Firat Batmaz

Selection of touch gestures for children’s applications: repeated experiment to increase reliability

The touch-screen revolution is not restricted to adults only. Parents find games and educational applications running on touch-screen devices and purchase them for their children. Therefore, very young children are playing with and exploring these touch-screen devices. For any one device there can be hundreds of applications for the parents to choose from, so it is likely that the selection of applications is based on advertisements and recommendations. There is a large range of gestures available on multi-touch devices and there is very little known about the relationship between the age of a child and the gestures that they can master. This research focuses on the iPad device and children aged between 2 to 4 years old and investigate which gestures the children in that age group can manage. The results of the research, therefore, could be used to form guidelines for the design of gesture-based software for very young children.

Personalised feedback with semi-automated assessment tool for conceptual database model

Abstract The increased presence of diagram-type student work in higher education has recently attracted researchers to look into the automation of diagram marking. This paper intro duces web-based diagram drawing and marking tools for a new (semi-automatic) assessment approach. The approach reduces the number of diagram components marked by the human marker and provides individualised and detailed feedback to students. The tools have been used in tutorials of a first year database module in the Computer Science department at Loughborough University are described together with findings from the usage of the tools.

Bridging the edtech evidence gap: A realist evaluation framework refined for complex technology initiatives

Purpose – There are five factors acting as a barrier to the effective evaluation of educational technology (edtech), which are as follows: premature timing, inappropriate techniques, rapid change, complexity of context and inconsistent terminology. The purpose of this paper is to identify new evaluation approaches that will address these and reflect on the evaluation imperative for complex technology initiatives. Approach – An initial investigation of traditional evaluative approaches used within the technology domain was broadened to investigate the evaluation practices within social and public policy domains. Realist evaluation, a branch of theory-based evaluation, was identified and reviewed in detail. The realist approach was then refined, proposing two additional necessary steps to support mapping the technical complexity of initiatives. Findings – A refined illustrative example of a realist evaluation framework is presented, including two novel architectural edtech domain reference models to support...

Drawing and Marking Graph Diagrams

Abstract The marking of graph diagrams (that is to say diagrams that are composed of nodes, possibly joined by edges) is tedious if the diagrams are presented on paper. If the key content of the diagrams is available in electronic form then the marking can be much more efficient. This is achieved because the tutor only has to mark each different diagram element once and this mark is transmitted to all diagrams that contain the element. This benefit to the tutor is obtained by requiring the students to use a diagram drawing program of some kind. However, using such an editor can simplify the process for the students by allowing them to concentrate more on the problem and less on its graphical representation. The students can also be rewarded for going to this extra effort by receiving a much more detailed, personalised commentary on their work than would have been possible before, given the same amount of tutor time. The evolution of a drag-and-drop diagram editor specialised for the area of ER diagrams and an associated marking system with a simple but effective feedback mechanism is presented. Some results from initial trials are included together with some ideas for improvement and extension.

Utilizing a realist evaluative research approach to investigate complex technology implementations: An e-learning lecture capture exemplar

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a theory-driven realist evaluative research approach to better understand complex technology implementations in organizations. Design/methodology/approach An institution wide e-learning implementation of lecture capture (LC), within a UK University, was chosen, and a realist evaluation framework was used, tailored for educational technology. The research was conducted over four, increasingly focused, evaluation cycles combining engagement analytics, user interviews and theory to refine what works (or does not work), for whom, in which contexts and why. Findings Despite explicit demand and corresponding investment, overall student engagement is lower than expected. Increased student use appears linked to particular staff attitudes and behaviours and not to specific disciplines or course content. The main benefits of LC are providing reassurance to the majority, aiding revision and understanding for the many and enabling catch-up for the few. Recommendations for future research are based on some unexpected outcomes uncovered, including evolving detrimental student behaviours, policy development based on technological determinism and future learner-centred system development for next-generation LC technologies. Practical implications The realist approach taken, and evaluation framework used, can be adopted (and adapted) for future evaluative research. Domain specific reference models, categorizing people and technology, supported analysis across multiple contexts. Originality/value This study responds to a call for more theory-based research in the field of educational technology. The authors demonstrate that a theory-driven approach provides real and practical recommendations for institutions and allows for greater insight into the political, economic and social complexity of technology implementation.

The urgent need for an enforced awareness programme to create internet security awareness in nigeria

Although the Internet offers an endless list of services and opportunities, it is also accompanied by many risks, of which many Internet users may not be aware of the dangers. As such, various countries have developed and implemented cyber-security awareness measures to counter this. However, there is currently a definite lack in this regard in Nigeria, as there are currently, little government-led and sponsored Internet security awareness initiatives. Also, a security illiterate person will not know of the need to search for these awareness programmes online, particularly in Nigerias case where personal information security may not be an overly important issue for citizens. This paper therefore, is to establish the need for an enforced Internet security awareness programme for Nigeria that would assist in creating a cyber-secure culture in Nigeria among all of the users of the Internet.

A new marking technique in semi-automated assessment

The number of students learning programming languages in higher education and secondary schools has substantially increased, especially in the last decade. The increasing number of (novice) programmers makes code script assessment more important. Thus, this study proposes a new marking technique based on a semi-automated assessment approach. It advocates providing detailed and consistent feedback for novice programmers based on formative assessment. An experiment was carried out to check the feasibility of the proposed marking technique. The initial results and findings show that this is a potentially valuable approach.

Privacy and data protection in E-commerce: The effectiveness of a government regulation approach in developing nations, using Nigeria as a case

The emergence of e-commerce has brought about many benefits to a countrys economy and individuals, but the openness of the Internet has given rise misuse of personal data. Several countries have enacted legislations and procedures to protect the information privacy of their citizens and corporations. However, many developing countries, such as Nigeria are yet to enact any procedures, despite the high level of identity theft and online fraud. Different approaches to data privacy and protection are found in different countries. These can be generally categorised as the self-regulation approach, as used in the United States and the government approach, as used in the United Kingdom. This paper investigates the reasons why developed countries adopt a system for data protection. The paper then focuses on the reason why the government approach may not be applicable successfully in developing country using Nigeria as a case study. This is done by identifying the issues affecting data protection in the developing country and then evaluating the United Kingdoms Information Commissioners Office (ICO) dispute resolution, enforcement and compliance monitoring processes for their applicability in Nigeria. Benchmarks developed by the Australian government for Industry-Based Customer Dispute Resolution Schemes provide a suitable mechanism for evaluation.