Collaborative distributed environments for learning design tasks by means of modelling and simulatio
The Simulation discipline has to face new challenges such as the incorporation of Collaborative Technologies for professional use as well as for teaching purposes. This integration permits the creation of new kinds of support for collaborative learning processes. In this paper, we explore the potential of this synergy with DomoSim-TPC, a synchronous distributed collaborative environment for the teaching and learning of Domotics. The system supports an active, simulation-based and problem-based a
Open Distance Inter-University Synergies Between Europe, Africa and the Middle East (ODISEAME)
The challenge facing new technologies is whether they can contribute to a qualitative step up and to education for all as a process of facilitating the development of creative people with the ability to think critically and to engage in socially relevant decision making. In this paper, we describe a project whose purpose is to develop a learning environment that takes into account current expertise in learning theory in order to facilitate productive collaboration in a way that leads to active c
Designing biases that augment socio-cognitive interactions
This chapter questions the assumption that the best environment for computer-supported collaborative learning is the one that most closely reproduces the features of face-to-face collaboration. Empirical studies have failed to establish the superiority of group interaction with richer media. Instead, the chapter explores media features that do not exist in face-to-face interactions and explains how these features might augment group cognition. The first feature, the persistency of the informatio
Internet Scout Project
The International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior's (IAVCEI) website advocates its research in volcanology and closely related disciplines as well as its work to mitigate volcanic disasters. After learning about the history of the organization, users can discover the many projects undertaken by the commissions including a volcanic eruption database and research involving the chemistry of volcanic gases. Researchers can learn about possible funding opportunities a
Towards a Generic Platform for Developing CSCL Applications Using Grid Infrastructure
The goal of this paper is to explore the possibility of using CSCL component-based software under a Grid infrastructure. The merge of these technologies represents an attractive, but probably quite laborious enterprise if we consider not only the benefits but also the barriers that we have to overcome. This work presents an attempt toward this direction by developing a generic platform of CSCL components and discussing the advantages that we could obtain if we adapted it to the Grid. We then pro
A Model for the Efficient Representation and Management of Online Collaborative Learning Interaction
This study aims to explore the importance of the efficient representation and management of the event information generated from group activity in online collaborative learning practices so that we can use it to provide awareness about individual and group behaviour. The achievement of this goal first involves the design of a conceptual model of collaborative learning interaction that structures and classifies the information generated in an online collaborative learning situation at several lev
An Experimental Study on Peer Selection in a P2P Network over PlanetLab
Peer selection is an important aspect in many P2P applications
requiring efficient assignment and execution of
jobs to peer nodes and search and file transfer, among others.
Due to increasing interest of using P2P systems for distributed
computing, peer selection is taking relevance and
several models have been proposed in the P2P literature.
Yet, there are very few experimental studies for peer selection
in P2P networks deployed in real large scale networks.
In this work we present an experimen
The virtual training center: a support tool for teachers community
Communities of practice for teachers are emerging, where the issues of life long learning of in-service teacher is supported by a collective effort and by applying modern methodologies and tools. The paper describes how effective support to teachers communities is achieved by means of a Virtual Training Center, that is the virtual meeting place of the community, which was built during the I*Teach pilot project. Teachers who have similar goals, but few opportunities to physically meet each other
Internet Scout Project
Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) sponsors the Clay Mathematics Research Academy to "inspire young people with the thrill of working on the frontiers of mathematical research." Each year, twelve high school students are recruited and a Colloquium is held at CMI headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After the intense 8-day seminar, participants continue their work using iResearch, a web-based collaborative tool suite designed by the Academy. The 2004 Academy Colloqium Series was held March 19
Internet Scout Project
A civil engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley is working on a novel way of maintaining a building's structural stability after an earthquake or terrorist bomb. The team of researchers working with the professor have designed and tested a system that uses cables for backup support in case main support beams failed. This site is the homepage of the professor leading this research. A number of projects on which he is currently working are described, as well as an ongoing
Internet Scout Project
This is an article appearing in the January 2002 issue of Scientific American detailing what Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) claims is the first human cloned embryo. This online version describes the research that ACT calls the "dawn of a new age in medicine" and includes links to further information, covering ethical and legal considerations surrounding cloning and the difference between reproductive and therapeutic cloning.
A Comparison of Model-Tracing and Constraint-Based Intelligent Tutoring Paradigms
Two approaches to building intelligent tutoring systems are the well-established model-tracing paradigm and the relatively newer constraint-based paradigm. Proponents of the constraint-based paradigm claim that it affords performance at levels comparable to that of model-tracing tutors, but with significantly less development effort. We have built both a model-tracing and constraint-based tutor for the same problem domain (statistical hypothesis testing) and report on our findings with the goals
An Algebra Subsystem for Diagnosing Students' Input in a Physics Tutoring System
To help a student in an introductory physics course do quantitative homework problems, an intelligent tutoring system must determine information of an algebraic nature. This paper describes a subsystem which resolves such questions for Andes2. The capabilities of the subsystem would be useful for any ITS which deals with problems involving complex systems of equations. This subsystem is capable of 1) solving the systems of equations at the level of introductory physics problems, 2) checking the
Internet Scout Project
Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH) Web site currently features museum-sponsored research on the phylogeny of Madagascar's living Carnivora. Previously thought to represent two to four separate lineages, the island's carnivores are now known to have descended from a single species. These findings, recently published in the journal Nature, are presented in the FMNH Web site as a 4-page press release that should appeal to general readers as well as interested researchers.
Internet Scout Project
The Shoesmith research group at the University of Western Ontario deals with problems in electrochemistry and corrosion studies. With the extensive use of images and figures, this website highlights over ten of the group's projects including kinetics of copper corrosion conditions and the chemistry of nuclear fuel under Canadian Waste Disposal Conditions. Researchers can read about and view the substantial facilities within the group's two main laboratories. The website features links to most of
Internet Scout Project
The caving club Philadelphia Grotto is a chapter of the National Speleological Society "dedicated to cave conservation, exploration, education, and research." While a few links are only available to members, beginning cavers can find out about caving safety and equipment as well as cave conservation and laws. The website supplies remarkable images from cavers exploring in various places throughout the United States and the Bahamas. Younger users can learn about Youth Groups. Interested visitors
Mark Seymour - Music, Melbourne and Me
Mark Seymour addresses a range of issues affecting musicians which are revealed as themes in the Music, Melbourne and Me exhibition.
Internet Scout Project
"The goal of this NSF funded project is to produce a trial set of materials that can be used in physical chemistry courses to more tightly connect the topics introduced in available texts to the realm of modern chemical research." Six modules are currently available at this website, with four more planned by 2006. Each module supplies a reference to a chemistry article, background information, sample questions to stimulate students to think critically about the subject matter, and additional sam
Inside the Cell
Basic cellular biology. Topics include Guide to the Cell, Cellular Specialties, and Cellular Reproduction. Glossary included. Chapter 5: The Last Chapter: Cell Aging And Death Glossary Extras: Animations and Movies Crossword Puzzle: Interactive | Accessible Version
3D Digital View of Los Amigos Conservation Area
The availability of the Digital Elevation Model now allows for a carefully directed research design for sampling biotic and abiotic diversity. With an emphasis on plant diversity, the Los Amigos Botany team, consisting of an international group of Ph.D. scientists, graduate students, undergraduate students, and local field collaborators, will run landscape-scale transects that traverse a diversity of habitats.
