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E-mail discussions are often conducted during intellectually challenging activities such as research, cooperative learning, and software development. It is important but generally difficult to successfully grasp the processes of the discussions and their conclusions since a mass of e-mails is accumulated in e-mail applications. Furthermore, actual e-mail discussions contain descriptions of diverse sizes. These features hinder grasping the discussion processes. Although some research projects have aimed at extracting discussion processes, these existing methods have not considered the diversity of description granularity. Therefore, our research is intended to develop methods for extracting the discussion processes and a system for visualizing the discussion processes. This paper mainly describes a system for visualizing discussion processes in a mass of e-mails. Initially, this paper describes the system design based on a study of the features of actual e-mail discussions. This paper also describes the development of a prototype.

Discussion using e-mail is frequently conducted in intelligent works such as research activity. It is important but generally difficult to successfully grasp the processes of the discussions and their results. There exist descriptions of diverse particle sizes in actual discussion using e-mail. This feature brings about the difficulty in grasping the discussion processes in addition to basic features such as increase of number of e-mails. Although there have been some research projects which aim at extraction of discussion processes, these existing methods have not consider the diversity of description granularity. This research has aimed to develop a support system for extracting discussion processes and their visualization. This paper mainly describes methods for extracting the discussion processes considering the diversity of description granularity and complicated connections between them. This paper also describes the overview of target service and the outline of support system.

Most skills and knowledge of cooperative software design can be obtained only through experiences. Especially, technical document writing and its polish involves the contexts such as author's editing intention, advices and questions. It is important but difficult for leaners to share such contexts. This research proposes a support system for drawing technical documents attaching greater importance to proper composition giving thought to the sharing the editing contexts and to relationships among the technical documents and their components. This paper mainly describes overview of a support system for cooperative editing of the technical documents and sharing editing contexts in its process.

Skillful management of the various types of documents used in intelligent activities and their efficient utilization are important. However, most available systems target only a single type of document (e-mails, Web pages, etc.) or are not adaptive enough. A more promising approach is topic-centered document management. A topic-centered document management system is described that changes its own functions and interfaces adaptively.

In this paper, the design and implementation of a visualised sound simulation environment is presented as an initial step to further laboratory experimentation. Preliminary laboratory experiments showed a positive learning curve in human auditory perception. Learning occurred when new information was processed with relevant existing knowledge in this simulation environment. While the work towards the truth of the empirical hypothesis is still under discussion, this project has been expanded beyond the scope that was originally envisaged and the developed environment showed its potential to be adopted on mobile devices for many educational purposes. This initiative not only brings scientists and educators together, but it is also hoped that it represents a possible e-approach to a constructivist way of learning.

The opportunities to discuss system design as part of system development through a network continue to increase. In our university, system development education for novices is also done through a network. However, the usefulness of discussion on system development for novices is limited by various unresolved problems left from the discussion and the inability of novices to discuss these matters in a comprehensive way. We propose a discussion model designed for novices that will control such discussion smoothly, and then evaluate the model's usefulness. This model is based on state transition using discussion states and discussion comment categories.

This paper describes a support system for collaborative research activities in university laboratories. The system includes (1) a research information transition graph (RITG) to visually express research information and the relationships among the information for personal management, and (2) a method that enables collaborative research activities and knowledge sharing on a large scale by converting an RITG into a common view with specified constraints on redrawing. These issues are related to the solving of a trade-off problem between the management of research information based on personal viewpoints and the sharing of such information on a large scale. Furthermore this paper describes the results of the system evaluation through application of it. Furthermore this paper describes the results of the system evaluation through application of it.

This paper describes a learning environment that provides program division patterns for programming education. Receiving source codes drawn by learners, this environment analyzes data flow and detects the information on active variables based on lexical, syntax, and semantic analyses. Then, this environment generates and evaluates module division patterns and finally shows visually to a learner module division patterns, active variables and their active scopes.

A SCORM-compliant learning management system (LMS) has been developed that enhances learning by effectively and efficiently managing the learning itself. First, a SCORM-LST was developed by adding to SCORM (sharable content object reference model) a framework that describes facilitation corresponding to the learner's state of learning and describes the learning state transitions. This makes it possible to describe collaborative learning, assessment, and facilitation for multiple users. Next, a SCORM-compliant LMS (SALMS: SCORM-compliant adaptive LMS) based on the SCORM-LST was developed. SALMS interprets SCORM-LST code and changes the user interface to match the learner's state of learning. It also manages the learning so that it matches the designer's intentions.

Bookmark sharing can increase the efficiencies of information retrieval and cooperative intelligent activities based on it. However, a crude sharing style that makes no distinction between retrieval purposes will hinder effective bookmark sharing and any information retrieval based on it. To prevent this problem, we have developed a support system for bookmark sharing which considers differences in search purposes and user groups. We also provide a method for visualizing the relationships among bookmarks. This paper mainly describes the system execution examples and experiments using prototype.

We have developed a meta-system that generates program animation systems. The generated animation systems visually display changes in program actions and help students (novice programmers) understand them. The animation systems also accumulate historical records of the students’ operations as they execute a program step by step while trying to understand it. By analyzing accumulated records, the meta-system pinpoints common areas of dif- ficulty and their causes for the lecturer. To develop this meta-system, we first analyzed the relation between difficult to understand parts and records of which control operations students applied when using the program animation system. For this analysis, we developed a function enabling the program animation system to record each student’s history of operations. Next, we devised a technique to predict which parts of a program would be difficult for students to understand. Finally, we developed a generator of program animation systems based on this technique. Consequently, this meta- system enables lecturers to monitor the classroom learning of students in real-time and provide support to groups of students experiencing common difficulties.

A system was developed to support teaching computer programming to a group of students who have common questions and make common mistakes on practice computer programs. The system extrapolates the causes and syntaxes of students’ compilation errors by analyzing the trends of past compilation errors and presents the extrapolated result to the teacher in real time. By using the system, a teacher can understand in real time students’ programming mistakes when they are writing computer programs, and can appropriately teach computer programming to a group of students who have common problems.

We have developed a system that informs lecturers regarding real-time learning situations in the classroom and helps them provide support for students (novice programmers) experiencing common problems. This system has two functions. The first is a program animation function which keeps a historical record of the students’ operations, and analyses this record to provide the information about difficulty of program actions to lecturers. The second is a compile-error support function which keeps a historical record of the students' errors, and then analyses this record and informs the lecturer about the correspondence between compile-error causes and particular lines of source code. This system should provide lecturers with full support and real-time solutions to common problems faced by students.

We have developed a system that allows teachers to monitor the classroom learning of students (novice programmers) in real time and provide support to groups of students experiencing common problems. This system has a program animation function which keeps a historical record of the students' operations as they go through a program while trying to understand it. By analyzing this record, the system pinpoints common problem areas, and the causes of difficulty, for the teacher

Bookmarking is a popular way to manage retrieval results when searching through web documents, and sharing bookmarks among users can increase information retrieval efficiency. However, a crude sharing style that makes no distinction between retrieval purposes will hinder effective bookmark sharing and any information retrieval based on it. To prevent this problem, we have developed a support system for bookmark sharing which considers differences in search purposes and user groups. We also provide a method for visualizing the relationships among bookmarks.

In research activities, it is quite important task to classify and arrange "knowledge-information", which consists of research papers, presentation materials of the seminars, memorandums of idea, advice from colleagues, and so on. However, it is extremely difficult to manage knowledge-information systematically and to grasp the process of research. Therefore, this paper proposes the visualization method of relations among knowledge-information. At first, classification of knowledge-information and relations among them are performed. After that, details of method, which represents knowledge-information and relations among them as nodes and edges of a graph respectively, are described. Moreover, design and implementation of the support system is described. Finally, an experiment with the support system and evaluation based on the results of it are reported.

A trade-off exists between the management of research information based on personal viewpoints and the sharing of it on a large scale. To resolve this, we have developed methods for managing research information. First, we propose use of a transition graph to visually express research information and the relationships among the information. Second, we describe a method that enables knowledge sharing on a large scale by converting research information expressed with a transition graph into a common view with specified constraints on their redrawing. Third, we discuss a research support system that applies the proposed methods.

Ten years ago, technology standards in e-learning and learning support systems became the center of public attention. Various international standards have been proposed. However, there is no portfolio assessment standard that enables the support of assessment activities. Therefore, a portfolio assessment modeling language (PAML) for supporting a portfolio assessment standard was developed. It is very likely that the modeling language is not only able to describe needed portfolios in portfolio assessment but also facilitate assessment activities using a learning support system.

This paper examines accumulation methods for effective use of portfolios and develops a meta-language ("MelaPass") for describing the framework of portfolios for making a portfolio assessment. The purpose of MelaPass is to describe the structure of portfolios which have "soundness" and "exhaustiveness" features, and the language can be used in cooperation with existing metamodels (i.e., it has an "affinity" feature). The paper also develops a portfolio assessment support system called "passports" that is based on MelaPass. By using this system, users can design portfolio assessments based on MelaPass and use and manage portfolios.

"Visual Field Record System" is aimed to support participant's behavior analysis in distance education using an interactive video teleconference system. An examination of the eye camera position is important to use the system effectively, because the camera's angle and zoom rate is considered participant's behavior in this system. Actually, there are some problems that it originates in the camera position of the system. We approached these problems by developing the eye camera install-simulator including arrangement of the classroom equipment. This simulator is called Classroom Design Simulator. This paper describes functions and operations of the simulator. After that, the system is evaluated by the application to a case. It was shown that this system was useful for a distance education planner as a result.

This study has developed a generator system that generates various type of lesson plan making support systems automatically. The framework and items that each teacher needs are defined, and the generator automatically generates a lesson plan making support system according to the definition. First, this led to development of the formal definition of description format for describing lesson plans using the extended BNF notation. It becomes possible for the users to input and edit whatever they need according to the description format. The user can write a grammatically correct lesson plan and edit it without grammatical errors (healthness). Second, this developed a generator that automatically generates the Java source code of a system corresponding to the description format. The generator can deal with the frameworks and input items that various teachers want to have in their lesson plans (completeness). It can also generate a system according to each user's purpose (generality).

This study has developed a support system that can retrieve papers by using the paper-relationship diagrams (PRDs) that express the relationships among papers. The system has the following functions: (1) users can see various relationships among papers by visualizing of PRDs, and (2) the visualization patterns can be changed dynamically by users' point of view.

This study developed a support system that can retrieve papers by using the paper-relationship diagrams (PRDs) that express the relationships among papers. The system has the following functions: (1) users can see various relationships among papers by visualizing of PRDs; and (2) the visualization patterns can be changed dynamically by users own point of view. To implement the dynamic and safe visualization of the PRDs, the authors formalized user requirements for visualization as a set of constraints on the graph drawing problem, and developed an algorithm that visualizes the PRDs based on the graph drawing problem. By the implementation of the dynamic and safe visualization of the PRDs, users can see various relationships among papers by changing their own point of view.

The discussion of system design through a network as part of the cooperative system development process is increasingly common. In our university, system development education for novices is also done through a network. However, the usefulness of discussion regarding system development for novices is limited by various resolved problems that remain after discussion and the inability of novices to discuss these matters in a comprehensive way. We propose a discussion model designed for novices that will enable smooth navigation during such discussions. This model is based on state transition using discussion states and discussion comment categories. This paper mainly describes analyses of discussions on cooperative system development, discussion model design and preliminary evaluation with our prototype.

The piezoelectric coefficients d 33 and d 31 , the free dielectric constant e 33 and the electrostrictive constants Q 33 and Q 31 in both ferro- and paraelectric phases of BaTiO 3 crystal are calculated on the basis of the point dipole model. The calculated results are shown as a function of the effective charge of the Ti ions, which corresponds to temperature. The results obtained are discussed in comparison with the experimental data.

Correction of dipole fields in a perovskite-type crystal is calculated taking a shear of the crystal into account. It is found that the correction in x - and y - directions under shear stress are the same as those of article concerned to orthorhombic deformation (W. Kinase et al. J. Phys. Chem. Solids 30 , (1969) 441). These results are applied to BaTiO 3 crystal, whose tetragonal-orthorhombic phase transition and piezoelectric effect due to shear stress are discussed.