A cross‐institutional approach to staff development in Internet communication

Abstract Recent upsurge in emphasis on larger class sizes and work‐based learning requires lecturers to be equipped to switch from traditional face‐to‐face teaching techniques to communicating with students using new technologies. Dialogue is the vital ingredient which underpins the successful learning experience, and staff in HE are facing a challenge in developing the necessary skills to make effective use of the emerging communication tools. These skills can only be acquired through practice, understanding of the pedagogy and awareness of the various options available. The aim of this paper is to explore, through presenting a case study, the potential benefits of cross‐institutional collaboration in information and communication technology staff development. Since both the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University were investigating ways of promoting good practice in the development and use of new learning technologies, it seemed prudent to combine forces and share ideas. The paper will examine how attempts were made to bridge the skills gap by enabling academic staff to experience Internet communication from the perspective of both student and teacher.     

Creativity for Engineering Plant Design: An Exploratory Study

A pilot study of creativity enhancement techniques took place within a large engineering firm in the UK. Exploratory interviews were carried out with professionals in the areas of creativity, mechanical design engineering and management in order to identify informally acquired skills of successful design practice.¹ Engineers participated in an introductory one day training programme applying creative techniques to real design problems from the heavy industrial engineering field. Initial feedback on the programme was recorded in addition to impact studies which took place after a ten-week interval. The impact of the programme was reported during the course of interviews which were complemented with the completion of detailed questionnaires. Results suggest that traditional training programmes for such professionals may need to be modified to become more user-friendly.     

Sharing engineering design knowledge in a distributed environment

Engineering design is a complex activity, relying heavily on know-how gained from personal experience. Competitive pressures and new technology are making further demands on the skills and experience of designers, as effective knowledge reuse in design is seen as increasingly vital, and the work of design teams is often a collaborative and distributed activity. University students with a thorough knowledge of the engineering domain can be ill prepared for professional practice, with its increasing reliance on skills and know-how as well as knowledge of theory. Our approach aims to better prepare students for professional practice, through hands-on experience of design reuse, participation in distributed collaboration, and the development of presentation and documentation skills. Our case-study in the domain of modelling engineering systems, in which the course materials themselves are evolving and distributed, has ramifications for the publication model of educational materials, and the way students should be prepared for working life.     

Improving continuing professional development in the use of ICT

Abstract Common shortcomings in educational design in Higher Education have not been fully addressed during the rapid shift towards online, resource-based learning. A contributing factor to poor course design is the adherence of academic staff towards passive and didactic forms of online teaching and learning. This problem could potentially be reduced by offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities which enable staff to gain efficiently the skills and knowledge required to incorporate new teaching methods within their course design. This paper aims to offer practical recommendations for the design and provision of CPD programmes. These recommendations are constructed by integrating key issues arising from current literature with proposals from academics who have practical experience in the use of ICT in their teaching. The overall effectiveness of these recommendations is evaluated during implementation within an existing CPD programme.     

Assessing online collaborative learning: process and product

The assessment of online collaborative study presents new opportunities and challenges, both in terms of separating the process and product of collaboration, and in the support of skills development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of assessment with respect to the processes and products of online collaborative study. It describes a qualitative case study of staff and students perspectives on two UK Open University courses which have used a variety of models of online collaborative assessment. The findings underline the importance of assessment in ensuring online participation, and in supporting the practice and development of online collaborative learning. They have led to a number of recommendations for the assessment of online collaborative learning.     

Sharing engineering design knowledge in a distributed environment

Engineering design is a complex activity, relying heavily on know-how gained from personal experience. Competitive pressures and new technology are making further demands on the skills and experience of designers, as effective knowledge reuse in design is seen as increasingly vital, and the work of design teams is often a collaborative and distributed activity. University students with a thorough knowledge of the engineering domain can be ill prepared for professional practice, with its increasing reliance on skills and know-how as well as knowledge of theory. Our approach aims to better prepare students for professional practice, through hands-on experience of design reuse, participation in distributed collaboration, and the development of presentation and documentation skills. Our case-study in the domain of modelling engineering systems, in which the course materials themselves are evolving and distributed, has ramifications for the publication model of educational materials, and the way students should be prepared for working life.     

Design and evaluation of a microprocessor course combining three cooperative methods: SDLA,PjBL and CnBL

This paper reports on the design, implementation and assessment of a new approach course structure based on the combination of three cooperative methodologies. The main goal is to reduce the percentage of non-passed students focusing the learning process on students by offering different alternatives and motivational activities based on working in small groups on a robotic project and changing the course assessment. The microprocessor course is a subject in the undergraduate program of telecommunication engineering at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) in Spain. Its traditional teaching methodology was based on Lecture sessions, Problem sessions and Practical activities in the lab (L/P/P). This methodology was changed to comply with the Bologna requirements, where new skills must be addressed and learned during the educational process. Self-Directed Learning activities (SDLA) for lecture sessions and Project based learning (PjBL) for Laboratory sessions were implemented in combination with a final competition activity between groups (CnBL). This paper describes the design, implementation and results; showing the benefits of these new teaching methods, improving student’s motivation including a robotic buggy project and allowing new learning strategies based on a practical point of view and adaptability to students’ previous skills.     

Chance discovery and scenario analysis

Scenario analysis is often used to identify possible chance events. However, no formal, computational theory yet exists for scenario analysis. In this paper, we commence development of such a theory by defining a scenario in an argumentation context, and by considering the question of when two scenarios are the same. Peter McBurney, Ph.D.: He is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, UK. He has a first degree in Pure Mathematics and Statistics from the Australian National University, Canberra, and a Ph.D in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Liverpool. His Ph.D research concerned the design of protocols for rational interaction between autonomous software agents, and he has several publications in this area. Prior to completing his Ph.D he worked as a consultant to major telecommunications network operating companies, primarily in mobile and satellite communications, where his work involved strategic marketing programming. Simon Parsons, Ph.D.: He is currently visiting the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is a Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool, UK. He holds a first degree in Engineering from Cambridge University, and an MSc and Ph.D in Artificial Intelligence from the University of London. In 1998, he was awarded the Young Engineer Achievement Medal of the British Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), the largest professional engineering society in Europe. He has published 4 books and over 100 articles on autonomous agents and multi-agent systems, uncertainty formalisms, risk and decision-making.     

Employees on the net

In a recent out-of-court settlement in the UK, Norwich Union paid £450 000 to Western Provident because of libellous comments on its internal E-mail system about Western Provident's alleged financial problems. The case highlights the danger of careless use of the E-mail system and serves as a grim reminder that companies can suffer heavily from abuses by their staff.     

Software project management education —experiences of training full-time professionals

The experiences gained from planning and implementing two evolutionary steps in a systematic training programme for young software project managers from a group of companies are presented, and the impacts of the programme on the growth of the participating companies in terms of turnover and number of staff are discussed. The basic ideas of planning were adopted from research carried out into curriculum design for systems analysts and continuing education for software engineers. In our experience the core topics of the courses should be taken from traditional software project management together with courses in leadership and the fundamentalsof software business and marketing. The course modules should be very short together with personal exercises that are closely tied to the day-to-day work of the participants. Commitment of the company to the training scheme can be ensured by using a careful analysis of its software process maturity when selecting the exercises.     

Case studies of successful train crew scheduling optimisation

UK has a large and complex passenger rail network divided into a number of franchises. Crew scheduling, one of the last stages of operations planning before services go live, is mission critical to the train operating companies, which would feel the pain of manual scheduling. As far as the author is aware, attempts by these companies to adopt an automatic optimising train crew scheduling system were unsuccessful except with TrainTRACS. After the first adoption of TrainTRACS by ScotRail in 2003, the University of Leeds spin-out company Tracsis was founded to commercialise TrainTRACS fully and to expand to other operations planning functions. Since then, TrainTRACS has gained wide acceptance by the UK rail industry. This paper discusses the major factors behind the achievements of TrainTRACS drawing from practical experience of development and interaction with the industry over many years. A couple of selected case studies will be presented in the discussion.     

The use of ICT to support the development of practical music skills through acquiring keyboard skills: a classroom based study

This paper concerns the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in music classrooms, with the focus on the secondary school music curriculum in the United Kingdom. In particular, it reports on a study of learners in a UK school using software designed to support practical music skills. The paper begins by briefly raising and summarising some key issues for the use of ICT in the UK music curriculum arising from current research and practice in music education. In this context the study is described, which was carried out in a British secondary school with 36 pupils in year 8 (aged ≈13). This study investigated whether a commercial CD-ROM entitled Teach Me Piano Deluxe, which was designed to teach music practical skills was able to support pupils’ acquisition of music keyboard skills.The results showed that there was a significant improvement in reading music (staff) notation and rhythm skills. The study suggests that this is one of the ways in which ICT may be useful for learning practical music skills in the music classrooms. Such potential improvement in practical skills may, in turn, enable pupils to approach music-based activities such as: composing, performing or listening in the classrooms, with greater confidence, a deeper level of understanding, and appreciation.     

Defining a Requirements Process Improvement Model

Both software organisations and the academic community are aware that the requirements phase of software development is in need of further support. We address this problem by creating a specialised Requirements Capability Maturity Model (R-CMM¹). The model focuses on the requirements engineering process as defined within the established Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI’s) software process improvement framework. Our empirical work with software practitioners is a primary motivation for creating this requirements engineering process improvement model. Although all organisations in our study were involved in software process improvement (SPI), they all showed a lack of control over many requirement engineering activities.This paper describes how the requirements engineering (RE) process is decomposed and prioritised in accordance with maturity goals set by the SEI’s Software Capability Maturity Model (SW CMM). Our R-CMM builds on the SEI’s framework by identifying and defining recommended RE sub-processes that meet maturity goals. This new focus will help practitioners to define their RE process with a view to setting realistic goals for improvement.Sarah Beecham is a research fellow in the Department of Maths and Computing in The Open University in the UK. She is currently working on the EPSRC funded CRESTES project () looking into modelling resource estimation for long-lived software. She has recently completed her PhD for a program of work entitled “A Requirements-based Software Process Maturity Model”. Current research interests are in estimation for software evolution and maintenance and in the general areas of software process improvement. Her particular research interests are in empirical methods in software engineering and requirements engineering.Tracy Hall leads the Systems & Software Research Group in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire. She specialises in the empirical investigation of technical and non-technical issues within software engineering. During the past ten years Tracy has successfully collaborated with many companies on a variety of research projects. She is very active in the Empirical Software Engineering community and is regularly invited to talk about empirical methods both in the UK and abroad. Tracy is an accomplished researcher having published over twenty high quality journal papers.Austen Rainer Austen Rainer is a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. He studied for his PhD at Bournemouth University, in conjunction with IBM Hursley Park. His current research interests include open source software development, longitudinal case study research, and the credibility of empirical evidence for researchers and software practitioners.     

Feasibility Study on an Excavation-Type Demining Robot

In this study, we propose a design of an excavation-type demining robot that rids a farm of mines efficiently and safely. In the dangerous area, the robot automatically takes in soil in which mines are laid. The entire soil surface, including mines, is crushed, separated and discharged. Therefore, the demining ratio is high; also, the soil becomes clean and cultivated. The robot has a large bucket on its front. The robot moves forward, maintaining the height of the bucket from the ground by the vertical motion of the bucket and the forward motion of the body. The possibility of that motion is confirmed through simulations and experiments. The crush process and the proper depth of the excavation are also discussed.Yoshikazu Mori has a Ph.D. degree in information science from Tohoku University (Japan). he is a research associate in the Department of Precision Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University. His research focuses on a welfare robot, and won the 2004 Presentation Award from The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Robotics and Mechatronics Division. He is also interested in an autonomous agent that lives with the human.Kazuhiro Takayama has a Masters Degree from the Department of precision Engineering at Tokyo Metropolitan University. He is an acoustic engineer of Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Tochigi R&D Center.Takeshi Adachi has a Bachelors Degree from the Department of Precision Engineering at Tokyo Metropolitan University. Currently he is studying a bipedal robot with jack legs for carrying a heavy load.Shintaro Omote has a Bachelors Degree from the Department of Precision Engineering at Tokyo Metropolitan University. He is currently studying a partner robot and trying to let it recognize human mental characters.Tatsuya Nakamura received the B.E. degree in aeronautics, the M.S. degree in physics and D. E. degree in robotics in 1965, 1967 and 1983, respectively, from Nagoya University. He joined the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, AIST, MITI in 1967. He was engaged in advanced robotics project there. In 1992, he became a professor at Mie University. Since 1997, he has been a Professor in the Department of Precision Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University. His research topics include micromanipulation using magnetic technologies and intelligent welfare robots.     

Computer-aided manufacturing systems: Work-psychological aspects and empirical findings from case studies

In this paper, findings from a research project on work-psychological concepts for the design of computer-aided integrated manufacturing systems are presented. The work-psychological point of view is that concepts which focus not only on technical aspects, but also on the design of work organization and the use and development of skills and qualifications not only contribute to humane work conditions but are also associated with economics efficiency. Results gained from 60 small and medium size Swiss companies in the capital-goods industry show that very few companies have holistic manufacturing structures in terms of decentralization, functional integration, work group autonomy and complete and challenging tasks. Furthermore, skills and qualifications are not made use of to their fullest extent in most companies. Although technical support in terms of implementation of computer-aided manufacturing systems and technical integration is noticeably high, economic efficiency could not be exclusively attributed to the implementation of technical systems. The attainment of efficiency goals associated with the implementation of technical systems turned out to be higher in companies pursuing a holistic approach to the design of computer-aided manufacturing systems encompassing technical aspects, organizational design and use and development of skills and qualifications.

Relevance to industry

In many companies, the implementation and utilization of computer-aided manufacturing systems is considered an appropriate means for meeting increased market demand. Yet, a growing body of empirical findings indicates that computer-aided manufacturing systems per se will not guarantee that companies perform successfully. Data gained from case studies indicate that a comprehensive approach directed at the joint consideration and optimization of technical systems, organizational design and qualifications will contribute to a successful implementation of computer-aided manufacturing systems in terms of humane working conditions and economic efficiency. The data can be used for the work-psychologically founded design of computer-aided integrated manufacturing systems.     

Students’ attitudes towards integration of ICTs in a reading course: A case in Turkey

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ attitudes towards the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a reading skills course offered at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. To this end, 30 first year students of the foreign language education (FLE) department followed a four-week component of an ICTs-integrated reading skills course. To examine the students’ attitudes towards the course and the new learning environment at the end of the teaching period, an attitude questionnaire was administered and interviews were conducted. The findings indicate that despite the difficulties they faced, the students were satisfied overall with the application of ICTs in their reading course and developed positive attitudes towards online courses.     

The Dirty Details of Gopher Maintenance

Abstract

This paper describes the details of maintaining an Internet information service, focusing on the experience of Documents Center staff in the University of Michigan Library with the “Department of Commerce Economic Data (UMich)” gopher area. Described are the evolution of the service, the logistics of obtaining and posting the files, developing staff skills and knowledge, file selection, and provision of enhanced access and assistance. Long term considerations are discussed. Internet information services differ from more traditional library services and materials maintenance because they require special skills, equipment, and constant reassessment. Despite this, the benefits of providing such services are significant for the academic library's clientele, its staff, and the Internet community overall.     

Effects of an online problem based learning course on content knowledge acquisition and critical thinking skills

This study investigated how the online problem based learning (PBL) approach employed in an online learning environment influenced undergraduate students’ critical thinking skills (CTS) and content knowledge acquisition. The pretest–posttest control group design was used in the study. The subjects included the students who were enrolled at the Department of Primary School Mathematics Teaching in Anadolu University Education Faculty. Subjects attended to Computer II course in 2008 spring. Experiment group attended the online PBL course whereas the control group attended the online instructor-led course. Each group consisted of 20 students. Data collection tools consisted of a multiple choice content knowledge acquisition scale and the Watson–Glaser critical thinking skills test. The results of two-way mixed design ANOVA indicated that learning in the online PBL group did not have a significant effect on the content knowledge acquisition scores. It was also revealed that learning in the online PBL group had a significant effect on increasing the critical thinking skills.     

Evaluating FINESSE: a case-study in group-based CAL

The FINESSE project (Finance Education in a Scalable Software Environment)¹ addresses problems associated with the teaching of finance courses in the UK Higher Education sector by constructing a networked, computer-based portfolio management game. The FINESSE consortium consists of finance lecturers at the Universities of Dundee, Strathclyde, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Glasgow Caledonian University, and members of the Computer Sciences division at the University of St Andrews. Subject-specific resources were developed to exploit access to real-time stock-market data thereby allowing students to explore portfolio management strategies in a new and exciting way. This paper focuses on the need for a mix of methods when evaluating a CAL project, and on the desirability of including evaluation as part of the design stage and of the development process. We describe the various approaches employed to evaluate different aspects of FINESSE throughout the first 2 years of its use, and present the results of a student questionnaire.     

A ‘smart house’ is not a home: The domestication of ICTs

This paper discusses the domestication of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly their use, in UK households reporting on research undertaken between 1998 and 2004. Issues raised are linked to the dominant discourse of the ‘digital divide’, which in the UK means engaging with ICTs in a ‘meaningful’ way to ensure the economic and social well-being of UK plc (public limited company—in the UK this refers to companies whose shares can be sold to the public. The acronym is used here ironically to indicate the motivation of the government to brand and promote the UK as a whole.). Utilising a framework of understanding digital inequality and the ‘deepening divide’, domestication theory is applied to discuss motivational, material and physical, skills and usage access in the gendered household, critically contrasting this approach to ‘smart house’ research. This qualitative enquiry contributes to the neglected area of domestication studies in Information Systems research.