Joan Arnedo-Moreno

An Integrated Structure for a Virtual Networking Laboratory

A virtual laboratory is a virtual space where students are able to carry out practical activities. This paper presents an integrated structure for a virtual laboratory consisting on nine resources divided into pedagogical, human, and technological factors. Such a structure is based on the experience gained in design and development of virtual laboratories during the past 11 years in a virtual university. The proposed structure has been applied to different virtual laboratories, and this paper presents the special case of a virtual networking laboratory (VNLab) where students can access real networking devices. The VNLab structure described in this paper has been used at the Open University of Catalonia for the Cisco Networking Academic since 2001. Its suitability has been evaluated by the students using a Web questionnaire, and its correctness for the industrial electronics field has been analyzed.

A Literature Review of Gamification Design Frameworks

This paper presents a review of the literature on gamification design frameworks. Gamification, understood as the use of game design elements in other contexts for the purpose of engagement, has become a hot topic in the recent years. However, theres also a cautionary tale to be extracted from Gartners reports on the topic: many gamification-based solutions fail because, mostly, they have been created on a whim, or mixing bits and pieces from game components, without a clear and formal design process. The application of a definite design framework aims to be a path to success. Therefore, before starting the gamification of a process, it is very important to know which frameworks or methods exist and their main characteristics. The present review synthesizes the process of gamification design for a successful engagement experience. This review categorizes existing approaches and provides an assessment of their main features, which may prove invaluable to developers of gamified solutions at different levels and scopes.

A survey on security in JXTA applications

JXTA is an open-source initiative that allows to specify a set of collaboration and communication protocols which enable the creation and deployment of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. This paper provides a survey on its current state regarding the topic of security. The study focuses on the security evaluation of standard peer operations within the JXTA network, highlighting which issues must be seriously taken into account in those applications sensitive to security.

Secure Communication Setup for a P2P-Based JXTA-Overlay Platform

At present, the maturity of the peer-to-peer (P2P) research field has pushed through new problems such as those related with security. For that reason, it is important to provide security mechanisms to P2P systems since security is one of the key issues when evaluating them. The JXTA-Overlay project is an effort to use JXTA technology to cater to a generic set of functionalities that can be used by developers to deploy P2P applications. However, since its design focused on issues such as scalability or overall performance, it did not take security into account. This paper proposes a security framework specifically suited to JXTA-Overlays idiosyncrasies. The main features of the proposal presented in this paper include a completely modular approach which may cater to a broad set of scenarios, an effective secure key distribution method, and a hybrid key-authenticity scheme which balances the need for meaningful information at the end-user level and simplicity at the lower middleware layers.

Experimental Results and Evaluation of SmartBox Stimulation Device in a P2P E-learning System

In this paper, we present the experimental results and evaluation of the SmartBox stimulation device in P2P e-learning system which is based on JXTA-Overlay. We also show the design and implementation of the SmartBox environment that is used for stimulating the learners motivation to increase the learning efficiency. The SmartBox is integrated with our P2P system as a useful tool for monitoring and controlling learners’ activity. We found by experimental results that the SmartBox is an effective way to increase the learner’s concentration. We also investigated the relation between learner’s body movement, concentration, and amount of study. From the experimental results, we conclude that the use of SmartBox is an effective way to stimulate the learners in order to continue studying while maintaining the concentration.

Persistent Interoperable Security for JXTA Advertisements

In order to access resources within a peer-to-peer network, JXTA completely relies in the usage of advertisements published by the resource owner. This may easily lead to DoS or spoofing attacks from malicious peers by forging advertisements with false identifiers unless advertisement authenticity is provided. Furthermore, in a fully distributed environment, in order to truly isolate a malicious node, collaboration is necessary from other peers. For that reason, it must be possible to prove to other parties that a peer is being disruptive. This paper presents a method that provides authenticity and non-repudiation to JXTA advertisements. This scheme is fully distributed and based in a pure peer-to-peer model, not requiring the arbitration of a trusted third party or a previously established trust relationship between peers, which is one of the main challenges under this kind of environments.

Versatile iPad forensic acquisition using the Apple Camera Connection Kit

The Apple iPad is a popular tablet device presented by Apple in early 2010. The idiosyncracies of this new portable device and the kind of data it may store open new opportunities in the field of computer forensics. Given that its design, both internal and external, is very similar to the iPhone, the current easiest way to obtain a forensic image is to install an SSH server and some tools, dump its internal storage and transfer it to a remote host via wireless networking. This approach may require up to 20 hours. In this paper, we present a novel approach that takes advantage of an undocumented feature so that it is possible to use a cheap iPad accessory, the Camera Connection Kit, to image the disk to an external hard drive attached via USB connection, greatly reducing the required time.

Universal, Fast Method for iPad Forensics Imaging via USB Adapter

The Apple iPad is a popular tablet device presented by Apple in early 2010. The idiosyncracies of this new portable device and the kind of data it may store open new opportunities in the field of computer forensics. Given that its design, both internal and external, is very similar to the iPhone, the current easiest way to obtain a forensic image is to install an ssh server and some tools, dump its internal storage and transfer it to a remote host via wireless networking. This approach may require up to 20 hours. In this paper, we present a novel approach that takes advantage of an undocumented feature so it is possible to use a cheap iPadaccessory, the Camera Connection Kit, to image the disk to an external hard drive attached via USB connection, greatly reducing the required time.

Gamification: a systematic review of design frameworks

Learner’s motivation difficulties are recognized as a problem in diverse educational scenarios, reaching up to university degrees. Among other techniques that are often applied by instructors to counteract this issue, those related to the use of gaming elements seem to very promising. In this context, considering the use of game-like properties in learning scenarios, known as gamification, has received increasing interest by academia in recent years. However, its application in higher education can be challenging, due to some unwanted effects caused by the lack of proven design methodologies have been detected. Choosing the adequate formal process for gamification design has become an important success requirement. This work presents a systematic review of the gamification design frameworks discussed in the literature, providing a useful resource to educational practitioners as well as gamification designers and researchers. A total of 2314 unique works are initially recorded, based on queries in databases, libraries, journals and search engines. After applying a systematic filtering process, a definitive list of 40 works is more closely analysed. Next to review over relevant literature, an assessment of the main features found in the discussed approaches is given, while also categorizing them according to their main application field and its suitability in higher educational environments.

A Behavioral Biometrics Based and Machine Learning Aided Framework for Academic Integrity in E-Assessment

The common approaches to academic integrity in the e-learning environment are resource-intensive and require technology and/or dedicated invigilation staff to monitor assessment activities. These approaches are observational and often external to the learning spaces where the majority of the instructional content resides. Authentic assessments such as discussions, projects and portfolios may not always undergo the same scrutiny as high-stakes examinations and therefore differ in the level of identity and authorship assurance they provide. In this paper, we propose an integrated approach to enhancing academic integrity of e-assessments. The approach is based on behavioral biometrics and aided by machine-learning techniques. It provides continuous identity and authorship assurance throughout the learning activities within the existing learning space. It can be applied to measure the degree of learner collaboration with peers and interaction with the course content, concurrently verifying learner identity and validating authorship of the academic artifacts. We present the preliminary results and discuss future directions.