Phillip Benachour

Investigating user experiences with spatial and temporal context-aware applications to support mobile virtual learning environments

This paper describes the development and implementation of two mobile applications to investigate the use of time and location based systems for delivering information to mobile users. The user study consists of two RSS-based information retrieval widgets to support mobile learning within a higher education environment. The major function of both the mobile applications is to disseminate information surrounding course updates in a context of either time or space, aiming to identify if there is precedence between these two dimensions of context. Results from both quantitative and qualitative data indicate that both applications were evenly helpful for receiving information and both the applications were deemed equally unobtrusive in their personal space, although utilising location information was deemed a less comfortable form of ambient information.

Being Social or Social Learning: A Sociocultural Analysis of the FutureLearn MOOC Platform

MOOC environments seem to offer massive potential for social learning. However, MOOC environments have unique challenges for pedagogy which are not present in other socio-constructivist learning environments: the scale and diversity of participation. Many points of view are accessible, but few means of filtering. This paper examines interaction data from several MOOCs. Interaction data is an indicator for depth of learning in the sociocultural sense. Most conversations are seen to have surface level interactions. Platform and pedagogy affordances are suggested that may help deal with this.

Developing Understanding of Programming Principles using Flash Actionscript

Abstract Over the last few years, the IT industry has witnessed a growth -driven by the success of the Internet- in the requirement of skills based on the emergence of the technology and the creative media industries. This has provided a unique niche market where, a combination of programming and artistic knowledge, is a requirement. As a result, many of the courses focusing on multimedia and information technology need students to develop programming and scripting skills to develop Web applications, databases, 3D modelling of objects, animation and games. For students who do not see themselves as serious programmers, some of the concepts and methods used in the teaching of programming can be difficult to grasp. It is important as a result to find ways of engaging students in activities where programming is seen as a tool to demonstrate other concepts and ideas visually which can in turn help in the teaching of programming principles. In this paper, the authors describe a number of activities used to engage multimedia students in the learning of scripting and programming. By the use of animation, mixed reality gaming, computer game design and research seminars, first year students are able to grasp the fundamentals of computer programming and combine it with their creative artistic side to produce digital multimedia content.

Virtual Learning Environments for mobile learning: Constrained by infrastructural and sociological boundaries?

Abstract This paper describes and discusses two issues which limit the delivery of mobile learning from assisting in disseminating course and module information to higher education students. The concept of delivering information to support learning is designed to augment their engagement with their subject areas and ultimately enhance their learning experience by allowing for increased flexibility in their access to learning materials. The paper concentrates on both the infrastructural and sociological issues associated with providing VLE access from a mobile or flexible position. Using mobile widgets, network coverage data and student’s responses to understand the potential benefits and limitations of using mobile devices to access information from the VLE. Discovering the majority of students are without a dedicated application or mobile website, coupled with inept network access this paper investigates the apparent constraints of a promising method of disseminating information to learners.

Animation and Interactive Programming: A Practical Approach

This paper describes a work in progress of using animation software tools to teach programming principles. The motivation behind this work is to encourage students in higher education who do not see themselves as serious programmers to engage with some of the concepts and methods used in the teaching of programming. In addition this work was used in workshops to engage with local and regional secondary schools focussing on the use of animation as a tool for learning programming principles. The results presented in this paper are based on feedback from first year undergraduate students. Initial feedback from teachers, pupils and schools has been very positive and requests for additional visits have been made. This has created an opportunity to further engage with these schools for additional workshops. Analysis and feedback from these schools will be presented in the workshop.

A Line Code Construction for the Adder Channel with Rates Higher than Time-Sharing

In this paper, line coding schemes and their application to the multi-user adder channel are investigated. The focus is on designing line codes with higher information per channel use rates than time- sharing. We show that by combining short multi-user line codes, it is possible to devise longer coding schemes with rate sums which increase quite rapidly at each iteration of the construction. Asymptotically, there is no penalty in requiring the coding schemes to be DC-free.

Trellis Decoding Techniques and Their Performance in the Adder Channel for Synchronous and Asynchronous CCMA Codes

A novel technique that allows efficient trellis decoding for M-choose-T synchronous collaborative coding multiple access (CCMA) codes is investigated. The results show that a sufficient performance improvement is achieved without the need for additional information regarding the active users. The application of the proposed technique to asynchronous CCMA codes is also analysed. The modified decoding procedure shows a further improvement when compared to the conventional hard decoding technique.

A Study of User Interaction with Context Aware Electronic Updates from a Moodle Learning Environment

This paper reports on a user study to gauge user interaction with RSS based mobile electronic updates from a Moodle based virtual learning environment. The electronic updates can be received in three dimensions of context: time, location and activity. The study aims to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of these context dimensions by comparing the level of user engagement. The mobile updates relate to teaching material, course work feedback, and general announcements from academic staff across a number of academic departments. As well as user profiling when interacting with the updates, early investigations show that there exists peak times when users interact with these applications. Results also show that time based electronic updates are the most popular, engagement wise, when compared to location and activity.

Direct sum construction of DC-free adder channel codes

The design of uniquely decodable DC-free multi-user coding schemes with good rate sums for the multiple access adder channel is described in this paper. It is shown that by using the direct sum construction on short multi-user codes, it is possible to devise longer DC-free multi-user coding schemes with rate sums which increase quite rapidly at each iteration of the construction. Asymptotically, there is no penalty in requiring the coding schemes to be DC-free. In addition, the schemes can be efficiently soft decision decoded using a relatively low complexity sectionalised trellis.

Novel Decoding Technique for the Synchronous and Quasi-synchronous Multiple Access Adder Channel

A novel technique that allows efficient trellis decoding for the M-choose-T synchronous multiple access (MA) adder channel is investigated. Decoding in the M-choose-T system is performed in two operations, identifying the set of active users in the channel and decoding the received data according to which set of users are active. The results show that a sufficient performance improvement is achieved without the need for additional information regarding the active users. The application of the proposed technique to the quasi-synchronous MA adder channel is also analysed. The modified decoding procedure shows a further improvement when compared to the conventional hard decoding technique.