bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The student view on online peer reviews
Authors: Bauer Christine , Figl Kathrin , Derntl Michael , Beran Peter Paul , Kabicher Sonja
Published: August 2009

Peer review is used as an effective quality assurance measure in many contexts, including science, business, programming or education. In education, several studies confirmed the positive effects of peer reviewing on student learning. Based on recent research concerning the role of media in the peer review process this study investigates how students perceive the process, content and effects of peer reviews. We also analyze students' opinions on different modes of peer reviewing activities, e.g. online vs. face-to-face reviewing. In the context of a computer science course on scientific writing, these research questions were addressed by administering an online questionnaire (n=38) and analysis using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results indicate that students value the peer review activity, take peer reviews seriously and provide comprehensive and constructive reviews. Findings also show that students prefer written online reviews with the possibility of oral follow-up questions to reviewers.
An academic kit for integrating mobile devices into the CS curriculum
Authors: Mahmoud Qusay H. , Ngo Thanh , Niazi Razieh , Popowicz Pawel , Sydoryshyn Robert , Wilks Matthew , Dietz Dave
Published: August 2009

In this paper we present our freely available academic kit to help universities in integrating mobile devices into the Computer Science (CS) curriculum. The kit was designed and developed at the Centre for Mobile Education and Research at the University of Guelph, and includes instructors' resources for introducing and teaching mobile application development. The first release of the kit includes the teaching material for a full introductory course on mobile application development, and concrete teaching modules for integrating mobile devices into courses on software engineering, game design and development, web services, information security, and operating systems.
A course on algorithms and data structures using on-line judging
Authors: Gárcia-Mateos Ginés , Fernández-Alemán José Luis
Published: August 2009

High dropout rates are commonly the main problem we must face in Computer Science degrees. There are two main causes of dropout: the implicit complexity of the matter, and a lack of motivation among students. The second-year programming course of our university suffered dropout rates of over 70% of the more than three hundred enrolled students. In order to overcome this problem, we have adopted a new teaching methodology based on two key ideas: replacing the traditional final exam with a series of activities in a continuous evaluation context; and making those activities more appealing to the students. In particular, most of the activities are designed as on-line programming competitions; they are carried out by using a web-based automatic evaluation system, the on-line judge. Experimental results show the high effectiveness of the proposed approach. On average, the dropout rate decreased to 45% while the pass rate doubled. Some strategies are used to ensure the authorship of the programs and to detect source code plagiarism.
A story-telling approach for a software engineering course design
Authors: Christensen Henrik Bærbak
Published: August 2009

Advanced programming and software engineering techniques are challenging to learn due to their inherent complexity. However, to the average student they are even more challenging because they have never experienced the context in which the techniques are appropriate. For instance, why learn design patterns to increase maintainability when student exercises are never maintained? In this paper, we outline the contextual problems that software engineering teaching has to deal with and present a story telling approach for course design as a remedy. We outline the stories that over the last five years have structured lecturing and mandatory exercises for our advanced programming/software engineering course, and present benefits, liabilities, and experiences with the approach comparing it to the normal, topic structured, course design.
Database and database application security
Authors: Said Huwida E. , Guimaraes Mario A. , Maamar Zakaria , Jololian Leon
Published: August 2009

This paper focuses on the emerging importance of database and application security, textbooks and other supplementary materials to teach these topics and where to place these topics in a curriculum. The paper emphasizes 1) the growing concerns of database technologies and database applications, 2) existing books and supporting materials, and 3) and Zayed University's approach to teaching these topics. At Zayed, we incorporate database and database application security in two different courses.
Enthusing & inspiring with reusable kinaesthetic activities
Authors: Curzon Paul , McOwan Peter W. , Cutts Quintin I. , Bell Tim
Published: August 2009

We describe the experiences of three University projects that use a style of physical, non-computer based activity to enthuse and teach school students computer science concepts. We show that this kind of activity is effective as an outreach and teaching resource even when reused across different age/ability ranges, in lecture and workshop formats and for delivery by different people. We introduce the concept of a Reusable Outreach Object (ROO) that extends Reusable Learning Objects. and argue for a community effort in developing a repository of such objects.
The effect of CS unplugged on middle-school students' views of CS
Authors: Taub Rivka , Ben-Ari Mordechai , Armoni Michal
Published: August 2009

Many students hold incorrect views of what computer science (CS) is, and they have negative attitudes towards the field. In order to address these difficulties, a series of learning activities called Computer Science Unplugged was developed by Bell et al. [3]. These activities expose young people to central concepts in CS in an entertaining way, without requiring a computer. Using questionnaires and interviews, we examined the effect of the activities on middle-school students' views of CS, specifically, on their views of: (a) the nature of CS; (b) the characteristics of computer scientists and work in CS; (c) the variety of employment in CS. The results indicate that 'although the students generally understood what CS is' they perceived the computer as the essence of CS and not primarily as a tool, contrary to the intention of the CS Unplugged activities. We suggest additions to the activities intended to increase the change in the views of CS that students have.
Exposure to research through replication of research
Authors: Erkan Ali , Newmark Sam , Ommen Nicolas
Published: August 2009

This paper is primarily about introducing students to research. Specifically, we present a method where students get to redo the simulations behind a few of the most cited research papers in complex networks. We also outline the design of a course that provides the context for this experimentation.
Curing recursion aversion
Authors: Gunion Katherine , Milford Todd , Stege Ulrike
Published: August 2009

This paper outlines a pilot study which expands the age range of students exposed to computer science through interesting and engaging activities. Through this engagement, the number of students who understood and recognized the concepts covered increased. We hypothesize that these activities can increase the number of students who pursue post-secondary computer science. We present a unique recursion curriculum that exposes nine students aged 11-14 through hands-on experience over a 7 week period at the University of Victoria, Canada. The curriculum was comprised of progressively challenging "unplugged" activities and included programming applications with the Logo based programming language MicroWorlds EX. Curriculum, classroom experience, preliminary results and next steps are discussed.
Differences in beliefs and attitudes about computer science among students and faculty of the bachelor program
Authors: Perrenet Jacob
Published: August 2009

Becoming a (computer) scientist involves more than learning knowledge and skills. The development of the professional attitude towards the discipline and the professional beliefs can be seen as a process of enculturation. In this study attitudes and beliefs of Computer Science students of the first, second and third Bachelor year, are compared with the beliefs and attitudes of the faculty of the department. The study shows enculturation at some aspects: attitudes and beliefs change into the direction of those of the faculty. At some other aspects, however, change occurs in the opposite direction. For a series of aspects, students halfway the first year already have attitudes and beliefs similar to those of the faculty.
Undergraduate research in CS
Authors: D'Antonio Lawrence , Boyle Roger , Kumar Amruth , Muller Logan , Roda Claudia , Tedre Matti
Published: August 2009

This panel will consider the issues related to undergraduate research in computer science from a global perspective. Panelists from different countries and varied backgrounds will relate their experiences in conducting such research.
Extending moodle to better support computing education
Authors: Rößling Guido , Kothe Andreas
Published: August 2009

Learning Management Systems such as Moodle are popular teaching tools with a broad spectrum of features. However, several aspects relevant for computing education are typically missing. This includes the annotation of materials, such as scripts or exercises, the inclusion of slides, and the integration of algorithm visualizations. We present Moodle activities that add these features to Moodle.
Affective and behavioral predictors of novice programmer achievement
Authors: Rodrigo Ma. Mercedes T. , Baker Ryan S. , Jadud Matthew C. , Amarra Anna Christine M. , Dy Thomas , Espejo-Lahoz Maria Beatriz V. , Lim Sheryl Ann L. , Pascua Sheila A.M.S. , Sugay Jessica O. , Tabanao Emily S.
Published: August 2009

We study which observable affective states and behaviors relate to students' achievement within a CS1 programming course. To this end, we use a combination of human observation, midterm test scores, and logs of student interactions with the compiler within an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). We find that confusion, boredom and engagement in IDE-related on-task conversation are associated with lower achievement. We find that a student's midterm score can be tractably predicted with simple measures such as the student's average number of errors, number of pairs of compilations in error, number pairs of compilations with the same error, pairs of compilations with the same edit location and pairs of compilations with the same error location. This creates the potential to respond to evidence that a student is at-risk for poor performance before they have even completed a programming assignment.
The academic enhancement program
Authors: Cukierman Diana , McGee Thompson Donna
Published: August 2009

The Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) at Simon Fraser University has been created to support student learning by integrating activities that introduce students to basic learning theory and strategies into core first-year Computing Science (CS) courses. Program activities include two required workshops run specifically for the CS courses, tailored to course topics. The AEP also includes a third "Elective" component that encourages students to learn about a topic of their choice related to student success and wellness. Students receive course marks for these activities. In this paper we describe how we have developed the program over the past three years and present results about the perceived usefulness of these activities both from student survey responses and from interviews with academic advisors. We also discuss lessons learned. Our findings indicate that such practices are of general benefit to our student population and are promising to address students' academic challenges, possibly having a positive impact on retention.
Introducing abstraction and decomposition to novice programmers
Authors: Sooriamurthi Raja
Published: August 2009

This paper discusses a learning exercise we use in our beginning programming classes to introduce students to the concepts of abstraction and decomposition. The assignment is to write a perpetual calendar generation program: given a month and a year the program will display the correct monthly calendar. The learning goals of the exercise include how to decompose a large problem into smaller pieces and how to specify what each piece needs to do. This exercise helps students learn the process of incremental and iterative development. More than the actual solution, the value of this exercise is in the several themes of software development that are discussed during its development. We have successfully used this assignment for several years in a variety of CS1/CS2 programming environments (Pascal, C, Java and .net) and also as a Java servlet based web application exercise. Over this period, the case-study has received very favorable feedback from students as to its interestingness and pedagogical value.
Blackjack-playing agents in an advanced AI course
Authors: Popyack Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2009

Blackjack is a multi-player card game in which each player makes a sequence of decisions based on a partially-observed game state that evolves under uncertainty. In its casino variant, Blackjack is typically played as a set of separate contests, each involving a player and the dealer, whose decisions are determined according to a published, fixed policy. We have developed and used a sequence of assignments for an advanced artificial intelligence course in which students determine an optimal strategy for Blackjack, modeled as a Markov Decision Process. The course culminates in a Blackjack tournament in which agents employ policies students have determined through their analyses.
Hybrid and custom data structures
Authors: Ernst Daniel J. , Stevenson Daniel E. , Wagner Paul J.
Published: August 2009

The topic of data structures has historically been taught with two major focuses: first, the basic definition and implementation of a small set of basic data structures (e.g. list, stack, queue, tree, graph), and second, the usage of these basic data structures as provided by a data structures framework in solving larger application problems. We see a further evolution of data structures to include new generations of hybrid and custom data structures, implying that our students must not only understand how to use these new data structures but that they continue to understand low-level implementation issues so that they can develop the next generation of data structures needed in the future. We suggest that the data structures course evolve to reflect these new generations of data structures.
Paired professional development
Authors: Pharr Walter M. , Starr Christopher W. , Starr Caroline S.
Published: August 2009

We describe a study group methodology called paired professional development (PPD) for use by faculty members for continuing education. The methodology brings exactly two colleagues together for cooperative study within a topic area over an extended period of time. Paired professional development is grounded in the practice of study groups, collaborative learning and high-impact educational practices, and is similar to pair programming in structure and benefits.
Influence of the familiarization with "scratch" on future teachers' opinions and attitudes about programming and ICT in education
Authors: Fesakis Georgios , Serafeim Kiriaki
Published: August 2009

Computer programming is considered a very important competence which is usually quite difficult to learn. Teaching computer programming to novices has to overcome important obstacles in order to be successful. The problem is even greater for non computer science majors. In order to overcome the difficulties and increase the rate of students that adopt positive views towards computer science, several educational programming environments have been proposed. Scratch educational programming environment offers innovative programming techniques and enables the rather easy development of games, animations, interactive stories etc. In this paper the effects of using Scratch in an introductory computer programming course for future teachers' attitudes and opinions are explored.
Evaluating student experiences in developing software for humanity
Authors: Hislop Gregory W. , Ellis Heidi J.C. , Morelli Ralph A.
Published: August 2009

Student involvement in Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) projects holds the potential to provide a rich education experience to undergraduates. This paper discusses educational use of HFOSS including identification of the potential for HFOSS to impact curricula, an overview of an implementation of HFOSS in education and a description of an evaluation framework that includes measures of success of such a program. The paper also presents results from initial surveys of students involved in HFOSS development in several U.S. academic institutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of work in progress.
The development and implementation of a context-based curricular framework for computer science education in high schools
Authors: Starr Christopher W. , Bergman Doug , Zaubi Phil
Published: August 2009

In this paper, we describe a computer science curricular framework for creating innovative, four-year computer science programs for high school computer science courses. Based on a suggested set of great principles of computing by Peter Denning, the framework is structured as a stack of four curricular layers. The result is a framework design that provides a high degree of curricular and pedagogical flexibility, particularly suited for the rapidly changing discipline of computer science. This report describes the computer science curricular framework, the implementation of the framework and the deployment of a four-year curriculum from the implemented framework. Initial classroom experiences are reported.
"Mailing it in"
Authors: Sant Joseph A.
Published: August 2009

The automated assessment of student programming assignments is now considered to be in its third generation. Today, these server-based systems use web front-ends and employ sophisticated testing techniques. While automated assessment has proven its benefits over the last 40 years, these systems are simply not feasible for many scenarios because of their infrastructure, support or training requirements. Today's extensible email clients are capable of handling many of the functions performed by these modern assessment systems without requiring extra infrastructure. This paper summarizes experiences using graphical email-clients that were extended to support menu-activated automated processing of a student-submitted program sent as an email message or attachment. The email-client automatically captured the results of the automated assessment in an email window for instructor annotation. This client-based system provides many of the same benefits as those provided by web-based systems.
Analyzing the use of a rubric-based grading tool
Authors: Ahoniemi Tuukka , Karavirta Ville
Published: August 2009

Over the years, a lot of research has focused on how to assess programming courses. For programming courses, semiautomatic assessment combining automatic and manual feedback has been shown to be a good solution. In this paper, we will focus on the manual assessment part and analyze the use of a rubrics-based grading tool on larger courses with multiple graders. Our results show that the use of such tools can support objective grading with high-quality feedback with reasonable time usage. Finally, we will give some pointers for teachers intending to adopt such tools on their courses.
Interactive visualization of recursion with SRec
Authors: Velázquez-Iturbide J. Á , Pérez-Carrasco Antonio , Urquiza-Fuentes Jaime
Published: August 2009

SRec is an animation system of recursion intended to assist in algorithm courses. We present the main contributions of version 1.1. First, SRec fully supports any kind of recursion. Second, it provides three additional graphical representations for divide-and-conquer algorithms. Finally, it is highly interactive to promote an exploratory style of learning.
Alice first
Authors: Seidman Robert H.
Published: August 2009

For introductory programming courses, we recommend teaching Alice as a precursor to teaching object-oriented languages such as Java. This presentation describes and demonstrates the approach of a newly published workbook that uses a highly motivating story-telling 3D virtual world interactive game design and development pedagogical approach. Students create animated movies and in the process learn object-oriented programming fundamentals.
Rich content plug-ins for the teaching machine
Authors: Norvell Theodore S. , Bruce-Lockhart Michael P.
Published: August 2009

In this paper, we describe a pedagogical tool for providing rich content in early programming courses.
Unit testing in Java
Authors: Proulx Viera K. , Jossey Weston
Published: August 2009

The design of unit tests is a fundamental part of learning to design programs. We present a Java library that supports the design of tests for a novice programmer, together with the test evaluation, and the reporting of test results in an informative manner. The tester library has been used at a number of universities with a great success.
Tool support for teaching responsibility-driven design
Authors: Inghelbrecht Yanic
Published: August 2009

We present Trace Modeler, a specialized tool that helps students understand and apply responsibility-driven design.
The role of collective efficacy and collaborative learning behavior in learning computer science through CSCL
Authors: Wang Shu-Ling , Hwang Gwo-Haur , Chu Ju-Chun , Tsai Pei-Shan
Published: August 2009

This study attempted to explore the role of group motivation (i.e. collective efficacy) and collaborative learning behavior (i.e. group cohesion; group cognitive involvement) in students' group performance in learning computer science in computer-supported collaborative learning environment.

96 Taiwanese college students (32 groups) enrolled in the course "Web Page Programming" participated in the study. The students discussed and processed their group projects using "Intelligent Collaborative Learning System".

The results indicated that collective efficacy predict group cohesion significantly in CSCL. In addition, collective efficacy also showed to predict group performance in programming significantly. Moreover, the results also indicated that both group cohesion and groups with higher cognitive involvement in their discussion leaded to better group performance. In summary, this study validated the social cognitive model in learning computer science in CSCL, that is, groups with higher collective efficacy had stronger group cohesion and better performance in learning Web Page programming. Groups with higher cognitive involvement and group cohesion also leaded to better group performance.
Computing science
Authors: Mitchell Alison , Purchase Helen C. , Hamer John
Published: August 2009

University marketing endeavours attempt to encourage school leavers to study Computing Science; the success of such attempts are becoming increasingly crucial as we see a drop in Computing Science enrollments. However, the marketing typically focusses on presenting Computing Science from the point of view of how we academics view it, with little understanding of what school pupils know of Computing Science, or their perceptions of it. We report on an extensive study into high school students' perceptions of Computing Science as a discipline, degree programme and career, and conclude that few students have a clear notion as to what Computing Science is, and that their perceptions of the discipline develop early on in their school career.
How to teach programming in secondary education
Authors: Saeli Mara
Published: August 2009

In this paper a first introduction to the concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of Programming for secondary school is given. PCK is the knowledge of why a subject should be taught, how that subject should be taught, what topics of that subject should be taught and for whom the teaching of the topic is meant. Moreover a method to uncover the PCK of Programming is described.
Using coding patterns in a model-driven approach to teaching object oriented programming
Authors: Paterson James H. , Haddow John , Cheng Ka Fai
Published: August 2009

This poster presents an approach used within object-oriented programming classes which focus explicitly on the transition from conceptual model classes to code. This approach is supported by a software tool which has been developed to provide support in the selection and implementation of appropriate coding patterns.
The two states of the mind to teach UML
Authors: de-Marcos Luis , Flores Fernando , Martínez José-Javier
Published: August 2009

The University of Alcalá (Spain) and the Lund University (Sweden) have been collaborating for several years in the development of various courses at the in-between of the Computer Science and the Humanities fields. We are trying to join different expertise and to apply it to design new ways of teaching. Within this scope we present here a course that is aimed to teach the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to humanities students.
A collaborative ubiquitous learning platform for computer science education
Authors: Tseng Judy C.R. , Hsu Sunny Y.Y. , Hwang Gwo-Jen
Published: August 2009

For teaching the computer architecture, especially in the course of "Introduction to the Computer Sciences", it is a good practice for a student to assemble and re-assemble a set of personal computer system by himself. We called the practice PC-DIY lab. In our experiences, most of the students like the PC-DIY lab very much since they can touch and see each components of a computer system and learn how to put them together correctly. However, it is unlikely to assign one teaching assistant for each student when the practice class is going on. It is usually the case that only one or two teaching assistants are available. Therefore, the students are usually not able to get prompt supports when they encounter some problems during the practice. To cope with this problem, a Collaborative Ubiquitous Learning Platform (CULP) is designed and developed for assisting the students during the PC-DIY lab.
Automatic E-learning contents composition by using gap analysis techniques
Authors: de Blas Juan Manuel , Gutiérrez José María , de Marcos Luis , Barchino Roberto
Published: August 2009

A goal of e-learning is to increase efficiency by precisely identifying the training a student needs, and providing that training in the context of day to day activities of the students [1]. This paper describes how the use of IA algorithms can be utilized to automatically generate customized learning contents on elearning environments. On top of that, we also propose the inclusion in the whole process of digital rights, as in our opinion, it's a way to make up for contents creators and to encourage them to create better, more useful materials.
Object-oriented design with trace modeler and Trace4J
Authors: Inghelbrecht Yanic
Published: August 2009

We present two tools that make students more productive during various object-oriented design activities. The first one, Trace Modeler, is a smart UML sequence diagram editor that helps students understand and apply responsibility-driven design. The second tool, Trace4J, is used to record and process the execution of a java program. Both tools are complementary. Students use Trace4J to produce focused sequence diagrams for (part of) a program's execution. Trace Modeler's support for huge diagrams lets them navigate and understand the large results in the initial stages of their processing experiments.
Visualizing compression algorithms on-the-fly
Authors: Rößling Guido , Lindner Florian
Published: August 2009

This paper presents a set of generators for visualizing common compression algorithms on-the-fly using the established and freely available Animal algorithm animation system.
Social engineering
Authors: Rößling Guido , Müller Marius
Published: August 2009

We describe two experiments to get security-relevant data using Social Engineering. The success of the experiments is disturbing.
Teaching software architectures and aspect-oriented software development using open-source projects
Authors: Costa-Soria Cristóbal , Pérez Jennifer
Published: August 2009

The complexity and the big size of current software systems are challenges to be faced in software development. In the last few years, these challenges have increased the effort required to develop such large software systems. As a result, students must be able to develop these systems using approaches that reduce their development costs. Two of these approaches are Software Architectures and the Aspect-Oriented Software Development. However, in order to acquire skills in these approaches, students must put them into practice in realistic software projects. For this reason, we propose a reverse engineering method to learn these approaches by using open-source projects.
Fine arts perspective in user interface design
Authors: Kültür Can , Veryeri Alaca Ilgim
Published: August 2009

In this poster, we first aim to explain an interdisciplinary approach and question an idea and attempt. Second, we aim to underline challenges and enablers of such an attempt. This idea can be briefly summarized as "inclusion of learning activities and assessments that are applied in coordination with the Department of Fine Arts might be necessary in terms of developing visual design skills". The target of this approach is improving the courses like 'human computer interaction' or 'user-interface design'.
Technology infrastructure in support of a medical & bioinformatics masters degree
Authors: Tusch Guenter , Leidig Paul , Wolffe Gregory , Elrod David , Strebel Carl
Published: August 2009

In 2003, Grand Valley State University started a Masters program in Medical & Bioinformatics. This M.S. degree, together with related degrees in Biostatistics and Biotechnology, were part of the "Professional Science Masters" development and implementation initiative supported by the Sloan Foundation. The interdisciplinary curriculum includes common core courses, the promotion and development of "soft skills" through teamwork and project management experiences, and an applied research focus with a mandatory business/industry internship. Instrumental to achieving these goals is a strong lab component to the curriculum that incorporates familiarity with industry-standard and widely-used software packages. We here give an update on details of the system architecture, software components, and their adaptations through the first six years of our program.
Replacing introductory programming courses with a broader perspective on computing
Authors: Hislop Gregory W.
Published: August 2009

This poster describes an effort to create a different initial course sequence for computing degrees. This effort, the EntryPoint project, focuses primarily on the first two years of the undergraduate program. An intention of the project is to retain programming learning objectives, but move away from the traditional programming-focused introductory sequence. A three dimensional model, CAP (content, application, and process), is used to organize the discussion of introductory courses.
The positive effects of explanation after CE in AVBL
Authors: Saravanos Antonios , Kinzer Charles
Published: August 2009

In this study we examine the implications that corrected-errors in asynchronous video based lessons can have on learners' perception of the instruction. We find that explicit explanation following corrected-errors negates most of the negative effects towards learners' perception of the instruction.
Extending parameterized problem-tracing questions for Java with personalized guidance
Authors: Hsiao I-Han , Sosnovsky Sergey , Brusilovsky Peter
Published: August 2009

Problem-tracing questions are popular among teachers of various programming languages. In an assessment mode these questions allows to evaluate student knowledge of language semantics. In a self-assessment mode, they provide an excellent learning tool. A 2004 ITiCSE working group report [4] stressed the importance of this type of questions to build foundation of higher-level knowledge. Yet the use of problem-tracing questions is still limited due to a large authoring overhead. To resolve this bottleneck, we explored the idea of parameterized question generation [2]. We developed QuizPACK [1], a system which can generate parameterized problem-tracing questions for C programming language. We also developed QuizGuide [1], a personalized guidance system for QuizPACK, which models student knowledge and guides students individually to most appropriate questions to try. The results of our studies demonstrated that QuizPACK strongly benefits student knowledge and that QuizGuide personalized guidance technology increased student ability to answer questions correctly and encouraged them to use the system more extensively (which, in turn, positively impacted their knowledge) [1]. However, parameterized questions in area of C programming were not as diverse from the complexity point of view as parameterized questions explored in other areas such as physics [2]. As a result, it was left unclear whether personalized guidance technology can successfully guide students to a broader range of questions from relatively simple to very difficult.

The work reported in this poster expands our work on parameterized questions to a more sophisticated domain of object-oriented Java programming, which allowed us to introduce questions of much broader. Capitalizing on our experience with QuizPACK, we developed QuizJET (Java Evaluation Toolkit), which supports authoring, delivery, and evaluation of parameterized questions for Java [3]. We also implemented JavaGuide system (Figure 1), which provides personalized guidance for QuizJET questions. We assessed the impact of adaptive navigation support to student work with questions of different complexity as well as the impact of this technology on weaker and stronger students. The results of two classroom studies indicate that personalized guidance encouraged students to use parameterized questions more extensively and also helped them to access right questions at the right time. Students were 2.5 times more likely to answer a quiz correctly with personalized guidance than without such it. In addition, we found that personalized guidance especially benefited weak students to achieve scores comparable with the scores of strong students on each complexity level of questions.
APEINTA
Authors: Iglesias Ana , Moreno Lourdes , Revuelta Pablo , Jiménez Javier
Published: August 2009

APEINTA is a Spanish educational project founded by the Spanish Minister of Education and Sciences that aims for inclusive education for every student of all abilities in and out of the classroom. In this work, the APEINTA project is presented
The use of MUVE technology in teaching AI algorithms
Authors: Moffat David C. , Trinder Kathryn
Published: August 2009

The Second-Life (SL) MUVE (Multi-User Virtual Environment) is not often used for teaching core curriculum in computing. We made a simulation set in SL to illustrate key AI algorithms, and deployed them in labs to help the students visualize them.
Mental models of recursive computations vs. recursive analysis in the problem domain
Authors: Mirolo Claudio
Published: August 2009

The work outlined here was inspired by [1, 3], where the authors analyze the mental models of recursion by looking at how students trace simple recursive computations. Besides trying to understand if their results generalize to a different context, I was interested to see the correlations between the mental models of the computation process and the ability to establish recursive relationships in the problem domain.

My investigation essentially lends further support to the findings of [3]. However, a consistent mental model of recursive computations, although implied by the ability to use recursion in problem-solving, does not seem to be sufficient for the achievement of this higher-level skill.
Use of mobile phone technologies in learning
Authors: Draganova Chrisina
Published: August 2009

This work investigates the potential of using mobile phone technologies in learning and teaching. Experiments with three different systems are presented.
The Numerical Range of Toeplitz Operator on the Polydisk
Authors: Gu Dinggui
Published: August 2009

The numerical range and normality of Toeplitz operator acting on the Bergman space and pluriharmonic Bergman space on the polydisk is investigated in this paper.
Dizzy – Why Not Take a Walk? Low Level Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life among Elderly with Dizziness
Authors: Ekwall Anna , Lindberg Åsa , Magnusson Måns
Published: August 2009

Background: Dizziness is a very common complaint. The frequency of dizziness increases with age. It affects quality of life negatively for older persons in several ways. Objectives: This study intended to investigate which variables (physical activity, loneliness, health complaints, need of help for daily living and falls) differed between those with and without dizziness and also to investigate which factors affected quality of life among older persons with dizziness. Method: An age-stratified, randomised sample of senior citizens – aged 75 or older – living in the south of Sweden (n = 4,360) answered a questionnaire concerning demographic data, social network, health complaints and diseases, feelings of loneliness, quality of life (Short Form 12), frequency of falls and activities. Results: Dizziness was associated with an increased risk of falling. Falls in the last 3 months were reported in 31% of the subjects with dizziness compared to 15% among those without (p < 0.001). Dizziness also correlated with depression, with 42.5% feeling depressed among the elderly reporting dizziness as compared with 13.2%. Exercise, both light (i.e. go for a walk) or heavy (i.e. work in the garden), correlated with reduced risk of low quality of life among older, dizzy persons, both mental (light exercise OR 0.58; heavy OR 0.48) and physical (light OR 0.62; heavy OR 0.21). The proportion of dizzy persons doing light exercise was 75.6% versus 87.4% among the not dizzy (p < 0.001). Exercise reduces the risk of falling and the risk of being depressed, and increases quality of life. Conclusion: Even light exercise seems beneficial both for improving quality of life and to decrease the risk of falling, which in turn will lower the mortality rate. Older persons reporting dizziness should be encouraged and perhaps helped to exercise. If one could increase physical activity among the elderly, it would reduce the number of falls, diminish medical costs, suffering for the individual, and be of paramount medicosocial importance for society.
Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of Use of 10% Hydrogen Peroxide Whitening Strips for Medication-Induced Xerostomia
Authors: Papas Athena S. , Kugel Gerard , Singh Mabi , Barker Matthew L. , Gerlach Robert W.
Published: August 2009

Objective: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of peroxide-containing strip-based tooth whitening among subjects with medication-induced hyposalivation. Methods: Eligibility for this tooth whitening study was limited to dentate adults taking xerogenic medications with an unstimulated salivary flow ≤0.2 ml/min. After giving informed consent, 42 subjects were randomized using a 2:1 ratio to 10% hydrogen peroxide whitening strips (Crest® Whitestrips® Premium) or placebo strips without peroxide. Strips were used for 30 min twice daily for a 14-day period. Usage was unsupervised, and only the maxillary arch was treated. On days 8 and 15, efficacy was assessed from standard digital images of the anterior dentition and quantified using the Cielab color system, while safety was assessed from interviews and clinical examinations. Results: At day 8, the peroxide group experienced significant (p < 0.001) color improvement relative to baseline and placebo. Adjusted means ± standard errors for yellowness reduction were –1.65 ± 0.115 units for the peroxide group and –0.32 ± 0.170 units for the placebo group. For the increase in lightness, adjusted means ± standard errors on day 8 were 1.53 ± 0.130 units for the peroxide group and 0.37 ± 0.191 units for the controls. Continued strip use through day 15 yielded incremental color improvement for the peroxide group. Mild and transient tooth sensitivity represented the most common adverse events. No subject discontinued treatment due to a product-related adverse event. Conclusion: Twice daily use of 10% hydrogen peroxide whitening strips by adults with medication-induced xerostomia was well tolerated, with significant tooth color improvement evident within 7 days.
Comparison of Transbronchial Lung Biopsy Yield between Standard Forceps and Electrocautery Hot Forceps in Swine
Authors: Wahidi Momen M. , Shofer Scott L. , Sporn Thomas A. , Ernst Armin
Published: August 2009

Background: Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is a commonly performed bronchoscopic procedure. Previous studies have suggested that larger biopsy forceps may improve diagnostic yield; however, the risk of bleeding associated with larger samples may be increased. The hot forceps are large forceps that are connected to an electrocautery system to minimize bleeding at the time of biopsy. Objectives: We evaluated the hot forceps for improvement in biopsy size and the number of sampled alveoli. Methods: TBLBs were performed in 2 swine using one type of the forceps, followed by the other forceps 24 h later. Electrocautery was applied from closure of the forceps to retrieval of the sample. A blinded pathologist measured the size of each sample in its longest dimension and calculated the total alveolar content within the largest cross-section from each biopsy. Results: A total of 74 biopsies were collected using each forceps type. Alveolar tissue was present in 25/74 and 26/74 of the biopsies using the hot and conventional forceps, respectively. There was no difference in the size of biopsies collected (2.10 ± 1.10 vs. 1.83 ± 0.94 mm; p = 0.164) or in the amount of alveoli per sample (343.2 ± 402.4 vs. 439.5 ± 463.5 alveoli; p = 0.433) for hot and conventional forceps, respectively. There was no artifact related to the use of electrocautery, and bleeding was minimal using either forceps system. Conclusions: The use of the electrocautery hot forceps for TBLB did not result in improvement of the size of biopsies or the amount of collected alveolar tissue in healthy pigs.
EPHB4
Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients With Brain Arteriovenous Malformations
Authors: Weinsheimer Shantel , Kim Helen , Pawlikowska Ludmila , Chen Yongmei , Lawton Michael T. , Sidney Stephen , Kwok Pui-Yan , McCulloch Charles E. , Young William L.
Published: August 2009

Background—

Brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are a tangle of abnormal vessels directly shunting blood from the arterial to venous circulation and an important cause of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). EphB4 is involved in arterial-venous determination during embryogenesis; altered signaling could lead to vascular instability resulting in ICH. We investigated the association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in
EPHB4
with risk of ICH at clinical presentation in patients with BAVM.

Methods and Results—

Eight haplotype-tagging SNPs spanning ≈29 kb were tested for association with ICH presentation in 146 white patients with BAVM (phase I: 56 ICH, 90 non-ICH) using allelic, haplotypic, and principal components analysis. Associated SNPs were then genotyped in 102 additional cases (phase II: 37 ICH, 65 non-ICH), and data were combined for multivariable logistic regression. Minor alleles of 2 SNPs were associated with reduced risk of ICH presentation (rs314313_C,
P
=0.005; rs314308_T,
P
=0.0004). Overall, haplotypes were also significantly associated with ICH presentation (χ
2
=17.24, 6
df
,
P
=0.008); 2 haplotypes containing the rs314308 T allele (GCC
T
GGGT,
P
=0.003; GTC
T
GGGC,
P
=0.036) were associated with reduced risk. In principal components analysis, 2 components explained 91% of the variance and complemented haplotype results by implicating 4 SNPs at the 5′ end, including rs314308 and rs314313. These 2 SNPs were replicated in the phase II cohort, and combined data resulted in greater significance (rs314313,
P
=0.0007; rs314308,
P
=0.00008). SNP association with ICH presentation persisted after adjusting for age, sex, BAVM size, and deep venous drainage.

Conclusions—

EPHB4
polymorphisms are associated with risk of ICH presentation in patients with BAVM, warranting further study.
Neural Basis of Visual Distraction
Authors: Kim So-Yeon , Hopfinger Joseph B.
Published: August 2009

The ability to maintain focus and avoid distraction by goal-irrelevant stimuli is critical for performing many tasks and may be a key deficit in attention-related problems. Recent studies have demonstrated that irrelevant stimuli that are consciously perceived may be filtered out on a neural level and not cause the distraction triggered by subliminal stimuli. However, in everyday situations, suprathreshold stimuli often do capture attention, but the neural mechanisms by which some stimuli rapidly and automatically trigger distraction remain unknown. Here, we investigated the neural basis of distraction by utilizing a particularly strong form of distractor: the abrupt appearance of a new object. Our results revealed a competitive relation between brain regions coding the locations of the target and the distractor, with distractor processing increasing and target processing decreasing, but only when the distractor was a new object; an equivalent luminance change to an existing object neither generated distraction nor affected target processing. Results also revealed changes in neural activity in intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) that were unique to the new object distractor condition. The strongest relations between behavioral distraction and neural activity were observed in these parietal regions. Furthermore, participants who were less susceptible to distraction showed a more consistent, albeit more moderate, level of activity in IPS and TPJ. The present results thus provide new evidence regarding the neural mechanisms underlying distraction and resistance to it.
Is There Pain in Champagne? Semantic Involvement of Words within Words during Sense-making
Authors: van Alphen Petra M. , van Berkum Jos J. A.
Published: August 2009

In an ERP experiment, we examined whether listeners, when making sense of spoken utterances, take into account the meaning of spurious words that are embedded in longer words, either at their onsets (e.g., pie in pirate) or at their offsets (e.g., pain in champagne). In the experiment, Dutch listeners heard Dutch words with initial or final embeddings presented in a sentence context that did or did not support the meaning of the embedded word, while equally supporting the longer carrier word. The N400 at the carrier words was modulated by the semantic fit of the embedded words, indicating that listeners briefly relate the meaning of initial- and final-embedded words to the sentential context, even though these words were not intended by the speaker. These findings help us understand the dynamics of initial sense-making and its link to lexical activation. In addition, they shed new light on the role of lexical competition and the debate concerning the lexical activation of final-embedded words.