bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teacher and Student Responses to Blended Environments
Authors: Trentin Guglielmo , Wheeler Steve
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides a further two European perspectives on blended learning. The first section is an overview of the ways in which the concept of blended solutions is interpreted in the Italian networkbased education context. Results of research carried out at some Italian Universities about various approaches to technology enhanced learning (TEL) are described which account for an increasing tendency of teachers to choose blended solutions. On the basis of interviews with 250 teachers some important blended solutions sustainability factors are analyzed pertaining to the pedagogical, professional, socio- cultural, informal dimensions as well as the content, organizational, economic and technological. In the second section of the chapter, an overview of blended and personalised learning in the United Kingdom is presented, with a critical review of some of the recent British research into the efficacy of learning management system (LMS) based blended learning approaches. Central to the chapter section is a discussion regarding the future of the LMS and how the network generation is migrating toward social networking sites and mobile technology to connect with their peers. The chapter finishes with the suggestion that personalised learning environments (PLEs) will be their preferred blended learning and communication approach.
Reciprocal Mentoring "In The Wild"
Authors: Robertshaw M. Brooke , Leary Heather , Walker Andrew , Bloxham Kristy , Recker Mimi
Published: May 2011

For teachers in the 21st Century it has become critical that they develop the skills to be able to teach in a world that is being transformed by technological innovations. These skills include effectively teaching in blended learning environments with high-quality online learning resources available on the internet. Chief among the challenges faced by these teachers is that mid- and late career teachers, unlike preservice teachers, do not have adequate technology knowledge. A challenge for pre-service teachers is that they do not have the pedagogical and content knowledge to be able to effectively implement their technology knowledge in the classroom. This retrospective comparative case study was undertaken to understand reciprocal mentoring (RM) relationships that can occur between in-service teachers and pre-service teachers during implementation of a technology based lesson. The transfer of knowledge between the members of the RM dyad is described through the lens of technological pedagogical content knowledge.
Immune Programming Applications in Image Segmentation
Authors: Bi Xiaojun
Published: May 2011

In fact, image segmentation can be regarded as a constrained optimization problem, and a series of optimization strategies can be used to complete the task of image segmentation. Traditional evolutionary algorithm represented by Genetic Algorithm is an efficient approach for image segmentation, but in the practical application, there are many problems such as the slow convergence speed of evolutionary algorithm and premature convergence, which have greatly constrained the application. The goal of introducing immunity into the existing intelligent algorithms is to utilize some characteristics and knowledge in the pending problems for restraining the degenerative phenomena during evolution so as to improve the algorithmic efficiency. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that immune programming outperforms the existing optimization algorithms in global convergence speed and is conducive to alleviating the degeneration phenomenon. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that immune programming has better global optimization and outperforms the existing optimization algorithms in alleviating the degeneration phenomenon. It is a feasible and effective method of image segmentation.
Internal Radionuclide Dosimetry using Quantitative 3-D Nuclear Medical Imaging
Authors: Tsougos Ioannis , Loudos George , Georgoulias Panagiotis , Nikita Konstantina S. , Theodorou Kiki
Published: May 2011

Quantitative three-dimensional nuclear medical imaging plays a continuously increasing role in radionuclide dosimetry, allowing the development of patient – specific treatment planning systems. The established method for dosimetry is based on the measurement of the biokinetics by serial gamma camera scans, followed by calculations of the administered activity and the residence times, resulting in the radiation absorbed doses of critical organs. However, the quantification of the activity in different organs from planar data is hampered by inaccurate attenuation and scatter correction as well as due to background and organ overlay (Glatting 2006). Alternatively, dosimetry based on quantitative three-dimensional data is more accurate and allows a more individualized approach, provided that all effects that degrade the quantitative content of the images have been corrected for. In addition inhomogeneous organ accumulation of the radionuclide can be detected and possibly taken into account (De Jong 2004). This chapter provides adequate information on internal emitter dosimetry and a state of the art review of the current methodology.
Image Processing and Machine Learning Techniques for Facial Expression Recognition
Authors: Koutlas Anastasios , Fotiadis Dimitrios I.
Published: May 2011

The aim of this chapter is to analyze the recent advances in image processing and machine learning techniques with respect to facial expression recognition. A comprehensive review of recently proposed methods is provided along with an analysis of the advantages and the shortcomings of existing systems. Moreover, an example for the automatic identification of basic emotions is presented: Active Shape Models are used to identify prominent features of the face; Gabor filters are used to represent facial geometry at selected locations of fiducial points and Artificial Neural Networks are used for the classification into the basic emotions (anger, surprise, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, neutral); and finally, the future trends towards automatic facial expression recognition are described.
Recent Advances in Automated Chromosome Image Analysis
Authors: Karvelis Petros S. , Fotiadis Dimitrios I.
Published: May 2011

Automated chromosome analysis is now becoming routine in most human cytogenetics laboratories. It involves both processing and analysis of digital images and has been developed because of the demandby cytogeneticists. Over the years, many techniques have been introduced for the automatic segmentation and classification of chromosome images, of which only a few are included in the available commercial systems. Today, advances in chromosome imaging techniques, especially in multispectral imaging, lead the way for the development of new and improved methods for the location, segmentation and classification of chromosome images by exploiting the color information. In this chapter the authors describe methods which have been already developed for automated chromosome analysis.
Machine Learning in Morphological Segmentation
Authors: Lezoray O. , Lebrun G. , Meurie C. , Charrier C. , Elmotataz A. , Lecluse M.
Published: May 2011

The segmentation of microscopic images is a challenging application that can have numerous applications ranging from prognosis to diagnosis. Mathematical morphology is a very well established theory to process images. Segmentation by morphological means is based on watershed that considers an image as a topographic surface. Watershed requires input and marker image. The user can provide the latter but far more relevant results can be obtained for watershed segmentation if marker extraction relies on prior knowledge. Parameters governing marker extraction varying from image to image, machine learning approaches are of interest for robust extraction of markers. We review different strategies for extracting markers by machine learning: single classifier, multiple classifier, single classifier optimized by model selection.
Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Authors: Russo Valentina , Setola Roberto
Published: May 2011

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview about models and methodologies used for the Dynamic Contrast Enhancement (DCE) analysis. DCE is a non-invasive methodology aimed to diagnostic the nature of a lesion on the base of the perfusion’s dynamic of specific contrast agents. The idea at the base of DCE is that, in several pathological tissues, including tumors and inflammatory diseases, the angiogenic process is abnormal, hence the characterization of vascularisation structure may be used to support the diagnosis. In this chapter, we will describe the basic DCE procedures and introduce some of its most innovative evolution based on the pharmacokinetic analysis technique (PK), and the empirical model (EM). Even if DCE is still a medical research topic, there is large interest for this type of approach in biomedical applications as witnessed by the availability of specific tools in the last generation top-class US, CT and MR machines.
Exploring Teacher Problem Solving Using Simulation
Authors: Girod Mark
Published: May 2011

Teacher education is currently facing pressures to demonstrate efficacy in preparing teachers who can affect P-12 student learning gains. Teacher work sampling is one pedagogical framework useful in helping candidates connect their teaching actions to the learning of students. The Cook School District simulation is a web-based environment in which teacher candidates can practice this “connecting teaching and learning” using the framework of teacher work sampling. Though expert-novice investigations were popular during the 1970s and 80s, recent methodological, conceptual, and technical developments have occurred and teacher education may benefit by revisiting these types of studies in an effort to gather empirical knowledge of teacher problem solving and the support of P-12 student learning. In this vein, teacher problem solving was explored using the Cook simulation and important differences between more and less experienced teachers were found on problem framing, problem analyzing, and solution development activities.
Modeling in the Classroom Using Squeak Etoys
Authors: Morge Shelby P.
Published: May 2011

Recently adopted 21st Century goals stress the importance of preparing students for a globally competitive society by providing them with opportunities to develop skills in global literacy, problem solving, innovation, and creativity. These goals create a challenge for teachers to move beyond traditional beliefs about teaching and learning in order to implement new technologies and teaching strategies in the classroom. This chapter provides a brief overview of the process of blending a new technology into the classroom setting. The process involves selecting the new technology, learning how to use it, and using it in the classroom. As a specific example, this chapter describes how a NSF-funded project, entitled Using Squeak to Infuse Information Technology (USeIT), is helping teachers learn how to use a new virtual modeling technology, Squeak Etoys, and use it in their classrooms. The teachers have learned and used Squeak Etoys in a way that works best for them and their students. They have created models and problem-based learning (PBL) lesson plans correlated with state curriculum standards.
Data Smog, Techno Creep and the Hobbling of the Cognitive Dimension
Authors: Marksteiner Peter R.
Published: May 2011

Information overload is an increasingly familiar phenomenon, but evolving United States military doctrine provides a new analytical approach and a unifying taxonomy organizational leaders and academicians may find useful in conducting further study of this subject. The overabundance of information, relentless stream of interruptions, and potent distractive quality of the internet draw knowledge workers away from productive cognitive engagement like an addictive drug, hobbling the quality and timeliness of decisions and causing considerable economic waste. Evolving U.S. military doctrine addressing “Information Operations” applies time tested principles regarding the defense of physical resources to an information age center of gravity—the decision making capacity of people and organizations, or the “cognitive dimension.” Using military doctrine and thinking to underscore the potential seriousness of this evolving threat should inspire organizational leaders to recognize the criticality of its impact and motivate them to help clear the data smog, reduce information overload, and communicate for effect.
Human Factors in Security
Authors: Guzman Indira R. , Stam Kathryn , Hans Shaveta , Angolano Carole
Published: May 2011

The goal of our study is to contribute to a better understanding of role conflict, skill expectations, and the value of information technology (IT) security professionals in organizations. Previous literature has focused primarily on the role of information professionals in general but has not evaluated the specific role expectations and skills required by IT security professionals in today’s organizations. In this chapter, we take into consideration the internal and external factors that affect the security infrastructure of an organization and therefore influence the role expectations and skills required by those who are in charge of the security of network infrastructures in organizations. First, we describe the factors discussed in the literature and support them with quotes gathered from interviews conducted with information security professionals in small organizations in Central New York. Then, we present a set of common themes that expand the understanding of this role and finally we provide practical recommendations that would facilitate the management of these professionals within organizations.
Diagnosing Misfits, Inducing Requirements, and Delineating Transformations within Computer Network Operations Organizations
Authors: Bekatoros HN Nikolaos , Koons III Jack L. , Nissen Mark E.
Published: May 2011

The US Government is moving apace to develop doctrines and capabilities that will allow the Department of Defense (DoD) to exploit Cyberspace for military advantage, and the role of computer networked operations (CNO) has taken on greater importance with the rise of network-centric warfare. Unfortunately, extant CNO organizations are slow to anticipate and react, and as such do not operate well within their highly dynamic environments. Contingency Theory research provides considerable knowledge to guide designing organizational structures that fit well with various mission-environmental contexts, and as such it offers excellent potential to inform leaders and policy makers regarding how to bring their CNO organizations and approaches into better fit, and hence to improve performance. In this chapter, we identify a candidate set of organizational structures that offer potential to fit DoD better as it strives, and struggles, to address the technological advances and risks associated with CNO. Using the Organizational Consultant (OrgCon) expert system to model and diagnose key problems and misfits associated with extant CNO organizations in the DoD, we propose a superior organizational structure for CNO that can also be applied to organizations in the international environment. Results elucidate important insights into CNO organization and management, suitable for immediate policy and operational implementation, and expand the growing empirical basis to guide continued research.
Conclusion
Authors: Schoechle Timothy
Published: May 2011

This chapter offers the conclusions of the study, briefly summarizes the entire study, and then presents the results and their relevance to the study’s theoretical perspectives. Recommendations are also provided about how the discourse on standardization might be clarified and employed more fruitfully by those exploring policy alternatives, including academia, government, and industry. The limitations of the study are assessed and some suggestions are made about possible areas for further research, both theoretical and practical. Finally, observations are included that relate this work to the larger context of global economic, political, and social change.
E-World
Authors: Ferrucci Filomena , Scanniello Giuseppe , Tortora Genoveffa
Published: May 2011

In this chapter the authors present E-World, an e-learning platform able to manage and trace adaptive learning processes which are designed and created by means of a visual language based tool. To address the goal to have a platform easily extensible with new services, they have designed it selecting a software architecture based on the use of Web Services and a suitable Middleware component. To trace adaptive learning processes E-World also integrates as Web Service a suitable implementation of a Run- Time Environment compliant with the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) standard. Their proposal also supports the “anytime and anywhere” learning paradigm as it enables learners to enjoy linear or adaptive processes using any device equipped with a standard Web browser. In the chapter they also report on the experiment we have carried out to assess the usability of the proposed e-learning platform.
Adaptive Animation of Human Motion for E-Learning Applications
Authors: Li Frederick W.B. , Lau Rynson W.H. , Komura Taku , Wang Meng , Siu Becky
Published: May 2011

Human motion animation has been one of the major research topics in the field of computer graphics for decades. Techniques developed in this area help present human motions in various applications. This is crucial for enhancing the realism as well as promoting the user interest in the applications. To carry this merit to e-learning applications, we have developed efficient techniques for delivering human motion information over the Internet to collaborating e-learning users and revealing the motion information in the client machines with different rendering capability. Our method offers a mechanism to extract human motion data at various levels of detail (LoD). We also propose a set of importance factors to allow an e-learning system to determine the LoD of the human motion for rendering as well as transmission, according to the importance of the motion and the available network bandwidth. At the end of the paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the new method with some experimental results.
Ubiquitous Computing Technologies in Education
Authors: Hwang Gwo-Jen , Wu Ting-Ting , Chen Yen-Jung
Published: May 2011

The prosperous development of wireless communication and sensor technologies has attracted the attention of researchers from both computer and education fields. Various investigations have been made for applying the new technologies to education purposes, such that more active and adaptive learning activities can be conducted in the real world. Nowadays, ubiquitous learning (u-learning) has become a popular trend of education all over the world, and hence it is worth reviewing the potential issues concerning the use of u-computing technologies in education, which could be helpful to the researchers who are interested in the investigation of mobile and ubiquitous learning.
An eLearning Portal to Teach Geographic Information Sciences
Authors: Grunwald S. , Hoover B. , Bruland G.L.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter the authors describe the implementation of an emerging virtual learning environment to teach GIS and spatial sciences to distance education graduate students. They discuss the benefits and constraints of our mixed architecture with the main focus on the innovative hybrid architecture of the virtual GIS computer laboratory. Criteria that were used to develop the virtual learning environment entailed the following: (i) Facilitating student-instructor, student-computer, and student-student interactivity using a mix of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools; (ii) Developing an interactive online learning environment in which students have access to a suite of passive and active multi-media tools; and (iii) Allowing student access to a mixed web-facilitated / hybrid architecture that stimulates their cognitive geographic skills and provides hands-on experience in using GIS.
Rationale, Design and Implementation of a Computer Vision-Based Interactive E-Learning System
Authors: Xu Richard Y.D. , Jin Jesse S.
Published: May 2011

This article presents a schematic application of computer vision technologies to e-learning that is synchronous, peer-to-peer-based, and supports an instructor’s interaction with non-computer teaching equipments. The article first discusses the importance of these focused e-learning areas, where the properties include accurate bidirectional interaction and low cost hardware; system portability and versatile vision technology are emphasized. In the subsequent sections, we present some results aiming to achieve these goals. In particular, we highlight the most recent advancements in the interactive PTZ camera control from both the instructor and remote student. We also illustrated how these results have successfully addressed the challenges.
Research and Practice of E-Learning in Canada 2008
Authors: McGreal Rory , Anderson Terry
Published: May 2011

Any view of e-learning in Canada must be informed by the uniquely Canadian feature of provincial jurisdiction over education. Therefore any investigation of e-learning in Canada must focus more on specific provincial initiatives in technologically enhanced learning rather than a Canadian overview. A distinctive “Canadian” model does not exist. The provinciality of Canadian e-learning serves to highlight the inability of Canada to sustain national strategies and focus as in other countries due to the fractious nature of federal/provincial relations in education.
Practical Approach for Implementation of Governance Process in IT
Authors: Mentzingen de Moraes Altino José , Ferneda Edilson , Costa Ivanir , Spinola Mauro de Mesquita
Published: May 2011

Brazilian companies have been looking for more effective approaches to the governance of Information Technology (IT). Therefore, they have put into practice models developed in European countries or North America and published in the literature. Researchers debate the applicability of these models, with or without adaptations, in Brazilian companies. This chapter presents and discusses a survey performed in Brazil with the objective of developing IT Governance models applicable to Brazilian companies.
IT-Assurance with CobiT
Authors: Fröhlich Martin , Johannsen Wolfgang , Wilop Karsten
Published: May 2011

Strategic IT management is increasingly concerned with requirements from regulatory bodies. This conformance part of IT management complements the classic performance side. Ideally both are integrated into IT Governance of an enterprise or organization. With the need to prove compliance with a wide diversity of laws and rules for IT systems (technology, processes, rules) the demand for proven support methods grows. Specifically best practice models are beginning to gain awareness and acceptance for IT Audits and for the less formal IT Assurance projects. The Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (CobiT) reference model is increasingly being discussed as a framework of choice for IT Audits and IT Assurance. This chapter introduces requirements for IT Audits and IT Assurance projects and discuss the boundaries of applying the CobiT IT Assurance Guide in such environments.
Machinima in Second Life
Authors: Filimon Stephany
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides a brief history of machinima, films created by computer users within virtual worlds, and focuses on machinima produced within the social virtual world of Second Life, on how to create machinima in Second Life, and on highlighting select examples of Second Life machinima. This chapter also connects user-produced content, like machinima, with the openness and rules of the platforms in which content is created. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of legal thinking surrounding user-created content, including machinima, and points to the rise of the player-producer in these systems.
Player Motivation and Understanding Game Dynamics
Authors: Jinman Andrew
Published: May 2011

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are becoming an increasingly popular recreational activity for social engagement. Transporting players to fantasy realms where they bridge the void between reality and the virtual world, via the creation of their online persona. Since the introduction of “table-top” games in the 70’s, social interaction has been shaped by various game dynamics. Following the evolution of the MMORPG genre, the author investigates the implication of these dynamics on in-game social interaction and personal creativity. Identifying the key drivers in a player’s motivation allows us to understand how different players are affected by the game’s dynamics through research by Bartle (1996) and Yee (2005). Retrospectively these games are being described as immersive due to game dynamics and social content, with a direct intention to increase play. The author also discusses anticipating the occurrence of problematic behavior and addictive nature of the technology.
E-Health Technology for Detecting and Managing Chronic Disease
Authors: Lehmann Craig , Benz Scott Lisa , Giacini Jean Marie
Published: May 2011

The authors of this chapter present an overview of the health and economic challenges that healthcare infrastructures are experiencing and the growing concern of providing healthcare to increasing numbers of individuals age 60 and above. They also discuss how comprehensive disease management programs that combine e-health technology with community-based health and/or social services can support the long distance diagnosis and clinical monitoring of chronic disease states such as cardiovascular disease among communities with poor access to quality healthcare. By sharing lessons learned from their prior work and studies found in the literature, they discuss e-health projects that improve access to healthcare and disease management among homebound, chronically ill seniors by introducing mobile units to service rural communities in nontraditional settings (e.g., food pantries, soup kitchens, church-based services, and senior daycare programs). The authors demonstrate how today’s e-health systems can allow healthcare providers to screen, diagnosis, treat, and manage patients in the home or community-based delivery settings, reducing the need for costlier facilities and services, decreasing patient isolation (by increasing interactions with those who are homebound or live in remote regions) and increasing disease management and patient compliance. The authors argue that e-health technology must remain in the forefront of global thinking in order to better serve the health needs of an aging world population, reduce costs, and alleviate a dwindling healthcare workforce.
Electronic Patient Monitoring in Mental Health Services
Authors: Stritzke Werner G. , Page Andrew
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews advances in electronic patient monitoring in mental health service delivery. The first part focuses on interactive-voice-response (IVR) technology and its dual role of enhancing the efficient and reliable access to vital patient information and reducing the need for human resources in using that information to guide patient care. Future directions for IVR-mediated mental healthcare are outlined and challenges to dissemination and routine implementation are discussed. The second part of the chapter focuses on touch screen technology as a clinical tool for continuing, flexible treatment planning in mental health inpatient clinics. It reports on a successful trial of linking an innovative mental health ‘well-being thermometer’ to a touch screen interface for keeping electronic patient reported outcome data at the clinician’s finger tips. The authors argue that the field needs to move beyond feasibility studies and identify the drivers of and barriers to routine implementation.
Case Management
Authors: Carr Dana Dervain
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces case management as a principal cornerstone in the delivery of cost effective, quality healthcare. Since the advent of modern healthcare initiatives, case management design and structure has been consistently applied in healthcare practice across the continuum: horizontally, vertically, nationally, and internationally. Moreover, its strategies have been practiced successfully in the care of people, ill and healthy, in areas of public health, behavioral health, long term care, rehabilitation, medicine, nursing, and social work. Through identification and definition of its principles and standards of practice, and through discussion of the role and function of case management professionals, the author hopes to demonstrate that the implementation of such strategies can optimize the success of clinical operations and help ensure fiscal viability in the global healthcare marketplace.
Knowledge Workers, Librarians, and Safety
Authors: Zipperer Lorri
Published: May 2011

This chapter advocates for the involvement of librarians in safety initiatives to mitigate risk and improve reliability of performance. Its primary focus is the clinical environment. The author suggests research concepts to be considered to empirically identify areas where the expertise of librarians can contribute to patient safety. Examples are included to illustrate how that expertise can be applied through knowledge service design and use of evidence delivery via information technologies. The value of a systems approach to developing information programs is highlighted.
Art and Technology for Health
Authors: Boyd Davis Stephen , Moar Magnus , Jacobs Rachel , Watkins Matt , Shackford Robin , Oppermann Leif , Capra Mauricio
Published: May 2011

The chapter describes the development of a prototype digital game which was designed to make players more aware of the health consequences of their behaviours. The emphasis was on enabling players to become more aware of the performance of their heart–but without setting them targets, prescribing fitness programmes, or in any other way making them feel that they were doing ‘work’ or ‘exercise’. A prototype developed principally by artists and designers rather than by health professionals, the game has so far only been evaluated informally, and no longitudinal studies have been undertaken. Nevertheless, some interesting issues have been raised. These include the use of digital gameplay as a potential means to modify attitudes and behaviours; the possible benefits of live feedback during use as distinct from retrospective review of performance; and the success of this project in terms of multidisciplinary collaboration. Since few projects have been based on live heart-rate, the chapter also introduces some of the problems and the potential of exploiting this aspect of behaviour in digital play. First, two contexts are described: the crisis in health caused by widespread low levels of physical activity and the technocultural context in which the work was developed. An account of the innovative features of the project leads into a discussion of the issues arising.
IT Benefits in Healthcare Performance and Safety
Authors: Bolsin Stephen , Colson Mark
Published: May 2011

There is no doubt that carefully designed IT solutions enhance the capture of performance and critical incident reporting data in clinical environments. This chapter will examine the effectiveness of recent initiatives in this area and the value of the information that can be generated. While outlining the proposed savings to healthcare systems that can be anticipated by improved performance monitoring and incident reporting, the authors will also explore the additional value that the IT solutions can offer to clinicians in terms of improved learning experiences and ethical behaviour. Extensions of these applications will be discussed, with the necessary prerequisites (e.g. ease of data entry, single data entry/multiple data use, speed of data collection, rapid and accessible feedback of results, etc.) that underpin these advances. The potential barriers (e.g. technophobia, fear of performance monitoring, poor ethical standards) to successful uptake and implementation in healthcare are also considered.
The Online Seminar as Enacted Practice
Authors: Jonsson Lars-Erik , Säljö Roger
Published: May 2011

The academic seminar can be seen as the core of university culture. In a seminar, claims to knowledge – presented in an essay and/or orally – are critically scrutinised and subjected to further articulation. The point of this chapter is to report on attempts to develop critical features of seminar culture in the online context. The basic premise is that participation in seminar activities has to be learned through experience. For the participant with little prior experience of online textual discussions, the online seminar introduces an unfamiliar learning situation in which organisational as well as cognitive and communicative issues must be attended to explicitly. In order to illustrate the attempts to socialise students into this kind of discourse communities, we use a Masters course for mature students as a case. It is pointed out that students must be involved in the activities of establishing a community with rapport between members and with an understanding of how to conduct the interaction. By giving the students responsibility for solving a range of practical problems and letting them help each other, we induce them into the status of legitimate online participants. Several issues are important to attend to in the building of such collaboration such as balancing increasing independence of students with a clear leadership and focus of the activities. It is argued that the face-to-face seminar and the online seminar may fulfil complementary roles, but in both cases learning how to contribute is essential.
An Analysis of European Megaproviders of E-Learning
Authors: Paulsen Morten Flate
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an analysis of 26 European megaproviders of e-learning which had more than 100 courses or 5000 course enrolments in 2005. The focus is on distance education provision, not on e-learning for on-campus students. Among the megaproviders, which represent eleven countries, there are eight distance education institutions, 13 universities and university consortia, and five corporate training providers. Five institutions started e-learning in the eighties, ten in the nineties and eleven after the turn of the century. The largest provider, Learn Direct, claimed to have 400,000 course enrolments in 2005. However, only six of the 26 reported to have more than 20,000 course enrolments. Among these six top ranked institutions none are universities, only corporate training providers and distance education institutions. The chapter concludes with the 27 recommendations extracted from the analyses to help institutions obtain robustness and sustainability in online education.
Reviewing Traces of Virtual Campuses
Authors: Bijnens Helena , de Beeck Ilse Op , De Gruyter Johannes , Petegem Wim Van , Reynolds Sally , Bacsich Paul , Bastiaens Theo
Published: May 2011

The chapter first describes the concepts of virtual campus and virtual mobility and refers to several past and present projects and initiatives in the field. Through these previous experiences, a shift of concepts is noticed: from the fully online virtual campus to virtual mobility, whereby the more traditional universities open their borders and “blended models” gain more and more interest. Three cases demonstrate this evolution: the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) is progressively organising its educational support from a multicampus perspective; the Open University of The Netherlands is broadening its tasks towards lifelong learning; and in the GIS case, the virtual campus is used as a strategic means to ensure a valuable and transdisciplinary approach. To redefine the concept of virtual campus in order for it to be applicable to the changed educational needs of today, the Re.ViCa project has been set up. The project makes an inventory and systematically reviews cross-institutional virtual campuses from the past decade. Outputs will include a set of recommendations that can be applied to ensure the realisation of new successful virtual campus initiatives.
Virtual Constructivism
Authors: Nicosia Laura M.
Published: May 2011

Contemporary educators have been reassessing pedagogical frameworks and reevaluating accepted epistemologies and ontologies of learning. The age-old debate whether knowledge is gained or constructed seems drawn to a consensus in the 21st Century: those who seek knowledge are active participants in the learning process and they have uniquely 21st Century attributes. Web 2.0+ technologies, various social media (Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube) and online virtual reality environments (Second Life, World of Warcraft, Sims) have influenced today’s students in ways that constructivists should explore, embrace and exploit. This essay explores how Second Life (SL) effectively employs and distills the principles of educational constructivism. SL offers endless opportunities for immersion within userconstructed environments and activities. Educational use of SL may facilitate learner-led activities and yield learning that is prompted by desire and curiosity rather than learning for learning’s sake. By exploiting these qualities with constructivist pedagogies, educators create environments that challenge and enable students to engage in the deepest kinds of learning.
A Study of Friendship Networks and Blogosphere
Authors: Agarwal Nitin , Liu Huan , Zhang Jianping
Published: May 2011

In (Golbeck and Hendler, 2006), authors consider those social friendship networking sites where users explicitly provide trust ratings to other members. However, for large social friendship networks it is infeasible to assign trust ratings to each and every member so they propose an inferring mechanism which would assign binary trust ratings (trustworthy/non-trustworthy) to those who have not been assigned one. They demonstrate the use of these trust values in email filtering application domain and report encouraging results. Authors also assume three crucial properties of trust for their approach to work; transitivity, asymmetry, and personalization. These trust scores are often transitive, meaning, if Alice trusts Bob and Bob trusts Charles then Alice can trust Charles. Asymmetry says that for two people involved in a relationship, trust is not necessarily identical in both directions. This is contrary to whatwas proposed in (Yu and Singh, 2003). They assume symmetric trust values in the social friendship network. Social networks allow us to share experiences, thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Members of these networks, in return experience a sense of community, a feeling of belonging, a bonding that members matter to one another and their needs will be met through being together. Individuals expand their social networks, convene groups of like-minded individuals and nurture discussions. In recent years, computers and the World Wide Web technologies have pushed social networks to a whole new level. It has made possible for individuals to connect with each other beyond geographical barriers in a “flat” world. The widespread awareness and pervasive usability of the social networks can be partially attributed to Web 2.0. Representative interaction Web services of social networks are social friendship networks, the blogosphere, social and collaborative annotation (aka “folksonomies”), and media sharing. In this work, we briefly introduce each of these with focus on social friendship networks and the blogosphere. We analyze and compare their varied characteristics, research issues, state-of-the-art approaches, and challenges these social networking services have posed in community formation, evolution and dynamics, emerging reputable experts and influential members of the community, information diffusion in social networks, community clustering into meaningful groups, collaboration recommendation, mining “collective wisdom” or “open source intelligence” from the exorbitantly available user-generated contents. We present a comparative study and put forth subtle yet essential differences of research in friendship networks and Blogosphere, and shed light on their potential research directions and on cross-pollination of the two fertile domains of ever expanding social networks on the Web.
From Enabling to Ensuring Grid Workflows
Authors: Cao Junwei , Zhang Fan , Xu Ke , Liu Lianchen
Published: May 2011

Grid workflows are becoming a mainstream paradigm for implementing complex grid applications. In addition to existing grid enabling techniques, various grid ensuring techniques are emerging, e.g. workflow analysis and temporal reasoning, to probe potential pitfalls and errors and guarantee quality of services (QoS) at a design phase. A new state p calculus is proposed in this work, which not only enables flexible abstraction and management of historical grid system events, but also facilitates modeling and verification of grid workflows. Some typical patterns in grid workflows are captured and both static and dynamic formal verification issues are investigated, including structural correctness, specification satisfiability, logic satisfiability and consistency. A grid workflow modeling and verification environment, GridPiAnalyzer, is implemented using formal modeling and verification methods proposed in this work. Performance evaluation results are included using a grid workflow for gravitational wave data analysis.
Grid Workflows with Encompassed Business Relationship
Authors: Kyriazis Dimosthenis , Menychtas Andreas , Varvarigou Theodora
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on presenting and describing an approach that allows the mapping of workflow processes to Grid provided services by not only taking into account the quality of service (QoS) parameters of the Grid services but also the potential business relationships of the service providers that may affect the aforementioned QoS parameters. This approach is an integral part of the QoS provisioning, since this is the only way to estimate, calculate, and conclude to the mapping of workflows and the selection of the available service types and instances in order to deliver an overall quality of service across a federation of providers. The added value of this approach lays on the fact that business relationships of the service providers are also taken into account during the mapping process.
Implementation and QoS for High-performance GIServices in Special Information Grid
Authors: Huang Fang
Published: May 2011

With the development of grid technology, the spatial information grid researches are also in progress. In China, the spatial information grid platform (abbreviation to SIG) not only can provide geo-spatial data services (GDS) for handling terabytes of geospatial data, but also can present processing functionality services (PFS) encapsulated from several Remote Sensing (RS) software to solve RS computing problems remotely. In particular, the spatial user can utilize some provided high-performance PFS to achieve those computing intensive tasks that lacking of the high-performance computing facility such as cluster or Condor platform. Unfortunately, the existing SIG paid litter attention to Geographic Information Science (GIS) field, as a result, the constitution of PFS related to GIS, especially the high-performance GIServices (HP-GIServices), are becoming the main issues for SIG’s next research. Lacking of GIServices mainly resulted from the limitations of SIG architecture, difficulty of extracting parallel GIS functionalities modules, as well as the complexity for services implementation and encapsulation. Based on existing SIG platform, this chapter proposes the improved architecture for SIG, upon which the constituted GIS nodes can provide GIServices. Within the new architecture, some parallel GRASS GIS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) 1 algorithms programs, which are built by different parallelization patterns and can run in cluster with better efficiency, are encapsulated to high-performance GIServices guiding by certain generic mode. Lastly, the QoS (quality of services) indexes are proposed to evaluate the quality of the constituted HP-GIServices in SIG. From the tentative experiments and analyses, the facts demonstrate that this approach can reach our aims. In all, the chapter firstly gives an overview of existing SIG platform. Facing to the problem of lacking of HP-GIServices, the improved architecture, various parallelization patterns to extract parallel GIS algorithms based on GRASS GIS are proposed. Furthermore, the encapsulation guidance and QoS for evaluating HP-GIServices are also discussed.
Parallel, Distributed, and Grid-Based Data Mining
Authors: Ben HajHmida Moez , Congiusta Antonio
Published: May 2011

Knowledge discovery has become a necessary task in scientific, life sciences, and business fields, both for the growing amount of data being collected and for the complexity of the analysis that need to be performed on it. Classic data mining techniques, developed for centralized sites, often reveal themselves inadequate, due to some unique characteristics of today’s data sources. In such cases, sequential approaches to data mining cannot provide for scalability, in terms of the data dimensionality, size, and runtime performance. Moreover, the increasing trend towards decentralized business organizations, distribution of users, software, and hardware systems magnifies the need for more advanced and flexible approaches and solutions. Life science is one of the application areas that best resemble such scenario. This chapter presents the state of the art about the major data mining techniques, systems and approaches. A detailed taxonomy is drawn by analyzing and comparing parallel, distributed and Grid-based data mining methods, with a particular focus on the exploitation of large and remotely dispersed datasets and/or high-performance computers.
Grid Technologies in Epidemiology
Authors: Blanquer Ignacio , Hernandez Vicente
Published: May 2011

Epidemiology constitutes one relevant use case for the adoption of grids for health. It combines challenges that have been traditionally addressed by grid technologies, such as managing large amounts of distributed and heterogeneous data, large scale computing and the need for integration and collaboration tools, but introduces new challenges traditionally addressed from the e-health area. The application of grid technologies to epidemiology has been concentrated in the federation of distributed repositories of data, the evaluation of computationally intensive statistical epidemiological models and the management of authorisation mechanism in virtual organisations. However, epidemiology presents important additional constraints that are not solved and harness the take-off of grid technologies. The most important problems are on the semantic integration of data, the effective management of security and privacy, the lack of exploitation models for the use of infrastructures, the instability of Quality of Service and the seamless integration of the technology on the epidemiology environment. This chapter presents an analysis of how these issues are being considered in state-of-the-art research.