Novel algorithm for online voltage stability assessment based on feed forward neural network

This paper presents an artificial feed forward neural network (FFNN) approach for the assessment of power system voltage stability. A novel approach based on the input-output relation between real and reactive power, as well as voltage vectors for generators and load buses is used to train the neural net (NN). The input properties of the feed forward network are generated from offline training data with various simulated loading conditions using a conventional voltage stability algorithm based on the L-index. The neural network is trained for the L-index output as the target vector for each of the system loads. Two separate trained NN, corresponding to normal loading and contingency, are investigated on the 367 node practical power system network. The performance of the trained artificial neural network (ANN) is also investigated on the system under various voltage stability assessment conditions. As compared to the computationally intensive benchmark conventional software, near accurate results in the value of L-index and thus the voltage profile were obtained. Proposed algorithm is fast, robust and accurate and can be used online for predicting the L-indices of all the power system buses. The proposed ANN approach is also shown to be effective and computationally feasible in voltage stability assessment as well as potential enhancements within an overall energy management system in order to determining local and global stability indices

Oldham College: Using online courses and e-Assessment

Oldham College have used on-line learning to offer certificated courses in Internet Safety, Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety and Personal Finance whilst at the same time freeing up teaching staff and obtaining funding.

Online promotion of research expertise self assessment

Helps institutions identify if their use of online channels in communicating information about the expertise of researchers within their organisation meets the needs of both business and wider communities, as well as the researchers themselves.

Promotion of research expertise online: the self-assessment tool

Helping HEIs identify whether the way they use online channels to communicate information about the expertise of researchers within their institution meets the needs of: – Business and community users – Researchers themselves.

Efficiency analysis of information technology and online social networks management : an integrated DEA-Model assessment

This paper analyses the relationship between productive efficiency and online-social-networks (OSN) in Spanish telecommunications firms. A data-envelopment-analysis (DEA) is used and several indicators of business ?social Media? activities are incorporated. A super-efficiency analysis and bootstrapping techniques are performed to increase the model?s robustness and accuracy. Then, a logistic regression model is applied to characterise factors and drivers of good performance in OSN. Results reveal the company?s ability to absorb and utilise OSNs as a key factor in improving the productive efficiency. This paper presents a model for assessing the strategic performance of the presence and activity in OSN.

A friendly online C compiler to improve programming skills based on student self-assessment

This paper presents an online C compiler designed so that students can program their practical assignments in Programming courses. What is really innovative is the self-assessment of the exercises based on black-box tests and train students’ skill to test software. Moreover, this tool lets instructors, not only proposing and classifying practical exercises, but also evaluating automatically the efforts dedicated and the results obtained by the students. The system has been applied to the 1st-year students at the Industrial Engineering specialization at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid. Results show that the students obtained better academic performance, reducing the failure rate in the practical exam considerably with respect to previous years, in addition that an anonymous survey proved that students are satisfied with the system because they get instant feedback about their programs.

Assessment of Web Content Accessibility Levels in Spanish Official Online Education Environments

Diversity-based designing, or the goal of ensuring that web-based information is accessible to as many diverse users as possible, has received growing international acceptance in recent years, with many countries introducing legislation to enforce it. This paper analyses web content accessibility levels in Spanish education portals according to the international guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Additionally, it suggests the calculation of an inaccessibility rate as a tool for measuring the degree of non-compliance with WAI Guidelines 2.0 as well as illustrating the significant gap that separates people with disabilities from digital education environments (with a 7.77% average). A total of twenty-one educational web portals with two different web depth levels (42 sampling units) were assessed for this purpose using the automated analysis tool Web Accessibility Test 2.0 (TAW, for its initials in Spanish). The present study reveals a general trend towards non-compliance with the technical accessibility recommendations issued by the W3C-WAI group (97.62% of the websites examined present mistakes in Level A conformance). Furthermore, despite the increasingly high number of legal and regulatory measures about accessibility, their practical application still remains unsatisfactory. A greater level of involvement must be assumed in order to raise awareness and enhance training efforts towards accessibility in the context of collective Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), since this represents not only a necessity but also an ethical, social, political and legal commitment to be assumed by society.

The Importance of Foreign Language Skills in the Labour Markets of Central and Eastern Europe: An assessment based on data from online job portals. CEPS Special Report No. 129/January 2016

In a globalised world, knowledge of foreign languages is an important skill. Especially in Europe, with its 24 official languages and its countless regional and minority languages, foreign language skills are a key asset in the labour market. Earlier research shows that over half of the EU27 population is able to speak at least one foreign language, but there is substantial national variation. This study is devoted to a group of countries known as the Visegrad Four, which comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Although the supply of foreign language skills in these countries appears to be well-documented, less is known about the demand side. In this study, we therefore examine the demand for foreign language skills on the Visegrad labour markets, using information extracted from online job portals. We find that English is the most requested foreign language in the region, and the demand for English language skills appears to go up as occupations become increasingly complex. Despite the cultural, historical and economic ties with their German-speaking neighbours, German is the second-most-in-demand foreign language in the region. Interestingly, in this case there is no clear link with the complexity of an occupation. Other languages, such as French, Spanish and Russian, are hardly requested. These findings have important policy implications with regards to the education and training offered in schools, universities and job centres.

Assessment of motor speech disorders online: A pilot study

We have conducted a preliminary validation of an Internet-based telehealth application for assessing motor speech disorders in adults with acquired neurological impairment. The videoconferencing module used NetMeeting software to provide realtime videoconferencing through a 128 kbit/s Internet link, as well as the transfer of store-and-forward video and audio data from the participant to the clinician. Ten participants with dysarthria following acquired brain injury were included in the study. An assessment of the overall severity of the speech disturbance was made for each participant face to face (FTF) and in the online environment, in addition, a 23-item version of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment (FDA) (which measures motor speech function) and the Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (ASSIDS) (which gives the percentage word and sentence intelligibility, words per minute and a rating of communication efficiency) were administered in both environments. There was a 90% level of agreement between the two assessment environments for the rating of overall severity of dysarthria. A 70-100% level of agreement was achieved for 17 (74%) of the 23 FDA variables. On the ASSIDS there was a significant difference between the FTF and online assessments only for percentage word intelligibility. These findings suggest that Internet-based assessment has potential as a reliable method for assessing motor speech disorders.

South West College: A whole-college approach to online learning and assessment

In 2013, South West College created a virtual college running synchronously alongside the physical college. Three years later, significant progress has been made towards offering online learning and assessment to learners based at home and abroad.

Employment testing online, offline, and over the phone: implications for e-assessment

This research investigated faking across test administration modes in an employment testing scenario. For the first time, phone administration was included. Participants (N = 91) were randomly allocated to testing mode (telephone, Internet, or pen-and-paper). Participants completed a personality measure under standard instructions and then under instructions to fake as an ideal police applicant. No significant difference in any faked personality domains as a function of administration mode was found. Effect sizes indicated that the influence of administration mode was small. Limitations and future directions are considered. Overall, results indicate that if an individual intends to fake on a self-report test in a vocational assessment scenario, the electronic administration mode in which the test is delivered may be unimportant.

AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF USER ONLINE SECURITY BEHAVIOR: EVIDENCE FROM A UNIVERSITY

The ever-increasing number and severity of cybersecurity breaches makes it vital to understand the factors that make organizations vulnerable. Since humans are considered the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain of an organization, this study evaluates users’ individual differences (demographic factors, risk-taking preferences, decision-making styles and personality traits) to understand online security behavior. This thesis studies four different yet tightly related online security behaviors that influence organizational cybersecurity: device securement, password generation, proactive awareness and updating. A survey (N=369) of students, faculty and staff in a large mid-Atlantic U.S. public university identifies individual characteristics that relate to online security behavior and characterizes the higher-risk individuals that pose threats to the university’s cybersecurity. Based on these findings and insights from interviews with phishing victims, the study concludes with recommendations to help similat organizations increase end-user cybersecurity compliance and mitigate the risks caused by humans in the organizational cybersecurity chain.

Using online peer assessment tools to provide feedback and promote learning

A set of slides used for the RAP SIG event on 19 Jan 2017