Changes and Shifts in Computing Curricula

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2015

The Positive Effect of Using the Integral Approach for Improving Quality of Learning and Students' motivation

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2015

The Methodology of the Subsistence Minimum Calculation for Developing Countries and its Computation on the Georgian Example

This article shows the social importance of subsistence minimum in Georgia. The methodology of its calculation is also shown. We propose ways of improving the calculation of subsistence minimum in Georgia and how to extend it for other developing countries. The weights of food and non-food expenditures in the subsistence minimum baskets are essential in these calculations. Daily consumption value of the minimum food basket has been calculated too. The average consumer expenditures on food supply and the other expenditures to the share are considered in dynamics. Our methodology of the subsistence minimum calculation is applied for the case of Georgia. However, it can be used for similar purposes based on data from other developing countries, where social stability is achieved, and social inequalities are to be actualized. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): H.5.3, J.1, J.4, G.3.

Model Mining and Efficient Verification of Software Product Lines

Software product line modeling aims at capturing a set of software products in an economic yet meaningful way. We introduce a class of variability models that capture the sharing between the software artifacts forming the products of a software product line (SPL) in a hierarchical fashion, in terms of commonalities and orthogonalities. Such models are useful when analyzing and verifying all products of an SPL, since they provide a scheme for divide-and-conquer-style decomposition of the analysis or verification problem at hand. We define an abstract class of SPLs for which variability models can be constructed that are optimal w.r.t. the chosen representation of sharing. We show how the constructed models can be fed into a previously developed algorithmic technique for compositional verification of control-flow temporal safety properties, so that the properties to be verified are iteratively decomposed into simpler ones over orthogonal parts of the SPL, and are not re-verified over the shared parts. We provide tool support for our technique, and evaluate our tool on a small but realistic SPL of cash desks.

Crump-Mode-Jagers Branching Process: Modelling and Application for Human Population

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60J85, 92D25.

Low Volatility Options and Numerical Diffusion of Finite Difference Schemes

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 65M06, 65M12.

Double complexes and vanishing of Novikov cohomology

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 18G35; Secondary 55U15.

Teacher’s Presence and Immediacy in e-Learning Classes

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2016

A matter of professionalism? Reflection and reflexivity in continuing engineering education and practice

The argument that this paper sets out to critique is that in order to promote professionalism in Engineering Education and Practice, graduate level engineering programmes need to introduce the concepts of reflection and reflexivity into the curriculum right from the onset. By focusing upon the delivery of a newly developed „Work Based‟ Master’s level programme in Professional Engineering, this paper provides an overview of the first part of an empirical study which sets out to investigate the challenges associated with embedding reflection and reflexivity into Engineering Education. The paper concludes by noting that whilst student engineers may struggle with the concepts of reflection and reflexivity, with support and encouragement such difficulties can be overcome. Moreover, by encouraging students to reflect upon their Professional Practice, the programme not only enables students to consider how they may apply what they have learnt to their Professional Practice, but also encourages them to think about how they can link their experiences as Professional Engineers to what and how they learn both whilst on the programme but also as lifelong learners.

Közgazdaságtan vagy közgazdaság-tudomány? I. rész. A 20. század legfontosabb eredményei (Economics or Economic Science?)

A cikk alapvető kérdése: vajon tudomány-e a közgazdaságtan, és ha igen, akkor tekinthető-e önálló tudománynak. A választ az elmúlt század legfontosabb eredményeiből kiindulva keresi. A szerző arra a következtetésre jut, hogy napjaink főáramú közgazdasági elméletei nagyrészt Ramsey, Neumann és Haavelmo munkáira vezethetők vissza. Tudománnyá válását nagyban elősegítette a matematika és a természettudományok, főleg a fizika eredményeinek alkalmazása. Mindezt Roy E. Weintraub úgynevezett történeti-rekonstrukciós módszerével és Lakatos Imre racionális rekonstrukciója segítségével mutatja meg. / === / The fundamental question of this article is whether economics is a science, and if so, then can it be viewed as an independent science? The search for an answer begins with the most important economic results of the last century. The author comes to the conclusion that the mainstream economic theories of our times can be traced back to the works of Ramsey, Neumann and Haavelmo. e results of mathematics and natural sciences, especially physics greatly contributed to its emergence as a science. All this is proven by means of Roy E. Weintraub’s so called historical reconstruction and Imre Lakatos’ rational reconstruction methods.

Közgazdaságtan vagy közgazdaság-tudomány? II. rész A XX. század legfontosabb eredményei (Economics or economic science? Part 2.)

A cikk alapvető kérdése: vajon tudomány-e a közgazdaságtan, és ha igen, akkor tekinthető-e önálló tudománynak? A választ az elmúlt század legfontosabb közgazdasági eredményeiből kiindulva keresi. A szerző arra a következtetésre jut, hogy napjaink főáramú közgazdasági elméletei nagyrészt Ramsey, Neumann és Haavelmo munkáira vezethetők vissza. Tudománnyá válását nagyban elősegítette a matematika és a természettudományok, főleg a fizika eredményeinek alkalmazása. Mindezt Roy E. Weintraub ún. történeti-rekontrukciós módszerével és Lakatos Imre racionális rekonstrukciója segítségével mutatja meg. ______________ The fundamental question of this article is: wether the economics is science, and if it is, then can it be viewed as an independent science? The answer is looked for starting from the most important economic results of the last century. The author came to the conclusion that the mainstream economic theories of our days can be traced back to the works of Ramsey, Neumann and Haavelmo. The results of mathematics and natural sciences, especially physics greatly contributed to that it became science. All these are proven by means of Roy E. Weintraub’s so called historical reconstruction and Imre Lakatos’ rational reconstruction methods.

Islamist movements at crossroads: the choice between ideology and context-driven approach to politics. Case study on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The aim of the paper is to analyse the ongoing transformation process within the Islamist movements using the example of the moderate Islamic Action Front party in Jordan. The dilemma of participation in the 2010 general elections raised tensions between the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front, and between doves and hawks of the same organizations. Internal debate on the future has started recently among different groups within the Islamist movement in Jordan. The research is based on the author‘s recent field experience in Jordan (April–July 2010, Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the American Centre of Oriental Research, Amman, Jordan). The author also conducted research in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt, where several interviews were carried out with leading and lower level Islamist politicians. The dynamic changes within Islamic Action Front Party in Jordan and its relation with the regime has been used as reference point. The main question of the research was aa how the changing political and regional context shapes decisions of the Islamist with special attention to the acceptance of democratic values and human rights, political participation, and the meanings of Islamic values in the 21st century, possible cooperation with secular parties/movements/the regime.

Teaching Sorting in ICT

This article is aimed at considering how an algorithmic problem - more precisely a sorting problem - can be used in an informatics class in primary and secondary education to make students mobilize the largest possible amount of their intellectual skills in the problem solving process. We will be outlining a method which essentially forces students to utilize their mathematical knowledge besides algorithmization in order to provide an efficient solution. What is more, they are expected to use efficiently a tool that has so far not been associated with creative thinking. Sorting is meant to be just an example, through which our thoughts can easily be demonstrated, but - of course the method of education outlined can be linked to several other algorithmic problems, as well.

Equity policy, educational practice, and limited English proficient (LEP) students in two high schools in Miami

Most studies of language minority students' performance focus on students' characteristics. This study uses qualitative methodology to examine instead how educational policies and practices affect the tracking of language minority students who are classified as limited English proficient (LEP). The placement of LEP students in core courses (English, Math, Social Studies, and Science) is seen as resulting from the interaction between school context and student characteristics. The school context includes factors such as equity policy requirements, overcrowding, attitudes regarding immigrants' academic potential, tracking, and testing practices. Interaction among these factors frequently leads to placement in lower track courses. It was found that the absence of formal tracks could be misleading to immigrant students, particularly those with high aspirations who do not understand the implications of the informal tracking system. Findings are discussed in relation to current theoretical explanations for minority student performance. ^