Eventor: an authoring system for interactive multimedia applications

Programming, testing, and maintaining interactive multimedia applications (IMAs) are still difficult and expensive, while substantial progress has been made to reduce the burden on authors. As IMAs get larger and more complex the difficulties will increase. To overcome the complexity of such IMAs, we argue that authoring systems should provide such facilities as (1) a traditional and intuitivedivide-and-conquer paradigm for solving large and complex problems in various fields, (2)formal specification of the behaviors of IMAs for checking the syntactic correctness of visual expressions or semantic anomalies, and (3)automatic aids like validation of temporal constraints and verification of visual expressions. In this paper, we investigate the properties of IMAs for recognizing the inherent interactivity and concurrency. We propose a specification method based on Milner'sCalculus of Communicating Systems (CCS), which is a well-known formal mechanism for specifying the concurrency in various distributed applications. We also design and implement an authoring system calledEventor (Event Editor), which is based on CCS and composed of three tools: a Temporal Synchronizer, a Spatial Synchronizer, and a User Interaction Builder. They focus on describing the temporal and spatial synchronizations and user interactions while they rely on existing tools in Intel's Digital Video Interactive (DVI) for supporting other functionalities. By editing a simple computer aided instruction (CAI) application, we illustrate that our specification mechanism is well-suited for handling the interactivity of multimedia applications, and Eventor is a simple, efficient, and powerful enough tool to handle practical applications. Especially the incremental refinement and the formal specification based on the CCS allow Eventor to be extended with formal verifications to cope with large and complex applications.     

Interactive authoring of multimedia documents in a constraint-based authoring system

As multimedia applications spread widely, it is crucial for programming and design support systems to handle “time” in multimedia documents effectively and flexibly. This paper presents a set of interactive system support tools for designing and maintaining the temporal behavior of multimedia documents. The tool set provides mechanisms for anomaly detection, temporal query processing, and interactive scheduling. It is based on a fast incremental constraint solver we have developed, which can be adapted by any constraint-based system. The incremental constraint solver provides immediate feedback to the user, supporting a highly interactive design process. Combined with existing optimal layout generation mechanisms proposed in the literature, our tools effectively utilize the flexibility provided by constraint-based systems.     

A framework for the design and integration of collaborative classroom games

The progress registered in the use of video games as educational tools has not yet been successfully transferred to the classroom. In an attempt to close this gap, a framework was developed that assists in the design and classroom integration of educational games. The framework addresses both the educational dimension and the ludic dimension. The educational dimension employs Bloom’s revised taxonomy to define learning objectives and applies the classroom multiplayer presential game (CMPG) pedagogical model while the ludic dimension determines the gaming elements subject to constraints imposed by the educational dimension. With a view to validating the framework, a game for teaching electrostatics was designed and experimentally implemented in a classroom context. An evaluation based on pre/post testing found that the game increased the average number of correct answers by students participating in the experiment from 6.11 to 10.00, a result found to be statistically significant. Thus validated, the framework offers a promising basis for further exploration through the development of other games and fine-tuning of its components.     

综述MATLAB与VC++的交互编程

在通信等工程领域的计算机仿真中,VC和Matlah的交互编程可以结合两者的优点,提高仿真效率。文中介绍了Matlah与VC 之间交互编程的几种方法,包括调用Matlab引擎、C语言mex程序、mat文件操作程序等方法,并特别介绍了Matlab Visual Studio Add-in的使用。同时分析了各种方法的优缺点和适用场合,提出了适合于算法仿真的交互编程方法。     

The RISC ProofNavigator: a proving assistant for program verification in the classroom

This paper gives an overview of the RISC ProofNavigator, an interactive proving assistant for the area of program verification. The assistant combines the user-guided top-down decomposition of proofs with the automatic simplification and closing of proof states by an external satisfiability solver. The software exhibits a modern graphical user interface which has been developed with a focus on simplicity in order to make the software suitable for educational scenarios. Nevertheless, some use cases of a certain level of complexity demonstrate that it may be also appropriate for various realistic applications. D. A. Duce, J. Oliveira, P. Boca and R. Boute     

Interactive programs in a functional language: A functional implementation of an editor

The transition from imperative programming to functional programming for problems whose mathematical nature is not immediately obvious raises two questions. First, how can the function concept be applied to such problems, and, secondly, what language concepts are most suited in this situation. This paper shows that an existing functional programming language is very well suited for the elegant implementation of interactive programs. As an example, a text editor is described. The implementation of the editor has once more demonstrated the benefits of functional programming: fast generation of short and reliable programs. This indicates that it is worth while to investigate the application fields of functional programming languages as well as their implementation, in order to try to make them into general-purpose programming languages that can be used in a production environment.     

研究分子结构的交互方法

利用分子图形学研究分子的结构是一种新颖、有效的方法。微型计算机的发展,使得在微机上用交互图形的方法研究分子结构成为可能。本文提出了一个建立在 IBM PC 机上的研究分子结构的交互环境—MOLMD,在这一环境中,可随时显示分子结构的计算过程,并可交互地建立分子三维模型。     

互动教学法对Java EE课程教学效果的影响研究

为了验证互动教学法对教学效果的影响,在《Java EE及其应用》课堂的教学环节中,采用对比的方式,选择一个班级进行传统教学,另一个班级除了传统教学外,还使用Java EE教学互动平台来进行课程教学,在课堂上和课后给学生提供全方位的互动教学。实验结果证明教学互动平台对于教学效果有明显的积极影响,尤其对于70~89分数段的学生来说具有较明显的促进作用,学生卷面成绩有明显提高。     

DIALOG: A scheme for the quick and effective production of interactive applications software

DIALOG is a collection of routines, including a main ‘driver’ program, which is used by an applications programmer as the user interface to interactive applications programs. The routines handle command analysis, data input and editing, as well as processing standard commands such as HELP. DIALOG offers, with no extra effort from the applications programmer, not only a simple interface for first-time users which gives complete instruction in using the program, but also a ‘command driven’ interface for more experienced users. DIALOG permits the quick and effective production of interactive applications software by programmers with no previous experience of writing such programs. User reaction to the programs so far produced and offered as part of a university computing service has been extremely favourable.     

QUESTO: Interactive Construction of Objective Functions for Classification Tasks

Building effective classifiers requires providing the modeling algorithms with information about the training data and modeling goals in order to create a model that makes proper tradeoffs. Machine learning algorithms allow for flexible specification of such meta-information through the design of the objective functions that they solve. However, such objective functions are hard for users to specify as they are a specific mathematical formulation of their intents. In this paper, we present an approach that allows users to generate objective functions for classification problems through an interactive visual interface. Our approach adopts a semantic interaction design in that user interactions over data elements in the visualization are translated into objective function terms. The generated objective functions are solved by a machine learning solver that provides candidate models, which can be inspected by the user, and used to suggest refinements to the specifications. We demonstrate a visual analytics system QUESTO for users to manipulate objective functions to define domain-specific constraints. Through a user study we show that QUESTO helps users create various objective functions that satisfy their goals.     

“Games are made for fun”: Lessons on the effects of concept maps in the classroom use of computer games

Does using a computer game improve students’ motivation to learn classroom material? The current study examined students’ motivation to learn history concepts while playing a commercial, off-the-shelf computer game, Civilization III. The study examined the effect of using conceptual scaffolds to accompany game play. Students from three ninth-grade classrooms were assigned to one of three groups: one group used an expert generated concept map, one group constructed their own concept maps, and a control group used no map. It was predicted that the use of concept maps would enhance the educational value of the game playing activity, in particular students’ motivational levels; however, the opposite happened. Students who used a concept map showed lower motivation on the task relative to their baseline motivation for regular classroom instruction. In contrast, the levels of motivation in playing the game, for students in the control group, met or exceeded their levels of motivation during regular classroom instruction. These results suggest that using a conceptual scaffold can decrease students’ motivation to learn classroom material through game play, perhaps because conceptual maps can (a) focus students’ attention on the difficulty of learning the concepts and on the extrinsic rewards for playing the game and (b) make game play less autonomous, less creative, and less active. All of these can negate the primary property that provides playing its principal potential pedagogical power: fun.     

The syntax of interactive command languages: A framework for design

Various qualities of simple command languages, such as ease of use and flexibility, are defined in terms of syntax. Certain design attributes—namely style, structure and level of abstraction—are described for command languages, and these attributes are shown to strongly influence the defined qualities. Commands are designed for three functions to show how the design trade-offs are made in light of the qualities and attributes discussed.     

The atomic intrinsic integration approach: A structured methodology for the design of games for the conceptual understanding of physics

Computer simulations combined with games have been successfully used to teach conceptual physics. However, there is no clear methodology for guiding the design of these types of games. To remedy this, we propose a structured methodology for the design of conceptual physics games that explicitly integrates the principles of the intrinsic integration approach for designing instructional games (Habgood & Ainsworth, 2011) with an atomic analysis of the structure of games (Cook, 2007; Cousins, 2005; Koster, 2005). To test this approach, we redesigned an existing game to teach electrostatics and compared the educational effectiveness of the original and redesigned versions. Our studies also compared an endogenous fantasy version of the game with a non-fantasy version.     

Q'Nial: A portable interpreter for the nested interactive array language,Nial

The Q'Nial interpreter combines ideas from APL and Lisp implementations to provide a rich programming environment that supports several paradigms of programming. The interpreter is structured to reflect the division of Nial semantics into levels corresponding to zero-, first-and second-order objects. The paper describes the design of the interpreter, discusses constraints imposed by the desire to achieve portability and comments on what has been learned in building an interpreter in this style.     

The evolution of a collaborative authoring system for non-linear hypertext: A design-based research study

Learning in complex and ill-structured knowledge domains requires accommodation of multiple perspectives embedded in authentic activities and the reconciliation of those perspectives with personal beliefs resulting in conceptual change. Cognitive flexibility hypertext systems support that process by enabling learners to explore authentic cases from multiple thematic perspective. Study 1 showed that knowledge exploration alone is insufficient to engage those conceptual change processes. So we reasoned that providing learners with environments that engage more constructive, personal knowledge representation activities would better support conceptual change. However, these environments rarely support learners in structuring, integrating, and representing their personal beliefs with other perspectives. That became the goal of our iterative research process.     

Overcoming the pitfalls of ontology authoring: Strategies and implications for tool design

The process of authoring ontologies appears to be fragmented across several tools and workarounds, and there exists no well accepted framework for common authoring tasks such as exploring ontologies, comparing versions, debugging, and testing. This lack of an adequate and seamless tool chain potentially hinders the broad uptake of ontologies, especially OWL, as a knowledge representation formalism. We start to address this situation by presenting insights from an interview-based study with 15 ontology experts. We uncover the tensions that may emerge between ontology authors including antagonistic ontology building styles (definition-driven vs. manually crafted hierarchies). We identify the problems reported by the ontology authors and the strategies they employ to solve them. These data are mapped to a set of key design recommendations, which should inform and guide future efforts for improving ontology authoring tool support, thus opening up ontology authoring to a new generation of users. We discuss future research avenues in light of these results.     

Editors: Two for the price of one

Text editors designed for interactive use on visual display units offer significant advantages, particularly in simplicity of use, but non-visual editors can provide facilities which are difficult to incorporate into a VDU editor without undermining these advantages. This paper describes a text editing system which offers both a visual and non-visual mode of use, via two user interfaces to a common set of editing primitives, and allows the user to switch freely between modes during the course of an edit. The visual editing interface consists of a set of single-key control functions which require no unusual VDU characteristics, while non-visual editing is provided by a set of context editing commands which both duplicate these control functions and offer extra facilities, particularly for repetitive editing.     

Investigating the added value of interactivity and serious gaming for educational TV

TV is a medium with high penetration rates and has been suited to deliver informal education in several aspects since years. Thus, interactive TV may play a significant role in the current Life-Long Learning challenges, provided that meaningful applications are implemented. In this research work, we have explored the added value of interactivity in digital TV, with a particular focus on Serious Games (SGs), given their growing relevance in technology-enhanced learning. We have followed an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach, in particular given the still traditional use of TV by a large audience. The approach preserves a media-driven strategy and the role of the author/director in proposing contents (storytelling), as in the TV tradition. We argue that interactive SGs may help the viewer to better contextualize/understand the video stream and go more in depth about the touched items at the end of the stream. This also enables new iTV applications, in particular to support weaker users (i.e. users that could not view the video without a help). This paper presents the results from user tests based on an interactive enhancement of a clip from the Disney’s Snow White movie, that challenged the authors in addressing a dynamic, high-value document. Qualitative and quantitative results show the potential of the system for informal education. The tests also stress the importance of good solutions (e.g., development languages, display modalities, metaphors) for synchronizing video and overlaid interactive elements. To the best of our knowledge, this research work is the first one discussing user test results about the usefulness of a class of iTV SG applications that can be instantiated serially in several different contexts.