August Climent

An Input/Output Semantics for Distributed Program Equivalence Reasoning

A new notion of input/output equivalence of distributed imperative programs, with synchronous communications, is introduced. It preserves the input/output relation, encompassing both, initial/final state and communication channel values. For its mathematical justification, the semantic framework of Manna and Pnueli, based on finite transition systems and reduced behaviors, is extended with the notion of input/output behavior. A set of laws for the equivalence is overviewed. A deduction rule for the substitution of references to input/output equivalent procedures is defined and justified in the new semantics. The rule is applied to decompose distributed program simplification proofs, introduced in a prior work, which use the laws to establish the equivalence between a sequential and a parallel communicating program. They include communication elimination as one of their steps. An outline of one of such proofs, for a pipelined processor model, is included.

Motivation assessment in engineering students using hybrid technologies for 3D visualization

This paper describes the integration of hybrid interfaces in the workflow using three-dimensional models, and presents the results of a preliminary study based on the profile and the student motivation. The study is conducted with first year Building Engineering degree students in order to use mobile technologies, augmented reality (AR) and digital sketching (DS) in different case studies. The resources developed combine traditional methods with interactive visualization of building and civil virtual models using mobile devices to show this type of content with the purpose of enhancing the students visualization and their spatial skills and motivation. We have used a mixed method research with quantitative evaluations, and personal qualitative assessment. The conclusions show us a positive student motivation to use this technology and the preliminary results show us an improvement of their academic results.

Engineering teaching methods using hybrid technologies based on the motivation and assessment of student's profiles

This paper describes the evolution and integration of hybrid interfaces in the visualization of three-dimensional models, and presents the results of a preliminary study based on the profile and the student motivation. The study is conducted with first and second year Building Engineering degree students in order to incorporate the augmented reality technology in different subjects and case studies. The resources developed combine traditional methods with interactive visualization of complex virtual models and mobile systems to present this type of content with the purpose of enhancing the students visualization and spatial analysis skills and their motivation. We have used a mixed method research with quantitative evaluations (using a pre and post-test), and personal qualitative assessment (using the Bipolar Laddering technic) to further strengthen the results. In general, the student motivation to use this technology at classroom is positive and the preliminary results show us an improvement of their academic results, a confirmation of the adequacy of the method.

Communication and Parallelism Introduction and Elimination in Imperative Concurrent Programs

Transformation rules of imperative concurrent programs, based on congruence and refinement relations between statements, are presented. They introduce and/or eliminate synchronous communication statements and parallelism in these programs. The development is made within a subset of SPL, a good representative of imperative notations for concurrent and reactive programs introduced by Manna and Pnueli. The paper shows that no finite set of transformation rules suffices to eliminate synchronous communication statements from programs involving the concatenation and parallelism operators only. An infinite set is given to suit this purpose, which can be applied recursively. As an important complement for the applications, a collection of tactics, for the acceleration of broader transformations, is described. Tactics apply a sequence of rules to a program witha specific transformation objective. The transformation rules and the tactics could be used in formal design to derive new programs from verified ones, preserving their properties, and avoiding the repetition of verifications for the transformed programs. As an example, the formal parallelization of a non-trivial distributed fast Fourier transform algorithm is outlined.

Learning4Work. Designing a New Evaluation System Based on Scenario Centered Curriculum Methodology: The Pre-test

This paper aims to provide the theoretical framework and methodology for the definition of data collection tools designed to assess the effectiveness and impact of training envisaged by the LEARNING4WORK project. This project is based on the development of learning strategies within the framework of Vocation Training, in order to improve learning processes and make them more applicable in the real working world while minimizing the number of student drop-outs. Learning methods are re-conceptualized through the use of immersive worlds and role and project-orientated-learning. Scenario Centered Curriculum (SCC) was applied to promote the acquisition and development of international cooperation skills through the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and systems. The paper focuses on the design process of the evaluation initial questionnaires (or Pre-test), starting from the theoretical framework established in the field of learning in formal, informal and non-formal educational contexts, applied to an innovative vision of education and training, centered on the learner’s future professional role.

Improving computational skills and curriculum of vocational training students. case study: technological behaviour of pharmacy students in a digital marketing course

Nowadays, the curricular needs of the students from Vocational Training have to adapt to all kinds of content in order to improve their future professional integration. In this sense, the technology knowledge is essential in any work environment. However, the introduction of these curricular features in certain non-technological academic areas may not be trivial and not guarantees its efficacy. The main aim of this article focuses in develop an implementation proposal and its analysis according to the profiles and motivation of the students, evaluating if this innovative proposal improves the satisfaction and the academic results of the students. It has been tested in two different groups of students in Pharmacy and Para-pharmacy technician, and Technician of assistance for people in situation of dependency, both trained in a course of Digital Marketing. As demonstrated in the results, the experience has been positive, and demonstrated how the approach can be adapted to non-technological profiles without many problems.

Technological needs calling for the application of coaching in university advising: functional proposal

Starting university studies in the field of engineering represents a significant change of habits of study for the majority of students. Throughout this new educational stage, the work of the academic tutor (or advisor) is essential for guiding and accompanying the student. This process should help to prevent problems such as the frustration and insecurity that can appear, mainly among students in the early stages of their studies and usually after the first tests. In this context, resources and techniques from the field of coaching are very useful for the tutor, as those resources influence the student to reflect and be more aware of the situation in which he/she is living. The objective of these processes is for the student to be more qualified to take the appropriate decisions with greater discretion, motivation and responsibility. This paper presents a first approach in the process of applying coaching techniques in the tutoring of students in their first course of engineering, and subsequently presents the design, at the functional level of a technological application, that would make it possible to use resources of the coaching to tutors without a deep formation in coaching.

Formal Sequentialization of Distributed Systems via Program Rewriting

Formal sequentialization is introduced as a rewriting process for the reduction of parallelism and internal communication statements of distributed imperative programs. It constructs an equivalence proof in an implicit way, via the application of equivalence laws as rewrite rules, thus generating a chain of equivalent programs. The variety of the possible sequentialization degrees which are attainable is illustrated with an example. The approach is static, thus avoiding the state explosion problem, has an impressive state-vector reduction in many cases, and could be combined, as a model simplification step, with model checking and interactive theorem proving in system verification. Prior grounding results needed in formal sequentialization are overviewed; more specifically, an algorithm for the automatic elimination of communications under the scope of sequential and parallel compositions, elimination laws which the algorithm applies, and a suitable equivalence criterion for the sequentialization process. The main contribution of this work is the extension of these results to encompass the formal elimination of both synchronous communications embedded within a subclass of selection statements, and of non-disjoint synchronous communication pairs. None of these cases has been treated in the literature before, and their solution considerably widens the application domain of formal sequentialization.

Formal communication elimination and sequentialization equivalence proofs for distributed system models

Equivalence reasoning with distributed system models, expressed directly as imperative programs with explicit parallelism, communication operations, storage variables and boolean conditions, remains virtually unexplored. Only reasoning with models expressed as process algebras has been amply dealt with in literature. However, these formalisms do not contemplate either storage variables or Boolean conditions as fundamental items, although these items become essential in most situations. This article develops the foundation of the until now non existent theory of equivalence reasoning with the aforementioned imperative notation and two novel equivalence proof techniques: communication elimination and sequentialization. The development is grounded on state systems and transition interleavings, as treated by Manna and Pnueli. Equivalence proofs safely transform a model via the application of a sequence of equivalence laws; aiming to obtain an equivalent model which is purely sequential, free from internal communication operations and parallelism, as a simplification of the initial model. After this, verification of the original model can be carried out, indirectly, in the simplified model, thus reducing complexity. Some of the presented novel notions are: (1) modular procedure for decomposition of both models and proofs, (2) interface behavior for statement semantics, (3) interface equivalence between behaviors, between statements and between procedures, (4) a set of communication elimination laws and (5) substitution rules of procedure references by their bodies or by references to equivalent procedures. An elimination proof construction algorithm is also presented; when it terminates, deadlock freedom of the original model can be decided. The main design lines of a computer aided equivalence reasoning tool are outlined as well. This is the foundation for a more widely applicable tool. As an illustration, the sequentialization proof of a simplified pipelined processor is overviewed. It is modeled as a distributed system with procedures and two levels of parallelism. The model obtained at the end of the equivalence proof is the sequential loop of a Von Neumann processor. This result establishes that the original model is deadlock-free, behaves as a processor and, as a consequence, the partition of processor functions among parallel processes is correct. The ratio of the upper bounds on the number of states of the final over the initial models,