María José Rodríguez-Fórtiz

Mobile learning technology based on iOS devices to support students with special education needs

Students with special education have difficulties to develop cognitive abilities and acquire new knowledge. They could also need to improve their behavior, communication and relationships with their environment. The development of customizable and adaptable applications tailored to them provides many benefits as it helps mold the learning process to different cognitive, sensorial or mobility impairments. We have devised a mobile platform (based on iPad and iPod touch devices), called Picaa and designed to cover the main phases of the learning process: preparation, use and evaluation. It includes four kinds of educational activities (Exploration, Association, Puzzle and Sorting), which can be personalized by educators at content and user interface levels through a design mainly centered on student requirements, whose user profiles can also be adapted. We have performed a pre-experimental study about the use of Picaa by 39 students with special education needs from Spain, including an evaluation based on pre/post testing. The use of the learning platform Picaa is associated with positive effects in the development of learning skills for children who have special educational needs, observing that the basic skills (language, math, environmental awareness, autonomy and social) have been improved. Besides, in many cases they have the opportunity to perform activities that previously were not accessible to them, because of the interface and contents of the activities have been adapted specifically to them. The study also suggests that the repertoire of types of activities provided is suitable for learning purposes with students with impairments. Finally, the use of electronic devices and multimedia contents increases their interest in learning and attention.

Enabling correct design and formal analysis of Ambient Assisted Living systems

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) systems intend to provide services that enable people with specific needs to live an independent and safe life. Emergency treatment services are critical, time-constrained, and require compliance to numerous non-functional (or quality) requirements. In conventional approaches, often, non-functional requirements are kept outside the modeling scope and as such, their verification is also overlooked. For this reason, the specification and verification of Non-functional requirements (NFR) in this kind of services is a key issue. This paper presents a verification approach based on timed traces semantics and a methodology based on UML-RT models (MEDISTAM-RT) to check the fulfillment of non-functional requirements, such as timeliness and safety (deadlock freeness), and to assure the correct functioning of the AAL systems. We validate this approach by its application to an Emergency Assistance System for monitoring people suffering from cardiac alteration with syncope.

Evolving hypermedia systems: a layered software architecture

Hypermedia systems are evolutionary in nature. This paper presents SEM-HP, a model based on a semantic, systemic and evolutionary perspective, which facilitates the management of hypermedia evolution during the whole lifecycle process. Following the model the architecture of hypermedia systems can be conceived as composed of three sub-systems (conceptual, presentation and navigation) and two abstraction levels, the system level and the meta level (the first used by the reader and the second by the designer). The objective of this division is to achieve a good separation of concerns both in the development and in the evolution processes and to obtain a better understanding, thus facilitating the further development of tools.

An architecture for dynamic and evolving cooperative software agents

This paper presents an architectural model to construct cooperative and evolutionary agent-based software systems. Here, a software system is defined as one consisting of a set of agents which interact by executing actions and by determining system functionality. Because the agents need intercommunication and coordination, we propose a model that allows this communication between agents and preserves system activity. This coordination model uses a blackboard as the means of communication between the system agents. The system architecture presented is dynamic in the sense that the modelled system can evolve and be adapted to its new functions. To do this, we distinguish two levels in the architecture: the system and the metasystem levels. The system level describes the systems structure and its functionality, while the meta-system level allows us to effect changes in the system in such a way as to preserve the systems integrity and restrictions. Modifications at the system level are carried out when the developer interacts at the meta-system level. System users interact only at the system level.

Challenges in software applications for the cognitive evaluation and stimulation of the elderly

BackgroundComputer-based cognitive stimulation applications can help the elderly maintain and improve their cognitive skills. In this research paper, our objectives are to verify the usability of PESCO (an open-software application for cognitive evaluation and stimulation) and to determine the concurrent validity of cognitive assessment tests and the effectiveness of PESCO’s cognitive stimulation exercises.MethodsTwo studies were conducted in various community computer centers in the province of Granada. The first study tested tool usability by observing 43 elderly people and considering their responses to a questionnaire. In the second study, 36 elderly people completed pen-and-paper and PESCO tests followed by nine cognitive stimulation sessions. Meanwhile, a control group with 34 participants used computers for nine non-structured sessions.ResultsAnalysis of the first study revealed that although PESCO had been developed by taking usability guidelines into account, there was room for improvement. Results from the second study indicated moderate concurrent validity between PESCO and standardized tests (Pearson’s r from .501 to .702) and highlighted the effectiveness of training exercises for improving attention (F = -4.111, p < .001) and planning (F = 5.791, p < .001) functions.ConclusionsPESCO can be used by the elderly. The PESCO cognitive test module demonstrated its concurrent validity with traditional cognitive evaluation tests. The stimulation module is effective for improving attention and planning skills.

A software system evolutionary and adaptive framework: application to agent-based systems

In this paper we present part of our current work: a proposal on a Software System evolutionary framework. This proposal is based mainly on previous work carried out by the GEDES (Group of Specification, Development and Evolution of Software) Research Group. Within this framework, we try to model the way a Software System can evolve, and especially, the evolution of Agent-based systems. We present the way systems evolve based on the application of operators and the understanding of definition of focusing on which should be these operators, and invariants in Agent-based systems, as well as introducing examples of actions and restrictions applied.

Sc@ut: Platform for Communication in Ubiquitous and Adaptive Environments Applied for Children with Autism

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems (AAC) are an emergent technology for improving the social integration of people with temporary or permanent communication difficulties. One problem which arises is the need to adapt these systems to the different users and situations by taking their capabilities, skills and progress into account. In this regard, we propose an adaptive architecture on a ubiquitous computation paradigm, which is being applied for children with autism. This paper proposes a two-tier architecture consisting of a communicator and a context meta-model. It allows child communication to be represented and controlled using a PDA device by means of a wireless network. The main aim of the architecture is to facilitate communication, adapting to changes in user and scenario.

Serious games for the cognitive stimulation of elderly people

Elderly people can suffer some degree of decline in their cognitive capacities, usually including different symptoms (decreased problem solving capacity, decreased ability to reason and to maintain focus, forgetfulness, etc.). Cognitive stimulation has been shown to decrease the rate of intellectual decay and potentially reverse age-related cognitive decline. Serious games provide new training opportunities to improve the decrease in selected social, sensory-motor, cognitive and emotional functions of elderly people. This paper details the objectives of the VIRTRA-EL web platform, which has been designed to evaluate and train cognitive skills to elderly users by means of serious games using the personal computer or tablet devices. Additionally, we present a serious game based on interactive 3D environments, which has been designed with the aim of helping to train memory, attention, planning and reasoning.

Adaptation in an Evolutionary Hypermedia System: Using Semantic and Petri Nets

In this paper a classification of adaptive hypermedia systems is presented. Advantages and disadvantages of these systems are also discussed. As a consequence, the need of evolution is argued. An adaptive and evolving hypermedia system is presented and outlined, where the user model is formalized by means of Petri Nets. Finally, an example shows how in our proposal the user model is initialized and updated during the browsing and how adaptation is carried out over the conceptual structure of navigation.

Analysis and review of apps and serious games on mobile devices intended for people with visual impairment

Serious games can be very useful for people with visual disabilities because they can help them to learn and discover the world, and also to perform activities of daily living. However apps repositories do not allow them to be easily found. Besides, most mobile devices or their apps are not accessible to people with a visual disability. Recently attention has focused on accessibility issues in this technology. This paper presents an analysis of 94 apps that have been specifically designed for people with visual disability or that could be used by them. The main characteristics of the apps will be examined in order to determine if could be considered as serious games and if they are suitable for users with visual impairments. We will encounter some difficulties in getting information about them because of current inappropriate classifications, unsuitable search terms and incomplete descriptions. Our objective is to improve their classification and therefore their searchability and their ability to make recommendations to users with visual impairment based on the users profile and on information from their current context. We propose some changes aimed at apps repositories to improve search and classification.