Lillian N. Cassel

Convergence of knowledge management and e-learning: the GetSmart experience

The National Science Digital Library (NSDL), launched in December 2002, is emerging as a center of innovation in digital libraries as applied to education. As a part of this extensive project, the GetSmart system was created to apply knowledge management techniques in a learning environment. The design of the system is based on an analysis of learning theory and the information search process. Its key notion is the integration of search tools and curriculum support with concept mapping. More than 100 students at the University of Arizona and Virginia Tech used the system in the fall of 2002. A database of more than one thousand student-prepared concept maps has been collected with more than forty thousand relationships expressed in semantic, graphical, node-link representations. Preliminary analysis of the collected data is revealing interesting knowledge representation patterns.

Management of sampled real-time network measurements

An overview is presented of the statistical sampling of measurements from a computer network, a necessary task in all five facilities of the proposed ISO network management architecture. Network measurement, viewed from the standpoint of real-time status reporting, is performed either to approximate the condition of a network parameter over a given interval or to detect a significant change in system behavior over consecutive intervals. Appropriate statistical tools for sampling and analyzing traffic in real time are presented.<<ETX>>

Distributed expertise for teaching computer organization & architecture

This report presents preliminary results from our project on creating distributed expertise for teaching computer organization & architecture course(s) in the undergraduate computer science curriculum. We present the details of an online survey designed to gather information from faculty on the current state of teaching this course. The survey also tries to identify specific areas of need for creating distributed expertise as reported by various faculty. We also present several resources that have been identified that are available for use by faculty teaching the course(s). This report represents a mid-point of an ongoing two-year study. Following a discussion of the currently identified needs, we discuss ways to address them and conclude the report with a plan of action that will follow in the next phase of the project.

Network management architectures and protocols: problems and approaches

Key areas of agreement and disagreement in the network management community are presented using the evolving open systems interconnection network management architecture as an informal guide. A key observation is that the open-networking community has apparently settled on a management model that places management information base (MIB) on each network node and manages these MIBs remotely with application level protocols. Various network systems based on this model are examined, along with some systems that use alternative management architectures. >

The XML log standard for digital libraries: analysis, evolution, and deployment

We describe current efforts and developments building on our proposal for an XML log standard format for digital library (DL) logging analysis and companion tools. Focus is given to the evolution of formats and tools, based on analysis of deployment in several DL systems and testbeds. Recent development of analysis tools also is discussed.

Towards a syllabus repository for computer science courses

A syllabus defines the contents of a course, as well as other information such as resources and assignments. In this paper, we report on our work towards creating a syllabus repository of Computer Science courses across universities in the USA. We present some statistics from our initial collection of 8000+ syllabi. We show a syllabus creator that is integrated with Moodle [5] moodle_2006_moodle, an open-source course management system, which allows for the creation of a syllabus for a particular course. Among other information, it includes knowledge units from the Computing Curricula 2001 body of knowledge. The goal of the syllabus repository is to provide added value to the Computer Science Education community, and we present some such offerings. We conclude by presenting our future plans for the syllabus repository. These include using automated techniques to collect and classify syllabi, providing recommendations to instructors when creating a syllabus, and allowing the community to share their syllabi automatically. The syllabus collection will be part of the Computing and Information Technology Interactive Digital Educational Library (CITIDEL), a collection of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).

Computing programs in small colleges

This Summary Report of The ACM Small College Task Force outlines resources, courses, and problems for small colleges developing degree programs in computing.

The current crisis in computing: what are the real issues?

1. SUMMARY Computing education is in crisis. Enrollments have fallen to such an extent that some academic computing programs are facing significant reductions in staffing levels or even elimination. Of even greater consequence to society, however, is the growing gap between the number of jobs requiring high-level computing skills and the number of graduates who are prepared to take those positions. Over the long term, this growing shortfall threatens the economic security in many countries. Finding strategies to address this problem is complicated because so many different factors are implicated in the enrollment decline. The complexity of the problem makes it critically important to seek a comprehensive solution strategy that takes that underlying complexity into account. This session offers the chance for representatives of ACM’s Education Board to carry on a discussion with the SIGCSE community about possible responses to this crisis that affects us all. 2. BACKGROUND That there is currently a crisis in computing education is not in doubt. Enrollments have been falling steadily for a number of years, so that enrollments are now often half of what they were five years ago. This dramatic decline in student interest has occurred not only in the United States but also in many other countries.

The computing ontology: application in education

Working Group 3 at ITiCSE 2007 continued the ongoing work of the Ontology of Computing project. The working group brought several new people into the project and addressed areas of the ontology of particular interest to these participants. In particular, the group worked on the Ontology sections related to History of Computing, Computing Security and Social and Ethical issues. With the intention of applying the ontology to the support of curriculum development in mind, the group also reviewed and discussed proposed means of presenting a visual representation of the ontology. There was also some work on the present structure of the ontology and future possibilities.

Toward curricular guidelines for cybersecurity

This session reports on a workshop convened by the ACM Education Board with funding by the US National Science Foundation and invites discussion from the community on the workshop findings. The topic, curricular directions for cybersecurity, is one that resonates in many departments considering how best to prepare graduates to face the challenges of security issues in employment and future research. The session will include presentation of the workshop context and conclusions, but will be open to participant discussion. This will be the first public presentation of the results of the workshop and the first opportunity for significant response.