Pamela B. Lawhead

A road map for teaching introductory programming using LEGO© mindstorms robots

In a multiple disk clutch, a first clutch disk is located between a flywheel which forms a counter-pressure plate and an intermediate plate and a second clutch disk is located between the intermediate plate, on the opposite side from the first clutch disk, and a pressure plate. The two clutch disks are attached to an output shaft so they rotate with but are axially slidable relative to the shaft. A spring acting on the intermediate plate lifts the intermediate plate when the clutch is disengaged. A lifting distance limitation device is associated with the intermediate plate and limits its lifting distance. The limitation device includes a self-acting readjustment device which readjusts the lifting distance as a function of the wear on the friction linings of the first clutch disk. A spring member extends between the intermediate plate and the pressure plate and acts on the intermediate plate in the engagement direction when the clutch is being engaged.

Evaluating individuals in team projects

In 1999, most computer science students participate in at least one group project in some class prior to graduation. However, assessing individual student contributions to a group project is a difficult task faced by instructors of these classes. In this paper, we have compiled a wide range of assessment instruments, and identified situations where they can be effective. This paper is a compilation of potential evaluation strategies. No comparison is made among the many strategies nor are particular techniques ranked above or below others. The goal is simply to provide a wide range of potential team evaluation techniques. Since each technique evaluates a particular characteristic and different team project courses have different goals it is up to the instructor to choose the techniques that best evaluate the individual in light of the course goals.

The Web and distance learning: what is appropriate and what is not (report of the ITiCSE '97 working group on the web and distance learning)

The World Wide Web is increasingly being used to provide opportunities for distance learning. This report explores the motivations for developing Web-based distance learning and examines a range of issues including ethics, pedagogy, planning, advantages, disadvantages, and appropriate and inappropriate uses. The analysis takes a learner-centric view, classing as appropriate those uses of the Web that further the traditional educational values of quality, outreach, and flexibility. Examples of inappropriate uses are also given.

Square or sine: finding a waveform with high success rate of eliciting SSVEP

Steady state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) is the brains natural electrical potential response for visual stimuli at specific frequencies. Using a visual stimulus flashing at some given frequency will entrain the SSVEP at the same frequency, thereby allowing determination of the subjects visual focus. The faster an SSVEP is identified, the higher information transmission rate the system achieves. Thus, an effective stimulus, defined as one with high success rate of eliciting SSVEP and high signal-noise ratio, is desired. Also, researchers observed that harmonic frequencies often appear in the SSVEP at a reduced magnitude. Are the harmonics in the SSVEP elicited by the fundamental stimulating frequency or by the artifacts of the stimuli? In this paper, we compare the SSVEP responses of three periodic stimuli: square wave (with different duty cycles), triangle wave, and sine wave to find an effective stimulus. We also demonstrate the connection between the strength of the harmonics in SSVEP and the type of stimulus.

Paving the way towards an efficient Learning Management System

The emergence of networked computers has brought to the forefront the use of web-based education, which defies boundaries. The pivotal advantage associated with web based learning is the classroom and platform independence it provides. Current web-based systems are found to be a collection of static pages accessorized with few videos. The learning associated with these web based systems is static and serial, making the whole process uninteresting and incomplete. The need for the hour is a Learning Management System (LMS), which adapts itself according to the learners performance and learning path. This paper provides insight into building an effective and efficient LMS using five general principles, which are defined as the Five Elements. This leads to the creation of a dynamic, learnercentered environment which focuses on learning retention and cognitive development, juxtaposed with emerging technologies.

Java resources for computer science instruction

The goal of this working group was to collect, evaluate, and foster the development of resources to serve as components of both new and revised traditional courses that emphasize object-oriented software development using Java. These courses could, for example, integrate Internet-based distributed programming, concurrency, database programming, graphics and visualization, human interface design and object-oriented development. They could therefore also be suitable as capstone courses in computer science. The focus of the working group was on tools and techniques, including demonstrations, projects, syllabi, and pedagogical patterns. The working group members are coordinating the development of a Web site (sol.pace.edu/iticse98) devoted to sharing such tools and techniques among educators.

Toward an adaptive WWW: a case study in customized hypermedia

Abstract The widespread and rapid growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) is a clear indicator of its success as an instrument for information delivery. At the same time, significant limitations in many current Web-based applications demonstrate the need for new research. The history of hypermedia usability research predating the WWW and the relatively new area of research in Adaptive Hypermedia Systems (AHS) offer promising possibilities for enhancing this new medium. The problem is to design an AHS which (1) provides the integration of information from heterogeneous sources into a unified interface, (2) provides a filtering mechanism so that users see and interact with a view that is customized to their needs, (3) delivers this information through a Web interface, and (4) supports the automatic creation and validation of links between related items to help with ongoing maintenance of the application. We present a design to address this problem which makes use of object-oriented methods, information retrieval...

Steady state visual evoked potentials by dual sine waves

The sum of sine waves was used to evoke Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP). The SSVEP responses were elicited by visual stimuli in the form of a flickering light emitting diode (LED). We recorded EEG responses to these stimuli and analyzed the observed spectral differences due to square waves, triangle waves and sine waves. We showed that the resolution of the dual stimuli, which is defined as the difference between two frequencies, is essential to SSVEP experiments. Reliable dual SSVEP spikes from EEG signals can only be acquired if the dual stimuli are at least 4Hz apart. We also tested tri-stimuli and showed that consistent EEG responses are not achievable, even though the stimuli were 4Hz apart. The essence of these experiments is to demonstrate the resolutions under which dual sine waves can generate consistent SSVEP responses.

A pre-college professional development program

In this paper, we describe the results of a four-year collaborative project conducted among six higher education institutions and their partner pre-college school systems across the US. The primary goal of the project was to offer professional development to middle and high school teachers to enable those teachers to create modules and courses to excite their students about computing. The project used Alice, a software program that utilizes 3-D visualization methods, as a medium to create a high-level of interest in computer graphics, animation, and storytelling among middle and high school students, to build understanding of object-based programming. More than 100 middle and high school teachers participated in the project, with approximately 80% of those reporting that they had used what they learned during summer workshops in their classrooms during the subsequent years.

Approaches to teaching the programming languages course: a potpourri

The release of Curriculum 2001 coupled with the increasing importance of the World Wide Web and the changes in pedagogy enabled by new technologies has made the choices about what to teach in the programming languages course and how to teach it more varied . Each of the members of this panel approaches their version of the course differently and will speak about their vision of the course, their style, their techniques and the materials they use. By sharing our versions of the course and generating discussion, we hope to provide others with additional ideas to consider including in their courses and to gain inspiration for inclusions in ours.