Josep Prieto-Blázquez

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.

What is the future of mobile learning in education

The evolution of wireless technologies and the development of applications for mobile devices in higher education have been spectacular. For many educators, mobile technology in the field of teaching and learning has recently become one of the most important areas of research. Today, mobile learning is a strategic topic for many organizations concerned with education. In the future, more research should be conducted to transform education using mobile learning. The advent of new types of devices is disruptive to education, no matter what educators and education institutions do. Therefore, a thorough analysis, from a pedagogical and technological perspective, is key to ensuring appropriate usage and implementation of mobile learning.This Special Section of RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal presents a general overview of successful mobile learning experiences in higher education. Its aim is to share best practices and create new opportunities in universities. These mobile applications will add another layer to the learning and teaching processes.ResumenLas tecnologías inalámbricas y las aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles en la educación superior han experimentado un crecimiento espectacular. Para muchos educadores, la tecnología móvil en el campo de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje se ha convertido en uno de los principales ámbitos de investigación. Hoy, el aprendizaje móvil es un ámbito estratégico para muchas organizaciones que tienen competencias educativas. En el futuro, habrá que intensificar las investigaciones para transformar la educación mediante el aprendizaje móvil. La aparición de nuevos tipos de dispositivos plantea problemas para la educación, independientemente de lo que hagan el personal docente y las instituciones educativas. Por lo tanto, es esencial llevar a cabo un análisis, desde una perspectiva tecnológica y pedagógica, para garantizar el uso y la implementación apropiados. Esta sección especial de RUSC. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento presenta una visión general de experiencias exitosas de aprendizaje móvil en la educación superior. El objetivo es compartir buenas prácticas y crear nuevas oportunidades en las universidades. Estas aplicaciones móviles añadirán un nuevo estrato a los procesos de aprendizaje y enseñanza.

Virtual Laboratory ontology for engineering education

Virtual laboratories are an indispensable space for developing practical activities in a virtual environment. In the field of computer and software engineering different types of practical activities have to be performed in order to obtain basic competences which are impossible to achieve by other means. This paper specifies an ontology for a general virtual laboratory. The proposed ontology provides a mechanism to select the best resources needed in a virtual laboratory once a specific practical activity has been defined and the main competences that students have to achieve in the learning process have been fixed. Furthermore, the proposed ontology can be used to develop an automatic and wizard tool that creates a Moodle classroom using the practical activity specification and the related competences.

A Virtual Laboratory Structure for Developing Programming Labs

Virtual Laboratories in a Virtual Learning Environment are indispensable spaces for developing practical activities. This paper proposes an integrated structure for Virtual Laboratories for undergraduate degree programmes in Computer Engineering and Software Engineering. The general structure proposed is based on the experience gained in designing and developing Virtual Laboratories during the past eleven years in a virtual university. Technological, pedagogical, strategic and academic staff resources are included in the Virtual Laboratories structure. The proposed structure has been applied to different computer areas and this paper presents the special case of a Virtual Programming Laboratory. Its effectiveness has been evaluated by the students using a web questionnaire.

A personal authentication scheme using mobile technology

Security is a major concern in mobile commerce where information is sent over the air. Authentication is possibly the most important property since achieving privacy and integrity may have no sense without the guaranty of the receiver identity. We propose a mobile architecture for strong personal authentication using mobile devices (cellular phones or PDAs) and wireless personal area networks (WPAN) like Bluetooth. The mobile device stores private information and performs cryptographic operations while WPAN connects mobile devices with access points. The risk of insecure wireless networks inclusion is studied and solved using suitable authentication protocols.

Using an IMS-LD based questionnaire to create adaptive learning paths

According to the Bologna process, learners should to be able to acquire and develop their competences in a real scenario. This means that the learning process has to evolve from contents to activities for promoting skills and abilities, considering learner profile and background. In order to provide learners with a personalized learning path, we have created a useful tool to help teachers with learner profile information. This tool is an online questionnaire based on the IMS Learning Design specification and helps learners to select the most suitable learning path for their learning process. In this paper we describe the problems for implementing such a tool and its use in a pilot experience involving subjects with previous competence requirements.

A domain-specific language for Virtual Classrooms

This paper proposes the creation of a model-driven development approach on top of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in order to automate the process of creating Virtual Classrooms. In particular, a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) has been defined for the creation of Virtual Classrooms reusing a specific ontology for Virtual Classrooms. The DSL has been validated in a real case study: the creation of Virtual Laboratories at the Open University of Catalonia. The validation has shown that the approach enhances the reusability of Virtual Classrooms for the upcoming courses and the DSL allows describing Virtual Classrooms graphically at a high abstraction level. In addition, classrooms can be easily modified and automatically exported to other learning systems like Moodle.

Quin és el futur de l’aprenentatge mòbil en l’educació?

The evolution of wireless technologies and the development of applications for mobile devices in higher education have been spectacular. For many educators, mobile technology in the field of teaching and learning has recently become one of the most important areas of research. Today, mobile learning is a strategic topic for many organizations concerned with education. In the future, more research should be conducted to transform education using mobile learning. The advent of new types of devices is disruptive to education, no matter what educators and education institutions do. Therefore, a thorough analysis, from a pedagogical and technological perspective, is key to ensuring appropriate usage and implementation of mobile learning.This Special Section of RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal presents a general overview of successful mobile learning experiences in higher education. Its aim is to share best practices and create new opportunities in universities. These mobile applications will add another layer to the learning and teaching processes.ResumenLas tecnologías inalámbricas y las aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles en la educación superior han experimentado un crecimiento espectacular. Para muchos educadores, la tecnología móvil en el campo de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje se ha convertido en uno de los principales ámbitos de investigación. Hoy, el aprendizaje móvil es un ámbito estratégico para muchas organizaciones que tienen competencias educativas. En el futuro, habrá que intensificar las investigaciones para transformar la educación mediante el aprendizaje móvil. La aparición de nuevos tipos de dispositivos plantea problemas para la educación, independientemente de lo que hagan el personal docente y las instituciones educativas. Por lo tanto, es esencial llevar a cabo un análisis, desde una perspectiva tecnológica y pedagógica, para garantizar el uso y la implementación apropiados. Esta sección especial de RUSC. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento presenta una visión general de experiencias exitosas de aprendizaje móvil en la educación superior. El objetivo es compartir buenas prácticas y crear nuevas oportunidades en las universidades. Estas aplicaciones móviles añadirán un nuevo estrato a los procesos de aprendizaje y enseñanza.

Cuál es el futuro del aprendizaje móvil en la educación

The evolution of wireless technologies and the development of applications for mobile devices in higher education have been spectacular. For many educators, mobile technology in the field of teaching and learning has recently become one of the most important areas of research. Today, mobile learning is a strategic topic for many organizations concerned with education. In the future, more research should be conducted to transform education using mobile learning. The advent of new types of devices is disruptive to education, no matter what educators and education institutions do. Therefore, a thorough analysis, from a pedagogical and technological perspective, is key to ensuring appropriate usage and implementation of mobile learning.This Special Section of RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal presents a general overview of successful mobile learning experiences in higher education. Its aim is to share best practices and create new opportunities in universities. These mobile applications will add another layer to the learning and teaching processes.ResumenLas tecnologías inalámbricas y las aplicaciones para dispositivos móviles en la educación superior han experimentado un crecimiento espectacular. Para muchos educadores, la tecnología móvil en el campo de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje se ha convertido en uno de los principales ámbitos de investigación. Hoy, el aprendizaje móvil es un ámbito estratégico para muchas organizaciones que tienen competencias educativas. En el futuro, habrá que intensificar las investigaciones para transformar la educación mediante el aprendizaje móvil. La aparición de nuevos tipos de dispositivos plantea problemas para la educación, independientemente de lo que hagan el personal docente y las instituciones educativas. Por lo tanto, es esencial llevar a cabo un análisis, desde una perspectiva tecnológica y pedagógica, para garantizar el uso y la implementación apropiados. Esta sección especial de RUSC. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento presenta una visión general de experiencias exitosas de aprendizaje móvil en la educación superior. El objetivo es compartir buenas prácticas y crear nuevas oportunidades en las universidades. Estas aplicaciones móviles añadirán un nuevo estrato a los procesos de aprendizaje y enseñanza.