers, including: 1) the significant faculty effort necessary to prepare e-learning materials; 2) significant extra time required for active online communication with students; 3) student resistance to taking an active role in their education; and 4) lecturers’ common belief that learner-centered teaching activities do not allow discussion of all the required topics. This paper presents a case study based on one offering of an introductory digital systems course taught with a combination of learner-centered strategies selected to overcome these barriers and improve student performance. These measures included: 1) improving the student-teacher relationship; 2) applying intriguing, inductive, and counterintuitive approaches to introducing new concepts; 3) adopting puzzle-based quizzes integrated with peer instruction; 4) using an audience response system; 5) replacing certain lectures with tutorials; 6) reducing course duration; and 7) using a graphics tablet. The results obtained demonstrate significant improvements in lecture attendance and in student performance. The author believes that the approach presented here can benefit other engineering educators in similar courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-learning is a modern and effective approach for training in various areas and at different levels of education. This paper gives an overview of SyRoTek, an e-learning platform for mobile robotics, artificial intelligence, control engineering, and related domains. SyRoTek provides remote access to a set of fully autonomous mobile robots placed in a restricted area with dynamically reconfigurable obstacles, which enables solving a huge variety of problems. A user is able to control the robots in real time by their own developed algorithms as well as being able to analyze gathered data and observe activity of the robots by provided interfaces. The system is currently used for education at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, and at the University of Buenos Aires, Buenos, Aires, Argentina, and it is freely accessible to other institutions. In addition to the system overview, this paper presents the experience gained from the actual deployment of the system in teaching activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The inspiration for this paper comes from a successful experiment conducted with students in the “Mobile Robots” course in the fifth year of the integrated Master's program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP), Porto, Portugal. One of the topics in this Mobile Robots course is “ Localization of Mobile Robots using the Extended Kalman Filter in a LEGO NXT,” which gives the students the opportunity to study the concepts of localization. This experiment comes within the framework of teaching localization concepts in mobile robotics and focuses primarily on explaining the Kalman filter concept. It involves a specific tool developed by the authors and based on LEGO NXT technology. The work presented here could be a helpful guide for teaching concepts related to localization in mobile robotics to ensure adequate understanding of the concept and of the use of the extended Kalman filter (EKF). The LegoFeup robot described here was built using a LEGO Mindstorms NXT and tested both in simulation and in real scenarios. Based on the results obtained, the authors concluded that the developed tool is effective in motivating students. The implementation of the tool, the structure of the Mobile Robots course, and the criteria for student assessment are described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Teaching electrical and computer software engineers how to configure network services normally requires the detailed presentation of many configuration commands and their numerous parameters. Students tend to find it difficult to maintain acceptable levels of motivation. In many cases, this results in their not attending classes and not dedicating enough time to acquire the required competencies. This paper describes a successful experiment that was able to improve student class attendance, performance, and motivational patterns by using mobile devices in class to provide students with contextualized learning pills. A learning pill is a simple exercise that summarizes some of the key concepts explained in class and promotes reflection and self-study. Each student attending a particular lecture or laboratory session automatically receives a learning pill on his or her mobile phone just after the related concept has been presented. This paper details the scenario used in the experiment and analyzes the performance and motivational patterns of 170 students at the Higher Polytechnic School, Carlos III University of Madrid, Leganes, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a Web-based educational system, ADVICE, that helps students to bridge the gap between database management system (DBMS) theory and practice. The usage of ADVICE is presented through a set of laboratory exercises developed to teach students conceptual and logical modeling, SQL, formal query languages, and normalization. While working on the exercises, students use the system to access real databases, and the system provides them with feedback about their solutions. From the perspective of an instructor, the system allows easy exercise management and continual progress monitoring. The paper also describes a practical experience with the use of ADVICE on a database course over a three-year period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an initial study of using tablet PCs and interactive course software in integrated circuit (IC) design courses. A rapidly growing community is demonstrating how this technology can improve learning and retention of material by facilitating interaction between faculty and students via cognitive exercises during lectures. While numerous examples of using this technology exist, there is not much literature regarding its application to electrical engineering and IC design in particular. This paper presents examples from three different IC design courses to describe the types of cognitive activities that can be facilitated with this technology. While these examples are specific to IC design, the basic techniques are valid for any application. This study does show some initial success, which, it is hoped, will spark interest at other universities and lead to a better examination of its effectiveness through larger sample sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how an intelligent chip architecture has allowed a large cohort of undergraduate (UG) students to be given effective practical insight into integrated circuit (IC) design by designing and manufacturing their own ICs. To achieve this, an efficient chip architecture, the "Superchip," was developed, which allows multiple student designs to be fabricated on a single IC, and encapsulated in a standard package without excessive cost in terms of time or resources. This paper demonstrates how the practical process has been tightly coupled with theoretical aspects of the degree course and how transferable skills are incorporated into the design exercise. Furthermore, the students are introduced at an early stage to the key concepts of teamwork, exposure to real deadlines, and collaborative report writing. This paper provides details of the teaching rationale, design exercise overview, design process, chip architecture, and test regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a proposal to integrate mixed-reality remote experiments into virtual learning environments (VLEs) using the concept of interchangeable components, which can represent either real or virtual devices or software in industrial automation systems. Combinations of real and virtual technical plants and automation systems are used in different learning scenarios for teaching control and automation concepts. Configurations of interchangeable components can be dynamically created via a VLE by configuring database parameters. The proposed system includes a remote Web interface that follows a thin client strategy and is designed to be compatible with Web browsers, including basic Java support. As the architecture that supports the integration of virtual and real components is located on the server side, remote students/users are wily concerned with the experiment and do not need to be aware of the system that provides this integration and flexibility. In the current version, interchangeable components are integrated via an Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control interface, which is a widely adopted standard in the control and automation area. The proposed approach also provides practical and theoretical support for experiments within a collaborative virtual environment. This paper includes a description of four experiments developed using the proposed environment and concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) has proved to be a highly successful pedagogical model in many fields, although it is not that common in computer engineering. PBL goes beyond the typical teaching methodology by promoting student interaction. This paper presents a PBL trial applied to a course in a computer engineering degree at the University of Seville, Spain. To promote the reusability and interoperability of the PBL trial, a design-driven approach was used, based on the Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) Learning Design (LD) standard. This paper presents the outcomes of using this method to innovate teaching practices in a blended learning environment. Design and implementation results, as well as users' opinions, are presented and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of a study of the requirements for developing a remote RF laboratory. This study draws on the perspectives of educators in university electrical engineering departments and in technical colleges, on the teaching of the radio frequency (RF) domain. The study investigates how these educators would like the technical content of a state of the art RF laboratory to be designed. As far as the authors know, no publication exists in the literature that investigates the requirements and needs of remote laboratories in that particular field. The outcomes of this work are expected to guide remote laboratory platform developers towards the most effective design of their platforms. The analysis of the results showed that educators would like the technical content of the laboratory to cover basic communication techniques, microwave circuits and devices, antennas and propagation, RF technology, and radio system design aspects of modern telecommunication systems. They would therefore like the laboratory instrumentation to be designed to that end. The educators also reported the need for advanced experimental setups which require expensive RF measurement devices. The discrepancy between university and technical college views was also considered in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain is currently implementing the regulatory modifications promulgated by the Declaration of Bologna, which should result in the updating of the structure of university degrees, and the inclusion of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) methodology. In some Spanish universities, the experimental adoption of this methodology has been encouraged, with the aim of gaining experience which could be extrapolated to other qualifications and subjects when this system becomes compulsory, which is expected to be in 2008. This paper examines the teaching methodologies that follow the experimental introduction of the ECTS in the Technical Software Engineering degree course taught at the Higher Technical College of the University of Cordoba, Spain. Based on data gathered in three specific subjects during the first and third years, this paper defines the teaching strategies implemented in order to increase the active role of students during their learning. The utility of e-learning tools in this type of teaching is discussed and the academic results are compared with results obtained in previous years using more traditional teaching methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing need for an effective method of teaching bioinformatics. Increased progress and availability of computer-based tools for educating students have led to the implementation of a computer-based system for teaching bioinformatics as described in this paper. Bioinformatics is a recent, hybrid field of study combining elements of biology, statistics, and computer science. This paper describes the implementation of a system called Bioinformatics Foundational Learning Objects Workbench (BioFLOW), that is intended to be used by instructors to educate their students in bioinformatics principles at a variety of grade levels. BioFLOW functions by dividing topics in bioinformatics into modules. These modules cover a wide variety of topics and may be inserted into different courses in bioinformatics-related fields, providing students with a basic understanding of bioinformatics if they choose to pursue it as a field of advanced study. BioFLOW also incorporates a method for assessing the performance of the modules and the students. Assessment includes evaluation of students' learning styles and their performance on quizzes and is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the modules. Utilized together, these tools can be used to refine the content of the teaching modules and thus provide an effective system for educating students in bioinformatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to extend our understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of academic startups (ASUs) and other new technology-based firms (NTBFs). First, relying on insights from the resource- and competence-based theories of the firm and the literature on social networks and financial economics, we identify the factors that might differentiate ASUs and other NTBFs. Then, we combine the results of prior studies on NTBFs and the evidence from four theory-building case studies of Italian ASUs to formulate a series of empirically testable hypotheses that relate to the differences between ASUs and other NTBFs as to the extent and nature of the initial funding and knowledge gaps, and the strategies that firms adopt to close them. Our analysis suggests that ASUs' major relative strengths reside in the lower initial funding gap and greater investments in technical activities. Conversely, ASUs' major weakness consists of the lack of commercial knowledge: ASUs suffer from greater initial gaps in this field and encounter serious obstacles in implementing effective strategies to close them. The paper also offers original insights relating to the impact of the appropriability regime of technology on the financing and alliance strategies of ASUs as opposed to those of other NTBFs. More specifically, when the appropriability regime is weak, ASUs' choices as to the characteristics of external investors and alliance partners, and the organisation of the relations with them are influenced by the desire to mitigate appropriability hazards. Con- versely, appropriability hazards have a smaller influence on the decisions of non-ASU NTBFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a recent effort to use student-created virtual environments to teach rigid body dynamics to electrical and computer engineering senior-level undergraduates and first-year graduate students. Many of these students have no background in dynamics except for their freshman year physics course. The approach described here relies on students creating their own virtual environments, takes roughly four to five weeks of instruction, and fits within the scope of other courses that may require electrical and computer engineering students to be familiar with dynamics. The background required consists of only basic linear algebra and ordinary differential equations. By the end of the pilot class, the majority of students were able to expertly model and animate high degree-of-freedom systems, such as slip-steered vehicles, helicopters, submarines, balancing unicycles, motorcycles, and puppets. A core component of the learning philosophy is that by providing students with a venue for creating their own virtual laboratories, they are able to promote their own learning. This paper summarizes the basic material presented to students, some of the virtual environments they chose to implement with only minimal guidance, and three instruments used to assess the effectiveness of the class architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 inter- connection 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the real-time visualization of the instrumentation involved in distance learning of electric and electronic measurement in order to allow students to better understand the real behavior of the instruments. This paper presents an integrated architecture enabling the dispatching of videos during the experimental sessions of the Remote Laboratory Distributed on Geographical Network LA.DI.RE. ‘G.Savastano’. The new proposed architecture is able to adjust the video stream characteristics to the available bandwidth on the client side. In order to evaluate the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed solution, different technologies for video streaming have been analyzed and experimentally tested in the laboratory. In particular, bandwidth occupation and visualization quality have been analyzed by using different streaming technologies and by changing the frame rate and the light source in a multiclient scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating systems is a fundamental topic underlying many modern disciplines, including computing, telematics, and control engineering. Moreover, operating systems is one of the core courses considered under the most important curricula recommendations. The learning process in this area involves both a theoretical and a practical part that students have to learn and put into practice. To reinforce operating systems fundamentals, simulation tools and instructional operating systems have been proposed. However, few of these tools address a learning approach that permits one to work with real operating systems while supporting an active learning methodology that integrates theory and practice. This paper applies generative learning methods and Web-based applications to operating systems courses. WebgeneOS is presented as an experimental learning system that leads students through a more active participation in the learning process. WebgeneOS combines the universal connectivity of Web technologies with the educational theory provided by the generative learning methods. The system allows students to send their system programs using Web forms, execute them in a native operating system, and receive their results and feedback information through Web browsers. The benefits of WebgeneOS were evaluated by comparing students' grades. The evaluation involved students attending operating systems courses during the 2002–2003, 2003–2004, and 2004–2005 academic years. Students using WebgeneOS improved their grades by about 13%. Moreover, the system offered a well-balanced formation between the theoretical and the practical learning outcomes. Overall, this paper made evident that Web technologies and generative learning methods help students in their learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an introduction to the main design features of a computer-aided educational package addressed to students of the final years of Electronic and Computer Engineering is presented. The software includes interrelated tutorial, computer simulations, and test questions in which graphical outputs, hypertexts, and animations are widely used. The package is devoted to the simulation study of electrooptic and acoustooptic theory and devices. It provides instant numerical evaluation and a graphical display of different studies. The software presented in this paper has all the following features: an integrative character, self-evaluation tests, a personalized and active learning process, adaptability to teacher's aims, versatility as a teaching tool, multimedia resources, and simplicity. This study has been completed with final-year students at the Superior Polytechnic School of Cordoba, Spain, with highly favorable results when compared with students who did not use the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes efforts to develop a pedagogical environment that seeks to influence the learning experiences of students as mobile applications end users, developers, and decision makers. Specifically, via a collaborative effort involving industry sponsors, university technology services, and multiple academic units engaged in information technology education, a graduate-level course called Mobile Applications Development (MAD) was created. The core innovativeness of MAD lies in its delivery structure as a problem-based learning course—centered on emerging technologies like mobile technology—that brings together students with diverse backgrounds from different academic units across the campus. MAD culminates in an industry-sponsored competition, where student teams present their mobile solution to a panel of expert judges from industry and higher education. Via MAD and the associated competitions, students, faculty, and institutional partners can explore the opportunities and challenges associated with mobile technologies. This paper discusses how problem-based learning principles guided the design and implementation of MAD. A multiperspective assessment of the success of MAD is offered. Finally, key lessons learned and guidance to assist other educators are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the problem of adaptation and personalization in e-learning systems. A new metric—QoL (Quality of Learning)—is recommended for e-learning systems to evaluate the learning process. This paper proposes the Adaptive & Personalized E-Learning System (APeLS) that provides dynamic learning content and an adaptive learning process for learners to enhance the quality of learning. According to feedback from the learner, the proposed APeLS is capable of self-adjusting and self-reorganizing the learning components and paths to adapt to each user's learning interests, abilities, and behavior. This adaptation and reconfiguration is produced according to the user's QoL and a dynamic referred ideal learning curve. To ensure QoL, the proposed APeLS revises each user's learning curve to match with the referred ideal learning curve. A prototype system is implemented, and the collected results are excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of course content development models are being prescribed. How effective are these models? Does course content, developed using these models, lead to improved learning? Empirical evaluation is perhaps the only way one can hope to get reliable answers to such questions. This paper describes a methodical assessment process consisting of unique experimental efforts undertaken for evaluation of one such model. After briefly introducing the new systematized course ware development model used, the paper describes the development of an e-course on Introduction to Internet Technology and its evaluation. The evaluation does indicate a significant difference in the knowledge level attained by students learning from online lessons created using the specific development model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past several years, there has been a growing demand for skilled software engineers, a demand that, unfortunately, has not been satisfied, resulting in a variety of problems for the discipline. This paper presents a new approach called learner-centered Web-based instruction in software engineering that can be used to educate skilled engineers. The approach is based on three ideas. First, software engineering education must become more realistic. Second, software engineering education has to move closer to the learner. Finally, it must take advantage of the Web since this technology has the power of being a unique tool for implementing change in education. This paper reports and discusses the results from the evaluation of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the experience of teaching power systems basics to undergraduate engineering students using a pedagogical approach that is based upon computer-mediated and problem-based learning in an integrated way. In this approach, an interactive learning environment bass on web technologies replaces the traditional lectures. The pedagogical project behind this approach is focused on the problem, based learning paradigm, where the students are instigated to construct the knowledge required to solve the problem (constructivist learning). The paper addresses the technological aspects, such as how to create simulators using Java applets and animation, as well as the pedagogical aspects, such as student performance and knowledge, acquisition. The experience of using this approach at die State University of Campinas, Brazil, during the years 2001/2002 is described in detail. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are also addressed and finally the students point of view are presented based on surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing ubiquity of computing, more engineering programs now require their students to take one or more computing courses. At institutions where significant numbers of engineering students take computer courses, computing instructors and educators often assume roles that have them teaching their computing courses for non-majors as service courses, dealing with students with diverse backgrounds and varied motivations. Although teaching computing courses to non-majors is not new, the increasing importance of computing in future undergraduate engineering curricula poses new challenges. In this Special Issue, four of the papers offer insight into, and give evidence of, teaching computing to engineering students; the fifth paper investigates computational modeling abilities in conceptual understanding of electric circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attracting K–12 students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is viewed as a critical element for benefiting both the economy and society. This paper describes an outreach program, conducted in a Brooklyn, NY, USA, public middle school, aimed at educating students in mechatronics, biology, and bioinspiration. The program is designed to foster student interest in STEM subjects, especially engineering-related concepts, by actively demonstrating their application in solving tangible real-world problems. It consists of a series of lectures and practical activities that culminate with a hands-on bioinspiration-based event at the New York Aquarium. Survey results show that students who participated in the program have a better understanding of the relationship between engineering and nature, demonstrate improved knowledge of select STEM topics, and are more interested in pursuing STEM careers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Workplace learning can be conceived as the set of processes related to learning and training activities at work. Typically, workplace learning includes formal, informal, and non-formal learning activities. Having a control on the whole learning process of each worker is a complex task. Indeed we have to align individual learning paths, real workers’ needs (for instance in terms of tasks or projects to accomplish), career plans, and other organizational needs to activate virtuous knowledge flows. In order to accomplish this complex task a comprehensive framework is needed. This paper provides the definition of the aforementioned framework by exploiting semantic technologies in order to model (by means of Ontologies), represent, extract, and share knowledge within organizations. Although the proposed framework allows a wide range of workplace learning experiences, it mainly focuses on informal learning, on the ways it can be sustained by exploiting organizational resources, and on the capability of linking individual and organizational learning in the context of a widely accepted knowledge flow model like socialization, externalization, composition, and internalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five articles in this special section focus on collaboration and learning in shared virtual environments (VE). VEs are an excellent tool for the provision of training and education. The articles examine techniques and technologies for education and training in virtual environments, spanning both solo and collaborative approaches. These articles include original submissions as well as extended and revised versions of selected best papers presented at the VS-Games 2019 conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering rare categories and classifying new instances of them are important data mining issues in many fields, but fully supervised learning of a rare class classifier is prohibitively costly in labeling effort. There has therefore been increasing interest both in active discovery: to identify new classes quickly, and active learning: to train classifiers with minimal supervision. These goals occur together in practice and are intrinsically related because examples of each class are required to train a classifier. Nevertheless, very few studies have tried to optimise them together, meaning that data mining for rare classes in new domains makes inefficient use of human supervision. Developing active learning algorithms to optimise both rare class discovery and classification simultaneously is challenging because discovery and classification have conflicting requirements in query criteria. In this paper, we address these issues with two contributions: a unified active learning model to jointly discover new categories and learn to classify them by adapting query criteria online; and a classifier combination algorithm that switches generative and discriminative classifiers as learning progresses. Extensive evaluation on a batch of standard UCI and vision data sets demonstrates the superiority of this approach over existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a series of novel project-based learning labs for an introductory robotics course that are developed into a semester-long Robotic Decathlon. The last three events of the Robotic Decathlon are used as three final one-week-long project tasks; these replace a previous course project that was a semester-long robotics competition. The course assessment shows that this new approach enhances student learning with respect to the standard lecture/test style of teaching, and that the three shorter final project tasks make the course easier to manage and more enjoyable for the students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of wind energy is now an established fact, and many educational institutions are introducing this topic into their engineering studies. Problem-based learning (PBL), as a student-centered instructional approach, has contributed to important developments in engineering education over the last few years. This paper presents the experience of a problem-based learning approach within the context of teaching wind energy conversion systems for electricity generation at an Electrical and Electronic Master's degree level. Students were given the problem of finding the response of a wind turbine to a grid fault. Groups of three students worked on a cooperative learning project for 15 weeks, with the instructor providing resource assistance and information at all stages of the work. Two tools were designed to help the students: a virtual wind turbine simulator and a real wind turbine setup. Both experimental tools are described, and the results obtained by the students are discussed. The results show that the students valued both tools and were able to address problems at a high cognitive level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an educational research experience that took place in the Electrical & Electronics Engineering Master's program offered at the Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Técnica de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. The focus is to provide details of the motivation behind and the design and subsequent evaluation of a course adapted to the European Higher Education Area titled “ Design for All in the Context of the Information Society.” This course may be useful for other engineering educators who design Master's programs and perform research on education in electrical and electronics engineering. The course contents are structured along four axes: disabilities, technical aids, accessibility, and recommendations of the standardization bodies. The results of four years of experience are presented. The course is evaluated according to accepted criteria, highlighting the course scope, pedagogic decisions, and relevance. Based on the analysis of program outcomes, some recommendations are made for undergraduate and postgraduate engineering education programs focusing on disability and technology . [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are used at many universities in introductory digital logic laboratories, where kits containing a single high-capacity PLD replace “standard” sets containing breadboards, wires, and small- or medium-scale integration (SSI/MSI) chips. From the pedagogical point of view, two problems arise in these laboratories. First, students have some difficulties in understanding the link between discrete and programmable design techniques. Second, using only a single PLD, students are not automatically forced to learn modular design skills, which is one of the required learning outcomes in electrical engineering (EE) curricula. To overcome these problems, an innovative laboratory is proposed in this paper. Each training board contains four complex PLDs (CPLDs) and peripherals. In the initial sessions, students implement designs in which CPLDs are programmed as standard SSI/MSI chips and interconnected to construct the target circuit. Then, an active learning technique is used: Students form groups of any size and can set themselves more complex problems and choose their design approach. The proposed laboratory was set up at the Technical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland, and the first classes were given in the 2008–2009 academic year. The instructors' insights and design reports and feedback from students were gathered and analyzed. The results showed the effectiveness of the novel approach. Students were deeply involved in solving self-imposed problems. They learned “engineering imagination,” modular design, and teamwork skills. Some groups went far beyond the requirements set by the instructor. However, an additional conclusion is that the “standard” approach should not be completely eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the existing renewable sources, wind energy is reaching production rates that are becoming important on the worldwide energy scene. Since the control of these wind generators is a very technical discipline, practical teaching methodologies are of special relevance. Paradoxically, in the past, the training of engineers specializing in this area has lacked the practical component represented by field tests, due to the difficulty of access to this kind of installation. This paper presents a system designed for use both in teaching and training procedures for control strategies for wind generators with doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) technology. The system includes two phases or levels of use: the first being a simulation phase based on computer models, and the second, an advanced level which allows for the conducting of tests on a laboratory scaled workbench composed of a wind turbine emulator coupled to an electric generator. With this equipment, the effectiveness of the wind generator regulation systems can be analyzed from the point of view of the maximum power point tracking control strategy, as well as from that of the contribution produced by the wind generator to the control of the operation of the electric grid to which it is connected. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a blended learning approach and a study evaluating instruction in a software engineering-related course unit as part of an undergraduate engineering degree program in computing. In the past, the course unit had a lecture-based format. In view of student underachievement and the high course unit dropout rate, a distance-learning system was deployed, where students were allowed to choose between a distance-learning approach driven by a moderate constructivist instructional model or a blended-learning approach. The results of this experience are presented, with the aim of showing the effectiveness of the teaching/learning system deployed compared to the lecture-based system previously in place. The grades earned by students under the new system, following the distance-learning and blended-learning courses, are compared statistically to the grades attained in earlier years in the traditional face-to-face classroom (lecture-based) learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the usability evaluation of a digital systems laboratory class offered to distance-learning students. It details the way in which students can participate remotely in such a laboratory, the methodology employed in the usability assessment of the laboratory infrastructure (hardware and software), and also outlines the main findings and lessons learned. It has been shown that the setting up of such a laboratory requires careful design, pilot runs, and formal evaluation prior to scaling up for a large number of students in order to both foresee usability flaws in the infrastructure and ensure educational quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a competition-style of exercise to teach system and network security and to reinforce themes taught in class. The exercise, called NetSecLab, is conducted on a closed network with student-formed teams, each with their own Linux system to defend and from which to launch attacks. Students are expected to learn how to: 1) install the specified Linux distribution; 2) set up the required services; 3) find ways to harden the box; 4) explore attack methods; and 5) compete. The informal write-up at the end of the lab focuses on their research into defense and attack methods, which contributes to their grade, while their competition score is dependent on their abilities to attack during the competition. Surveys were performed to evaluate the efficacy of the exercise in teaching system security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical trapping is an attractive and multidisciplinary topic that has become the center of attention to a large number of researchers. Moreover, it is a suitable subject for advanced students that requires a knowledge of a wide range of topics. As a result, it has been incorporated into some syllabuses of both undergraduate and graduate programs. In this paper, basic concepts in laser trapping theory are reviewed. To provide a better understanding of the underlying concepts for students, a Java application for simulating the behavior of a dielectric particle trapped in a highly focused beam has been developed. The program illustrates a wide range of theoretical results and features, such as the calculation of the force exerted by a beam in the Mie and Rayleigh regimes or the calibration of the trap stiffness. Some examples that are ready to be used in the classroom or in the computer lab are also supplied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The static design of ac/dc and dc/dc switching-mode power supplies (SMPS) relies on a simple but repetitive process. Although specific spreadsheets, available in various computer-aided design (CAD) programs, are widely used, they are difficult to use in educational applications. In this paper, a graphic tool programmed in MATLAB is presented, which allows students to apply and to reflect upon the knowledge acquired in theoretical classes. This tool has been successfully employed in the course “Sistemas Electrónicos de Alimentación” in the Telecommunications Engineering degree as part of a project in new education methods (University of Oviedo project PB-08–019). During practical sessions, the students used the tool to design a SMPS, achieving better learning results than was the case without the tool. In addition, the tool was successfully used to improve the students' theoretical knowledge of the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the strategies used for effective teaching and skill development in integrated circuit (IC) design using project-based learning (PBL) methodologies. It presents the contexts in which these strategies are applied to IC design courses at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, and the National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Toulouse, France. Collaborations among the faculty members of the two institutions have produced a set of learning resources and design tools to support the development of industry-relevant design skills and lifelong learning skills. At the pedagogical level, the emphasis is on the development of practical circuit design, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills rather than the mastery of complex circuit design tools. The courses enable students to learn about the most recent technological developments and their implications, using a set of user-friendly tools. The PBL methodologies, intuitive design tools, and latest technology models have consistently produced high levels of student satisfaction with the overall quality of the courses at the two institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of swarm intelligence techniques in e-learning scenarios provides a way to combine simple interactions of individual students to solve a more complex problem. After getting some data from the interactions of the first students with a central system, the use of these techniques converges to a solution that the rest of the students can successfully use. This paper uses a case study to analyze how fast swarm intelligence techniques converge when applied to solve the problem of e-learning resource filtering. Some modifications to traditional ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms based on student filtering are also introduced in order to improve convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Educational data mining (EDM) is an emerging interdisciplinary research area that deals with the development of methods to explore data originating in an educational context. EDM uses computational approaches to analyze educational data in order to study educational questions. This paper surveys the most relevant studies carried out in this field to date. First, it introduces EDM and describes the different groups of user, types of educational environments, and the data they provide. It then goes on to list the most typical/common tasks in the educational environment that have been resolved through data-mining techniques, and finally, some of the most promising future lines of research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the last decade, the evolution of educational technologies has forced an extraordinary interest in new methods for delivering learning content to learners. Today, distance education represents an effective way for supporting and sometimes substituting the traditional formative processes, thanks to the technological improvements achieved in the field in recent years. However, the role of technology has often been overestimated. The amount of information students can obtain from the Internet is huge, and as a result, they can easily be confused. Teachers can also be disconcerted by this vast quantity of content and are often unable to suggest the correct content to their students. In the open scientific literature, it is widely recognized that an important factor for success in delivering learning content is related to the capability for customizing the learning process for the specific needs of a given learner. This task is still far from having been fully accomplished, and there is a real interest in investigating new approaches and tools to adapt the formative process to specific individual needs. In this scenario, the introduction of ontology formalism can improve the quality of the formative process, allowing the introduction of new and effective services. Ontologies can lead to important improvements in the definition of a course's knowledge domain, in the generation of an adapted learning path, and in the assessment phase. This paper provides an initial discussion of the role of ontologies in the context of e-learning. The improvements related to the introduction of ontologies formalism in the e-learning field are discussed, and a novel algorithm for ontology building through the use of Bayesian networks is shown. Finally, the application of this algorithm in the assessment process and some experimental results are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and implementation of a tool for experimenting with mobile robotics concepts, primarily for use by children and teenagers, or by the general public, without previous experience in robotics. This tool helps children learn about science in an approachable and interactive way, using scientific research principles in captivating activities that help the child develop problem-solving skills within his group. This initiative seeks to spark interest in scientific and engineering careers as a response to diminished enrollment in such courses by young students. The application of this tool was tested on groups of people ranging from schoolchildren to college students with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of robotics experience and knowledge. The following performance parameters were measured: time to build the robotic platform, time to finalize challenges, and the percentage of challenges successfully accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]