Yasuhisa Tamura

Typical Functions of e-Textbook, Implementation, and Compatibility Verification with Use of ePub3 Materials☆

Abstract This paper shows typical functions required on electronic textbooks to be adopted in various countries, trial implementation of these functions, and their verification of representation and behavior in six e-book platforms. First, the authors extracted the functions by checking preceding researches and investigations. The result contains 52 items, including 7 categories of “authentication”, “copyright”, “contents representation”, “related information”, “additional information by learners”, “learning support”, and “restriction of contents and platforms”. Next, these functions were implemented with ePub3 format e-books. ePub3 is going to be one of de jure standard format of e-books. Also, contents representation and behavior of the result ePub e-books were verified on 6 types of e-book platforms on operating systems of iOS, Android, Windows, and Kindle Linux. The verification result shows that iBooks3 on iOS worked best among the 6 e-book readers. Also it shows that many e-book readers support only representation of ePub2 files, while HTML5, JavaScript, and Web API are not supported yet.

Feedback of Flying Disc Throw with Kinect and its Evaluation

Abstract This paper proposes a three-dimensional motion capture and feedback system for flying disc learners with use of Kinect device. Compared with conventional 3-D motion capture systems, Kinect has advantages of cost merit, easy system development and operation. The proposing system captures learners’ body movement, checks their skeleton positions in pre-motion/motion/post-motion in several aspects, and displays feedback messages to improve their motions. A novice learner of flying disc is trained to keep arm movement in steady height, to twist the waist, and to stretch the elbow according to the waist angle. A result of controlled experiment shows that the proposing system is effective for beginners to improve their movements.

TRANSOBJ: SOFTWARE PROTOTYPING ENVIRONMENT FOR REAL-TIME TRANSACTION-BASED SOFTWARE SYSTEM APPLICATIONS

A software prototyping environment called TransObj (TRANSaction and OBJect) is used for designing real-time Transaction-based Concurrent Software Systems (TCSS). In a TCSS design process, a software designer should perform both functional design and performance design. The designer should change his design view from a transaction-based paradigm to an object-based paradigm during the TCSS design process. Recognition of re-entrant functional objects and serially reusable functional objects in the TCSS should be required. TransObj includes the Stepwise Prototyping Method (SPM), and two SPM-based tools: Prolog-based TransObj (P-TransObj) and GPSS-based TransObj (G-TransObj). SPM enables the designer to advance both functional design and performance design for the TCSS prototype as controling the change of design view paradigms. P-TransObj mainly checks the prototype in a microscopic view on a personal computer. G-TransObj mainly checks the same prototype with a longer time span on a large-scale computer.

CSCL Data Structurization and Inter-LMS Sharing with Use of Web Services

The authors specified XML bindings for CSCL data interchange, and developed an automatic CSCL data exchange function among LMSs. Conventional CSCL activities are processed without exchanging any information with other learner groups, even they are discussing the same topic. With use of the proposing function, a learner group is able to acquire basic information, related references and various standpoints for the given topic during the discussion or in advance. In order to execute XML based inter-LMS data transmission, XML bindings named COLCOX was specified. Also, an open source LMS of Moodle was utilized and expanded to install the proposing function to transmit CSCL data. With use of the proposing function, a learner group is able to get scaffolding information and knowledge on CSCL activities.

Metadata for collaborative learning: what to reuse?

Metadata developments are common in standardization activities, not only for learning technology, but all areas of electronic information representation. However, development itself is not the final goal from a practical point of view. Our research project is developing metadata to represent, record and reuse collaborative learning (CL) activity. There are many alternatives and combinations of representation frameworks for CL metadata. The selection of the framework depends on the aim and the goal of metadata development. If the goal is focused on representing pedagogical aspects of CL, one should choose a different description framework from those discussed in standardization activities.

Triadic domain model-based development of software systems

The authors present the Triadic Domain Model (TDM)-based system development environment. The main purpose is to integrate system specification, system design and system implementation of a software system using domain specific properties. TDM consists of a domain problem model, domain product model and domain process model.<<ETX>>

Evaluation of Leaning Unit Design Using Page Flip Information Analysis

In this chapter, the authors attempted to evaluate design of leaning units using learning analytics techniques on page flip information. Traditional formative assessment is carried out by giving assignments and evaluating their results; however, the information the teacher can get from this method is limited and coarse-grained. The authors set a research question whether one can evaluate the relation between specific learning objectives of learning units and the learners’ actual activities in the units based on page flip histories. The experimental results showed that the intensity of relations between the assignments and learning materials was different for each unit; quantitatively, the correlation coefficients between “p-value of chi-squared tests between range of page flip count and grade on assignments” and “ratio of number of questions in an assessment with reference pages” was −0.889. With this relation established, the authors attempted to evaluate unit design and found that the critical factor for getting a high grade was how many times they referred to their textbook, although this assignment was designed to assess learners’ ability to use or apply learned knowledge. If the teacher can get such suggestions as feedback, it is possible to utilize them for formative assessment.

CSCL utterance NLP analysis and inter-LMS sharing with use of Web Services

This paper proposes an automatic analysis and operating functions of CSCL utterance logs. First, the authors specified a data scheme called COLCOX and relevant XML bindings in order to represent CSCL utterance with structure and meanings. Next, an automatic analysis method was proposed to resolve elliptical phenomena in CSCL discussions with use of case analysis for spoken words. Further, an automatic exchange function was developed between LMS. An open source LMS of Moodle was utilised and expanded to install these functions. With use of the proposing functions, a learner group is able to search related utterances of various standpoints.

Performance-oriented architecture design/re-design methodology

The authors propose a performance-oriented design/re-design methodology for pipelined computer architectures using heuristic logic modification. The hardware data flow of the CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be modeled as a network. However, no mathematical formalizations and analyses of this network are available, because usually many entities of the network are tightly connected and often form loops. The proposed method executes a performance simulation, identifies the bottleneck or entity to be improved, and modifies the network with use of modification rules. This method is effective for both first time architecture design and architecture re-design, the design of another CPU with the same software-hardware interface.<<ETX>>