Ronald J. Glotzbach

RSS as a course information delivery method

Technology has changed the way students interact with instructors as social networking and collective intelligence become primary facilitators of course information. One such method emerging with each new web creation is the integration of really simple syndication (RSS). Although RSS came about in the 90s, it is only in recent years that it has taken on a form of delivery that can easily be applied to the classroom. While dissemination of information is regularly done via lectures and course websites, in this case RSS was implemented to provide students an alternate method of receiving course announcements. This paper details a study in which RSS was implemented into a freshman level course as a method of distributing course announcements. In addition, this paper discusses the findings of the study to determine the usefulness and effectiveness of RSS in the classroom.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS): An Educational Approach

Todays post-secondary students are technologically savvy and they expect faculty to use myriad web technologies for course delivery. This includes taking advantage of email, course web sites, and online learning communities. However, expectations now also include RSS, blogs, web- and pod-casting, extending the classroom experience to provide active learning materials anytime, anywhere, and in multiple modalities. This contribution outlines the novel use of RSS technology for a course announcement system at Purdue University. It begins by describing RSS technology and discussing the different possibilities for RSS within classroom. It also describes the specific RSS application for real-time course announcements, detailing its creation and implementation. Initial student feedback is also presented. Editors: Patrick McAndrew (Open University, UK). Reviewers: Tony Hirst (Open University, UK) and S. Jeff Cold (Utah Valley University, USA).

Work in progress - information technology project management: An industry partnership

The instructor-learner paradigm has been the principal model of teaching for many years. However, over the past year, the author has been using industry partners within academia to hire students as employees generating a new learning paradigm where students actively engage with industry as Web developers and managers, while attending classes full-time. A faculty-led team at Purdue University comprised of a graduate student as the project manager was partnered with Parish manufacturing in Indianapolis to develop their Internet Web presence. The project included advanced programming and information technology applications. This paper details the work in progress of a faculty-led project in which a graduate student serves as the communications coordinator and project manager over developers in a living laboratory environment. This enabled professors to act as both an employer and an instructor to the student, providing real- world symbolism of learning on-the-job. The additional benefits to the students of this relationship included improvement of communication skills, time management skills, and handling of stress under pressure of a deadline, as well as experience gained in development and maintenance of a live Website. The opportunity provided an alternate method of teaching that demonstrates a new instructor-learner paradigm.

An investigation of best practices for interactive content controls

This contribution presents an experimental design that seeks to answer the question of which type of interactive control works best for interactive, map-based content on the Web. The study used a matched pairs t-test and found a significant difference between a joystick/trackball-oriented interactive control versus two different control mechanisms that were based on multi-directional buttons. While the content of the study focused on map-based content, the findings have applicability to other content forms. Additionally, the quantitative approach used in this study provides a framework for work in the fields of usability and interface design as it relates to computer graphics.

Work in progress — Development and integration of an online soil mapping Web application

Mapping technologies are abundant on the Web as well as through boxed software; however, the ability to overlay ones own maps onto the surface in order to provide enriched detail is not found in most typical software. “Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) into Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science Curricula” is a USDA-funded project focused on making soil data in the form of maps more accessible and easy-to-use for undergraduate students. The current solution integrates the Google Earth API, GeoWebCache, PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript in the form of a website. Although the differences in GIS software usability are generally unknown, the Isee prototype may serve as a viable model of an approach applicable at other universities. The purpose of the research is to collect quantitative data to determine if differences in software with various interfaces influence a students satisfaction and performance. The “Isee” website will be among the compared software, in which students will attempt to answer questions based on the information they can find with the software. The researcher will record performance data quantitatively throughout the session. Afterwards, students will report preferences and perceptions in a survey.

Work in progress — A health information technology centralized web application

Healthcare is not about seeing patients anymore; the focus has shifted. Patients are concerned with the cost associated with the care and the amount of time they will spend at the doctors office and away from work. Doctors are concerned with administration, management, business development, cost, review boards, lawyers, insurance companies, government, specialists, continuing education, and patient education. The focus is seldom on the doctor-patient relationship anymore. Improving the effectiveness of the patient data management system can help alleviate some of these issues so that more time can be spent focusing on that relationship. This study centers on faculty-led undergraduate students developing, implementing, and researching the use of a web-based, touch-screen, self-service computer kiosk or tablet to (a) provide adequate history to the provider, (b) provide feedback and information to the patient, and (c) enable the sharing of patient record (in a future expansion to the project). Doctors and patients will be surveyed to assess the systems impact on doctor-patient interactions. Staff surveys will investigate the impact of the system on human error, paperwork reduction, and administrative costs. Data from the surveys will be statistically analyzed to determine the effect of the system on the listed outcomes.

Work in progress - Gap analysis visualization application for geographic representation of statistical data

The varying purpose of specific geographic data brings with it a need for a more visually representative form beyond traditional graphing and charting. An interdisciplinary team at Purdue University has been developing a dynamic and interactive presentation mechanism for metrics in a given geographic space. A combination of Web technologies was used to graphically interact with and display health departments, districts, and their related metrics. Data collected from 94 health departments within Indiana were analyzed using traditional means, which fell short of fully representing the data in a meaningful display. A Web portal was created to dynamically regenerate a map of Indiana based on data pulled from a database. The application allows for altering of data and display, saves a history of maps, allows viewing and hiding of various data, dynamically generates a JPG image of the current page, and prints to PDF format. By graphically displaying and visually understanding the level of preparedness of each health department, the state can better address gaps in preparation for pandemic influenza and other potentially global disasters. This paper discusses the creation and application of the dynamic Web solution used to generate the geographic representations of this statistical data.

Work in progress - Capstone project: Development of a Computer Graphics Technology conference

During the computer graphics technology (CGT) departmental accreditation review at Purdue University, it was suggested that the CGT department enhance its interaction with the student body and community. CGT prepares visually oriented students for careers in creating and managing the production of computer graphics within a wide range of industries. A part of this initiative has been to take the existing Spring Show, Spring Banquet, Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meeting, and CGT 411 senior capstone presentations and merge them into what will become a larger CGT Conference. The Spring Show is a gallery and showcase of student work in the area of computer graphics, while the Spring Banquet is an event with a keynote speaker held to honor students and faculty for their achievements during the academic year. CGT 411 is a group based capstone course that attempts to identify, design, qualify, manage, create and present a final project relative to existing or emerging issues within the discipline. The CGT conference will serve as a showcase of student talent, emerging technologies, and myriad other facets of computer graphics as they apply to Purdue University, the CGT department, and the computer graphics industry. Potential participation was evaluated via surveys.

Usability & human behavior analysis through real-time performance data

Current usability testing trends involve collection of data that often lacks objectivity in the context of a testing sample (Dumas & Redish, 1999). Usability and heuristic analysis are performed on samples that are often statistically unacceptable as they are characterized by subject opinions and moods. In addition, usability studies and statistical analyses are typically accompanied by the substantial overhead of time constraints and data-collection issues. Through this Web statistical data collection application, we introduce the concept of performance data that can be collected in real-time. The Flash.NET application presented herein captures user information in real-time and sends the information to an ASP.NET application residing on the server through Flash Remoting MX, at which point the data is stored into SQL Server until the ASP.NET application is prepared to perform statistical analysis on the acquired data. The information produced from this study not only provides a framework for future usability analyses, but also a framework for predictors of human behavior in the field of computer graphics.