Susan Reiser

The Assumptions of Isochronal Cardiac Mapping

Isochronal maps of cardiac activation are commonly used to study the mechanisms and to guide the ablative therapies of arrhythmias. Little has been written about the assumptions implicit in the construction and use of isochronal cardiac maps. These assumptions include the following: (1) the location of the recording electrodes is known with sufficient accuracy to determine the mechanism of an arrhythmia or to guide therapy; (2) a single, discrete activation time can be assigned to each recording electrode location; (3) the presence or absence of activation at an electrode site can be reliably ascertained, and when activation is present, the time of activation can be determined with sufficient accuracy to specify the mechanism of an arrhythmia or to guide therapy; and (4) the recording electrodes are close enough together that the activation sequence can be estimated with sufficient accuracy to determine the mechanism of an arrhythmia or to guide therapy. The manuscript reviews evidence that these assumptions may not always be true, and when they are not, the isochronal map may be misleading.

Make space for the Pi

The Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive computing system that can play an essential part of any computing curriculum. Since its release in 2012, the Raspberry Pi has been infiltrating K-12 education; it has the potential to make coding in K-12 schools as commonplace as textbooks. It has also changed the playing field for hobbyists by offering a low-priced general-purpose computing system that challenges the Arduino in terms of open source support. In this paper, we advocate using the Raspberry Pi (RPi) throughout the University computing curricula as well. Low-priced and portable, the RPi is an exposed hardware platform students can tinker with without fear of breaking. Properly used, it affords students the opportunity to experimentally discover many aspects of computing. In this paper, we discuss the aspects of the RPi that make it appropriate for a University computing curriculum. We describe our classroom experiences and laboratory best practices as well as survey the work of others involved in integrated the RPi into University curriculums.

Teaching programming using embedded systems

Microcontrollers play an increasingly important role in applied computing systems ranging from your toaster to deep space probes. A myriad of objects are embedded with microcontrollers and sensors and have the ability to communicate. The resulting Internet of Things promises to revolutionize information pathways. Are we prepared for this new reality? Within universities, microcontroller courses are typically offered in engineering departments but not in computer science. In this paper, we argue that microcontrollers can be used effectively in a wide variety of computer science and engineering courses. Microcontroller-augmented courses offer a number of advantages as compared to conventional course presentations. A microcontroller is inexpensive and portable and its functionality is largely exposed. Working with a microcontroller helps to demystify the hardware involved in the computing process. These attributes make the microcontroller an “approachable” personable computing device ideally suited for project-based activities. We propose a microcontroller-augmented curriculum and describe a variety of existing course implementations.

Teaching human-computer interaction: reports from the trenches

Most schools introduce HCI into the CS curriculum through a bootstrapping process. There are many excellent HCI programs at universities around the world, and some new faculty with HCI graduate degrees are starting to appear. But the extreme shortage of faculty forces most schools now starting to teach HCI to use the time-honored method of learning a subject by teaching it.Consensus: Insert HCI into any opening you can find. Learn more about the subject yourself. Let colleagues get comfortable with the idea. A required course in HCI may be some years off, or maybe you will never do exactly that, but you will have laid the foundation for getting HCI into your curriculum.

Service learning meets mobile computing

Computer Science educators are often frustrated in their attempts to demonstrate the power and relevance of their discipline in a classroom setting. Increasingly, educators are turning to carefully designed service learning projects to provide that experience. This paper describes a year-long service learning project in which we developed a working prototype of a mobile, location-aware tour for the Bonsai Exhibition Garden of the North Carolina Arboretum. The tour is a web-based, customizable, multimedia presentation on handheld Personal Digital Assistants. Students developed the complete tour, including all presentation materials and system installation, at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in a series of three computer science courses. The project abounded with both the benefits and pitfalls that come from combining service learning with cutting edge technology.

Take chances, make mistakes, get dirty

This paper describes a compilation of projects designed to provide hands-on experience with technology for first semester freshman. All projects engage students in engineering design within an active learning environment. Each project has been crafted to increase the academic success and retention of freshman by challenging them to master engineering design while facilitating their success. The learning outcomes associated with these projects include an increased awareness of social responsibility, improved communication skills, experience in system design and project management, increased effectiveness in teamwork practices, and the development of a student community. These projects have been situated in the new Integrated Liberal Studies program at UNC Asheville, but they could be offered as part of any engineering program in support of ABET accreditation requirements.

Fabrication: a tangible link between computer science and creativity

In this paper, we describe our CS0 course, 3D Modeling and Fabrication, that includes a service-learning CNC milling project as a high tech hook to interest students, both our own and middle school students, in computer science and engineering. Among the CS0 learning outcomes achieved through the design and fabrication projects are computer literacy, writing-across-the curriculum, and development of problem-solving skills such as quantitative reasoning and critical thinking. This course is situated in the Integrated Liberal Studies program at University of North Carolina at Asheville. It can be offered as part of any general education program to fulfill a computer literacy or writing-across-the-curriculum requirement. Taking an idea and nurturing it from a concept to a model, to a series of working drawings, and then to a three-dimensional prototype is exciting and fun, and leaves a tangible reminder of the creativity inherent in computer science.

Aligning learning objectives with service-learning outcomes in a mobile computing application

We propose the development of a mobile, location-aware tour of the Bonsai Exhibition Garden of the North Carolina Arboretum. The tour will be a web-based, customizable, multimedia presentation on handheld Personal Digital Assistants. The complete tour, including all presentation materials and system installation, will be developed via a series of three classes at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. These classes, Database Management Systems, Human Computer Interface, and Systems Integration, will occur over a period of two semesters. The objective of this work is to create relevant and effective coursework that empowers students. Students produce state-of-the-art technology that serves their community thereby demonstrating the value of both the technology and their understanding of that technology for the betterment of others.

Making: an interdisciplinary assistive technology project

We teamed engineering and art students together to develop assistive technology projects in our sculpture and computer science classes. Together, they and their instructors honed their teamwork skills as teachers and learners, as we all collaboratively designed and fabricated the projects. As a group, we examined the notions of ability, the needs of and societal reactions to differently-abled people, and then created assistive devices. We explored alternative designs in foam and 3D modeling software, and cast parts in bronze or aluminum before fabricating the final prototypes. Design was emphasized throughout the project, with respect to both form and function.

Making Together: An Interdisciplinary, Inter-institutional Assistive-Technology Project

Faculty at the University of North Carolina Asheville partnered with local healthcare professionals and retirement home residents and administrators on an assistive-technology project. The Creative Fabrication introductory computer science course incorporated subject-matter experts from the healthcare community, older and differently abled “users,” medical students, and sculpture faculty. Over the semester, the class students created assistive devices to meet the needs of the retirement home residents. They prototyped their designs in foam and 3D modeling software and cast parts of their design in bronze or aluminum. User-centered design, the design process, and the importance of form and function were emphasized throughout the project.