Pioneering new ways of offering learning assistance

In 1995 Griffith University undertook a review of the provision of learning assistance for undergraduate students across its five campuses. One outcome of that review was the introduction of a multi-campus, computer-based, delivery system intended to support broader learning assistance activities. This paper describes the delivery system and the learning assistance resources and shares feedback from students and staff who engaged with the resources in semester one 1997. Highlighted are some broader issues associated with increasing the flexibility and accessibility of learning assistance to a larger, more diverse student population.

How do the learning outcomes of students compare in units with different levels of practical work? A comparative study about the relation between Problem-­Based Learning and assessment approaches

The literature supporting the notion that active, student-centered learning is superior to passive, teacher-centered instruction is encyclopedic (Bonwell & Eison, 1991; Bruning, Schraw, & Ronning, 1999; Haile, 1997a, 1997b, 1998; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1999). Previous action research demonstrated that introducing a learning activity in class improved the learning outcomes of students (Mejias, 2010). People acquire knowledge and skills through practice and reflection, not by watching and listening to others telling them how to do something. In this context, this project aims to find more insights about the level of interactivity in the curriculum a class should have and its alignment with assessment so the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) are achieved. In this project, interactivity is implemented in the form of problem- based learning (PBL). I present the argument that a more continuous formative feedback when implemented with the correct amount of PBL stimulates student engagement bringing enormous benefits to student learning. Different levels of practical work (PBL) were implemented together with two different assessment approaches in two subjects. The outcomes were measured using qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the levels of student engagement and satisfaction in the terms of ILOs.

Self-determination theory as applied to the design of a software learning system using whole-body controls

Whole-body computer control interfaces present new opportunities to engage children with games for learning. Stomp is a suite of educational games that use such a technology, allowing young children to use their whole body to interact with a digital environment projected on the floor. To maximise the effectiveness of this technology, tenets of self-determination theory (SDT) are applied to the design of Stomp experiences. By meeting user needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness our aim is to increase children's engagement with the Stomp learning platform. Analysis of Stomp's design suggests that these tenets are met. Observations from a case study of Stomp being used by young children show that they were highly engaged and motivated by Stomp. This analysis demonstrates that continued application of SDT to Stomp will further enhance user engagement. It also is suggested that SDT, when applied more widely to other whole-body multi-user interfaces, could instil similar positive effects.

OpenRatSLAM : an open source brain-based SLAM system

RatSLAM is a navigation system based on the neural processes underlying navigation in the rodent brain, capable of operating with low resolution monocular image data. Seminal experiments using RatSLAM include mapping an entire suburb with a web camera and a long term robot delivery trial. This paper describes OpenRatSLAM, an open-source version of RatSLAM with bindings to the Robot Operating System framework to leverage advantages such as robot and sensor abstraction, networking, data playback, and visualization. OpenRatSLAM comprises connected ROS nodes to represent RatSLAM’s pose cells, experience map, and local view cells, as well as a fourth node that provides visual odometry estimates. The nodes are described with reference to the RatSLAM model and salient details of the ROS implementation such as topics, messages, parameters, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and parameter tuning strategies. The performance of the system is demonstrated on three publicly available open-source datasets.

Kerberos based security system for session initiation protocol

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is developed to provide advanced voice services over IP networks. SIP unites telephony and data world, permitting telephone calls to be transmitted over Intranets and Internet. Increase in network performance and new mechanisms for guaranteed quality of service encourage this consolidation to provide toll cost savings. Security comes up as one of the most important issues when voice communication and critical voice applications are considered. Not only the security methods provided by traditional telephony systems, but also additional methods are required to overcome security risks introduced by the public IP networks. SIP considers security problems of such a consolidation and provides a security framework. There are several security methods defined within SIP specifications and extensions. But, suggested methods can not solve all the security problems of SIP systems with various system requirements. In this thesis, a Kerberos based solution is proposed for SIP security problems, including SIP authentication and privacy. The proposed solution tries to establish flexible and scalable SIP system that will provide desired level of security for voice communications and critical telephony applications.

Development of a computer based 1D-2D dynamic flood model. Case study of the Pagsangaan river basin in Leyte, the Philippines

Floods are among the most devastating events that affect primarily tropical, archipelagic countries such as the Philippines. With the current predictions of climate change set to include rising sea levels, intensification of typhoon strength and a general increase in the mean annual precipitation throughout the Philippines, it has become paramount to prepare for the future so that the increased risk of floods on the country does not translate into more economic and human loss. Field work and data gathering was done within the framework of an internship at the former German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in cooperation with the Local Government Unit of Ormoc City, Leyte, The Philippines, in order to develop a dynamic computer based flood model for the basin of the Pagsangaan River. To this end, different geo-spatial analysis tools such as PCRaster and ArcGIS, hydrological analysis packages and basic engineering techniques were assessed and implemented. The aim was to develop a dynamic flood model and use the development process to determine the required data, availability and impact on the results as case study for flood early warning systems in the Philippines. The hope is that such projects can help to reduce flood risk by including the results of worst case scenario analyses and current climate change predictions into city planning for municipal development, monitoring strategies and early warning systems. The project was developed using a 1D-2D coupled model in SOBEK (Deltares Hydrological modelling software package) and was also used as a case study to analyze and understand the influence of different factors such as land use, schematization, time step size and tidal variation on the flood characteristics. Several sources of relevant satellite data were compared, such as Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from ASTER and SRTM data, as well as satellite rainfall data from the GIOVANNI server (NASA) and field gauge data. Different methods were used in the attempt to partially calibrate and validate the model to finally simulate and study two Climate Change scenarios based on scenario A1B predictions. It was observed that large areas currently considered not prone to floods will become low flood risk (0.1-1 m water depth). Furthermore, larger sections of the floodplains upstream of the Lilo- an’s Bridge will become moderate flood risk areas (1 - 2 m water depth). The flood hazard maps created for the development of the present project will be presented to the LGU and the model will be used to create a larger set of possible flood prone areas related to rainfall intensity by GTZ’s Local Disaster Risk Management Department and to study possible improvements to the current early warning system and monitoring of the basin section belonging to Ormoc City; recommendations about further enhancement of the geo-hydro-meteorological data to improve the model’s accuracy mainly on areas of interest will also be presented at the LGU.

Using collaborative and activity-based learning for engaging IT students

Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain students. These methods have been adopted within the Science and Engineering Faculty of Queensland University of Technology for use in its Science, Information Technology and Engineering degrees. This paper describes the adoption and application of these techniques in a specific first year unit in a new Bachelor of Information Technology degree which has majors in Computer Science and Information Systems. The paper reports on the design, development and implementation of this foundation subject and discusses how it uses active and collaborative learning to teach design thinking through a series of design challenges, and how it uses critiquing and reflection to ensure that students become more aware of design and team processes.

An RFID-based traceability system

Traceability system in the food supply chain is becoming more necessary. RFID and EPCglobal Network Standards are emerging technologies that bring new opportunities to develop the high performance traceability system. This research proposes the analysis, design, and development of the RFID and EPCglobal Network Standards based traceability system that adheres to the requirements of global food traceability in terms of completeness of traceability information. The additional components, including lot management system and electronic transaction management system, encourage the traditional system in order to fulfill the missing information. The proposed system was developed and applied in a rice supply chain. Results from experimentation showed that the additional components can significantly improve the completeness of traceability information. The collaboration between EPCglobal Network Standards and electronic transaction management system can improve the performances in RFID operations.

Engaging nursing students in a bioscience unit using a web-based response system, GoSoapBox

Nursing students used GoSoapBox, a web-based student response system to poll responses to multiple choice questions (MCQs) presented during bioscience lectures. Participation in GoSoapBox appears to have facilitated student engagement, interaction and learning. The majority of students surveyed appreciated the immediate feedback to the student responses and being able to participate anonymously. The use of this tool facilitated collaborative group and class discussion and clarification around any misconceptions or challenging concepts. Information collected using GoSoapBox provided the academic with feedback allowing for reflection, adjustment and improvement in framing of formative and summative MCQs.

Engaging nursing students in a bioscience unit using a web-based response system, GoSoapBox

Nursing students used GoSoapBox, a web-based student response system to poll responses to multiple choice questions (MCQs) presented during bioscience lectures. Participation in GoSoapBox appears to have facilitated student engagement, interaction and learning. The majority of students surveyed appreciated the immediate feedback to the student responses and being able to participate anonymously. The use of this tool facilitated collaborative group and class discussion and clarification around any misconceptions or challenging concepts. Information collected using GoSoapBox provided the academic with feedback allowing for reflection, adjustment and improvement in framing of formative and summative MCQs.

Enhancing the learning experiences through Industry-Based Learning from Indonesian university perspective

This paper investigates how students’ learning experience can be enhanced by participating in the Industry-Based Learning (IBL) program. In this program, the university students coming into the industry to experience how the business is run. The students’ learning media is now not coming from the textbooks or the lecturers but from learning by doing. This new learning experience could be very interesting for students but at the same time could also be challenging. The research involves interviewing a number of students from the IBL programs, the academic staff from the participated university who has experience in supervising students and the employees of the industry who supported and supervised the students in their work placements. The research findings offer useful insights and create new knowledge in the field of education and learning. The research contributes to the existing knowledge by providing a new understanding of the topic as it applied to the Indonesian context.

Realisation of University-Industry Collaboration through Industry-Based Learning at Indonesian Higher Education

The collaboration between universities and industries has become increasingly important for the development of Science and Technology. This is particularly more prominent in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Literature suggest that the key element of University-Industry Partnership (UIP) is the exchange of knowledge that is mutually beneficial for both parties. One real example of the collaborations is Industry-Based Learning (IBL) in which university students are coming into industries to experience and learn how the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom are implemented in work places. This paper investigate how the University-Industry Collaboration program is implemented though Industry-Based Learning (IBL) at Indonesian Universities. The research findings offer useful insights and create a new knowledge in the field of STEM education and collaborative learning. The research will contribute to existing knowledge by providing empirical understanding of this topic. The outcomes can be used to improve the quality of University-Industry Partnership programs at Indonesian Universities and inform Indonesian higher education authorities and their industrial partners of an alternative approach to enhance their IBL programs.

A neural network based CBIR system using STI features and relevance feedback

Multimedia mining primarily involves, information analysis and retrieval based on implicit knowledge. The ever increasing digital image databases on the Internet has created a need for using multimedia mining on these databases for effective and efficient retrieval of images. Contents of an image can be expressed in different features such as Shape, Texture and Intensity-distribution(STI). Content Based Image Retrieval(CBIR) is an efficient retrieval of relevant images from large databases based on features extracted from the image. Most of the existing systems either concentrate on a single representation of all features or linear combination of these features. The paper proposes a CBIR System named STIRF (Shape, Texture, Intensity-distribution with Relevance Feedback) that uses a neural network for nonlinear combination of the heterogenous STI features. Further the system is self-adaptable to different applications and users based upon relevance feedback. Prior to retrieval of relevant images, each feature is first clustered independent of the other in its own space and this helps in matching of similar images. Testing the system on a database of images with varied contents and intensive backgrounds showed good results with most relevant images being retrieved for a image query. The system showed better and more robust performance compared to existing CBIR systems