Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment: What Open Source Has to Offer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonenko, Pavlo; Toy, Serkan; Niederhauser, Dale

2004-01-01

Open source online learning environments have emerged and developed over the past 10 years. In this paper we will analyze the underlying philosophy and features of MOODLE based on the theoretical framework developed by Hannafin and Land (2000). Psychological, pedagogical, technological, cultural, and pragmatic foundations comprise the framework…

Development and Use of an Open-Source, User-Friendly Package to Simulate Voltammetry Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Shuo; Wang, Jing; Gao, Yanjing

2017-01-01

An open-source electrochemistry simulation package has been developed that simulates the electrode processes of four reaction mechanisms and two typical electroanalysis techniques: cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Unlike other open-source simulation software, this package balances the features with ease of learning and implementation and…

Creating Open Source Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheehan, Kate

2009-01-01

Darien Library, where the author serves as head of knowledge and learning services, launched a new website on September 1, 2008. The website is built with Drupal, an open source content management system (CMS). In this article, the author describes how she and her colleagues overhauled the library's website to provide an open source content…

Integrating an Automatic Judge into an Open Source LMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgouli, Katerina; Guerreiro, Pedro

2011-01-01

This paper presents the successful integration of the evaluation engine of Mooshak into the open source learning management system Claroline. Mooshak is an open source online automatic judge that has been used for international and national programming competitions. although it was originally designed for programming competitions, Mooshak has also…

Learning from hackers: open-source clinical trials.

PubMed

Dunn, Adam G; Day, Richard O; Mandl, Kenneth D; Coiera, Enrico

2012-05-02

Open sharing of clinical trial data has been proposed as a way to address the gap between the production of clinical evidence and the decision-making of physicians. A similar gap was addressed in the software industry by their open-source software movement. Here, we examine how the social and technical principles of the movement can guide the growth of an open-source clinical trial community.

Open Source Software and Design-Based Research Symbiosis in Developing 3D Virtual Learning Environments: Examples from the iSocial Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Matthew; Galyen, Krista; Laffey, James; Babiuch, Ryan; Schmidt, Carla

2014-01-01

Design-based research (DBR) and open source software are both acknowledged as potentially productive ways for advancing learning technologies. These approaches have practical benefits for the design and development process and for building and leveraging community to augment and sustain design and development. This report presents a case study of…

Open Source Meets Virtual Reality--An Instructor's Journey Unearths New Opportunities for Learning, Community, and Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Eileen A.

2015-01-01

Opening with the history, recent advances, and emerging ways to use avatar-based virtual reality, an instructor who has used virtual environments since 2007 shares how these environments bring more options to community building, teaching, and education. With the open-source movement, where the source code for virtual environments was made…

Migrations of the Mind: The Emergence of Open Source Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glassman, Michael; Bartholomew, Mitchell; Jones, Travis

2011-01-01

The authors describe an Open Source approach to education. They define Open Source Education (OSE) as a teaching and learning framework where the use and presentation of information is non-hierarchical, malleable, and subject to the needs and contributions of students as they become "co-owners" of the course. The course transforms itself into an…

Developing an Intelligent Diagnosis and Assessment E-Learning Tool for Introductory Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chenn-Jung; Chen, Chun-Hua; Luo, Yun-Cheng; Chen, Hong-Xin; Chuang, Yi-Ta

2008-01-01

Recently, a lot of open source e-learning platforms have been offered for free in the Internet. We thus incorporate the intelligent diagnosis and assessment tool into an open software e-learning platform developed for programming language courses, wherein the proposed learning diagnosis assessment tools based on text mining and machine learning…

Designing a Virtual-Reality-Based, Gamelike Math Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Xinhao; Ke, Fengfeng

2016-01-01

This exploratory study examined the design issues related to a virtual-reality-based, gamelike learning environment (VRGLE) developed via OpenSimulator, an open-source virtual reality server. The researchers collected qualitative data to examine the VRGLE's usability, playability, and content integration for math learning. They found it important…

Building Successful GitHub Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, A.

2014-12-01

Building successful online communities is hard, whether it's in open source software or web-based citizen science. In this presentation I'll share some lessons learned and outline some techniques employed by successful open source projects.

Adopting Open-Source Software Applications in U. S. Higher Education: A Cross-Disciplinary Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Rooij, Shahron Williams

2009-01-01

Higher Education institutions in the United States are considering Open Source software applications such as the Moodle and Sakai course management systems and the Kuali financial system to build integrated learning environments that serve both academic and administrative needs. Open Source is presumed to be more flexible and less costly than…

Anatomy of BioJS, an open source community for the life sciences.

PubMed

Yachdav, Guy; Goldberg, Tatyana; Wilzbach, Sebastian; Dao, David; Shih, Iris; Choudhary, Saket; Crouch, Steve; Franz, Max; García, Alexander; García, Leyla J; Grüning, Björn A; Inupakutika, Devasena; Sillitoe, Ian; Thanki, Anil S; Vieira, Bruno; Villaveces, José M; Schneider, Maria V; Lewis, Suzanna; Pettifer, Steve; Rost, Burkhard; Corpas, Manuel

2015-07-08

BioJS is an open source software project that develops visualization tools for different types of biological data. Here we report on the factors that influenced the growth of the BioJS user and developer community, and outline our strategy for building on this growth. The lessons we have learned on BioJS may also be relevant to other open source software projects.

moocRP: Enabling Open Learning Analytics with an Open Source Platform for Data Distribution, Analysis, and Visualization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pardos, Zachary A.; Whyte, Anthony; Kao, Kevin

2016-01-01

In this paper, we address issues of transparency, modularity, and privacy with the introduction of an open source, web-based data repository and analysis tool tailored to the Massive Open Online Course community. The tool integrates data request/authorization and distribution workflow features as well as provides a simple analytics module upload…

What an open source clinical trial community can learn from hackers

PubMed Central

Dunn, Adam G.; Day, Richard O.; Mandl, Kenneth D.; Coiera, Enrico

2014-01-01

Summary Open sharing of clinical trial data has been proposed as a way to address the gap between the production of clinical evidence and the decision-making of physicians. Since a similar gap has already been addressed in the software industry by the open source software movement, we examine how the social and technical principles of the movement can be used to guide the growth of an open source clinical trial community. PMID:22553248

The Role of Free/Libre and Open Source Software in Learning Health Systems.

PubMed

Paton, C; Karopka, T

2017-08-01

Objective: To give an overview of the role of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) in the context of secondary use of patient data to enable Learning Health Systems (LHSs). Methods: We conducted an environmental scan of the academic and grey literature utilising the MedFLOSS database of open source systems in healthcare to inform a discussion of the role of open source in developing LHSs that reuse patient data for research and quality improvement. Results: A wide range of FLOSS is identified that contributes to the information technology (IT) infrastructure of LHSs including operating systems, databases, frameworks, interoperability software, and mobile and web apps. The recent literature around the development and use of key clinical data management tools is also reviewed. Conclusions: FLOSS already plays a critical role in modern health IT infrastructure for the collection, storage, and analysis of patient data. The nature of FLOSS systems to be collaborative, modular, and modifiable may make open source approaches appropriate for building the digital infrastructure for a LHS. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.

Learning Materials for Open Learning in Further Education. Coombe Lodge Working Paper. Information Bank Number 1606.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latcham, J.

Arguing that extensive efforts to produce open learning materials should not be undertaken until the possibility of using or adapting existing materials is considered, this paper identifies current sources of materials available in Great Britain for non-advanced further education. The first sections of the paper review common types of open…

Open Educational Resources in Support of Science Learning: Tools for Inquiry and Observation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scanlon, Eileen

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the potential of free tools, particularly inquiry tools for influencing participation in twenty-first-century learning in science, as well as influencing the development of communities around tools. Two examples are presented: one on the development of an open source tool for structured inquiry learning that can bridge the…

Long distance education for croatian nurses with open source software.

PubMed

Radenovic, Aleksandar; Kalauz, Sonja

2006-01-01

Croatian Nursing Informatics Association (CNIA) has been established as result of continuing work on promoting nursing informatics in Croatia. Main goals of CNIA are promoting nursing informatics and education of nurses about nursing informatics and using information technology in nursing process. CNIA in start of work is developed three courses from nursing informatics all designed with support of long distance education with open source software. Courses are: A - 'From Data to Wisdom', B - 'Introduction to Nursing Informatics' and C - 'Nursing Informatics I'. Courses A and B are obligatory for C course. Technology used to implement these online courses is based on the open source Learning Management System (LMS), Claroline, free online collaborative learning platform. Courses are divided in two modules/days. First module/day participants have classical approach to education and second day with E-learning from home. These courses represent first courses from nursing informatics' and first long distance education for nurses also.

Situated Learning in Computer Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Ari, Mordechai

2004-01-01

Sociocultural theories of learning such as Wenger and Lave's situated learning have been suggested as alternatives to cognitive theories of learning like constructivism. This article examines situated learning within the context of computer science (CS) education. Situated learning accurately describes some CS communities like open-source software…

Opening Up to Open Source: Looking at How Moodle Was Adopted in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costello, Eamon

2013-01-01

The virtual learning environment (VLE) has grown to become a piece of complex infrastructure that is now deemed critical to higher educational provision. This paper looks at Moodle and its adoption in higher education. Moodle's origins, as an open source VLE, are investigated and its growth examined in the context of how higher educational…

Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) | Advancing Open-Source Research, Instrumentation, and Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udell, C.; Selker, J. S.

2017-12-01

The increasing availability and functionality of Open-Source software and hardware along with 3D printing, low-cost electronics, and proliferation of open-access resources for learning rapid prototyping are contributing to fundamental transformations and new technologies in environmental sensing. These tools invite reevaluation of time-tested methodologies and devices toward more efficient, reusable, and inexpensive alternatives. Building upon Open-Source design facilitates community engagement and invites a Do-It-Together (DIT) collaborative framework for research where solutions to complex problems may be crowd-sourced. However, barriers persist that prevent researchers from taking advantage of the capabilities afforded by open-source software, hardware, and rapid prototyping. Some of these include: requisite technical skillsets, knowledge of equipment capabilities, identifying inexpensive sources for materials, money, space, and time. A university MAKER space staffed by engineering students to assist researchers is one proposed solution to overcome many of these obstacles. This presentation investigates the unique capabilities the USDA-funded Openly Published Environmental Sensing (OPEnS) Lab affords researchers, within Oregon State and internationally, and the unique functions these types of initiatives support at the intersection of MAKER spaces, Open-Source academic research, and open-access dissemination.

Sketching Up New Geographies: Open Sourcing and Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, William; Ellis, David

2013-01-01

The functionality of web 2.0 technologies has caused academics to rethink their development of teaching and learning methods and approaches. The editable, open access nature of web 2.0 encourages the innovative collaboration of ideas, the creation of equitable visual and tactile learning environments, and opportunity for academics to develop…

Sustaining Composition: Studying Content-Based, Ecological, and Economical Sustainability of Open-Source Textbooks through "Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munson, Margaret

2013-01-01

Writing programs in institutions of higher education work to prepare students for real-world writing within any field of study. The composition of "Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing" offers an open-source text for students, teachers, and policy-makers at all levels. Exposure to an open space for learning encourages access to information,…

Cooking up an open source EMR for developing countries: OpenMRS - a recipe for successful collaboration.

PubMed

Mamlin, Burke W; Biondich, Paul G; Wolfe, Ben A; Fraser, Hamish; Jazayeri, Darius; Allen, Christian; Miranda, Justin; Tierney, William M

2006-01-01

Millions of people are continue to die each year from HIV/AIDS. The majority of infected persons (>95%) live in the developing world. A worthy response to this pandemic will require coordinated, scalable, and flexible information systems. We describe the OpenMRS system, an open source, collaborative effort that can serve as a foundation for EMR development in developing countries. We report our progress to date, lessons learned, and future directions.

Innovation in engineering education through computer assisted learning and virtual university model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raicu, A.; Raicu, G.

2015-11-01

The paper presents the most important aspects of innovation in Engineering Education using Computer Assisted Learning. The authors propose to increase the quality of Engineering Education programs of study at European standards. The use of computer assisted learning methodologies in all studies is becoming an important resource in Higher Education. We intend to improve the concept of e-Learning using virtual terminals, online support and assisting special training through live seminars and interactive labs to develop a virtual university model. We intend to encourage computer assisted learning and innovation as sources of competitive advantage, to permit vision and learning analysis, identifies new sources of technology and ideas. Our work is based on our university datasets collected during last fifteen years using several e-Learning systems. In Constanta Maritime University (CMU), using eLearning and Knowledge Management Services (KMS) is very important and we apply it effectively to achieve strategic objectives, such as collaboration, sharing and good practice. We have experience in this field since 2000 year using Moodle as KMS in our university. The term KMS can be associated to Open Source Software, Open Standards, Open Protocols and Open Knowledge licenses, initiatives and policies. In CMU Virtual Campus we have today over 12500 active users. Another experience of the authors is the implementation of MariTrainer Wiki educational platform based on Dokeos and DekiWiki under MARICOMP and MEP Leonardo da Vinci Project. We'll also present in this paper a case study under EU funded project POSDRU, where the authors implemented other educational platform in Technological High Schools from Romania used over 1000 teachers. Based on large datasets the study tries to improve the concept of e-Learning teaching using the revolutionary technologies. The new concept present in this paper is that the teaching and learning will be interactive and live. The new and modern techniques are the flexible learning courses, the production of learning demonstrators and testing. All the information from the virtual educational platform remain open space, communication between participants and continued after graduation, so we can talk about creating and maintaining a community of graduates, a partnership with them. Every European University must have a department which aims to provide computer assisted learning using knowledge creation through learning, capture and explication, sharing and collaborative communication, access, use and reuse and knowledge archiving.

Moodle 2.0: Shifting from a Learning Toolkit to a Open Learning Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alier, Marc; Casañ, María José; Piguillem, Jordi

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have reached a plateau of maturity in features, application to teaching practices and wide adoption by learning institutions. But the Web 2.0 carries new kinds of tools, services and ways of using the web; personally and socially. Some educators and learners have started to advocate for a new approach to frame one's learning sources, from the LMS course space towards Personal Learning Environments (PLE). But PLE's are characterized by its absence of structure, just what is provided by open standards and mashup techniques. Based on 5 years of participative observation research, this article explains the changes in architecture performed on the second version of Moodle, why did these changes happen and what should be the next steps so Moodle can shift from being a learning tool to a true open learning platform.

The importance of using open source technologies and common standards for interoperability within eHealth: Perspectives from the Millennium Villages Project

PubMed Central

Borland, Rob; Barasa, Mourice; Iiams-Hauser, Casey; Velez, Olivia; Kaonga, Nadi Nina; Berg, Matt

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of using open source technologies and common standards for interoperability when implementing eHealth systems and illustrate this through case studies, where possible. The sources used to inform this paper draw from the implementation and evaluation of the eHealth Program in the context of the Millennium Villages Project (MVP). As the eHealth Team was tasked to deploy an eHealth architecture, the Millennium Villages Global-Network (MVG-Net), across all fourteen of the MVP sites in Sub-Saharan Africa, the team recognized the need for standards and uniformity but also realized that context would be an important factor. Therefore, the team decided to utilize open source solutions. The MVP implementation of MVG-Net provides a model for those looking to implement informatics solutions across disciplines and countries. Furthermore, there are valuable lessons learned that the eHealth community can benefit from. By sharing lessons learned and developing an accessible, open-source eHealth platform, we believe that we can more efficiently and rapidly achieve the health-related and collaborative Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). PMID:22894051

Low Data Drug Discovery with One-Shot Learning.

PubMed

Altae-Tran, Han; Ramsundar, Bharath; Pappu, Aneesh S; Pande, Vijay

2017-04-26

Recent advances in machine learning have made significant contributions to drug discovery. Deep neural networks in particular have been demonstrated to provide significant boosts in predictive power when inferring the properties and activities of small-molecule compounds (Ma, J. et al. J. Chem. Inf. 2015, 55, 263-274). However, the applicability of these techniques has been limited by the requirement for large amounts of training data. In this work, we demonstrate how one-shot learning can be used to significantly lower the amounts of data required to make meaningful predictions in drug discovery applications. We introduce a new architecture, the iterative refinement long short-term memory, that, when combined with graph convolutional neural networks, significantly improves learning of meaningful distance metrics over small-molecules. We open source all models introduced in this work as part of DeepChem, an open-source framework for deep-learning in drug discovery (Ramsundar, B. deepchem.io. https://github.com/deepchem/deepchem, 2016).

Free/Libre Open Source Software Implementation in Schools: Evidence from the Field and Implications for the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yu-Wei; Zini, Enrico

2008-01-01

This empirical paper shows how free/libre open source software (FLOSS) contributes to mutual and collaborative learning in an educational environment. Unlike proprietary software, FLOSS allows extensive customisation of software to support the needs of local users better. This also allows users to participate more proactively in the development…

Facilitating Constructive Alignment in Power Systems Engineering Education Using Free and Open-Source Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanfretti, L.; Milano, F.

2012-01-01

This paper describes how the use of free and open-source software (FOSS) can facilitate the application of constructive alignment theory in power systems engineering education by enabling the deep learning approach in power system analysis courses. With this aim, this paper describes the authors' approach in using the Power System Analysis Toolbox…

Shaping Software Engineering Curricula Using Open Source Communities: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowring, James; Burke, Quinn

2016-01-01

This paper documents four years of a novel approach to teaching a two-course sequence in software engineering as part of the ABET-accredited computer science curriculum at the College of Charleston. This approach is team-based and centers on learning software engineering in the context of open source software projects. In the first course, teams…

Competition-Based Learning: A Model for the Integration of Competitions with Project-Based Learning Using Open Source LMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Issa, Ghassan; Hussain, Shakir M.; Al-Bahadili, Hussein

2014-01-01

In an effort to enhance the learning process in higher education, a new model for Competition-Based Learning (CBL) is presented. The new model utilizes two well-known learning models, namely, the Project-Based Learning (PBL) and competitions. The new model is also applied in a networked environment with emphasis on collective learning as well as…

Vision 2010: The Future of Higher Education Business and Learning Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carey, Patrick; Gleason, Bernard

2006-01-01

The global software industry is in the midst of a major evolutionary shift--one based on open computing--and this trend, like many transformative trends in technology, is being led by the IT staffs and academic computing faculty of the higher education industry. The elements of this open computing approach are open source, open standards, open…

JBoss Middleware for Spacecraft Trajectory Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stensrud, Kjell; Srinivasan, Ravi; Hamm, Dustin

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of middleware for spacecraft trajectory planning. It reviews the following areas and questions: 1. Project Background - What is the environment where we are considering Open Source Middleware? 2. System Architecture - What technologies and design did we apply? 3. Testing overview - What are the quality scenarios and test points? 4. Project Conclusion - What did we learn about Open Source Middleware?

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Communications Relays: Lessons Learned

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

technology, specifically an open-source VPN package, OpenVPN . This technology provides a wrapper around the network messages, providing a plug-and-play...performed in OpenVPN :  Set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to 1600. This is because each VPN endpoint has an MTU of 1500 (the default for Ethernet

Open source machine-learning algorithms for the prediction of optimal cancer drug therapies.

PubMed

Huang, Cai; Mezencev, Roman; McDonald, John F; Vannberg, Fredrik

2017-01-01

Precision medicine is a rapidly growing area of modern medical science and open source machine-learning codes promise to be a critical component for the successful development of standardized and automated analysis of patient data. One important goal of precision cancer medicine is the accurate prediction of optimal drug therapies from the genomic profiles of individual patient tumors. We introduce here an open source software platform that employs a highly versatile support vector machine (SVM) algorithm combined with a standard recursive feature elimination (RFE) approach to predict personalized drug responses from gene expression profiles. Drug specific models were built using gene expression and drug response data from the National Cancer Institute panel of 60 human cancer cell lines (NCI-60). The models are highly accurate in predicting the drug responsiveness of a variety of cancer cell lines including those comprising the recent NCI-DREAM Challenge. We demonstrate that predictive accuracy is optimized when the learning dataset utilizes all probe-set expression values from a diversity of cancer cell types without pre-filtering for genes generally considered to be "drivers" of cancer onset/progression. Application of our models to publically available ovarian cancer (OC) patient gene expression datasets generated predictions consistent with observed responses previously reported in the literature. By making our algorithm "open source", we hope to facilitate its testing in a variety of cancer types and contexts leading to community-driven improvements and refinements in subsequent applications.

The Athabasca University eduSource Project: Building an Accessible Learning Object Repository

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleveland-Innes, Martha; McGreal, Rory; Anderson, Terry; Friesen, Norm; Ally, Mohamed; Tin, Tony; Graham, Rodger; Moisey, Susan; Petrinjak, Anita; Schafer, Steve

2005-01-01

Athabasca University--Canada's Open University (AU) made the commitment to put all of its courses online as part of its Strategic University Plan. In pursuit of this goal, AU participated in the eduSource project, a pan-Canadian effort to build the infrastructure for an interoperable network of learning object repositories. AU acted as a leader in…

Sharing Lessons-Learned on Effective Open Data, Open-Source Practices from OpenAQ, a Global Open Air Quality Community.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasenkopf, C. A.

2017-12-01

Increasingly, open data, open-source projects are unearthing rich datasets and tools, previously impossible for more traditional avenues to generate. These projects are possible, in part, because of the emergence of online collaborative and code-sharing tools, decreasing costs of cloud-based services to fetch, store, and serve data, and increasing interest of individuals to contribute their time and skills to 'open projects.' While such projects have generated palpable enthusiasm from many sectors, many of these projects face uncharted paths for sustainability, visibility, and acceptance. Our project, OpenAQ, is an example of an open-source, open data community that is currently forging its own uncharted path. OpenAQ is an open air quality data platform that aggregates and universally formats government and research-grade air quality data from 50 countries across the world. To date, we make available more than 76 million air quality (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, CO and black carbon) data points through an open Application Programming Interface (API) and a user-customizable download interface at https://openaq.org. The goal of the platform is to enable an ecosystem of users to advance air pollution efforts from science to policy to the private sector. The platform is also an open-source project (https://github.com/openaq) and has only been made possible through the coding and data contributions of individuals around the world. In our first two years of existence, we have seen requests for data to our API skyrocket to more than 6 million datapoints per month, and use-cases as varied as ingesting data aggregated from our system into real-time models of wildfires to building open-source statistical packages (e.g. ropenaq and py-openaq) on top of the platform to creating public-friendly apps and chatbots. We will share a whirl-wind trip through our evolution and the many lessons learned so far related to platform structure, community engagement, organizational model type and sustainability.

Learning Opportunities With Creation of Open Source Textbooks (LOW COST) Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-14

2009-03-12

House - 05/14/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Learner Ownership of Technology-Enhanced Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dommett, Eleanor J.

2018-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the different ways in which learners may have ownership over technology-enhanced learning by reflecting on technical, legal and psychological ownership. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses a variety of examples of technology-enhanced learning ranging from open-source software to cloud storage to discuss…

Integrating an Awareness of Selfhood and Society into Virtual Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stricker, Andrew, Ed.; Calongne, Cynthia, Ed.; Truman, Barbara, Ed.; Arenas, Fil, Ed.

2017-01-01

Recent technological advances have opened new platforms for learning and teaching. By utilizing virtual spaces, more educational opportunities are created for students who cannot attend a physical classroom environment. "Integrating an Awareness of Selfhood and Society into Virtual Learning" is a pivotal reference source that discusses…

Is Multitask Deep Learning Practical for Pharma?

PubMed

Ramsundar, Bharath; Liu, Bowen; Wu, Zhenqin; Verras, Andreas; Tudor, Matthew; Sheridan, Robert P; Pande, Vijay

2017-08-28

Multitask deep learning has emerged as a powerful tool for computational drug discovery. However, despite a number of preliminary studies, multitask deep networks have yet to be widely deployed in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. This lack of acceptance stems from both software difficulties and lack of understanding of the robustness of multitask deep networks. Our work aims to resolve both of these barriers to adoption. We introduce a high-quality open-source implementation of multitask deep networks as part of the DeepChem open-source platform. Our implementation enables simple python scripts to construct, fit, and evaluate sophisticated deep models. We use our implementation to analyze the performance of multitask deep networks and related deep models on four collections of pharmaceutical data (three of which have not previously been analyzed in the literature). We split these data sets into train/valid/test using time and neighbor splits to test multitask deep learning performance under challenging conditions. Our results demonstrate that multitask deep networks are surprisingly robust and can offer strong improvement over random forests. Our analysis and open-source implementation in DeepChem provide an argument that multitask deep networks are ready for widespread use in commercial drug discovery.

Crux: Rapid Open Source Protein Tandem Mass Spectrometry Analysis

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Efficiently and accurately analyzing big protein tandem mass spectrometry data sets requires robust software that incorporates state-of-the-art computational, machine learning, and statistical methods. The Crux mass spectrometry analysis software toolkit (http://cruxtoolkit.sourceforge.net) is an open source project that aims to provide users with a cross-platform suite of analysis tools for interpreting protein mass spectrometry data. PMID:25182276

Post hoc support vector machine learning for impedimetric biosensors based on weak protein-ligand interactions.

PubMed

Rong, Y; Padron, A V; Hagerty, K J; Nelson, N; Chi, S; Keyhani, N O; Katz, J; Datta, S P A; Gomes, C; McLamore, E S

2018-04-30

Impedimetric biosensors for measuring small molecules based on weak/transient interactions between bioreceptors and target analytes are a challenge for detection electronics, particularly in field studies or in the analysis of complex matrices. Protein-ligand binding sensors have enormous potential for biosensing, but achieving accuracy in complex solutions is a major challenge. There is a need for simple post hoc analytical tools that are not computationally expensive, yet provide near real time feedback on data derived from impedance spectra. Here, we show the use of a simple, open source support vector machine learning algorithm for analyzing impedimetric data in lieu of using equivalent circuit analysis. We demonstrate two different protein-based biosensors to show that the tool can be used for various applications. We conclude with a mobile phone-based demonstration focused on the measurement of acetone, an important biomarker related to the onset of diabetic ketoacidosis. In all conditions tested, the open source classifier was capable of performing as well as, or better, than the equivalent circuit analysis for characterizing weak/transient interactions between a model ligand (acetone) and a small chemosensory protein derived from the tsetse fly. In addition, the tool has a low computational requirement, facilitating use for mobile acquisition systems such as mobile phones. The protocol is deployed through Jupyter notebook (an open source computing environment available for mobile phone, tablet or computer use) and the code was written in Python. For each of the applications, we provide step-by-step instructions in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese to facilitate widespread use. All codes were based on scikit-learn, an open source software machine learning library in the Python language, and were processed in Jupyter notebook, an open-source web application for Python. The tool can easily be integrated with the mobile biosensor equipment for rapid detection, facilitating use by a broad range of impedimetric biosensor users. This post hoc analysis tool can serve as a launchpad for the convergence of nanobiosensors in planetary health monitoring applications based on mobile phone hardware.

Low Data Drug Discovery with One-Shot Learning

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Recent advances in machine learning have made significant contributions to drug discovery. Deep neural networks in particular have been demonstrated to provide significant boosts in predictive power when inferring the properties and activities of small-molecule compounds (Ma, J. et al. J. Chem. Inf. Model.2015, 55, 263–27425635324). However, the applicability of these techniques has been limited by the requirement for large amounts of training data. In this work, we demonstrate how one-shot learning can be used to significantly lower the amounts of data required to make meaningful predictions in drug discovery applications. We introduce a new architecture, the iterative refinement long short-term memory, that, when combined with graph convolutional neural networks, significantly improves learning of meaningful distance metrics over small-molecules. We open source all models introduced in this work as part of DeepChem, an open-source framework for deep-learning in drug discovery (Ramsundar, B. deepchem.io. https://github.com/deepchem/deepchem, 2016). PMID:28470045

Your Personal Analysis Toolkit - An Open Source Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, T.

2009-12-01

Open source software is commonly known for its web browsers, word processors and programming languages. However, there is a vast array of open source software focused on geographic information management and geospatial application building in general. As geo-professionals, having easy access to tools for our jobs is crucial. Open source software provides the opportunity to add a tool to your tool belt and carry it with you for your entire career - with no license fees, a supportive community and the opportunity to test, adopt and upgrade at your own pace. OSGeo is a US registered non-profit representing more than a dozen mature geospatial data management applications and programming resources. Tools cover areas such as desktop GIS, web-based mapping frameworks, metadata cataloging, spatial database analysis, image processing and more. Learn about some of these tools as they apply to AGU members, as well as how you can join OSGeo and its members in getting the job done with powerful open source tools. If you haven't heard of OSSIM, MapServer, OpenLayers, PostGIS, GRASS GIS or the many other projects under our umbrella - then you need to hear this talk. Invest in yourself - use open source!

Open source hardware and software platform for robotics and artificial intelligence applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, S. Ng; Tan, K. O.; Lai Clement, T. H.; Ng, S. K.; Mohammed, A. H. Ali; Mailah, Musa; Azhar Yussof, Wan; Hamedon, Zamzuri; Yussof, Zulkifli

2016-02-01

Recent developments in open source hardware and software platforms (Android, Arduino, Linux, OpenCV etc.) have enabled rapid development of previously expensive and sophisticated system within a lower budget and flatter learning curves for developers. Using these platform, we designed and developed a Java-based 3D robotic simulation system, with graph database, which is integrated in online and offline modes with an Android-Arduino based rubbish picking remote control car. The combination of the open source hardware and software system created a flexible and expandable platform for further developments in the future, both in the software and hardware areas, in particular in combination with graph database for artificial intelligence, as well as more sophisticated hardware, such as legged or humanoid robots.

A Technology Enhanced Learning Model for Quality Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherly, Elizabeth; Uddin, Md. Meraj

Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching (TELT) Model provides learning through collaborations and interactions with a framework for content development and collaborative knowledge sharing system as a supplementary for learning to improve the quality of education system. TELT deals with a unique pedagogy model for Technology Enhanced Learning System which includes course management system, digital library, multimedia enriched contents and video lectures, open content management system and collaboration and knowledge sharing systems. Open sources like Moodle and Wiki for content development, video on demand solution with a low cost mid range system, an exhaustive digital library are provided in a portal system. The paper depicts a case study of e-learning initiatives with TELT model at IIITM-K and how effectively implemented.

Knowledge Ecologies in Fragile Online Learning Environments. Research: Information and Communication Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henning, Elizabeth; Van der Westhuizen, Duan; Diseko, Rabaitse

2005-01-01

This article gives an account of an inquiry into two different postgraduate student groups' ways of engaging with a virtual learning environment. Using a variety of data sources, including learning artefacts, interview data, open-ended qualitative questionnaires and online discussion postings, the inquiry captured processes of engagement of the…

Performance Assessment of Network Intrusion-Alert Prediction

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

the threats. In this thesis, we use Snort to generate the intrusion detection alerts. 2. SNORT Snort is an open source network intrusion...standard for IPS. (Snort, 2012) We choose Snort because it is an open source product that is free to download and can be deployed cross-platform...Learning & prediction in relational time series: A survey. 21st Behavior Representation in Modeling & Simulation ( BRIMS ) Conference 2012, 93–100. Tan

"Open-Sourcing" Personal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiedler, Sebastian H.D.

2014-01-01

This article offers a critical reflection on the contemporary Open Educational Resource (OER) movement, its unquestioned investment in a collective "content fetish" and an educational "problem description" that focuses on issues of scarcity, access, and availability of quality materials. It also argues that OER proponents fail…

CoSN K12 Open Technologies Implementation Study #3. Moodle: An Open Learning Content Management System for Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Consortium for School Networking (NJ1), 2008

2008-01-01

This report introduces educators to Moodle, an open-source software program for managing courses online. It briefly defines what Moodle is, what it can do, and gives specific examples of how it is being implemented. An appendix contains brief profiles of five school organizations that are using Moodle.

Mobile Technologies and Augmented Reality in Open Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurubacak, Gulsun, Ed.; Altinpulluk, Hakan, Ed.

2017-01-01

Novel trends and innovations have enhanced contemporary educational environments. When applied properly, these computing advances can create enriched learning opportunities for students. "Mobile Technologies and Augmented Reality in Open Education" is a pivotal reference source for the latest academic research on the integration of…

E-learning and blended learning in textile engineering education: a closed feedback loop approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charitopoulos, A.; Vassiliadis, S.; Rangoussi, M.; Koulouriotis, D.

2017-10-01

E-learning has gained a significant role in typical education and in professional training, thanks to the flexibility it offers to the time and location parameters of the education event framework. Purely e-learning scenarios are mostly limited either to Open University-type higher education institutions or to graduate level or professional degrees; blended learning scenarios are progressively becoming popular thanks to their balanced approach. The aim of the present work is to propose approaches that exploit the e-learning and the blended-learning scenarios for Textile Engineering education programmes, especially for multi-institutional ones. The “E-Team” European MSc degree programme organized by AUTEX is used as a case study. The proposed solution is based on (i) a free and open-source e-learning platform (moodle) and (ii) blended learning educational scenarios. Educational challenges addressed include student engagement, student error / failure handling, as well as collaborative learning promotion and support.

A Model for an Open and Flexible E-Training Platform To Encourage Companies' Learning Culture and Meet Employees' Learning Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagnasco, Andrea; Chirico, Marco; Parodi, Giancarlo; Scapolla, A. Marina

2003-01-01

Distance education is an answer to the demand for flexibility in training. The aim is to build a virtual learning community on the basis of a knowledge model that meets different learning needs. This article analyzes possible innovations in corporate training, and proposes a framework that integrates all information sources and offers practice…

Learning in an Introductory Physics MOOC: All Cohorts Learn Equally, Including an On-Campus Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colvin, Kimberly F.; Champaign, John; Liu, Alwina; Zhou, Qian; Fredericks, Colin; Pritchard, David E.

2014-01-01

We studied student learning in the MOOC 8.MReV Mechanics ReView, run on the edX.org open source platform. We studied learning in two ways. We administered 13 conceptual questions both before and after instruction, analyzing the results using standard techniques for pre- and posttesting. We also analyzed each week's homework and test questions in…

Increasing Interoperability of E-Learning Content in Moodle within a Franco-Arabo Educative Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Harrassi, Souad; Labour, Michel

2010-01-01

This article examines how Moodle, as an open-source Learning Management System, can be made more interoperable. The authors tested two software standards, LAMS and RELOAD, compatible with socio-constructivism norms. The analysis showed that pedagogic activities created with the LAMS-IMS Learning Design Level A Format are useable with Moodle but…

A Methodological Approach to Support Collaborative Media Creation in an E-Learning Higher Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ornellas, Adriana; Muñoz Carril, Pablo César

2014-01-01

This article outlines a methodological approach to the creation, production and dissemination of online collaborative audio-visual projects, using new social learning technologies and open-source video tools, which can be applied to any e-learning environment in higher education. The methodology was developed and used to design a course in the…

A Framework for Adopting LMS to Introduce e-Learning in a Traditional Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgouli, Katerina; Skalkidis, Ilias; Guerreiro, Pedro

2008-01-01

As more and more teachers in tertiary education experiment with technology, looking for new ways of enhancing their traditional ways of teaching, the need of flexible tools able to support well planned blended learning scenarios emerges. Learning Management Systems, especially those which are based on open source software, have shown to be very…

Open source tools for large-scale neuroscience.

PubMed

Freeman, Jeremy

2015-06-01

New technologies for monitoring and manipulating the nervous system promise exciting biology but pose challenges for analysis and computation. Solutions can be found in the form of modern approaches to distributed computing, machine learning, and interactive visualization. But embracing these new technologies will require a cultural shift: away from independent efforts and proprietary methods and toward an open source and collaborative neuroscience. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Scalable Regression Tree Learning on Hadoop using OpenPlanet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yin, Wei; Simmhan, Yogesh; Prasanna, Viktor

As scientific and engineering domains attempt to effectively analyze the deluge of data arriving from sensors and instruments, machine learning is becoming a key data mining tool to build prediction models. Regression tree is a popular learning model that combines decision trees and linear regression to forecast numerical target variables based on a set of input features. Map Reduce is well suited for addressing such data intensive learning applications, and a proprietary regression tree algorithm, PLANET, using MapReduce has been proposed earlier. In this paper, we describe an open source implement of this algorithm, OpenPlanet, on the Hadoop framework usingmore » a hybrid approach. Further, we evaluate the performance of OpenPlanet using realworld datasets from the Smart Power Grid domain to perform energy use forecasting, and propose tuning strategies of Hadoop parameters to improve the performance of the default configuration by 75% for a training dataset of 17 million tuples on a 64-core Hadoop cluster on FutureGrid.« less

Migrating a lecture in nursing informatics to a blended learning format--A bottom-up approach to implement an open-source web-based learning management system.

PubMed

Schrader, Ulrich

2006-01-01

At the university of applied sciences in Germany a learning management system has been implemented. The migration of classic courses to a web-enhances curriculum can be categorized into three phases independent of the technology used. The first two phases "dedicated website" and "database supported content management system" are mainly concerned with bringing the learning material and current information online and making it available to the students. The goal is here to make the maintenance of the learning material easier. The third phase characterized by the use of a learning management system offers the support of more modern didactic principles like social constructionism or problem-oriented learning. In this papers the phases as they occurred with the migration of a course of nursing informatics are described and experiences discussed.. The absence of institutional goals associated with the use of a learning management system led to a bottom-up approach triggered by faculty activities that can be described by a promoter model rather than by a process management model. The use of an open source learning management systems made this process easier to realize since no financial commitment is required up front.

Big Data Meets Physics Education Research: From MOOCs to University-Led High School Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seaton, Daniel

2017-01-01

The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement has catalyzed discussions of digital learning on campuses around the world and highlighted the increasingly large, complex datasets related to learning. Physics Education Research can and should play a key role in measuring outcomes of this most recent wave of digital education. In this talk, I will discuss big data and learning analytics through multiple modes of teaching and learning enabled by the open-source edX platform: open-online, flipped, and blended. Open-Online learning will be described through analysis of MOOC offerings from Harvard and MIT, where 2.5 million unique users have led to 9 million enrollments across nearly 300 courses. Flipped instruction will be discussed through an Advanced Placement program at Davidson College that empowers high school teachers to use AP aligned, MOOC content directly in their classrooms with only their students. Analysis of this program will be highlighted, including results from a pilot study showing a positive correlation between content usage and externally validated AP exam scores. Lastly, blended learning will be discussed through specific residential use cases at Davidson College and MIT, highlighting unique course models that blend open-online and residential experiences. My hope for this talk is that listeners will better understand the current wave of digital education and the opportunities it provides for data-driven teaching and learning.

Curriculum-Guided Crowd Sourcing of Assessments in a Developing Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zualkernan, Imran A.; Raza, Anjana; Karim, Asad

2012-01-01

Success of Wikipedia has opened a number of possibilities for crowd sourcing learning resources. However, not all crowd sourcing initiatives are successful. For developing countries, adoption factors like lack of infrastructure and poor teacher training can have an impact on success of such systems. This paper presents an exploratory study to…

Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT): a new open-source player in the drug discovery field.

PubMed

Wójcikowski, Maciej; Zielenkiewicz, Piotr; Siedlecki, Pawel

2015-01-01

There has been huge progress in the open cheminformatics field in both methods and software development. Unfortunately, there has been little effort to unite those methods and software into one package. We here describe the Open Drug Discovery Toolkit (ODDT), which aims to fulfill the need for comprehensive and open source drug discovery software. The Open Drug Discovery Toolkit was developed as a free and open source tool for both computer aided drug discovery (CADD) developers and researchers. ODDT reimplements many state-of-the-art methods, such as machine learning scoring functions (RF-Score and NNScore) and wraps other external software to ease the process of developing CADD pipelines. ODDT is an out-of-the-box solution designed to be easily customizable and extensible. Therefore, users are strongly encouraged to extend it and develop new methods. We here present three use cases for ODDT in common tasks in computer-aided drug discovery. Open Drug Discovery Toolkit is released on a permissive 3-clause BSD license for both academic and industrial use. ODDT's source code, additional examples and documentation are available on GitHub (https://github.com/oddt/oddt).

bnstruct: an R package for Bayesian Network structure learning in the presence of missing data.

PubMed

Franzin, Alberto; Sambo, Francesco; Di Camillo, Barbara

2017-04-15

A Bayesian Network is a probabilistic graphical model that encodes probabilistic dependencies between a set of random variables. We introduce bnstruct, an open source R package to (i) learn the structure and the parameters of a Bayesian Network from data in the presence of missing values and (ii) perform reasoning and inference on the learned Bayesian Networks. To the best of our knowledge, there is no other open source software that provides methods for all of these tasks, particularly the manipulation of missing data, which is a common situation in practice. The software is implemented in R and C and is available on CRAN under a GPL licence. francesco.sambo@unipd.it. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Accessible Collaborative Learning Using Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wald, Mike; Li, Yunjia; Draffan, E. A.

2014-01-01

This paper describes accessible collaborative learning using mobile devices with mobile enhancements to Synote, the freely available, award winning, open source, web based application that makes web hosted recordings easier to access, search, manage, and exploit for all learners, teachers and other users. Notes taken live during lectures using…

OER Use in Intermediate Language Instruction: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godwin-Jones, Robert

2017-01-01

This paper reports on a case study in the experimental use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in intermediate level language instruction. The resources come from three sources: the instructor, the students, and open content repositories. The objective of this action research project was to provide student-centered learning materials, enhance…

The Impact and Promise of Open-Source Computational Material for Physics Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, Wolfgang

2017-01-01

A computer-based modeling approach to teaching must be flexible because students and teachers have different skills and varying levels of preparation. Learning how to run the ``software du jour'' is not the objective for integrating computational physics material into the curriculum. Learning computational thinking, how to use computation and computer-based visualization to communicate ideas, how to design and build models, and how to use ready-to-run models to foster critical thinking is the objective. Our computational modeling approach to teaching is a research-proven pedagogy that predates computers. It attempts to enhance student achievement through the Modeling Cycle. This approach was pioneered by Robert Karplus and the SCIS Project in the 1960s and 70s and later extended by the Modeling Instruction Program led by Jane Jackson and David Hestenes at Arizona State University. This talk describes a no-cost open-source computational approach aligned with a Modeling Cycle pedagogy. Our tools, curricular material, and ready-to-run examples are freely available from the Open Source Physics Collection hosted on the AAPT-ComPADRE digital library. Examples will be presented.

A Web-Based Computer-Aided Learning Module for an Anatomy Course Using Open Source Image Mapping Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carleton, Renee E.

2012-01-01

Computer-aided learning (CAL) is used increasingly to teach anatomy in post-secondary programs. Studies show that augmentation of traditional cadaver dissection and model examination by CAL can be associated with positive student learning outcomes. In order to reduce costs associated with the purchase of skeletons and models and to encourage study…

The "7 Keys of the Dragon": An E-Learning Gamelike Environment for Albanian and Russian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Revithiadou, Anthi; Kourtis-Kazoullis, Vasilia; Soukalopoulou, Maria; Konstantoudakis, Konstantinos; Zarras, Christos; Pelesoglou, Nestoras

2014-01-01

In this article we report on the development of an interactive open source extensible software, dubbed "The 7 Keys of the Dragon," for the teaching/learning of Albanian and Russian to students (9-12 years old) with the respective languages as their heritage languages. Based on the assumption that games in language learning are associated…

Mobile Learning Environment with Short Messaging Service: Application to a Campus Environment in a Developing Country

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Premadasa, H. K. Salinda; Meegama, R. Gayan N.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how to integrate secure, open-source and mobile-based system with the Moodle learning management system (MLMS) then describe the implementation of a campus-wide mobile learning environment with short messaging system (SMS) and how this platform is incorporated with the student's learning…

MoleculeNet: a benchmark for molecular machine learning† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7sc02664a

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhenqin; Ramsundar, Bharath; Feinberg, Evan N.; Gomes, Joseph; Geniesse, Caleb; Pappu, Aneesh S.; Leswing, Karl

2017-01-01

Molecular machine learning has been maturing rapidly over the last few years. Improved methods and the presence of larger datasets have enabled machine learning algorithms to make increasingly accurate predictions about molecular properties. However, algorithmic progress has been limited due to the lack of a standard benchmark to compare the efficacy of proposed methods; most new algorithms are benchmarked on different datasets making it challenging to gauge the quality of proposed methods. This work introduces MoleculeNet, a large scale benchmark for molecular machine learning. MoleculeNet curates multiple public datasets, establishes metrics for evaluation, and offers high quality open-source implementations of multiple previously proposed molecular featurization and learning algorithms (released as part of the DeepChem open source library). MoleculeNet benchmarks demonstrate that learnable representations are powerful tools for molecular machine learning and broadly offer the best performance. However, this result comes with caveats. Learnable representations still struggle to deal with complex tasks under data scarcity and highly imbalanced classification. For quantum mechanical and biophysical datasets, the use of physics-aware featurizations can be more important than choice of particular learning algorithm. PMID:29629118

Engaging Language Learners through Technology Integration: Theory, Applications, and Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Shuai, Ed.; Swanson, Peter, Ed.

2014-01-01

Web 2.0 technologies, open source software platforms, and mobile applications have transformed teaching and learning of second and foreign languages. Language teaching has transitioned from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach through the use of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and new teaching approaches.…

A Practical Guide, with Theoretical Underpinnings, for Creating Effective Virtual Reality Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Eileen A.; Domingo, Jelia

2017-01-01

With the advent of open source virtual environments, the associated cost reductions, and the more flexible options, avatar-based virtual reality environments are within reach of educators. By using and repurposing readily available virtual environments, instructors can bring engaging, community-building, and immersive learning opportunities to…

A Blended Learning Scenario to Enhance Learners' Oral Production Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Hee-Kyung

2015-01-01

This paper examines the effectiveness of a mobile assisted blended learning scenario for pronunciation in Korean language. In particular, we analyze how asynchronous oral communication between learners of Korean and native speakers via "kakaotalk" (an open source mobile phone application) may be beneficial to the learner in terms of…

Learning Analytics Platform, towards an Open Scalable Streaming Solution for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewkow, Nicholas; Zimmerman, Neil; Riedesel, Mark; Essa, Alfred

2015-01-01

Next generation digital learning environments require delivering "just-in-time feedback" to learners and those who support them. Unlike traditional business intelligence environments, streaming data requires resilient infrastructure that can move data at scale from heterogeneous data sources, process the data quickly for use across…

Integrating an Information Literacy Quiz into the Learning Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, M. Sara; Booth, Char; Tagge, Natalie; Stone, Sean

2014-01-01

The Claremont Colleges Library Instruction Services Department developed a quiz that could be integrated into the consortial learning management software to accompany a local online, open-source information literacy tutorial. The quiz is integrated into individual course pages, allowing students to receive a grade for completion and improving…

Intelligible machine learning with malibu.

PubMed

Langlois, Robert E; Lu, Hui

2008-01-01

malibu is an open-source machine learning work-bench developed in C/C++ for high-performance real-world applications, namely bioinformatics and medical informatics. It leverages third-party machine learning implementations for more robust bug-free software. This workbench handles several well-studied supervised machine learning problems including classification, regression, importance-weighted classification and multiple-instance learning. The malibu interface was designed to create reproducible experiments ideally run in a remote and/or command line environment. The software can be found at: http://proteomics.bioengr. uic.edu/malibu/index.html.

Maintaining Quality and Confidence in Open-Source, Evolving Software: Lessons Learned with PFLOTRAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frederick, J. M.; Hammond, G. E.

2017-12-01

Software evolution in an open-source framework poses a major challenge to a geoscientific simulator, but when properly managed, the pay-off can be enormous for both the developers and the community at large. Developers must juggle implementing new scientific process models, adopting increasingly efficient numerical methods and programming paradigms, changing funding sources (or total lack of funding), while also ensuring that legacy code remains functional and reported bugs are fixed in a timely manner. With robust software engineering and a plan for long-term maintenance, a simulator can evolve over time incorporating and leveraging many advances in the computational and domain sciences. In this positive light, what practices in software engineering and code maintenance can be employed within open-source development to maximize the positive aspects of software evolution and community contributions while minimizing its negative side effects? This presentation will discusses steps taken in the development of PFLOTRAN (www.pflotran.org), an open source, massively parallel subsurface simulator for multiphase, multicomponent, and multiscale reactive flow and transport processes in porous media. As PFLOTRAN's user base and development team continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to implement strategies which ensure sustainable software development while maintaining software quality and community confidence. In this presentation, we will share our experiences and "lessons learned" within the context of our open-source development framework and community engagement efforts. Topics discussed will include how we've leveraged both standard software engineering principles, such as coding standards, version control, and automated testing, as well unique advantages of object-oriented design in process model coupling, to ensure software quality and confidence. We will also be prepared to discuss the major challenges faced by most open-source software teams, such as on-boarding new developers or one-time contributions, dealing with competitors or lookie-loos, and other downsides of complete transparency, as well as our approach to community engagement, including a user group email list, hosting short courses and workshops for new users, and maintaining a website. SAND2017-8174A

Massive Open Online Courses in Dental Education: Two Viewpoints: Viewpoint 1: Massive Open Online Courses Offer Transformative Technology for Dental Education and Viewpoint 2: Massive Open Online Courses Are Not Ready for Primetime.

PubMed

Kearney, Rachel C; Premaraj, Sundaralingam; Smith, Becky M; Olson, Gregory W; Williamson, Anne E; Romanos, Georgios

2016-02-01

This point/counterpoint article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of incorporating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) into dental education, focusing on whether this relatively new educational modality could impact traditional dental curricula. Viewpoint 1 asserts that MOOCs can be useful in dental education because they offer an opportunity for students to learn through content and assessment that is delivered online. While specific research on MOOCs is limited, some evidence shows that online courses may produce similar learning outcomes to those in face-to-face courses. Given that MOOCs are intended to be open source, there could be opportunities for dental schools with faculty shortages and financial constraints to incorporate these courses into their curricula. In addition to saving money, dental schools could use MOOCs as revenue sources in areas such as continuing education. Viewpoint 2 argues that the hype over MOOCs is subsiding due in part to weaker than expected evidence about their value. Because direct contact between students, instructors, and patients is essential to the dental curriculum, MOOCs have yet to demonstrate their usefulness in replacing more than a subset of didactic courses. Additionally, learning professionalism, a key component of health professions education, is best supported by mentorship that provides significant interpersonal interaction. In spite of the potential of early MOOC ideology, MOOCs in their current form require either further development or altered expectations to significantly impact dental education.

Integrating an Educational Game in Moodle LMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minovic, Miroslav; Milovanovic, Milos; Minovic, Jelena; Starcevic, Dusan

2012-01-01

The authors present a learning platform based on a computer game. Learning games combine two industries: education and entertainment, which is often called "Edutainment." The game is realized as a strategic game (similar to Risk[TM]), implemented as a module for Moodle CMS, utilizing Java Applet technology. Moodle is an open-source course…

Places to Go: Sakai|http://www.sakaiproject.org/

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downes, Stephen

2006-01-01

Stephen Downes continues his examination of open source learning management systems (LMSs) with a visit to Sakai's Web site. While Sakai's Web site is not particularly easy to navigate, it provides access to a large community and constellation of related online learning products and initiatives. Visitors can visit discussion forums to ask…

GeoGebra in Professional Development: The Experience of Rural Inservice Elementary School (K-8) Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bu, Ligguo; Mumba, Frackson; Henson, Harvey; Wright, Mary

2013-01-01

GeoGebra is an emergent open-source Dynamic and Interactive Mathematics Learning Environment (DIMLE) (Martinovic & Karadag, 2012) that invites a modeling perspective in mathematics teaching and learning. In springs of 2010 and 2012, GeoGebra was integrated respectively into two online professional development courses on mathematical problem…

An Evolving Worldview: Making Open Source Easy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, Zachary

2017-01-01

NASA Worldview is an interactive interface for browsing full-resolution, global satellite imagery. Worldview supports an open data policy so that academia, private industries and the general public can use NASA's satellite data to address Earth science related issues. Worldview was open sourced in 2014. By shifting to an open source approach, the Worldview application has evolved to better serve end-users. Project developers are able to have discussions with end-users and community developers to understand issues and develop new features. New developers are able to track upcoming features, collaborate on them and make their own contributions. Getting new developers to contribute to the project has been one of the most important and difficult aspects of open sourcing Worldview. A focus has been made on making the installation of Worldview simple to reduce the initial learning curve and make contributing code easy. One way we have addressed this is through a simplified setup process. Our setup documentation includes a set of prerequisites and a set of straight forward commands to clone, configure, install and run. This presentation will emphasis our focus to simplify and standardize Worldview's open source code so more people are able to contribute. The more people who contribute, the better the application will become over time.

Lessons learned in the generation of biomedical research datasets using Semantic Open Data technologies.

PubMed

Legaz-García, María del Carmen; Miñarro-Giménez, José Antonio; Menárguez-Tortosa, Marcos; Fernández-Breis, Jesualdo Tomás

2015-01-01

Biomedical research usually requires combining large volumes of data from multiple heterogeneous sources. Such heterogeneity makes difficult not only the generation of research-oriented dataset but also its exploitation. In recent years, the Open Data paradigm has proposed new ways for making data available in ways that sharing and integration are facilitated. Open Data approaches may pursue the generation of content readable only by humans and by both humans and machines, which are the ones of interest in our work. The Semantic Web provides a natural technological space for data integration and exploitation and offers a range of technologies for generating not only Open Datasets but also Linked Datasets, that is, open datasets linked to other open datasets. According to the Berners-Lee's classification, each open dataset can be given a rating between one and five stars attending to can be given to each dataset. In the last years, we have developed and applied our SWIT tool, which automates the generation of semantic datasets from heterogeneous data sources. SWIT produces four stars datasets, given that fifth one can be obtained by being the dataset linked from external ones. In this paper, we describe how we have applied the tool in two projects related to health care records and orthology data, as well as the major lessons learned from such efforts.

Open source 3D printers: an appropriate technology for building low cost optics labs for the developing communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwamuri, J.; Pearce, Joshua M.

2017-08-01

The recent introduction of RepRap (self-replicating rapid prototyper) 3-D printers and the resultant open source technological improvements have resulted in affordable 3-D printing, enabling low-cost distributed manufacturing for individuals. This development and others such as the rise of open source-appropriate technology (OSAT) and solar powered 3-D printing are moving 3-D printing from an industry based technology to one that could be used in the developing world for sustainable development. In this paper, we explore some specific technological improvements and how distributed manufacturing with open-source 3-D printing can be used to provide open-source 3-D printable optics components for developing world communities through the ability to print less expensive and customized products. This paper presents an open-source low cost optical equipment library which enables relatively easily adapted customizable designs with the potential of changing the way optics is taught in resource constraint communities. The study shows that this method of scientific hardware development has a potential to enables a much broader audience to participate in optical experimentation both as research and teaching platforms. Conclusions on the technical viability of 3-D printing to assist in development and recommendations on how developing communities can fully exploit this technology to improve the learning of optics through hands-on methods have been outlined.

Early Alert of Academically At-Risk Students: An Open Source Analytics Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayaprakash, Sandeep M.; Moody, Erik W.; Lauría, Eitel J. M.; Regan, James R.; Baron, Joshua D.

2014-01-01

The Open Academic Analytics Initiative (OAAI) is a collaborative, multi-year grant program aimed at researching issues related to the scaling up of learning analytics technologies and solutions across all of higher education. The paper describes the goals and objectives of the OAAI, depicts the process and challenges of collecting, organizing and…

Open Minds to Equality: A Source Book of Learning Activities to Affirm Diversity and Promote Equity. Third Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schniedewind, Nancy; Davidson, Ellen

2006-01-01

"Open Minds to Equality" is an educator's sourcebook of activities to help students understand and change inequalities based on: race, gender, class, age, language, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability, and religion. The activities promote respect for diversity and interpersonal equality among students, fostering a classroom that is…

Resource sharing of online teaching materials: The lon-capa project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Wolfgang

2004-03-01

The use of information technology resources in conventional lecture-based courses, in distance-learning offerings, as well as hybrid courses, is increasing. But this may put additional burden on faculty, who are now asked to deliver this new content. Additionally, it may require the installation of commercial courseware systems, putting the colleges and universities in new financial licensing dependencies. To address exactly these two problems, the lon-capa system was invented to provide an open-source, gnu public license based, courseware system that allows for sharing of educational resources across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. This presentation will focus on both aspects of the system, the courseware capabilities that allow for customized environments for individual students, and the educational resources library that enables teachers to take full advantages of the work of their colleagues. Research results on learning effectiveness, resource and system usage patterns, and customization for different learning styles will be shown. Institutional perceptions of and responses to open source courseware systems will be discussed.

Tools for open geospatial science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petras, V.; Petrasova, A.; Mitasova, H.

2017-12-01

Open science uses open source to deal with reproducibility challenges in data and computational sciences. However, just using open source software or making the code public does not make the research reproducible. Moreover, the scientists face the challenge of learning new unfamiliar tools and workflows. In this contribution, we will look at a graduate-level course syllabus covering several software tools which make validation and reuse by a wider professional community possible. For the novices in the open science arena, we will look at how scripting languages such as Python and Bash help us reproduce research (starting with our own work). Jupyter Notebook will be introduced as a code editor, data exploration tool, and a lab notebook. We will see how Git helps us not to get lost in revisions and how Docker is used to wrap all the parts together using a single text file so that figures for a scientific paper or a technical report can be generated with a single command. We will look at examples of software and publications in the geospatial domain which use these tools and principles. Scientific contributions to GRASS GIS, a powerful open source desktop GIS and geoprocessing backend, will serve as an example of why and how to publish new algorithms and tools as part of a bigger open source project.

Vector-Based Data Services for NASA Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, J.; Roberts, J. T.; Ruvane, K.; Cechini, M. F.; Thompson, C. K.; Boller, R. A.; Baynes, K.

2016-12-01

Vector data sources offer opportunities for mapping and visualizing science data in a way that allows for more customizable rendering and deeper data analysis than traditional raster images, and popular formats like GeoJSON and Mapbox Vector Tiles allow diverse types of geospatial data to be served in a high-performance and easily consumed-package. Vector data is especially suited to highly dynamic mapping applications and visualization of complex datasets, while growing levels of support for vector formats and features in open-source mapping clients has made utilizing them easier and more powerful than ever. NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) is working to make NASA data more easily and conveniently accessible than ever by serving vector datasets via GeoJSON, Mapbox Vector Tiles, and raster images. This presentation will review these output formats, the services, including WFS, WMS, and WMTS, that can be used to access the data, and some ways in which vector sources can be utilized in popular open-source mapping clients like OpenLayers. Lessons learned from GIBS' recent move towards serving vector will be discussed, as well as how to use GIBS open source software to create, configure, and serve vector data sources using Mapserver and the GIBS OnEarth Apache module.

Using Tracker as a Pedagogical Tool for Understanding Projectile Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wee, Loo Kang; Chew, Charles; Goh, Giam Hwee; Tan, Samuel; Lee, Tat Leong

2012-01-01

This article reports on the use of Tracker as a pedagogical tool in the effective learning and teaching of projectile motion in physics. When a computer model building learning process is supported and driven by video analysis data, this free Open Source Physics tool can provide opportunities for students to engage in active enquiry-based…

Exploring the Use of Online Space in an Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lye, Sze Yee; Abas, Suriati; Tay, Lee Yong; Saban, Fadilah

2012-01-01

This paper analysed how three teacher-researchers of Singapore's elementary school used online space extensively in Grade 2-Grade 4 classrooms. Such online space, made possible by free and readily available web 2.0 and open source applications, was meant to complement the physical learning space as such space can allow learning activities, which…

Marrying Two Existing Software Packages into an Efficient Online Tutoring Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Timothy

2007-01-01

Many teachers today use Learning Management Systems (LMS), several of which are open-source. Specific examples are Claroline and Moodle. However, they are not specifically designed for language learning, and hence not entirely suitable. In this article, I will compare two uses of the Claroline LMS available at Louvain-la-Neuve within the framework…

E-Learning and Evidence Based Practice in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quong, Terrence

2016-01-01

JCTIC has used open source software to develop a unique school online environment that has made evidence based practice viable in their school. In this paper the proposition is made that eLearning enables evidence based practice which in turn leads to improved student outcomes. Much has been written about evidence based practice in schools, but…

A blended learning approach for teaching computer programming: design for large classes in Sub-Saharan Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayu Bati, Tesfaye; Gelderblom, Helene; van Biljon, Judy

2014-01-01

The challenge of teaching programming in higher education is complicated by problems associated with large class teaching, a prevalent situation in many developing countries. This paper reports on an investigation into the use of a blended learning approach to teaching and learning of programming in a class of more than 200 students. A course and learning environment was designed by integrating constructivist learning models of Constructive Alignment, Conversational Framework and the Three-Stage Learning Model. Design science research is used for the course redesign and development of the learning environment, and action research is integrated to undertake participatory evaluation of the intervention. The action research involved the Students' Approach to Learning survey, a comparative analysis of students' performance, and qualitative data analysis of data gathered from various sources. The paper makes a theoretical contribution in presenting a design of a blended learning solution for large class teaching of programming grounded in constructivist learning theory and use of free and open source technologies.

Vision Based Autonomous Robotic Control for Advanced Inspection and Repair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, Walter S.

2014-01-01

The advanced inspection system is an autonomous control and analysis system that improves the inspection and remediation operations for ground and surface systems. It uses optical imaging technology with intelligent computer vision algorithms to analyze physical features of the real-world environment to make decisions and learn from experience. The advanced inspection system plans to control a robotic manipulator arm, an unmanned ground vehicle and cameras remotely, automatically and autonomously. There are many computer vision, image processing and machine learning techniques available as open source for using vision as a sensory feedback in decision-making and autonomous robotic movement. My responsibilities for the advanced inspection system are to create a software architecture that integrates and provides a framework for all the different subsystem components; identify open-source algorithms and techniques; and integrate robot hardware.

An emerging role: the nurse content curator.

PubMed

Brooks, Beth A

2015-01-01

A new phenomenon, the inverted or "flipped" classroom, assumes that students are no longer acquiring knowledge exclusively through textbooks or lectures. Instead, they are seeking out the vast amount of free information available to them online (the very essence of open source) to supplement learning gleaned in textbooks and lectures. With so much open-source content available to nursing faculty, it benefits the faculty to use readily available, technologically advanced content. The nurse content curator supports nursing faculty in its use of such content. Even more importantly, the highly paid, time-strapped faculty is not spending an inordinate amount of effort surfing for and evaluating content. The nurse content curator does that work, while the faculty uses its time more effectively to help students vet the truth, make meaning of the content, and learn to problem-solve. Brooks. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NASA's Core Trajectory Sub-System Project: Using JBoss Enterprise Middleware for Building Software Systems Used to Support Spacecraft Trajectory Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stensrud, Kjell C.; Hamm, Dustin

2007-01-01

NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) / Flight Design and Dynamics Division (DM) has prototyped the use of Open Source middleware technology for building its next generation spacecraft mission support system. This is part of a larger initiative to use open standards and open source software as building blocks for future mission and safety critical systems. JSC is hoping to leverage standardized enterprise architectures, such as Java EE, so that its internal software development efforts can be focused on the core aspects of their problem domain. This presentation will outline the design and implementation of the Trajectory system and the lessons learned during the exercise.

Why Are Smart People Curious? Fluid Intelligence, Openness to Experience, and Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silvia, Paul J.; Sanders, Camilla E.

2010-01-01

The experience of interest is central to intrinsic motivation for learning, so it is important to understand the nature of interest and its sources. Individual differences in fluid intelligence (Gf) predict finding things more interesting, but it is possible that this effect is merely due to the overlap of Gf with openness to experience, a strong…

Sparking Innovative Learning & Creativity. 2007 NMC Summer Conference Proceedings (Indianapolis, IN, Jun 6-9, 2007)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Rachel S., Ed.

2007-01-01

The conference proceedings include the following papers: (1) The Arts Metaverse in Open Croquet: Exploring an Open Source 3-D Online Digital World (Ulrich Rauch and Tim Wang); (2) Beyond World of Warcraft: the Universe of MMOGs (Ruben R. Puentedura); (3) ClevelandPlus in Second Life (Wendy Shapiro, Lev Gonick, and Sue Shick); (4) Folksemantic:…

Human factors for capacity building: lessons learned from the OpenMRS implementers network.

PubMed

Seebregts, C J; Mamlin, B W; Biondich, P G; Fraser, H S F; Wolfe, B A; Jazayeri, D; Miranda, J; Blaya, J; Sinha, C; Bailey, C T; Kanter, A S

2010-01-01

The overall objective of this project was to investigate ways to strengthen the OpenMRS community by (i) developing capacity and implementing a network focusing specifically on the needs of OpenMRS implementers, (ii) strengthening community-driven aspects of OpenMRS and providing a dedicated forum for implementation-specific issues, and; (iii) providing regional support for OpenMRS implementations as well as mentorship and training. The methods used included (i) face-to-face networking using meetings and workshops; (ii) online collaboration tools, peer support and mentorship programmes; (iii) capacity and community development programmes, and; (iv) community outreach programmes. The community-driven approach, combined with a few simple interventions, has been a key factor in the growth and success of the OpenMRS Implementers Network. It has contributed to implementations in at least twenty-three different countries using basic online tools; and provided mentorship and peer support through an annual meeting, workshops and an internship program. The OpenMRS Implementers Network has formed collaborations with several other open source networks and is evolving regional OpenMRS Centres of Excellence to provide localized support for OpenMRS development and implementation. These initiatives are increasing the range of functionality and sustainability of open source software in the health domain, resulting in improved adoption and enterprise-readiness. Social organization and capacity development activities are important in growing a successful community-driven open source software model.

Towards Standardized Patient Data Exchange: Integrating a FHIR Based API for the Open Medical Record System.

PubMed

Kasthurirathne, Suranga N; Mamlin, Burke; Grieve, Grahame; Biondich, Paul

2015-01-01

Interoperability is essential to address limitations caused by the ad hoc implementation of clinical information systems and the distributed nature of modern medical care. The HL7 V2 and V3 standards have played a significant role in ensuring interoperability for healthcare. FHIR is a next generation standard created to address fundamental limitations in HL7 V2 and V3. FHIR is particularly relevant to OpenMRS, an Open Source Medical Record System widely used across emerging economies. FHIR has the potential to allow OpenMRS to move away from a bespoke, application specific API to a standards based API. We describe efforts to design and implement a FHIR based API for the OpenMRS platform. Lessons learned from this effort were used to define long term plans to transition from the legacy OpenMRS API to a FHIR based API that greatly reduces the learning curve for developers and helps enhance adhernce to standards.

CuboCube: Student creation of a cancer genetics e-textbook using open-access software for social learning.

PubMed

Seid-Karbasi, Puya; Ye, Xin C; Zhang, Allen W; Gladish, Nicole; Cheng, Suzanne Y S; Rothe, Katharina; Pilsworth, Jessica A; Kang, Min A; Doolittle, Natalie; Jiang, Xiaoyan; Stirling, Peter C; Wasserman, Wyeth W

2017-03-01

Student creation of educational materials has the capacity both to enhance learning and to decrease costs. Three successive honors-style classes of undergraduate students in a cancer genetics class worked with a new software system, CuboCube, to create an e-textbook. CuboCube is an open-source learning materials creation system designed to facilitate e-textbook development, with an ultimate goal of improving the social learning experience for students. Equipped with crowdsourcing capabilities, CuboCube provides intuitive tools for nontechnical and technical authors alike to create content together in a structured manner. The process of e-textbook development revealed both strengths and challenges of the approach, which can inform future efforts. Both the CuboCube platform and the Cancer Genetics E-textbook are freely available to the community.

CuboCube: Student creation of a cancer genetics e-textbook using open-access software for social learning

PubMed Central

Seid-Karbasi, Puya; Ye, Xin C.; Zhang, Allen W.; Gladish, Nicole; Cheng, Suzanne Y. S.; Rothe, Katharina; Pilsworth, Jessica A.; Kang, Min A.; Doolittle, Natalie; Jiang, Xiaoyan; Stirling, Peter C.; Wasserman, Wyeth W.

2017-01-01

Student creation of educational materials has the capacity both to enhance learning and to decrease costs. Three successive honors-style classes of undergraduate students in a cancer genetics class worked with a new software system, CuboCube, to create an e-textbook. CuboCube is an open-source learning materials creation system designed to facilitate e-textbook development, with an ultimate goal of improving the social learning experience for students. Equipped with crowdsourcing capabilities, CuboCube provides intuitive tools for nontechnical and technical authors alike to create content together in a structured manner. The process of e-textbook development revealed both strengths and challenges of the approach, which can inform future efforts. Both the CuboCube platform and the Cancer Genetics E-textbook are freely available to the community. PMID:28267757

Implementation of Web-Based Education in Egypt through Cloud Computing Technologies and Its Effect on Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Seoud, M. Samir Abou; El-Sofany, Hosam F.; Taj-Eddin, Islam A. T. F.; Nosseir, Ann; El-Khouly, Mahmoud M.

2013-01-01

The information technology educational programs at most universities in Egypt face many obstacles that can be overcome using technology enhanced learning. An open source Moodle eLearning platform has been implemented at many public and private universities in Egypt, as an aid to deliver e-content and to provide the institution with various…

An Experience of Teaching for Learning by Observation: Remote-Controlled Experiments on Electrical Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Siu Cheung; Yeung, Yau Yuen; Wu, Xian Qiu

2009-01-01

In order to facilitate senior primary school students in Hong Kong to engage in learning by observation of the phenomena related to electrical circuits, a design of a specific courseware system, of which the interactive human-machine interface was created with the use of an open-source software called the LabVNC, for conducting online…

Using Collaborative Filtering to Support College Students' Use of Online Forum for English Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Pei-Yu; Yang, Hui-Chun

2012-01-01

This study examined the impact of collaborative filtering (the so-called recommender) on college students' use of an online forum for English learning. The forum was created with an open-source software, Drupal, and its extended recommender module. This study was guided by three main questions: 1) Is there any difference in online behaviors…

The Use of Distance Learning in the Educational Process Content and Structure of Educational Platforms--Analysis of the Platform Educans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igado, Manuel Fandos

2010-01-01

This work provides some considerations that complements the scarcity of researches this field of knowledge of the e-learning specifically referred to secondary education. Distance training programmes (both open source code and not) are becoming increasingly more popular, especially in higher level education. However, there are very few cases of…

Shadow netWorkspace: An Open Source Intranet for Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laffey, James M.; Musser, Dale

2006-01-01

Shadow netWorkspace (SNS) is a web application system that allows a school or any type of community to establish an intranet with network workspaces for all members and groups. The goal of SNS has been to make it easy for schools and other educational organizations to provide network services in support of implementing a learning community. SNS is…

Enhancing Learning Outcomes through Experiential Learning: Using Open-Source Systems to Teach Enterprise Systems and Business Process Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jewer, Jennifer; Evermann, Joerg

2015-01-01

Enterprise systems and business process management are the two key information technologies to integrate the functions of a modern business into a coherent and efficient system. While the benefits of these systems are easy to describe, students, especially those without business experience, have difficulty appreciating how these systems are used…

Testing RISKGIS Platform with Students to Improve Learning and Teaching Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olyazadeh, R.; Aye, Z. C.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Derron, M. H.

2016-12-01

Nowadays, open-source developments in the field of natural hazards and risk management increase rapidly. The governments, NGOs and other research institutes are producing data for risk and disaster analysis, but a few platforms are available to bring a real-life experience to the students. This work focuses on the preliminary results of testing a WebGIS platform called RISKGIS with the bachelor students at the University of Lausanne. The platform is designed based on a geospatial open-source technology called OpenGeo (Boundless). This platform can calculate the potential risk of the buildings and assist the students to understand the situations for risk reduction mitigation and decision-making. The center of Jomsom in Nepal was selected for the first exercise that may be affected by amplifications of earthquake. The shaking intensity map was designed by an expert based on the geological characteristics and DEM (Digital Elevation Model) of the area. All buildings data were extracted from OpenStreetMap using QGIS and adapted to the platform. The video tutorial was prepared to guide the students through the platform, and 80 students have tested the application online successfully and 40 of them participated in Moodle (a free Open Source software package for educators) for online feedback and quiz. Among those, 30 of them have completely answered to both. We had interesting results for effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction based on System Usability Scale (SUS). The SUS score for this platform was 68.6 out of 100. The average result of the quiz was 9.39 out of 10 with a duration of 8 to 33 minutes to answer the quiz. There were several outliers for this duration with 2 minutes (two students) and 9 to 18 hours (three students). Further exercises will be carried out with students by adding more advanced functions to the platform and improving the willingness of participation in this online learning platform. This project is funded by Fonds d'innovation pédagogique de l'Université de Lausanne (FIP). We think this initial, ongoing platform can help both students and teachers to improve their skills in the field of risk and disaster management.Keywords: Risk and disaster Management, GIS, Open-Source, Boundless, Moodle, Teaching and learning

Entrepreneurial model based technology creative industries sector software through the use of free open source software for Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, B.; Hasbullah; Purnama, W.; Hery, A.

2016-04-01

Creative industry development areas of software by using Free Open Source Software (FOSS) is expected to be one of the solutions to foster new entrepreneurs of the students who can open job opportunities and contribute to economic development in Indonesia. This study aims to create entrepreneurial coaching model based on the creative industries by utilizing FOSS software field as well as provide understanding and fostering entrepreneurial creative industries based field software for students of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. This activity phase begins with identifying entrepreneurs or business software technology that will be developed, training and mentoring, apprenticeship process at industrial partners, creation of business plans and monitoring and evaluation. This activity involves 30 UPI student which has the motivation to self-employment and have competence in the field of information technology. The results and outcomes expected from these activities is the birth of a number of new entrepreneurs from the students engaged in the software industry both software in the world of commerce (e-commerce) and education/learning (e-learning/LMS) and games.

3D Technology Selection for a Virtual Learning Environment by Blending ISO 9126 Standard and AHP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Aydin; Guler, Inan

2011-01-01

Web3D presents many opportunities for learners in a virtual world or virtual environment over the web. This is a great opportunity for open-distance education institutions to benefit from web3d technologies to create courses with interactive 3d materials. There are many open source and commercial products offering 3d technologies over the web…

The role of open-source software in innovation and standardization in radiology.

PubMed

Erickson, Bradley J; Langer, Steve; Nagy, Paul

2005-11-01

The use of open-source software (OSS), in which developers release the source code to applications they have developed, is popular in the software industry. This is done to allow others to modify and improve software (which may or may not be shared back to the community) and to allow others to learn from the software. Radiology was an early participant in this model, supporting OSS that implemented the ACR-National Electrical Manufacturers Association (now Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standard for medical image communications. In radiology and in other fields, OSS has promoted innovation and the adoption of standards. Popular OSS is of high quality because access to source code allows many people to identify and resolve errors. Open-source software is analogous to the peer-review scientific process: one must be able to see and reproduce results to understand and promote what is shared. The authors emphasize that support for OSS need not threaten vendors; most vendors embrace and benefit from standards. Open-source development does not replace vendors but more clearly defines their roles, typically focusing on areas in which proprietary differentiators benefit customers and on professional services such as implementation planning and service. Continued support for OSS is essential for the success of our field.

Muxstep: an open-source C ++ multiplex HMM library for making inferences on multiple data types.

PubMed

Veličković, Petar; Liò, Pietro

2016-08-15

With the development of experimental methods and technology, we are able to reliably gain access to data in larger quantities, dimensions and types. This has great potential for the improvement of machine learning (as the learning algorithms have access to a larger space of information). However, conventional machine learning approaches used thus far on single-dimensional data inputs are unlikely to be expressive enough to accurately model the problem in higher dimensions; in fact, it should generally be most suitable to represent our underlying models as some form of complex networksng;nsio with nontrivial topological features. As the first step in establishing such a trend, we present MUXSTEP: , an open-source library utilising multiplex networks for the purposes of binary classification on multiple data types. The library is designed to be used out-of-the-box for developing models based on the multiplex network framework, as well as easily modifiable to suit problem modelling needs that may differ significantly from the default approach described. The full source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/PetarV-/muxstep petar.velickovic@cl.cam.ac.uk Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Maritime Threat Detection Using Probabilistic Graphical Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

CRF, unlike an HMM, can represent local features, and does not require feature concatenation. MLNs For MLNs, we used Alchemy ( Alchemy 2011), an...open source statistical relational learning and probabilistic inferencing package. Alchemy supports generative and discriminative weight learning, and...that Alchemy creates a new formula for every possible combination of the values for a1 and a2 that fit the type specified in their predicate

A Three-Dimensional Approach and Open Source Structure for the Design and Experimentation of Teaching-Learning Sequences: The Case of Friction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Besson, Ugo; Borghi, Lidia; De Ambrosis, Anna; Mascheretti, Paolo

2010-01-01

We have developed a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on friction based on a preliminary study involving three dimensions: an analysis of didactic research on the topic, an overview of usual approaches, and a critical analysis of the subject, considered also in its historical development. We found that mostly the usual presentations do not take…

Lost Confidence and Potential: A Mixed Methods Study of Underachieving College Students' Sources of Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fong, Carlton J.; Krause, Jaimie M.

2014-01-01

This study investigated the sources of self-efficacy of college students enrolled in a learning frameworks course, whom we identified as underachievers. Through weekly journal entries, the group of underachievers (n = 13) cited the factors that made them feel confident or not confident. Students' responses to open-ended prompts were coded…

What I Don't Know Won't Hurt You: The Relation between Professed Ignorance and Later Knowledge Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kushnir, Tamar; Koenig, Melissa A.

2017-01-01

Testimony is a valuable source of information for young learners, in particular if children maintain vigilance against errors while still being open to learning from imperfectly knowledgeable sources. We find support for this idea by examining how children evaluate individual speakers who present very different epistemic risks by being previously…

Unfortunate Outcomes of a "Funny" Physics Problem: Some Eye-Opening YouTube Comments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slisko, Josip; Dykstra, Dewey, Jr.

2011-01-01

The impressions we make as instructors of physics can affect student learning and public perception of physics teachers, physics as an academic subject, and physics as a profession. There are many sources from which we can collect evidence of these impressions. Among these sources are online public forums such as those at the Internet site known…

Unfortunate Outcomes of a ``Funny'' Physics Problem: Some Eye-Opening YouTube Comments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slisko, Josip; Dykstra, Dewey

2011-02-01

The impressions we make as instructors of physics can affect student learning and public perception of physics teachers, physics as an academic subject, and physics as a profession. There are many sources from which we can collect evidence of these impressions. Among these sources are online public forums such as those at the Internet site known as YouTube. Whether we are proud of these impressions we make or not, we should consider how constructive these impressions are for our students' physics learning and their impact on the public perception of physics and the community of physicists.

Building an open academic environment – a new approach to empowering students in their learning of anatomy through ‘Shadow Modules’

PubMed Central

Scott, Jonathan L; Moxham, Bernard J; Rutherford, Stephen M

2014-01-01

Teaching and learning in anatomy is undertaken by a variety of methodologies, yet all of these pedagogies benefit from students discussing and reflecting upon their learning activities. An approach of particular potency is peer-mediated learning, through either peer-teaching or collaborative peer-learning. Collaborative, peer-mediated, learning activities help promote deep learning approaches and foster communities of practice in learning. Students generally flourish in collaborative learning settings but there are limitations to the benefits of collaborative learning undertaken solely within the confines of modular curricula. We describe the development of peer-mediated learning through student-focused and student-led study groups we have termed ‘Shadow Modules’. The ‘Shadow Module’ takes place parallel to the formal academically taught module and facilitates collaboration between students to support their learning for that module. In ‘Shadow Module’ activities, students collaborate towards curating existing online open resources as well as developing learning resources of their own to support their study. Through the use of communication technologies and web 2.0 tools these resources are able to be shared with their peers, thus enhancing the learning experience of all students following the module. The Shadow Module activities have the potential to lead to participants feeling a greater sense of engagement with the subject material, as well as improving their study and group-working skills and developing digital literacy. The outputs from Shadow Module collaborative work are open-source and may be utilised by subsequent student cohorts, thus building up a repository of learning resources designed by and for students. Shadow Module activities would benefit all pedagogies in the study of anatomy, and support students moving from being passive consumers to active participants in learning. PMID:24117249

Building an open academic environment - a new approach to empowering students in their learning of anatomy through 'Shadow Modules'.

PubMed

Scott, Jonathan L; Moxham, Bernard J; Rutherford, Stephen M

2014-03-01

Teaching and learning in anatomy is undertaken by a variety of methodologies, yet all of these pedagogies benefit from students discussing and reflecting upon their learning activities. An approach of particular potency is peer-mediated learning, through either peer-teaching or collaborative peer-learning. Collaborative, peer-mediated, learning activities help promote deep learning approaches and foster communities of practice in learning. Students generally flourish in collaborative learning settings but there are limitations to the benefits of collaborative learning undertaken solely within the confines of modular curricula. We describe the development of peer-mediated learning through student-focused and student-led study groups we have termed 'Shadow Modules'. The 'Shadow Module' takes place parallel to the formal academically taught module and facilitates collaboration between students to support their learning for that module. In 'Shadow Module' activities, students collaborate towards curating existing online open resources as well as developing learning resources of their own to support their study. Through the use of communication technologies and Web 2.0 tools these resources are able to be shared with their peers, thus enhancing the learning experience of all students following the module. The Shadow Module activities have the potential to lead to participants feeling a greater sense of engagement with the subject material, as well as improving their study and group-working skills and developing digital literacy. The outputs from Shadow Module collaborative work are open-source and may be utilised by subsequent student cohorts, thus building up a repository of learning resources designed by and for students. Shadow Module activities would benefit all pedagogies in the study of anatomy, and support students moving from being passive consumers to active participants in learning. © 2013 Anatomical Society.

An Evolving Worldview: Making Open Source Easy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, Z.

2017-12-01

NASA Worldview is an interactive interface for browsing full-resolution, global satellite imagery. Worldview supports an open data policy so that academia, private industries and the general public can use NASA's satellite data to address Earth science related issues. Worldview was open sourced in 2014. By shifting to an open source approach, the Worldview application has evolved to better serve end-users. Project developers are able to have discussions with end-users and community developers to understand issues and develop new features. Community developers are able to track upcoming features, collaborate on them and make their own contributions. Developers who discover issues are able to address those issues and submit a fix. This reduces the time it takes for a project developer to reproduce an issue or develop a new feature. Getting new developers to contribute to the project has been one of the most important and difficult aspects of open sourcing Worldview. After witnessing potential outside contributors struggle, a focus has been made on making the installation of Worldview simple to reduce the initial learning curve and make contributing code easy. One way we have addressed this is through a simplified setup process. Our setup documentation includes a set of prerequisites and a set of straightforward commands to clone, configure, install and run. This presentation will emphasize our focus to simplify and standardize Worldview's open source code so that more people are able to contribute. The more people who contribute, the better the application will become over time.

Free-access open-source e-learning in comprehensive neurosurgery skills training.

PubMed

Jotwani, Payal; Srivastav, Vinkle; Tripathi, Manjul; Deo, Rama Chandra; Baby, Britty; Damodaran, Natesan; Singh, Ramandeep; Suri, Ashish; Bettag, Martin; Roy, Tara Sankar; Busert, Christoph; Mehlitz, Marcus; Lalwani, Sanjeev; Garg, Kanwaljeet; Paul, Kolin; Prasad, Sanjiva; Banerjee, Subhashis; Kalra, Prem; Kumar, Subodh; Sharma, Bhavani Shankar; Mahapatra, Ashok Kumar

2014-01-01

Since the end of last century, technology has taken a front seat in dispersion of medical education. Advancements of technology in neurosurgery and traditional training methods are now being challenged by legal and ethical concerns of patient safety, resident work-hour restriction and cost of operating-room time. To supplement the existing neurosurgery education pattern, various e-learning platforms are introduced as structured, interactive learning system. This study focuses on the concept, formulation, development and impact of web based learning platforms dedicated to neurosurgery discipline to disseminate education, supplement surgical knowledge and improve skills of neurosurgeons. 'Neurosurgery Education and Training School (NETS), e-learning platform' has integration of web-based technologies like 'Content Management System' for organizing the education material and 'Learning Management System' for updating neurosurgeons. NETS discussion forum networks neurosurgeons, neuroscientists and neuro-technologists across the globe facilitating collaborative translational research. Multi-authored neurosurgical e-learning material supplements the deficiencies of regular time-bound education. Interactive open-source, global, free-access e-learning platform of NETS has around 1) 425 visitors/month from 73 countries; ratio of new visitors to returning visitors 42.3; 57.7 (2); 64,380 views from 190 subscribers for surgical videos, 3-D animation, graphics based training modules (3); average 402 views per post. The e-Learning platforms provide updated educational content that make them "quick, surf, find and extract" resources. e-Learning tools like web-based education, social interactive platform and question-answer forum will save unnecessary expenditure of time and travel of neurosurgeons seeking knowledge. The need for free access platforms is more pronounced for the neurosurgeons and patients in developing nations.

Open Source Drug Discovery in Practice: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Årdal, Christine; Røttingen, John-Arne

2012-01-01

Background Open source drug discovery offers potential for developing new and inexpensive drugs to combat diseases that disproportionally affect the poor. The concept borrows two principle aspects from open source computing (i.e., collaboration and open access) and applies them to pharmaceutical innovation. By opening a project to external contributors, its research capacity may increase significantly. To date there are only a handful of open source R&D projects focusing on neglected diseases. We wanted to learn from these first movers, their successes and failures, in order to generate a better understanding of how a much-discussed theoretical concept works in practice and may be implemented. Methodology/Principal Findings A descriptive case study was performed, evaluating two specific R&D projects focused on neglected diseases. CSIR Team India Consortium's Open Source Drug Discovery project (CSIR OSDD) and The Synaptic Leap's Schistosomiasis project (TSLS). Data were gathered from four sources: interviews of participating members (n = 14), a survey of potential members (n = 61), an analysis of the websites and a literature review. Both cases have made significant achievements; however, they have done so in very different ways. CSIR OSDD encourages international collaboration, but its process facilitates contributions from mostly Indian researchers and students. Its processes are formal with each task being reviewed by a mentor (almost always offline) before a result is made public. TSLS, on the other hand, has attracted contributors internationally, albeit significantly fewer than CSIR OSDD. Both have obtained funding used to pay for access to facilities, physical resources and, at times, labor costs. TSLS releases its results into the public domain, whereas CSIR OSDD asserts ownership over its results. Conclusions/Significance Technically TSLS is an open source project, whereas CSIR OSDD is a crowdsourced project. However, both have enabled high quality research at low cost. The critical success factors appear to be clearly defined entry points, transparency and funding to cover core material costs. PMID:23029588

Using soft-hard fusion for misinformation detection and pattern of life analysis in OSINT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levchuk, Georgiy; Shabarekh, Charlotte

2017-05-01

Today's battlefields are shifting to "denied areas", where the use of U.S. Military air and ground assets is limited. To succeed, the U.S. intelligence analysts increasingly rely on available open-source intelligence (OSINT) which is fraught with inconsistencies, biased reporting and fake news. Analysts need automated tools for retrieval of information from OSINT sources, and these solutions must identify and resolve conflicting and deceptive information. In this paper, we present a misinformation detection model (MDM) which converts text to attributed knowledge graphs and runs graph-based analytics to identify misinformation. At the core of our solution is identification of knowledge conflicts in the fused multi-source knowledge graph, and semi-supervised learning to compute locally consistent reliability and credibility scores for the documents and sources, respectively. We present validation of proposed method using an open source dataset constructed from the online investigations of MH17 downing in Eastern Ukraine.

DeepInfer: open-source deep learning deployment toolkit for image-guided therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehrtash, Alireza; Pesteie, Mehran; Hetherington, Jorden; Behringer, Peter A.; Kapur, Tina; Wells, William M.; Rohling, Robert; Fedorov, Andriy; Abolmaesumi, Purang

2017-03-01

Deep learning models have outperformed some of the previous state-of-the-art approaches in medical image analysis. Instead of using hand-engineered features, deep models attempt to automatically extract hierarchical representations at multiple levels of abstraction from the data. Therefore, deep models are usually considered to be more flexible and robust solutions for image analysis problems compared to conventional computer vision models. They have demonstrated significant improvements in computer-aided diagnosis and automatic medical image analysis applied to such tasks as image segmentation, classification and registration. However, deploying deep learning models often has a steep learning curve and requires detailed knowledge of various software packages. Thus, many deep models have not been integrated into the clinical research work ows causing a gap between the state-of-the-art machine learning in medical applications and evaluation in clinical research procedures. In this paper, we propose "DeepInfer" - an open-source toolkit for developing and deploying deep learning models within the 3D Slicer medical image analysis platform. Utilizing a repository of task-specific models, DeepInfer allows clinical researchers and biomedical engineers to deploy a trained model selected from the public registry, and apply it to new data without the need for software development or configuration. As two practical use cases, we demonstrate the application of DeepInfer in prostate segmentation for targeted MRI-guided biopsy and identification of the target plane in 3D ultrasound for spinal injections.

DeepInfer: Open-Source Deep Learning Deployment Toolkit for Image-Guided Therapy.

PubMed

Mehrtash, Alireza; Pesteie, Mehran; Hetherington, Jorden; Behringer, Peter A; Kapur, Tina; Wells, William M; Rohling, Robert; Fedorov, Andriy; Abolmaesumi, Purang

2017-02-11

Deep learning models have outperformed some of the previous state-of-the-art approaches in medical image analysis. Instead of using hand-engineered features, deep models attempt to automatically extract hierarchical representations at multiple levels of abstraction from the data. Therefore, deep models are usually considered to be more flexible and robust solutions for image analysis problems compared to conventional computer vision models. They have demonstrated significant improvements in computer-aided diagnosis and automatic medical image analysis applied to such tasks as image segmentation, classification and registration. However, deploying deep learning models often has a steep learning curve and requires detailed knowledge of various software packages. Thus, many deep models have not been integrated into the clinical research workflows causing a gap between the state-of-the-art machine learning in medical applications and evaluation in clinical research procedures. In this paper, we propose "DeepInfer" - an open-source toolkit for developing and deploying deep learning models within the 3D Slicer medical image analysis platform. Utilizing a repository of task-specific models, DeepInfer allows clinical researchers and biomedical engineers to deploy a trained model selected from the public registry, and apply it to new data without the need for software development or configuration. As two practical use cases, we demonstrate the application of DeepInfer in prostate segmentation for targeted MRI-guided biopsy and identification of the target plane in 3D ultrasound for spinal injections.

DeepInfer: Open-Source Deep Learning Deployment Toolkit for Image-Guided Therapy

PubMed Central

Mehrtash, Alireza; Pesteie, Mehran; Hetherington, Jorden; Behringer, Peter A.; Kapur, Tina; Wells, William M.; Rohling, Robert; Fedorov, Andriy; Abolmaesumi, Purang

2017-01-01

Deep learning models have outperformed some of the previous state-of-the-art approaches in medical image analysis. Instead of using hand-engineered features, deep models attempt to automatically extract hierarchical representations at multiple levels of abstraction from the data. Therefore, deep models are usually considered to be more flexible and robust solutions for image analysis problems compared to conventional computer vision models. They have demonstrated significant improvements in computer-aided diagnosis and automatic medical image analysis applied to such tasks as image segmentation, classification and registration. However, deploying deep learning models often has a steep learning curve and requires detailed knowledge of various software packages. Thus, many deep models have not been integrated into the clinical research workflows causing a gap between the state-of-the-art machine learning in medical applications and evaluation in clinical research procedures. In this paper, we propose “DeepInfer” – an open-source toolkit for developing and deploying deep learning models within the 3D Slicer medical image analysis platform. Utilizing a repository of task-specific models, DeepInfer allows clinical researchers and biomedical engineers to deploy a trained model selected from the public registry, and apply it to new data without the need for software development or configuration. As two practical use cases, we demonstrate the application of DeepInfer in prostate segmentation for targeted MRI-guided biopsy and identification of the target plane in 3D ultrasound for spinal injections. PMID:28615794

ArduiPod Box: a low-cost and open-source Skinner box using an iPod Touch and an Arduino microcontroller.

PubMed

Pineño, Oskar

2014-03-01

This article introduces the ArduiPod Box, an open-source device built using two main components (i.e., an iPod Touch and an Arduino microcontroller), developed as a low-cost alternative to the standard operant conditioning chamber, or "Skinner box." Because of its affordability, the ArduiPod Box provides an opportunity for educational institutions with small budgets seeking to set up animal laboratories for research and instructional purposes. A pilot experiment is also presented, which shows that the ArduiPod Box, in spite of its extraordinary simplicity, can be effectively used to study animal learning and behavior.

Student Motivation from and Resistance to Active Learning Rooted in Essential Science Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, David C.; Sadler, Troy D.; Barlow, Angela T.; Smith-Walters, Cindi

2017-12-01

Several studies have found active learning to enhance students' motivation and attitudes. Yet, faculty indicate that students resist active learning and censure them on evaluations after incorporating active learning into their instruction, resulting in an apparent paradox. We argue that the disparity in findings across previous studies is the result of variation in the active learning instruction that was implemented. The purpose of this study was to illuminate sources of motivation from and resistance to active learning that resulted from a novel, exemplary active-learning approach rooted in essential science practices and supported by science education literature. This approach was enacted over the course of 4 weeks in eight sections of an introductory undergraduate biology laboratory course. A plant concept inventory, administered to students as a pre-, post-, and delayed-posttest indicated significant proximal and distal learning gains. Qualitative analysis of open-response questionnaires and interviews elucidated sources of motivation and resistance that resulted from this active-learning approach. Several participants indicated this approach enhanced interest, creativity, and motivation to prepare, and resulted in a challenging learning environment that facilitated the sharing of diverse perspectives and the development of a community of learners. Sources of resistance to active learning included participants' unfamiliarity with essential science practices, having to struggle with uncertainty in the absence of authoritative information, and the extra effort required to actively construct knowledge as compared to learning via traditional, teacher-centered instruction. Implications for implementation, including tips for reducing student resistance to active learning, are discussed.

An open-source solution for advanced imaging flow cytometry data analysis using machine learning.

PubMed

Hennig, Holger; Rees, Paul; Blasi, Thomas; Kamentsky, Lee; Hung, Jane; Dao, David; Carpenter, Anne E; Filby, Andrew

2017-01-01

Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) enables the high throughput collection of morphological and spatial information from hundreds of thousands of single cells. This high content, information rich image data can in theory resolve important biological differences among complex, often heterogeneous biological samples. However, data analysis is often performed in a highly manual and subjective manner using very limited image analysis techniques in combination with conventional flow cytometry gating strategies. This approach is not scalable to the hundreds of available image-based features per cell and thus makes use of only a fraction of the spatial and morphometric information. As a result, the quality, reproducibility and rigour of results are limited by the skill, experience and ingenuity of the data analyst. Here, we describe a pipeline using open-source software that leverages the rich information in digital imagery using machine learning algorithms. Compensated and corrected raw image files (.rif) data files from an imaging flow cytometer (the proprietary .cif file format) are imported into the open-source software CellProfiler, where an image processing pipeline identifies cells and subcellular compartments allowing hundreds of morphological features to be measured. This high-dimensional data can then be analysed using cutting-edge machine learning and clustering approaches using "user-friendly" platforms such as CellProfiler Analyst. Researchers can train an automated cell classifier to recognize different cell types, cell cycle phases, drug treatment/control conditions, etc., using supervised machine learning. This workflow should enable the scientific community to leverage the full analytical power of IFC-derived data sets. It will help to reveal otherwise unappreciated populations of cells based on features that may be hidden to the human eye that include subtle measured differences in label free detection channels such as bright-field and dark-field imagery. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TH-C-12A-12: Veritas: An Open Source Tool to Facilitate User Interaction with TrueBeam Developer Mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mishra, P; Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA; Lewis, J

2014-06-15

Purpose: To address the challenges of creating delivery trajectories and imaging sequences with TrueBeam Developer Mode, a new open-source graphical XML builder, Veritas, has been developed, tested and made freely available. Veritas eliminates most of the need to understand the underlying schema and write XML scripts, by providing a graphical menu for each control point specifying the state of 30 mechanical/dose axes. All capabilities of Developer Mode are accessible in Veritas. Methods: Veritas was designed using QT Designer, a ‘what-you-is-what-you-get’ (WYSIWIG) tool for building graphical user interfaces (GUI). Different components of the GUI are integrated using QT's signals and slotsmore » mechanism. Functionalities are added using PySide, an open source, cross platform Python binding for the QT framework. The XML code generated is immediately visible, making it an interactive learning tool. A user starts from an anonymized DICOM file or XML example and introduces delivery modifications, or begins their experiment from scratch, then uses the GUI to modify control points as desired. The software automatically generates XML plans following the appropriate schema. Results: Veritas was tested by generating and delivering two XML plans at Brigham and Women's Hospital. The first example was created to irradiate the letter ‘B’ with a narrow MV beam using dynamic couch movements. The second was created to acquire 4D CBCT projections for four minutes. The delivery of the letter ‘B’ was observed using a 2D array of ionization chambers. Both deliveries were generated quickly in Veritas by non-expert Developer Mode users. Conclusion: We introduced a new open source tool Veritas for generating XML plans (delivery trajectories and imaging sequences). Veritas makes Developer Mode more accessible by reducing the learning curve for quick translation of research ideas into XML plans. Veritas is an open source initiative, creating the possibility for future developments and collaboration with other researchers. I am an employee of Varian Medical Systems.« less

e-Assessment in a Limited-Resources Dental School Using an Open-Source Learning Management System.

PubMed

El Tantawi, Maha M A; Abdelsalam, Maha M; Mourady, Ahmed M; Elrifae, Ismail M B

2015-05-01

e-Assessment provides solutions to some problems encountered in dental students' evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the experience of a limited-resources dental school with e-assessment provided through an open-source learning management system (LMS). Data about users' access and types of e-assessment activities at the Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Egypt, were obtained from the web-based LMS Moodle. A questionnaire developed to assess students' perceptions of the e-assessment was also sent to students registered in two courses (undergraduate and postgraduate) with the same instructor. The results showed that most e-courses at the school had one form of e-assessment (82%) and, of these, 16.7% had summative assessment activities. There were significant differences among departments in the number of e-courses with e-assessment. One-quarter of e-courses with e-assessment used Moodle quizzes. Of 285 students registered in the two courses that included the questionnaire, 170 responded (response rate=59.6%). The responding students positively perceived the impact of e-assessment on learning and its reliability and security, whereas technical issues and related stresses were negatively perceived. This study suggests that e-assessment can be used at minimal cost in dental schools with limited resources and large class sizes with the least demands on faculty members and teaching staff time. For these schools, an open-source LMS such as Moodle provides formative e-assessment not available otherwise and accommodates various question formats and varying levels of instructors' technical skills. These students seemed to have a positive impression of the e-assessment although technical problems and related stresses are issues that need to be addressed.

OpenHelix: bioinformatics education outside of a different box.

PubMed

Williams, Jennifer M; Mangan, Mary E; Perreault-Micale, Cynthia; Lathe, Scott; Sirohi, Neeraj; Lathe, Warren C

2010-11-01

The amount of biological data is increasing rapidly, and will continue to increase as new rapid technologies are developed. Professionals in every area of bioscience will have data management needs that require publicly available bioinformatics resources. Not all scientists desire a formal bioinformatics education but would benefit from more informal educational sources of learning. Effective bioinformatics education formats will address a broad range of scientific needs, will be aimed at a variety of user skill levels, and will be delivered in a number of different formats to address different learning styles. Informal sources of bioinformatics education that are effective are available, and will be explored in this review.

OpenHelix: bioinformatics education outside of a different box

PubMed Central

Mangan, Mary E.; Perreault-Micale, Cynthia; Lathe, Scott; Sirohi, Neeraj; Lathe, Warren C.

2010-01-01

The amount of biological data is increasing rapidly, and will continue to increase as new rapid technologies are developed. Professionals in every area of bioscience will have data management needs that require publicly available bioinformatics resources. Not all scientists desire a formal bioinformatics education but would benefit from more informal educational sources of learning. Effective bioinformatics education formats will address a broad range of scientific needs, will be aimed at a variety of user skill levels, and will be delivered in a number of different formats to address different learning styles. Informal sources of bioinformatics education that are effective are available, and will be explored in this review. PMID:20798181

Application of crowd-sourced data to multi-scale evolutionary exposure and vulnerability models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pittore, Massimiliano

2016-04-01

Seismic exposure, defined as the assets (population, buildings, infrastructure) exposed to earthquake hazard and susceptible to damage, is a critical -but often neglected- component of seismic risk assessment. This partly stems from the burden associated with the compilation of a useful and reliable model over wide spatial areas. While detailed engineering data have still to be collected in order to constrain exposure and vulnerability models, the availability of increasingly large crowd-sourced datasets (e. g. OpenStreetMap) opens up the exciting possibility to generate incrementally evolving models. Integrating crowd-sourced and authoritative data using statistical learning methodologies can reduce models uncertainties and also provide additional drive and motivation to volunteered geoinformation collection. A case study in Central Asia will be presented and discussed.

Developing an Open Source, Reusable Platform for Distributed Collaborative Information Management in the Early Detection Research Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, Andrew F.; Verma, Rishi; Mattmann, Chris A.; Crichton, Daniel J.; Kelly, Sean; Kincaid, Heather; Hughes, Steven; Ramirez, Paul; Goodale, Cameron; Anton, Kristen;

Trends and New Directions in Software Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-10

frameworks  Open source  Cloud strategies  NoSQL  Machine Learning  MDD  Incremental approaches  Dashboards  Distributed development...complexity grows  NoSQL Models are not created equal 2014 Our Current Research  Lightweight Evaluation and Architecture Prototyping for Big Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jamieson, Kevin; Davis, IV, Warren L.

Active learning methods automatically adapt data collection by selecting the most informative samples in order to accelerate machine learning. Because of this, real-world testing and comparing active learning algorithms requires collecting new datasets (adaptively), rather than simply applying algorithms to benchmark datasets, as is the norm in (passive) machine learning research. To facilitate the development, testing and deployment of active learning for real applications, we have built an open-source software system for large-scale active learning research and experimentation. The system, called NEXT, provides a unique platform for realworld, reproducible active learning research. This paper details the challenges of building themore » system and demonstrates its capabilities with several experiments. The results show how experimentation can help expose strengths and weaknesses of active learning algorithms, in sometimes unexpected and enlightening ways.« less

Peer Learning and Support of Technology in an Undergraduate Biology Course to Enhance Deep Learning

PubMed Central

Tsaushu, Masha; Tal, Tali; Sagy, Ornit; Kali, Yael; Gepstein, Shimon; Zilberstein, Dan

2012-01-01

This study offers an innovative and sustainable instructional model for an introductory undergraduate course. The model was gradually implemented during 3 yr in a research university in a large-lecture biology course that enrolled biology majors and nonmajors. It gives priority to sources not used enough to enhance active learning in higher education: technology and the students themselves. Most of the lectures were replaced with continuous individual learning and 1-mo group learning of one topic, both supported by an interactive online tutorial. Assessment included open-ended complex questions requiring higher-order thinking skills that were added to the traditional multiple-choice (MC) exam. Analysis of students’ outcomes indicates no significant difference among the three intervention versions in the MC questions of the exam, while students who took part in active-learning groups at the advanced version of the model had significantly higher scores in the more demanding open-ended questions compared with their counterparts. We believe that social-constructivist learning of one topic during 1 mo has significantly contributed to student deep learning across topics. It developed a biological discourse, which is more typical to advanced stages of learning biology, and changed the image of instructors from “knowledge transmitters” to “role model scientists.” PMID:23222836

Peer learning and support of technology in an undergraduate biology course to enhance deep learning.

PubMed

Tsaushu, Masha; Tal, Tali; Sagy, Ornit; Kali, Yael; Gepstein, Shimon; Zilberstein, Dan

2012-01-01

This study offers an innovative and sustainable instructional model for an introductory undergraduate course. The model was gradually implemented during 3 yr in a research university in a large-lecture biology course that enrolled biology majors and nonmajors. It gives priority to sources not used enough to enhance active learning in higher education: technology and the students themselves. Most of the lectures were replaced with continuous individual learning and 1-mo group learning of one topic, both supported by an interactive online tutorial. Assessment included open-ended complex questions requiring higher-order thinking skills that were added to the traditional multiple-choice (MC) exam. Analysis of students' outcomes indicates no significant difference among the three intervention versions in the MC questions of the exam, while students who took part in active-learning groups at the advanced version of the model had significantly higher scores in the more demanding open-ended questions compared with their counterparts. We believe that social-constructivist learning of one topic during 1 mo has significantly contributed to student deep learning across topics. It developed a biological discourse, which is more typical to advanced stages of learning biology, and changed the image of instructors from "knowledge transmitters" to "role model scientists."

Teaching Introductory Astronomy "Open and Out" & Looking Forward to the 2017 Solar Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, I.-Wen Mike; Cronkhite, Jeff

2016-01-01

We present a new effort on teaching introductory astronomy addressing the specific challenges facing small colleges including limited resources, changing generational behavior and new technological trends. The approach adopts open source solutions into the developmental learning materials aiming for standardization and wide-scale applicability. In addition we utilize events and resources outside classroom into the learning. Among examples of the development are laboratory exercises based on the planetarium software Stellarium and remediation exercises using Khan Academy instructional videos. As the eventual goal is to move toward greater autonomy the cycles of improvement necessarily require student feedback in an entirely different instructional style based on egalitarian dialogues. We highlight a laboratory exercise on Earth-Moon distance estimation using parallax of the upcoming 2017 solar eclipse to illustrate the "open and out" philosophy. Achievements, limitations and some diagnostics of the current effort are also presented.

An Open-Source Sandbox for Increasing the Accessibility of Functional Programming to the Bioinformatics and Scientific Communities

PubMed Central

Fenwick, Matthew; Sesanker, Colbert; Schiller, Martin R.; Ellis, Heidi JC; Hinman, M. Lee; Vyas, Jay; Gryk, Michael R.

2012-01-01

Scientists are continually faced with the need to express complex mathematical notions in code. The renaissance of functional languages such as LISP and Haskell is often credited to their ability to implement complex data operations and mathematical constructs in an expressive and natural idiom. The slow adoption of functional computing in the scientific community does not, however, reflect the congeniality of these fields. Unfortunately, the learning curve for adoption of functional programming techniques is steeper than that for more traditional languages in the scientific community, such as Python and Java, and this is partially due to the relative sparseness of available learning resources. To fill this gap, we demonstrate and provide applied, scientifically substantial examples of functional programming, We present a multi-language source-code repository for software integration and algorithm development, which generally focuses on the fields of machine learning, data processing, bioinformatics. We encourage scientists who are interested in learning the basics of functional programming to adopt, reuse, and learn from these examples. The source code is available at: https://github.com/CONNJUR/CONNJUR-Sandbox (see also http://www.connjur.org). PMID:25328913

An Open-Source Sandbox for Increasing the Accessibility of Functional Programming to the Bioinformatics and Scientific Communities.

PubMed

Fenwick, Matthew; Sesanker, Colbert; Schiller, Martin R; Ellis, Heidi Jc; Hinman, M Lee; Vyas, Jay; Gryk, Michael R

2012-01-01

Scientists are continually faced with the need to express complex mathematical notions in code. The renaissance of functional languages such as LISP and Haskell is often credited to their ability to implement complex data operations and mathematical constructs in an expressive and natural idiom. The slow adoption of functional computing in the scientific community does not, however, reflect the congeniality of these fields. Unfortunately, the learning curve for adoption of functional programming techniques is steeper than that for more traditional languages in the scientific community, such as Python and Java, and this is partially due to the relative sparseness of available learning resources. To fill this gap, we demonstrate and provide applied, scientifically substantial examples of functional programming, We present a multi-language source-code repository for software integration and algorithm development, which generally focuses on the fields of machine learning, data processing, bioinformatics. We encourage scientists who are interested in learning the basics of functional programming to adopt, reuse, and learn from these examples. The source code is available at: https://github.com/CONNJUR/CONNJUR-Sandbox (see also http://www.connjur.org).

Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timberlake, Todd K.

2013-01-01

This paper describes a series of activities in which students investigate and use the Ptolemaic, Copernican, and Tychonic models of planetary motion. The activities guide students through using open source software to discover important observational facts, learn the necessary vocabulary, understand the fundamental properties of different…

Open Source Virtual Worlds and Low Cost Sensors for Physical Rehab of Patients with Chronic Diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, Salvador J.; Fernandez-Luque, Luis; Sevillano, José L.; Vognild, Lars

For patients with chronic diseases, exercise is a key part of rehab to deal better with their illness. Some of them do rehabilitation at home with telemedicine systems. However, keeping to their exercising program is challenging and many abandon the rehabilitation. We postulate that information technologies for socializing and serious games can encourage patients to keep doing physical exercise and rehab. In this paper we present Virtual Valley, a low cost telemedicine system for home exercising, based on open source virtual worlds and utilizing popular low cost motion controllers (e.g. Wii Remote) and medical sensors. Virtual Valley allows patient to socialize, learn, and play group based serious games while exercising.

LMS Transitioning to "Moodle": A Surprising Case of Successful, Emergent Change Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawler, Alan

2011-01-01

During 2009-10 the University of Ballarat implemented the open-source learning management system (LMS) "Moodle" alongside its existing legacy LMS, "Blackboard". While previous IT implementations have been troublesome at the university, notably the student information and finance management systems in 2008-09, the…

Early Adolescent Perceptions Regarding Sources of Sexual Health Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shoemaker, Kylea K.

2017-01-01

Early adolescence includes youth approximately 11-14 years of age. This age group represents a population open to learning more information about sexuality and signifies a developmental period where effective sexuality interventions may begin (Ott & Pfieffer, 2009; Grossman et al., 2014). Early adolescence is a critical period when…

Stealing the Goose: Copyright and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGreal, Rory

2004-01-01

The Internet is the world's largest knowledge common and the information source of first resort. Much of this information is open and freely available. However, there are organizations and companies today that are trying to close off the Internet commons and make it proprietary. These are the "copyright controllers." The preservation of the…

Vulnerability Assessment of Open Source Wireshark and Chrome Browser

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

UNLIMITED 5 We spent much of the initial time learning about the logical model that modern HTML5 web browsers support, including how users interact with...are supposed to protect users of that site against cross-site scripting) and the new powerful an all-encompassing HTML5 standard. This vulnerability

Playing, Debugging, Learning: A Proposal between Game and Instructional Designs via Extended Prototyping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandolfi, Enrico

2018-01-01

This article investigates the phenomenon of open and participative development (e.g. beta testing, Kickstarter projects)--i.e. extended prototyping--in digital entertainment as a potential source of insights for instructional interventions. Despite the increasing popularity of this practice and the potential implications for educators and…

Open-source approaches for the repurposing of existing or failed candidate drugs: learning from and applying the lessons across diseases

PubMed Central

Allarakhia, Minna

2013-01-01

Repurposing has the objective of targeting existing drugs and failed, abandoned, or yet-to-be-pursued clinical candidates to new disease areas. The open-source model permits for the sharing of data, resources, compounds, clinical molecules, small libraries, and screening platforms to cost-effectively advance old drugs and/or candidates into clinical re-development. Clearly, at the core of drug-repurposing activities is collaboration, in many cases progressing beyond the open sharing of resources, technology, and intellectual property, to the sharing of facilities and joint program development to foster drug-repurposing human-capacity development. A variety of initiatives under way for drug repurposing, including those targeting rare and neglected diseases, are discussed in this review and provide insight into the stakeholders engaged in drug-repurposing discovery, the models of collaboration used, the intellectual property-management policies crafted, and human capacity developed. In the case of neglected tropical diseases, it is suggested that the development of human capital be a central aspect of drug-repurposing programs. Open-source models can support human-capital development through collaborative data generation, open compound access, open and collaborative screening, preclinical and possibly clinical studies. Given the urgency of drug development for neglected tropical diseases, the review suggests elements from current repurposing programs be extended to the neglected tropical diseases arena. PMID:23966771

Open-source approaches for the repurposing of existing or failed candidate drugs: learning from and applying the lessons across diseases.

PubMed

Allarakhia, Minna

2013-01-01

Repurposing has the objective of targeting existing drugs and failed, abandoned, or yet-to-be-pursued clinical candidates to new disease areas. The open-source model permits for the sharing of data, resources, compounds, clinical molecules, small libraries, and screening platforms to cost-effectively advance old drugs and/or candidates into clinical re-development. Clearly, at the core of drug-repurposing activities is collaboration, in many cases progressing beyond the open sharing of resources, technology, and intellectual property, to the sharing of facilities and joint program development to foster drug-repurposing human-capacity development. A variety of initiatives under way for drug repurposing, including those targeting rare and neglected diseases, are discussed in this review and provide insight into the stakeholders engaged in drug-repurposing discovery, the models of collaboration used, the intellectual property-management policies crafted, and human capacity developed. In the case of neglected tropical diseases, it is suggested that the development of human capital be a central aspect of drug-repurposing programs. Open-source models can support human-capital development through collaborative data generation, open compound access, open and collaborative screening, preclinical and possibly clinical studies. Given the urgency of drug development for neglected tropical diseases, the review suggests elements from current repurposing programs be extended to the neglected tropical diseases arena.

Building a Billion Spatio-Temporal Object Search and Visualization Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakkar, D.; Lewis, B.

2017-10-01

With funding from the Sloan Foundation and Harvard Dataverse, the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) has developed a prototype spatio-temporal visualization platform called the Billion Object Platform or BOP. The goal of the project is to lower barriers for scholars who wish to access large, streaming, spatio-temporal datasets. The BOP is now loaded with the latest billion geo-tweets, and is fed a real-time stream of about 1 million tweets per day. The geo-tweets are enriched with sentiment and census/admin boundary codes when they enter the system. The system is open source and is currently hosted on Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC), an OpenStack environment with all components deployed in Docker orchestrated by Kontena. This paper will provide an overview of the BOP architecture, which is built on an open source stack consisting of Apache Lucene, Solr, Kafka, Zookeeper, Swagger, scikit-learn, OpenLayers, and AngularJS. The paper will further discuss the approach used for harvesting, enriching, streaming, storing, indexing, visualizing and querying a billion streaming geo-tweets.

The TENCompetence Infrastructure: A Learning Network Implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogten, Hubert; Martens, Harrie; Lemmers, Ruud

The TENCompetence project developed a first release of a Learning Network infrastructure to support individuals, groups and organisations in professional competence development. This infrastructure Learning Network infrastructure was released as open source to the community thereby allowing users and organisations to use and contribute to this development as they see fit. The infrastructure consists of client applications providing the user experience and server components that provide the services to these clients. These services implement the domain model (Koper 2006) by provisioning the entities of the domain model (see also Sect. 18.4) and henceforth will be referenced as domain entity services.

IQM: An Extensible and Portable Open Source Application for Image and Signal Analysis in Java

PubMed Central

Kainz, Philipp; Mayrhofer-Reinhartshuber, Michael; Ahammer, Helmut

2015-01-01

Image and signal analysis applications are substantial in scientific research. Both open source and commercial packages provide a wide range of functions for image and signal analysis, which are sometimes supported very well by the communities in the corresponding fields. Commercial software packages have the major drawback of being expensive and having undisclosed source code, which hampers extending the functionality if there is no plugin interface or similar option available. However, both variants cannot cover all possible use cases and sometimes custom developments are unavoidable, requiring open source applications. In this paper we describe IQM, a completely free, portable and open source (GNU GPLv3) image and signal analysis application written in pure Java. IQM does not depend on any natively installed libraries and is therefore runnable out-of-the-box. Currently, a continuously growing repertoire of 50 image and 16 signal analysis algorithms is provided. The modular functional architecture based on the three-tier model is described along the most important functionality. Extensibility is achieved using operator plugins, and the development of more complex workflows is provided by a Groovy script interface to the JVM. We demonstrate IQM’s image and signal processing capabilities in a proof-of-principle analysis and provide example implementations to illustrate the plugin framework and the scripting interface. IQM integrates with the popular ImageJ image processing software and is aiming at complementing functionality rather than competing with existing open source software. Machine learning can be integrated into more complex algorithms via the WEKA software package as well, enabling the development of transparent and robust methods for image and signal analysis. PMID:25612319

IQM: an extensible and portable open source application for image and signal analysis in Java.

PubMed

Kainz, Philipp; Mayrhofer-Reinhartshuber, Michael; Ahammer, Helmut

2015-01-01

Image and signal analysis applications are substantial in scientific research. Both open source and commercial packages provide a wide range of functions for image and signal analysis, which are sometimes supported very well by the communities in the corresponding fields. Commercial software packages have the major drawback of being expensive and having undisclosed source code, which hampers extending the functionality if there is no plugin interface or similar option available. However, both variants cannot cover all possible use cases and sometimes custom developments are unavoidable, requiring open source applications. In this paper we describe IQM, a completely free, portable and open source (GNU GPLv3) image and signal analysis application written in pure Java. IQM does not depend on any natively installed libraries and is therefore runnable out-of-the-box. Currently, a continuously growing repertoire of 50 image and 16 signal analysis algorithms is provided. The modular functional architecture based on the three-tier model is described along the most important functionality. Extensibility is achieved using operator plugins, and the development of more complex workflows is provided by a Groovy script interface to the JVM. We demonstrate IQM's image and signal processing capabilities in a proof-of-principle analysis and provide example implementations to illustrate the plugin framework and the scripting interface. IQM integrates with the popular ImageJ image processing software and is aiming at complementing functionality rather than competing with existing open source software. Machine learning can be integrated into more complex algorithms via the WEKA software package as well, enabling the development of transparent and robust methods for image and signal analysis.

An Open Source Web Map Server Implementation For California and the Digital Earth: Lessons Learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, D. V.; Sheffner, E. J.; Skiles, J. W.; Brass, J. A.; Condon, Estelle (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This paper describes an Open Source implementation of the Open GIS Consortium's Web Map interface. It is based on the very popular Apache WWW Server, the Sun Microsystems Java ServIet Development Kit, and a C language shared library interface to a spatial datastore. This server was initially written as a proof of concept, to support a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Digital Earth test bed demonstration. It will also find use in the California Land Science Information Partnership (CaLSIP), a joint program between NASA and the state of California. At least one WebMap enabled server will be installed in every one of the state's 58 counties. This server will form a basis for a simple, easily maintained installation for those entities that do not yet require one of the larger, more expensive, commercial offerings.

PySeqLab: an open source Python package for sequence labeling and segmentation.

PubMed

Allam, Ahmed; Krauthammer, Michael

2017-11-01

Text and genomic data are composed of sequential tokens, such as words and nucleotides that give rise to higher order syntactic constructs. In this work, we aim at providing a comprehensive Python library implementing conditional random fields (CRFs), a class of probabilistic graphical models, for robust prediction of these constructs from sequential data. Python Sequence Labeling (PySeqLab) is an open source package for performing supervised learning in structured prediction tasks. It implements CRFs models, that is discriminative models from (i) first-order to higher-order linear-chain CRFs, and from (ii) first-order to higher-order semi-Markov CRFs (semi-CRFs). Moreover, it provides multiple learning algorithms for estimating model parameters such as (i) stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and its multiple variations, (ii) structured perceptron with multiple averaging schemes supporting exact and inexact search using 'violation-fixing' framework, (iii) search-based probabilistic online learning algorithm (SAPO) and (iv) an interface for Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno (BFGS) and the limited-memory BFGS algorithms. Viterbi and Viterbi A* are used for inference and decoding of sequences. Using PySeqLab, we built models (classifiers) and evaluated their performance in three different domains: (i) biomedical Natural language processing (NLP), (ii) predictive DNA sequence analysis and (iii) Human activity recognition (HAR). State-of-the-art performance comparable to machine-learning based systems was achieved in the three domains without feature engineering or the use of knowledge sources. PySeqLab is available through https://bitbucket.org/A_2/pyseqlab with tutorials and documentation. ahmed.allam@yale.edu or michael.krauthammer@yale.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Utilizing public health clinics for service-learning rotations in dental hygiene: a four-year retrospective study.

PubMed

Aston-Brown, Roberta E; Branson, Bonnie; Gadbury-Amyot, Cynthia C; Bray, Kimberly Krust

2009-03-01

National reports outlining disparities in oral health care in the United States have focused attention on ways to encourage health care providers to become more involved in the public health arena. Utilization of service-learning in professional health education programs is one method being explored. The purpose of this study was to conduct a retrospective review of a service-learning rotation within a dental hygiene public health course. The study utilized data sources generated by students as part of a course evaluation. These sources included student journals (qualitative/quantitative) and Likert-scaled (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative) student satisfaction survey items. Mixed methodology data analysis techniques were used to analyze and triangulate data in order to form conclusions related to the effectiveness of service-learning as a teaching strategy in dental hygiene. This investigation suggests that service-learning is an effective learning strategy for increasing student awareness of underserved populations, cultural diversity, and ethical patient care. The study also suggests that service-learning helped students to determine their level of interest in public health as a career choice by giving them a real-world experience in public health patient care.

Model-Based Reinforcement of Kinect Depth Data for Human Motion Capture Applications

PubMed Central

Calderita, Luis Vicente; Bandera, Juan Pedro; Bustos, Pablo; Skiadopoulos, Andreas

2013-01-01

Motion capture systems have recently experienced a strong evolution. New cheap depth sensors and open source frameworks, such as OpenNI, allow for perceiving human motion on-line without using invasive systems. However, these proposals do not evaluate the validity of the obtained poses. This paper addresses this issue using a model-based pose generator to complement the OpenNI human tracker. The proposed system enforces kinematics constraints, eliminates odd poses and filters sensor noise, while learning the real dimensions of the performer's body. The system is composed by a PrimeSense sensor, an OpenNI tracker and a kinematics-based filter and has been extensively tested. Experiments show that the proposed system improves pure OpenNI results at a very low computational cost. PMID:23845933

Adopting Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupta, Deepty; Surbhi

2018-01-01

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has provided the better learning opportunities to the present teachers and learners across the world. In the era of internet, many educational resources are free and lot of free softwares are also available. In our country the basic operating system used in educational institutions are proprietary in…

The MATH--Open Source Application for Easier Learning of Numerical Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaser-Opitz, Henrich; Budajová, Kristina

2016-01-01

The article introduces a software application (MATH) supporting an education of Applied Mathematics, with focus on Numerical Mathematics. The MATH is an easy to use tool supporting various numerical methods calculations with graphical user interface and integrated plotting tool for graphical representation written in Qt with extensive use of Qwt…

In Pursuit of Alternatives in ELT Methodology: WebQuests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sen, Ayfer; Neufeld, Steve

2006-01-01

Although the Internet has opened up a vast new source of information for university students to use and explore, many students lack the skills to find, critically evaluate and intelligently exploit web-based resources. This problem is accentuated in English-medium universities where students learn and use English as a foreign language. In these…

Automatic System for Producing and Distributing Lecture Recordings and Livestreams Using Opencast Matterhorn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonach, Rafael; Ebner, Martin; Grigoriadis, Ypatios

2015-01-01

Lectures of courses at universities are increasingly being recorded and offered through various distribution channels to support students' learning activities. This research work aims to create an automatic system for producing and distributing high quality lecture recordings. Opencast Matterhorn is an open source platform for automated video…

Cost-Effective, Equitable and Flexible Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning in Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Islam, Tofazzal

2011-01-01

This paper examines how this mega-university offers increasing access to cost-effective, equitable and flexible higher education by analyzing data from primary and secondary sources, identifies challenges impacting the continued growth of enrollment in distance education, and outlines opportunities for increasing access to higher education through…

Online Grading of Calculations in General Chemistry Laboratory Write-Ups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Alexsandra; Gonzales, Robert; Brennan, Daniel P.

2010-01-01

In the past, there were frequently complaints about the grading of laboratory reports in our laboratory chemistry courses. This article discussed the implementation of an online submission of laboratory acquired data using LON-CAPA (The Learning Online Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach), which is an open source management and…

Podcast Pilots for Distance Planning, Programming, and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordes, Sean

2005-01-01

This paper examines podcasting as a library support for distance learning and information systems and services. The manuscript provides perspective on the knowledge base in the growing area of podcasting in libraries and academia. A walkthrough of the podcast creation and distribution process using basic computing skills and open source tools is…

Monitoring an Online Course with the GISMO Tool: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazza, Riccardo; Botturi, Luca

2007-01-01

This article presents GISMO, a novel, open source, graphic student-tracking tool integrated into Moodle. GISMO represents a further step in information visualization applied to education, and also a novelty in the field of learning management systems applications. The visualizations of the tool, its uses and the benefits it can bring are…

IDRA Newsletter. Volume 43, No. 6, June-July 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Christie L., Ed.

2016-01-01

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Culture of Poverty vs. Culture of Possibility and includes: (1) Open Source Learning Tools Make STEM Possible in Underserved Schools…

Developing Digital Competences Using an Educational Software. A Pedagogical Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magdas, Ioana; Bontea, Timea

2011-01-01

Many teachers and people in educational institutions consider it necessary to prepare children for living in a computerized society. The Internet offers an incredible number of opportunities for teachers. The Web offer of e-learning open source platforms reached an impressive configuration. In this article, we present an educational software for…

An Open-Sourced and Interactive Ebook Development Program for Minority Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheepy, Emily; Sundberg, Ross; Laurie, Anne

2017-01-01

According to Long (2014), genuine task-based pedagogy is centered around the real-world activities that learners need to complete using the target language. We are developing the OurStories mobile application to support learners and instructors of minority languages in the development of personally relevant, task-based learning resources. The…

A Low Cost Mechatronics Device for STEM Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Himes, Larry Eugene, Jr.

All of the low-cost STEM education devices currently available are limited in function which limits learning. The motivation was to design and develop a device that will intrigue post-secondary students to learn STEM education concepts in a hands-on manner. The device needed to be open source so as to lower the cost to make it available to more students. And, making it feature rich was important for use with multiple projects the students may encounter or build themselves as they grow. The device has provided visual and physical feedback to students making the device more intriguing to use. Using the open-source C compiler reduced cost for students to use the device and taught them how to use an industry standard programming language. Students enjoyed the WAV file rendering for sound effects and LED lighting effects from the device. Most interviewees were intrigued by the device for use in their training facilities and classrooms. There are a couple of multi-axis controllers available but none with position feedback. Ethernet or Bluetooth interfacing was mentioned as a future feature and it was encouraged by nearly all who were interviewed.

Moving toward change: Institutionalizing reform through implementation of the Learning Assistant model and Open Source Tutorials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goertzen, Renee Michelle; Brewe, Eric; Kramer, Laird H.; Wells, Leanne; Jones, David

2011-12-01

Florida International University has undergone a reform in the introductory physics classes by focusing on the laboratory component of these classes. We present results from the secondary implementation of two research-based instructional strategies: the implementation of the Learning Assistant model as developed by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Open Source Tutorial curriculum developed at the University of Maryland, College Park. We examine the results of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) for introductory students over five years (n=872) and find that the mean raw gain of students in transformed lab sections was 0.243, while the mean raw gain of the traditional labs was 0.159, with a Cohen’s d effect size of 0.59. Average raw gains on the FCI were 0.243 for Hispanic students and 0.213 for women in the transformed labs, indicating that these reforms are not widening the gaps between underrepresented student groups and majority groups. Our results illustrate how research-based instructional strategies can be successfully implemented in a physics department with minimal department engagement and in a sustainable manner.

Improving Software Sustainability: Lessons Learned from Profiles in Science.

PubMed

Gallagher, Marie E

2013-01-01

The Profiles in Science® digital library features digitized surrogates of historical items selected from the archival collections of the U.S. National Library of Medicine as well as collaborating institutions. In addition, it contains a database of descriptive, technical and administrative metadata. It also contains various software components that allow creation of the metadata, management of the digital items, and access to the items and metadata through the Profiles in Science Web site [1]. The choices made building the digital library were designed to maximize the sustainability and long-term survival of all of the components of the digital library [2]. For example, selecting standard and open digital file formats rather than proprietary formats increases the sustainability of the digital files [3]. Correspondingly, using non-proprietary software may improve the sustainability of the software--either through in-house expertise or through the open source community. Limiting our digital library software exclusively to open source software or to software developed in-house has not been feasible. For example, we have used proprietary operating systems, scanning software, a search engine, and office productivity software. We did this when either lack of essential capabilities or the cost-benefit trade-off favored using proprietary software. We also did so knowing that in the future we would need to replace or upgrade some of our proprietary software, analogous to migrating from an obsolete digital file format to a new format as the technological landscape changes. Since our digital library's start in 1998, all of its software has been upgraded or replaced, but the digitized items have not yet required migration to other formats. Technological changes that compelled us to replace proprietary software included the cost of product licensing, product support, incompatibility with other software, prohibited use due to evolving security policies, and product abandonment. Sometimes these changes happen on short notice, so we continually monitor our library's software for signs of endangerment. We have attempted to replace proprietary software with suitable in-house or open source software. When the replacement involves a standalone piece of software with a nearly equivalent version, such as replacing a commercial HTTP server with an open source HTTP server, the replacement is straightforward. Recently we replaced software that functioned not only as our search engine but also as the backbone of the architecture of our Web site. In this paper, we describe the lessons learned and the pros and cons of replacing this software with open source software.

OOSTethys - Open Source Software for the Global Earth Observing Systems of Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridger, E.; Bermudez, L. E.; Maskey, M.; Rueda, C.; Babin, B. L.; Blair, R.

2009-12-01

An open source software project is much more than just picking the right license, hosting modular code and providing effective documentation. Success in advancing in an open collaborative way requires that the process match the expected code functionality to the developer's personal expertise and organizational needs as well as having an enthusiastic and responsive core lead group. We will present the lessons learned fromOOSTethys , which is a community of software developers and marine scientists who develop open source tools, in multiple languages, to integrate ocean observing systems into an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). OOSTethys' goal is to dramatically reduce the time it takes to install, adopt and update standards-compliant web services. OOSTethys has developed servers, clients and a registry. Open source PERL, PYTHON, JAVA and ASP tool kits and reference implementations are helping the marine community publish near real-time observation data in interoperable standard formats. In some cases publishing an OpenGeospatial Consortium (OGC), Sensor Observation Service (SOS) from NetCDF files or a database or even CSV text files could take only minutes depending on the skills of the developer. OOSTethys is also developing an OGC standard registry, Catalog Service for Web (CSW). This open source CSW registry was implemented to easily register and discover SOSs using ISO 19139 service metadata. A web interface layer over the CSW registry simplifies the registration process by harvesting metadata describing the observations and sensors from the “GetCapabilities” response of SOS. OPENIOOS is the web client, developed in PERL to visualize the sensors in the SOS services. While the number of OOSTethys software developers is small, currently about 10 around the world, the number of OOSTethys toolkit implementers is larger and growing and the ease of use has played a large role in spreading the use of interoperable standards compliant web services widely in the marine community.

Exploring the Earth Using Deep Learning Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larraondo, P. R.; Evans, B. J. K.; Antony, J.

2016-12-01

Research using deep neural networks have significantly matured in recent times, and there is now a surge in interest to apply such methods to Earth systems science and the geosciences. When combined with Big Data, we believe there are opportunities for significantly transforming a number of areas relevant to researchers and policy makers. In particular, by using a combination of data from a range of satellite Earth observations as well as computer simulations from climate models and reanalysis, we can gain new insights into the information that is locked within the data. Global geospatial datasets describe a wide range of physical and chemical parameters, which are mostly available using regular grids covering large spatial and temporal extents. This makes them perfect candidates to apply deep learning methods. So far, these techniques have been successfully applied to image analysis through the use of convolutional neural networks. However, this is only one field of interest, and there is potential for many more use cases to be explored. The deep learning algorithms require fast access to large amounts of data in the form of tensors and make intensive use of CPU in order to train its models. The Australian National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) has recently augmented its Raijin 1.2 PFlop supercomputer with hardware accelerators. Together with NCI's 3000 core high performance OpenStack cloud, these computational systems have direct access to NCI's 10+ PBytes of datasets and associated Big Data software technologies (see http://geonetwork.nci.org.au/ and http://nci.org.au/systems-services/national-facility/nerdip/). To effectively use these computing infrastructures requires that both the data and software are organised in a way that readily supports the deep learning software ecosystem. Deep learning software, such as the open source TensorFlow library, has allowed us to demonstrate the possibility of generating geospatial models by combining information from our different data sources. This opens the door to an exciting new way of generating products and extracting features that have previously been labour intensive. In this paper, we will explore some of these geospatial use cases and share some of the lessons learned from this experience.

Getting Open Source Right for Big Data Analytics: Software Sharing, Governance, Collaboration and Most of All, Fun!

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattmann, C. A.

2013-12-01

A wave of open source big data analytic infrastructure is currently shaping government, private sector, and academia. Projects are consuming, adapting, and contributing back to various ecosystems of software e.g., the Apache Hadoop project and its ecosystem of related efforts including Hive, HBase, Pig, Oozie, Ambari, Knox, Tez and Yarn, to name a few; the Berkeley AMPLab stack which includes Spark, Shark, Mesos, Tachyon, BlinkDB, MLBase, and other emerging efforts; MapR and its related stack of technologies, offerings from commercial companies building products around these tools e.g., Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP), Cloudera's CDH project, etc. Though the technologies all offer different capabilities including low latency support/in-memory, versus record oriented file I/O, high availability, support for the Map Reduce programming paradigm or other dataflow/workflow constructs, there is a common thread that binds these products - they are all released under an open source license e.g., Apache2, MIT, BSD, GPL/LGPL, etc.; all thrive in various ecosystems, such as Apache, or Berkeley AMPLab; all are developed collaboratively, and all technologies provide plug in architecture models and methodologies for allowing others to contribute, and participate via various community models. This talk will cover the open source aspects and governance aspects of the aforementioned Big Data ecosystems and point out the differences, subtleties, and implications of those differences. The discussion will be by example, using several national deployments and Big Data initiatives stemming from the Administration including DARPA's XDATA program; NASA's CMAC program; NSF's EarthCube and geosciences BigData projects. Lessons learned from these efforts in terms of the open source aspects of these technologies will help guide the AGU community in their use, deployment and understanding.

Transforming Education Research Through Open Video Data Sharing.

PubMed

Gilmore, Rick O; Adolph, Karen E; Millman, David S; Gordon, Andrew

2016-01-01

Open data sharing promises to accelerate the pace of discovery in the developmental and learning sciences, but significant technical, policy, and cultural barriers have limited its adoption. As a result, most research on learning and development remains shrouded in a culture of isolation. Data sharing is the rare exception (Gilmore, 2016). Many researchers who study teaching and learning in classroom, laboratory, museum, and home contexts use video as a primary source of raw research data. Unlike other measures, video captures the complexity, richness, and diversity of behavior. Moreover, because video is self-documenting, it presents significant potential for reuse. However, the potential for reuse goes largely unrealized because videos are rarely shared. Research videos contain information about participants' identities making the materials challenging to share. The large size of video files, diversity of formats, and incompatible software tools pose technical challenges. The Databrary (databrary.org) digital library enables researchers who study learning and development to store, share, stream, and annotate videos. In this article, we describe how Databrary has overcome barriers to sharing research videos and associated data and metadata. Databrary has developed solutions for respecting participants' privacy; for storing, streaming, and sharing videos; and for managing videos and associated metadata. The Databrary experience suggests ways that videos and other identifiable data collected in the context of educational research might be shared. Open data sharing enabled by Databrary can serve as a catalyst for a truly multidisciplinary science of learning.

Transforming Education Research Through Open Video Data Sharing

PubMed Central

Gilmore, Rick O.; Adolph, Karen E.; Millman, David S.; Gordon, Andrew

2016-01-01

Open data sharing promises to accelerate the pace of discovery in the developmental and learning sciences, but significant technical, policy, and cultural barriers have limited its adoption. As a result, most research on learning and development remains shrouded in a culture of isolation. Data sharing is the rare exception (Gilmore, 2016). Many researchers who study teaching and learning in classroom, laboratory, museum, and home contexts use video as a primary source of raw research data. Unlike other measures, video captures the complexity, richness, and diversity of behavior. Moreover, because video is self-documenting, it presents significant potential for reuse. However, the potential for reuse goes largely unrealized because videos are rarely shared. Research videos contain information about participants’ identities making the materials challenging to share. The large size of video files, diversity of formats, and incompatible software tools pose technical challenges. The Databrary (databrary.org) digital library enables researchers who study learning and development to store, share, stream, and annotate videos. In this article, we describe how Databrary has overcome barriers to sharing research videos and associated data and metadata. Databrary has developed solutions for respecting participants’ privacy; for storing, streaming, and sharing videos; and for managing videos and associated metadata. The Databrary experience suggests ways that videos and other identifiable data collected in the context of educational research might be shared. Open data sharing enabled by Databrary can serve as a catalyst for a truly multidisciplinary science of learning. PMID:28042361

Open Learning in the Community. A Collection of Conference Papers (Lancaster, England, March 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgson, Vivien, Ed.; And Others

The 18 papers presented at the conference reported in this document are grouped into four major sections. The first section, on the nature of open learning, includes "How Open Is Open Learning?" (H. Temple); "Open Learning and Community" (I. Cunningham); "Are We Really Open--With Our Learners and Ourselves?" (W. J. K.…

Scoping Study of Machine Learning Techniques for Visualization and Analysis of Multi-source Data in Nuclear Safeguards

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, Yonggang

In implementation of nuclear safeguards, many different techniques are being used to monitor operation of nuclear facilities and safeguard nuclear materials, ranging from radiation detectors, flow monitors, video surveillance, satellite imagers, digital seals to open source search and reports of onsite inspections/verifications. Each technique measures one or more unique properties related to nuclear materials or operation processes. Because these data sets have no or loose correlations, it could be beneficial to analyze the data sets together to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of safeguards processes. Advanced visualization techniques and machine-learning based multi-modality analysis could be effective tools in such integratedmore » analysis. In this project, we will conduct a survey of existing visualization and analysis techniques for multi-source data and assess their potential values in nuclear safeguards.« less

Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning. World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning, Volume 1. A Commonwealth of Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harry, Keith, Ed.

This book reports on the expansion of open and distance learning during the past decade, examining ways in which open and distance learning for higher education has responded to the needs of the new society, and summarizing the lessons of recent practice for policymakers and educators. After an introductory chapter, "Open and Distance…

How OpenLearn Supports a Business Model for OER

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Patrina; Perryman, Leigh-Anne

2017-01-01

In 2013, the Open University (OU) in the UK launched a large-scale survey of users of its OpenLearn platform for open educational resources. The survey results revealed that OpenLearn is functioning as a showcase and a taster for the OU, thereby offering informal learners a bridge to formal education. In 2014 and 2015, the OpenLearn survey was…

Questionnaires as Interventions: Can Taking a Survey Increase Teachers' Openness to Student Feedback Surveys?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gehlbach, Hunter; Robinson, Carly D.; Finefter-Rosenbluh, Ilana; Benshoof, Chris; Schneider, Jack

2018-01-01

Administrators often struggle in getting teachers to trust their school's evaluation practices--a necessity if teachers are to learn from the feedback they receive. We attempted to bolster teachers' support for receiving evaluative feedback from a particularly controversial source: student-perception surveys. For our intervention, we took one of…

RADIOMICS.io | Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR)

Cancer.gov

RADIOMICS.io is a open source platform for informatics developments for radiographic phenotyping using automated algorithms, such as engineered features or using deep learning technologies. With this platform, we aim to establish a reference standard for radiomic analyses, provide a tested and maintained resource, and to grow the community of radiomic developers addressing critical needs in cancer research.

How Educational Ideas Catch On: The Promotion of Popular Education Innovations and the Role of Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Nathalie

2017-01-01

Background: Within the wider education industry, a large quantity of ideas, practices and products are routinely promoted as useful innovations. These innovations span many forms such as software applications, open source courseware, online learning platforms and web 2.0 technologies. Coupled with this promotion, there is increasing interest and…

MGtoolkit: A python package for implementing metagraphs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranathunga, D.; Nguyen, H.; Roughan, M.

In this paper we present MGtoolkit: an open-source Python package for implementing metagraphs - a first of its kind. Metagraphs are commonly used to specify and analyse business and computer-network policies alike. MGtoolkit can help verify such policies and promotes learning and experimentation with metagraphs. The package currently provides purely textual output for visualising metagraphs and their analysis results.

Distance Learning Approaches in the Mathematical Training of Pedagogical Institutes's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fomina, Tatyana; Vorobjev, Grigory; Kalitvin, Vladimir

2016-01-01

Nowadays, the Information technologies are more and more widely used in the mathematical education system. The generalization of experience and its implementation by means of the open source software is of current interest. It is also important to address this problem due to the transfer to the new FSES (Federal State Education Standards) of high…

When Will College Truly Leave the Building: If MOOCs Are the Answer, What Is the Question?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pence, Harry E.

2013-01-01

The Internet has disrupted or threatened to disrupt the traditional business models in many different areas, including publishing, record companies, retail sales, motion pictures, and advertising. One potential source of disruption for higher education is online learning, especially the recent focus on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Can…

A Computer Simulation Using Spreadsheets for Learning Concept of Steady-State Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharda, Vandana; Sastri, O. S. K. S.; Bhardwaj, Jyoti; Jha, Arbind K.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a simple spreadsheet based simulation activity that can be performed by students at the undergraduate level. This simulation is implemented in free open source software (FOSS) LibreOffice Calc, which is available for both Windows and Linux platform. This activity aims at building the probability distribution for the…

An Analysis of Texts in Turkish Coursebooks Studied at Open Education Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolac, Emine

2015-01-01

Head spinning pace of change and development in information and technology has not yet discredited coursebooks as the major classroom tool and equipment. Coursebooks, as they have always been, are still the primary source and tool of teaching and learning process. As with the mainstream education, well-prepared coursebooks and texts are also a…

Leveraging Open Source Software in the Education Management and Leadership Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordin, Norazah; Ibrahim, Sham; Mohd. Hamzah, Mohd. Izham; Embi, Mohamed Amin; Din, Rosseni

2012-01-01

The development in information technology has now moved from the first wave that emphasises on computer technical skills to the second wave which focuses on the application and management aspects. This paper aims to investigate the use of learning management system among future school heads in education management and leadership. The study was…

A Bayesian Machine Learning Model for Estimating Building Occupancy from Open Source Data

DOE PAGES

Stewart, Robert N.; Urban, Marie L.; Duchscherer, Samantha E.; ...

2016-01-01

Understanding building occupancy is critical to a wide array of applications including natural hazards loss analysis, green building technologies, and population distribution modeling. Due to the expense of directly monitoring buildings, scientists rely in addition on a wide and disparate array of ancillary and open source information including subject matter expertise, survey data, and remote sensing information. These data are fused using data harmonization methods which refer to a loose collection of formal and informal techniques for fusing data together to create viable content for building occupancy estimation. In this paper, we add to the current state of the artmore » by introducing the Population Data Tables (PDT), a Bayesian based informatics system for systematically arranging data and harmonization techniques into a consistent, transparent, knowledge learning framework that retains in the final estimation uncertainty emerging from data, expert judgment, and model parameterization. PDT probabilistically estimates ambient occupancy in units of people/1000ft2 for over 50 building types at the national and sub-national level with the goal of providing global coverage. The challenge of global coverage led to the development of an interdisciplinary geospatial informatics system tool that provides the framework for capturing, storing, and managing open source data, handling subject matter expertise, carrying out Bayesian analytics as well as visualizing and exporting occupancy estimation results. We present the PDT project, situate the work within the larger community, and report on the progress of this multi-year project.Understanding building occupancy is critical to a wide array of applications including natural hazards loss analysis, green building technologies, and population distribution modeling. Due to the expense of directly monitoring buildings, scientists rely in addition on a wide and disparate array of ancillary and open source information including subject matter expertise, survey data, and remote sensing information. These data are fused using data harmonization methods which refer to a loose collection of formal and informal techniques for fusing data together to create viable content for building occupancy estimation. In this paper, we add to the current state of the art by introducing the Population Data Tables (PDT), a Bayesian model and informatics system for systematically arranging data and harmonization techniques into a consistent, transparent, knowledge learning framework that retains in the final estimation uncertainty emerging from data, expert judgment, and model parameterization. PDT probabilistically estimates ambient occupancy in units of people/1000 ft 2 for over 50 building types at the national and sub-national level with the goal of providing global coverage. The challenge of global coverage led to the development of an interdisciplinary geospatial informatics system tool that provides the framework for capturing, storing, and managing open source data, handling subject matter expertise, carrying out Bayesian analytics as well as visualizing and exporting occupancy estimation results. We present the PDT project, situate the work within the larger community, and report on the progress of this multi-year project.« less

Incorporating an ERP Project into Undergraduate Instruction

PubMed Central

Nyhus, Erika; Curtis, Nancy

2016-01-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a relatively non-invasive, simple technique, and recent advances in open source analysis tools make it feasible to implement EEG as a component in undergraduate neuroscience curriculum. We have successfully led students to design novel experiments, record EEG data, and analyze event-related potentials (ERPs) during a one-semester laboratory course for undergraduates in cognitive neuroscience. First, students learned how to set up an EEG recording and completed an analysis tutorial. Students then learned how to set up a novel EEG experiment; briefly, they formed groups of four and designed an EEG experiment on a topic of their choice. Over the course of two weeks students collected behavioral and EEG data. Each group then analyzed their behavioral and ERP data and presented their results both as a presentation and as a final paper. Upon completion of the group project students reported a deeper understanding of cognitive neuroscience methods and a greater appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of the EEG technique. Although recent advances in open source software made this project possible, it also required access to EEG recording equipment and proprietary software. Future efforts should be directed at making publicly available datasets to learn ERP analysis techniques and making publicly available EEG recording and analysis software to increase the accessibility of hands-on research experience in undergraduate cognitive neuroscience laboratory courses. PMID:27385925

Impacts and Viability of Open Source Software on Earth Science Metadata Clearing House and Service Registry Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilone, D.; Cechini, M. F.; Mitchell, A.

2011-12-01

Earth Science applications typically deal with large amounts of data and high throughput rates, if not also high transaction rates. While Open Source is frequently used for smaller scientific applications, large scale, highly available systems frequently fall back to "enterprise" class solutions like Oracle RAC or commercial grade JEE Application Servers. NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) provides end-to-end capabilities for managing NASA's Earth science data from multiple sources - satellites, aircraft, field measurements, and various other programs. A core capability of EOSDIS, the Earth Observing System (EOS) Clearinghouse (ECHO), is a highly available search and order clearinghouse of over 100 million pieces of science data that has evolved from its early R&D days to a fully operational system. Over the course of this maturity ECHO has largely transitioned from commercial frameworks, databases, and operating systems to Open Source solutions...and in some cases, back. In this talk we discuss the progression of our technological solutions and our lessons learned in the areas of: ? High performance, large scale searching solutions ? GeoSpatial search capabilities and dealing with multiple coordinate systems ? Search and storage of variable format source (science) data ? Highly available deployment solutions ? Scalable (elastic) solutions to visual searching and image handling Throughout the evolution of the ECHO system we have had to evaluate solutions with respect to performance, cost, developer productivity, reliability, and maintainability in the context of supporting global science users. Open Source solutions have played a significant role in our architecture and development but several critical commercial components remain (or have been reinserted) to meet our operational demands.

Open Classroom: Distance Learning In and Out of Schools. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Jo, Ed.

This collection of essays, which is separated into 4 sections, concerns open and distance learning at school level, or grades K-12. The first section, "The Knowledge Society," includes the following chapters: "Classroom Open Learning: A Case of Old Wine in New Bottles?" (Jenkins); "Living and Learning in the Information…

Open Learning Materials and Learning Centres.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Alan; Walmsley, Joyce

The availability and nature of open learning materials and centers in Great Britain were examined in a study that focused on the following: the open learning market; learning materials; commercial suppliers; basic skills materials; information technology materials; online learning; information technology and tutors; qualifications; prices;…

Web-based encyclopedia on physical effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papliatseyeu, Andrey; Repich, Maryna; Ilyushonak, Boris; Hurbo, Aliaksandr; Makarava, Katerina; Lutkovski, Vladimir M.

2004-07-01

Web-based learning applications open new horizons for educators. In this work we present the computer encyclopedia designed to overcome drawbacks of traditional paper information sources such as awkward search, low update rate, limited copies count and high cost. Moreover, we intended to improve access and search functions in comparison with some Internet sources in order to make it more convenient. The system is developed using modern Java technologies (Jave Servlets, Java Server Pages) and contains systemized information about most important and explored physical effects. It also may be used in other fields of science. The system is accessible via Intranet/Internet networks by means of any up-to-date Internet browser. It may be used for general learning purposes and as a study guide or tutorial for performing laboratory works.

Machine learning reveals cyclic changes in seismic source spectra in Geysers geothermal field.

PubMed

Holtzman, Benjamin K; Paté, Arthur; Paisley, John; Waldhauser, Felix; Repetto, Douglas

2018-05-01

The earthquake rupture process comprises complex interactions of stress, fracture, and frictional properties. New machine learning methods demonstrate great potential to reveal patterns in time-dependent spectral properties of seismic signals and enable identification of changes in faulting processes. Clustering of 46,000 earthquakes of 0.3 < M L < 1.5 from the Geysers geothermal field (CA) yields groupings that have no reservoir-scale spatial patterns but clear temporal patterns. Events with similar spectral properties repeat on annual cycles within each cluster and track changes in the water injection rates into the Geysers reservoir, indicating that changes in acoustic properties and faulting processes accompany changes in thermomechanical state. The methods open new means to identify and characterize subtle changes in seismic source properties, with applications to tectonic and geothermal seismicity.

Learning design in healthcare education.

PubMed

Ellaway, Rachel; Dalziel, James; Dalziel, Bronwen

2008-01-01

Emerging from ongoing work into educational modelling languages, learning design principles and the IMS Learning Design framework provide formal ways to annotate and record educational activities. Once educational activities have been encoded they can be played, replayed, adopted, shared, and analysed, thereby reifying much that is otherwise lost in face-to-face teaching. The use of learning design tools, including the free and open source LAMS system (www.lamsfoundation.org), allow practitioners to experiment with learning design approaches in their own teaching, both in terms of creating and encoding their own designs and playing, adapting and analysing designs from other teachers either from within or outside a particular field or subject area. This paper reviews the key issues associated with designing for learning in the context of healthcare education, some of the themes and approaches already in development or use, and the implications of this approach on the practice and theory of healthcare education.

Innovation in Open & Distance Learning: Successful Development of Online and Web-Based Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Fred, Ed.; Gooley, Anne, Ed.

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…

Utilization of Open Source Technology to Create Cost-Effective Microscope Camera Systems for Teaching.

PubMed

Konduru, Anil Reddy; Yelikar, Balasaheb R; Sathyashree, K V; Kumar, Ankur

2018-01-01

Open source technologies and mobile innovations have radically changed the way people interact with technology. These innovations and advancements have been used across various disciplines and already have a significant impact. Microscopy, with focus on visually appealing contrasting colors for better appreciation of morphology, forms the core of the disciplines such as Pathology, microbiology, and anatomy. Here, learning happens with the aid of multi-head microscopes and digital camera systems for teaching larger groups and in organizing interactive sessions for students or faculty of other departments. The cost of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) camera systems in bringing this useful technology at all the locations is a limiting factor. To avoid this, we have used the low-cost technologies like Raspberry Pi, Mobile high definition link and 3D printing for adapters to create portable camera systems. Adopting these open source technologies enabled us to convert any binocular or trinocular microscope be connected to a projector or HD television at a fraction of the cost of the OEM camera systems with comparable quality. These systems, in addition to being cost-effective, have also provided the added advantage of portability, thus providing the much-needed flexibility at various teaching locations.

Games for Traffic Education: An Experimental Study of a Game-Based Driving Simulator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backlund, Per; Engstrom, Henrik; Johannesson, Mikael; Lebram, Mikael

2010-01-01

In this article, the authors report on the construction and evaluation of a game-based driving simulator using a real car as a joystick. The simulator is constructed from off-the-shelf hardware and the simulation runs on open-source software. The feasibility of the simulator as a learning tool has been experimentally evaluated. Results are…

Type practical application in spectral analysis, combining Labview and open source software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chioncel, C. P.; Anghel Drugarin, C. V.

2018-01-01

The paper presents the interconnection possibility of LabVIEW with his different opportunities and Scilab, one of the successful free MatLAB clones. The interconnection between those was made possible through the LabVIEW to Scilab gateway. This tool can be applied in virtual as well as in real laboratories, representing a true assistance for self-learning, too.

Technology Literacy and the MySpace Generation: They're Not Asking Permission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLester, Susan

2007-01-01

As open source and other participatory Web venues become the norm in the new century, educators will be facing an even more overwhelming technology learning curve. A new digital divide is in the future--one that is largely generational. At its heart will be the fundamental questions of what "school" really means and whether digital immigrants can…

Development and Use of an Adaptive Learning Environment to Research Online Study Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonsdottir, Anna Helga; Jakobsdottir, Audbjorg; Stefansson, Gunnar

2015-01-01

This paper describes a system for research on the behaviour of students taking online drills. The system is accessible and free to use for anyone with web access. Based on open source software, the teaching material is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The system has been used for computer-assisted education in statistics, mathematics and…

Are Review Skills and Academic Writing Skills Related? An Exploratory Analysis via Multi Source Feedback Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razi, Salim

2016-01-01

Because students learn from each other as well as lecturers, it is important to create opportunities for collaboration in writing classes. Teachers now benefit from access to plagiarism detectors that can also provide feedback. This exploratory study considers the role of four review types, open and anonymous, involving the students themselves,…

The Impact of High School Science Teachers' Beliefs, Curricular Enactments and Experience on Student Learning During an Inquiry-based Urban Ecology Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeill, Katherine L.; Silva Pimentel, Diane; Strauss, Eric G.

2013-10-01

Inquiry-based curricula are an essential tool for reforming science education yet the role of the teacher is often overlooked in terms of the impact of the curriculum on student achievement. Our research focuses on 22 teachers' use of a year-long high school urban ecology curriculum and how teachers' self-efficacy, instructional practices, curricular enactments and previous experience impacted student learning. Data sources included teacher belief surveys, teacher enactment surveys, a student multiple-choice assessment focused on defining and identifying science concepts and a student open-ended assessment focused on scientific inquiry. Results from the two hierarchical linear models indicate that there was significant variation between teachers in terms of student achievement. For the multiple-choice assessment, teachers who spent a larger percentage of time on group work and a smaller percentage of time lecturing had greater student learning. For the open-ended assessment, teachers who reported a higher frequency of students engaging in argument and sharing ideas had greater student learning while teachers who adapted the curriculum more had lower student learning. These results suggest the importance of supporting the active role of students in instruction, emphasising argumentation, and considering the types of adaptations teachers make to curriculum.

DeepNeuron: an open deep learning toolbox for neuron tracing.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhi; Kuo, Hsien-Chi; Peng, Hanchuan; Long, Fuhui

2018-06-06

Reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) morphology of neurons is essential for understanding brain structures and functions. Over the past decades, a number of neuron tracing tools including manual, semiautomatic, and fully automatic approaches have been developed to extract and analyze 3D neuronal structures. Nevertheless, most of them were developed based on coding certain rules to extract and connect structural components of a neuron, showing limited performance on complicated neuron morphology. Recently, deep learning outperforms many other machine learning methods in a wide range of image analysis and computer vision tasks. Here we developed a new Open Source toolbox, DeepNeuron, which uses deep learning networks to learn features and rules from data and trace neuron morphology in light microscopy images. DeepNeuron provides a family of modules to solve basic yet challenging problems in neuron tracing. These problems include but not limited to: (1) detecting neuron signal under different image conditions, (2) connecting neuronal signals into tree(s), (3) pruning and refining tree morphology, (4) quantifying the quality of morphology, and (5) classifying dendrites and axons in real time. We have tested DeepNeuron using light microscopy images including bright-field and confocal images of human and mouse brain, on which DeepNeuron demonstrates robustness and accuracy in neuron tracing.

Biopython: freely available Python tools for computational molecular biology and bioinformatics.

PubMed

Cock, Peter J A; Antao, Tiago; Chang, Jeffrey T; Chapman, Brad A; Cox, Cymon J; Dalke, Andrew; Friedberg, Iddo; Hamelryck, Thomas; Kauff, Frank; Wilczynski, Bartek; de Hoon, Michiel J L

2009-06-01

The Biopython project is a mature open source international collaboration of volunteer developers, providing Python libraries for a wide range of bioinformatics problems. Biopython includes modules for reading and writing different sequence file formats and multiple sequence alignments, dealing with 3D macro molecular structures, interacting with common tools such as BLAST, ClustalW and EMBOSS, accessing key online databases, as well as providing numerical methods for statistical learning. Biopython is freely available, with documentation and source code at (www.biopython.org) under the Biopython license.

Search Analytics: Automated Learning, Analysis, and Search with Open Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hundman, K.; Mattmann, C. A.; Hyon, J.; Ramirez, P.

2016-12-01

The sheer volume of unstructured scientific data makes comprehensive human analysis impossible, resulting in missed opportunities to identify relationships, trends, gaps, and outliers. As the open source community continues to grow, tools like Apache Tika, Apache Solr, Stanford's DeepDive, and Data-Driven Documents (D3) can help address this challenge. With a focus on journal publications and conference abstracts often in the form of PDF and Microsoft Office documents, we've initiated an exploratory NASA Advanced Concepts project aiming to use the aforementioned open source text analytics tools to build a data-driven justification for the HyspIRI Decadal Survey mission. We call this capability Search Analytics, and it fuses and augments these open source tools to enable the automatic discovery and extraction of salient information. In the case of HyspIRI, a hyperspectral infrared imager mission, key findings resulted from the extractions and visualizations of relationships from thousands of unstructured scientific documents. The relationships include links between satellites (e.g. Landsat 8), domain-specific measurements (e.g. spectral coverage) and subjects (e.g. invasive species). Using the above open source tools, Search Analytics mined and characterized a corpus of information that would be infeasible for a human to process. More broadly, Search Analytics offers insights into various scientific and commercial applications enabled through missions and instrumentation with specific technical capabilities. For example, the following phrases were extracted in close proximity within a publication: "In this study, hyperspectral images…with high spatial resolution (1 m) were analyzed to detect cutleaf teasel in two areas. …Classification of cutleaf teasel reached a users accuracy of 82 to 84%." Without reading a single paper we can use Search Analytics to automatically identify that a 1 m spatial resolution provides a cutleaf teasel detection users accuracy of 82-84%, which could have tangible, direct downstream implications for crop protection. Automatically assimilating this information expedites and supplements human analysis, and, ultimately, Search Analytics and its foundation of open source tools will result in more efficient scientific investment and research.

Occasional Papers in Open and Distance Learning, Number 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donnan, Peter, Ed.

Each of the four papers in this collection is concerned with open learning in one form or another. "Open Learning: Some Current Perspectives" (Ian Barnard) addresses the topic of open learning in general, commenting on contemporary views and developments, and defining the term as a collective for approaches and practices that focus on…

The LEONARDO-DA-VINCI pilot project "e-learning-assistant" - Situation-based learning in nursing education.

PubMed

Pfefferle, Petra Ina; Van den Stock, Etienne; Nauerth, Annette

2010-07-01

E-learning will play an important role in the training portfolio of students in higher and vocational education. Within the LEONARDO-DA-VINCI action programme transnational pilot projects were funded by the European Union, which aimed to improve the usage and quality of e-learning tools in education and professional training. The overall aim of the LEONARDO-DA-VINCI pilot project "e-learning-assistant" was to create new didactical and technical e-learning tools for Europe-wide use in nursing education. Based on a new situation-oriented learning approach, nursing teachers enrolled in the project were instructed to adapt, develop and implement e- and blended learning units. According to the training contents nursing modules were developed by teachers from partner institutions, implemented in the project centers and evaluated by students. The user-package "e-learning-assistant" as a product of the project includes two teacher training units, the authoring tool "synapse" to create situation-based e-learning units, a student's learning platform containing blended learning modules in nursing and an open sourced web-based communication centre. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plenario: An Open Data Discovery and Exploration Platform for Urban Science

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Catlett, Charlie; Malik, Tanu; Goldstein, Brett J.

2014-12-01

The past decade has seen the widespread release of open data concerning city services, conditions, and activities by government bodies and public institutions of all sizes. Hundreds of open data portals now host thousands of datasets of many different types. These new data sources represent enormous po- tential for improved understanding of urban dynamics and processes—and, ultimately, for more livable, efficient, and prosperous communities. However, those who seek to realize this potential quickly discover that discovering and applying those data relevant to any particular question can be extraordinarily dif- ficult, due to decentralized storage, heterogeneous formats, and poor documentation. Inmore » this context, we introduce Plenario, a platform designed to automating time-consuming tasks associated with the discovery, exploration, and application of open city data—and, in so doing, reduce barriers to data use for researchers, policymakers, service providers, journalists, and members of the general public. Key innovations include a geospatial data warehouse that allows data from many sources to be registered into a common spatial and temporal frame; simple and intuitive interfaces that permit rapid discovery and exploration of data subsets pertaining to a particular area and time, regardless of type and source; easy export of such data subsets for further analysis; a user-configurable data ingest framework for automated importing and periodic updating of new datasets into the data warehouse; cloud hosting for elastic scaling and rapid creation of new Plenario instances; and an open source implementation to enable community contributions. We describe here the architecture and implementation of the Plenario platform, discuss lessons learned from its use by several communities, and outline plans for future work.« less

Towards Adaptive Open Learning Environments: Evaluating the Precision of Identifying Learning Styles by Tracking Learners' Behaviours

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fasihuddin, Heba; Skinner, Geoff; Athauda, Rukshan

2017-01-01

Open learning represents a new form of online learning where courses are provided freely online for large numbers of learners. MOOCs are examples of this form of learning. The authors see an opportunity for personalising open learning environments by adapting to learners' learning styles and providing adaptive support to meet individual learner…

Linking Primary Care Information Systems and Public Health Vertical Programs in the Philippines: An Open-source Experience

PubMed Central

Tolentino, Herman; Marcelo, Alvin; Marcelo, Portia; Maramba, Inocencio

2005-01-01

Community-based primary care information systems are one of the building blocks for national health information systems. In the Philippines, after the devolution of health care to local governments, we observed “health information system islands” connected to national vertical programs being implemented in devolved health units. These structures lead to a huge amount of “information work” in the transformation of health information at the community level. This paper describes work done to develop and implement the open-source Community Based Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) Project, which was implemented to address this information management problem and its outcomes. Several lessons learned from the field as well as software development strategies are highlighted in building community level information systems that link to national level health information systems. PMID:16779052

eLoom and Flatland: specification, simulation and visualization engines for the study of arbitrary hierarchical neural architectures.

PubMed

Caudell, Thomas P; Xiao, Yunhai; Healy, Michael J

2003-01-01

eLoom is an open source graph simulation software tool, developed at the University of New Mexico (UNM), that enables users to specify and simulate neural network models. Its specification language and libraries enables users to construct and simulate arbitrary, potentially hierarchical network structures on serial and parallel processing systems. In addition, eLoom is integrated with UNM's Flatland, an open source virtual environments development tool to provide real-time visualizations of the network structure and activity. Visualization is a useful method for understanding both learning and computation in artificial neural networks. Through 3D animated pictorially representations of the state and flow of information in the network, a better understanding of network functionality is achieved. ART-1, LAPART-II, MLP, and SOM neural networks are presented to illustrate eLoom and Flatland's capabilities.

Teaching, Learning, and Sharing Openly Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Byrne, W. Ian; Roberts, Verena; LaBonte, Randy; Graham, Lee

2015-01-01

Open learning is becoming a critical focus for K-12 technology-supported programs as the importance of digital literacy and digital freedoms for all learners grows. This article describes current open learning policy, open educational resources and potential implications for open practice and ends with suggestions for future research in open…

Computer Applications in Health Science Education.

PubMed

Juanes, Juan A; Ruisoto, Pablo

2015-09-01

In recent years, computer application development has experienced exponential growth, not only in the number of publications but also in the scope or contexts that have benefited from its use. In health science training, and medicine specifically, the gradual incorporation of technological developments has transformed the teaching and learning process, resulting in true "educational technology". The goal of this paper is to review the main features involved in these applications and highlight the main lines of research for the future. The results of peer reviewed literature published recently indicate the following features shared by the key technological developments in the field of health science education: first, development of simulation and visualization systems for a more complete and realistic representation of learning material over traditional paper format; second, portability and versatility of the applications, adapted for an increasing number of devices and operative systems; third, increasing focus on open source applications such as Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

Image Harvest: an open-source platform for high-throughput plant image processing and analysis

PubMed Central

Knecht, Avi C.; Campbell, Malachy T.; Caprez, Adam; Swanson, David R.; Walia, Harkamal

2016-01-01

High-throughput plant phenotyping is an effective approach to bridge the genotype-to-phenotype gap in crops. Phenomics experiments typically result in large-scale image datasets, which are not amenable for processing on desktop computers, thus creating a bottleneck in the image-analysis pipeline. Here, we present an open-source, flexible image-analysis framework, called Image Harvest (IH), for processing images originating from high-throughput plant phenotyping platforms. Image Harvest is developed to perform parallel processing on computing grids and provides an integrated feature for metadata extraction from large-scale file organization. Moreover, the integration of IH with the Open Science Grid provides academic researchers with the computational resources required for processing large image datasets at no cost. Image Harvest also offers functionalities to extract digital traits from images to interpret plant architecture-related characteristics. To demonstrate the applications of these digital traits, a rice (Oryza sativa) diversity panel was phenotyped and genome-wide association mapping was performed using digital traits that are used to describe different plant ideotypes. Three major quantitative trait loci were identified on rice chromosomes 4 and 6, which co-localize with quantitative trait loci known to regulate agronomically important traits in rice. Image Harvest is an open-source software for high-throughput image processing that requires a minimal learning curve for plant biologists to analyzephenomics datasets. PMID:27141917

Automated detection of exudative age-related macular degeneration in spectral domain optical coherence tomography using deep learning.

PubMed

Treder, Maximilian; Lauermann, Jost Lennart; Eter, Nicole

2018-02-01

Our purpose was to use deep learning for the automated detection of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A total of 1112 cross-section SD-OCT images of patients with exudative AMD and a healthy control group were used for this study. In the first step, an open-source multi-layer deep convolutional neural network (DCNN), which was pretrained with 1.2 million images from ImageNet, was trained and validated with 1012 cross-section SD-OCT scans (AMD: 701; healthy: 311). During this procedure training accuracy, validation accuracy and cross-entropy were computed. The open-source deep learning framework TensorFlow™ (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA) was used to accelerate the deep learning process. In the last step, a created DCNN classifier, using the information of the above mentioned deep learning process, was tested in detecting 100 untrained cross-section SD-OCT images (AMD: 50; healthy: 50). Therefore, an AMD testing score was computed: 0.98 or higher was presumed for AMD. After an iteration of 500 training steps, the training accuracy and validation accuracies were 100%, and the cross-entropy was 0.005. The average AMD scores were 0.997 ± 0.003 in the AMD testing group and 0.9203 ± 0.085 in the healthy comparison group. The difference between the two groups was highly significant (p < 0.001). With a deep learning-based approach using TensorFlow™, it is possible to detect AMD in SD-OCT with high sensitivity and specificity. With more image data, an expansion of this classifier for other macular diseases or further details in AMD is possible, suggesting an application for this model as a support in clinical decisions. Another possible future application would involve the individual prediction of the progress and success of therapy for different diseases by automatically detecting hidden image information.

Amp: A modular approach to machine learning in atomistic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khorshidi, Alireza; Peterson, Andrew A.

2016-10-01

Electronic structure calculations, such as those employing Kohn-Sham density functional theory or ab initio wavefunction theories, have allowed for atomistic-level understandings of a wide variety of phenomena and properties of matter at small scales. However, the computational cost of electronic structure methods drastically increases with length and time scales, which makes these methods difficult for long time-scale molecular dynamics simulations or large-sized systems. Machine-learning techniques can provide accurate potentials that can match the quality of electronic structure calculations, provided sufficient training data. These potentials can then be used to rapidly simulate large and long time-scale phenomena at similar quality to the parent electronic structure approach. Machine-learning potentials usually take a bias-free mathematical form and can be readily developed for a wide variety of systems. Electronic structure calculations have favorable properties-namely that they are noiseless and targeted training data can be produced on-demand-that make them particularly well-suited for machine learning. This paper discusses our modular approach to atomistic machine learning through the development of the open-source Atomistic Machine-learning Package (Amp), which allows for representations of both the total and atom-centered potential energy surface, in both periodic and non-periodic systems. Potentials developed through the atom-centered approach are simultaneously applicable for systems with various sizes. Interpolation can be enhanced by introducing custom descriptors of the local environment. We demonstrate this in the current work for Gaussian-type, bispectrum, and Zernike-type descriptors. Amp has an intuitive and modular structure with an interface through the python scripting language yet has parallelizable fortran components for demanding tasks; it is designed to integrate closely with the widely used Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE), which makes it compatible with a wide variety of commercial and open-source electronic structure codes. We finally demonstrate that the neural network model inside Amp can accurately interpolate electronic structure energies as well as forces of thousands of multi-species atomic systems.

Supporting Professional Learning in a Massive Open Online Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milligan, Colin; Littlejohn, Allison

2014-01-01

Professional learning, combining formal and on the job learning, is important for the development and maintenance of expertise in the modern workplace. To integrate formal and informal learning, professionals have to have good self-regulatory ability. Formal learning opportunities are opening up through massive open online courses (MOOCs),…

The Research on Informal Learning Model of College Students Based on SNS and Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Peng; Cong, Xiao; Bi, Fangyan; Zhou, Dongdai

2017-03-01

With the rapid development of network technology, informal learning based on online become the main way for college students to learn a variety of subject knowledge. The favor to the SNS community of students and the characteristics of SNS itself provide a good opportunity for the informal learning of college students. This research first analyzes the related research of the informal learning and SNS, next, discusses the characteristics of informal learning and theoretical basis. Then, it proposed an informal learning model of college students based on SNS according to the support role of SNS to the informal learning of students. Finally, according to the theoretical model and the principles proposed in this study, using the Elgg and related tools which is the open source SNS program to achieve the informal learning community. This research is trying to overcome issues such as the lack of social realism, interactivity, resource transfer mode in the current network informal learning communities, so as to provide a new way of informal learning for college students.

Software Writing Skills for Your Research - Lessons Learned from Workshops in the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammitzsch, Martin

2016-04-01

Findings presented in scientific papers are based on data and software. Once in a while they come along with data - but not commonly with software. However, the software used to gain findings plays a crucial role in the scientific work. Nevertheless, software is rarely seen publishable. Thus researchers may not reproduce the findings without the software which is in conflict with the principle of reproducibility in sciences. For both, the writing of publishable software and the reproducibility issue, the quality of software is of utmost importance. For many programming scientists the treatment of source code, e.g. with code design, version control, documentation, and testing is associated with additional work that is not covered in the primary research task. This includes the adoption of processes following the software development life cycle. However, the adoption of software engineering rules and best practices has to be recognized and accepted as part of the scientific performance. Most scientists have little incentive to improve code and do not publish code because software engineering habits are rarely practised by researchers or students. Software engineering skills are not passed on to followers as for paper writing skill. Thus it is often felt that the software or code produced is not publishable. The quality of software and its source code has a decisive influence on the quality of research results obtained and their traceability. So establishing best practices from software engineering to serve scientific needs is crucial for the success of scientific software. Even though scientists use existing software and code, i.e., from open source software repositories, only few contribute their code back into the repositories. So writing and opening code for Open Science means that subsequent users are able to run the code, e.g. by the provision of sufficient documentation, sample data sets, tests and comments which in turn can be proven by adequate and qualified reviews. This assumes that scientist learn to write and release code and software as they learn to write and publish papers. Having this in mind, software could be valued and assessed as a contribution to science. But this requires the relevant skills that can be passed to colleagues and followers. Therefore, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences performed three workshops in 2015 to address the passing of software writing skills to young scientists, the next generation of researchers in the Earth, planetary and space sciences. Experiences in running these workshops and the lessons learned will be summarized in this presentation. The workshops have received support and funding by Software Carpentry, a volunteer organization whose goal is to make scientists more productive, and their work more reliable, by teaching them basic computing skills, and by FOSTER (Facilitate Open Science Training for European Research), a two-year, EU-Funded (FP7) project, whose goal to produce a European-wide training programme that will help to incorporate Open Access approaches into existing research methodologies and to integrate Open Science principles and practice in the current research workflow by targeting the young researchers and other stakeholders.

Understanding Motivational System in Open Learning: Learners' Engagement with a Traditional Chinese-Based Open Educational Resource System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Wenhao David; Wu, Chorng-Guang

2017-01-01

Learning has embraced the "open" process in recent years, as many educational resources are made available for free online. Existing research, however, has not provided sufficient evidence to systematically improve open learning interactions and engagement in open educational resource (OER) systems. This deficiency presents two…

Machine learning reveals cyclic changes in seismic source spectra in Geysers geothermal field

PubMed Central

Paisley, John

2018-01-01

The earthquake rupture process comprises complex interactions of stress, fracture, and frictional properties. New machine learning methods demonstrate great potential to reveal patterns in time-dependent spectral properties of seismic signals and enable identification of changes in faulting processes. Clustering of 46,000 earthquakes of 0.3 < ML < 1.5 from the Geysers geothermal field (CA) yields groupings that have no reservoir-scale spatial patterns but clear temporal patterns. Events with similar spectral properties repeat on annual cycles within each cluster and track changes in the water injection rates into the Geysers reservoir, indicating that changes in acoustic properties and faulting processes accompany changes in thermomechanical state. The methods open new means to identify and characterize subtle changes in seismic source properties, with applications to tectonic and geothermal seismicity. PMID:29806015

E-learning: controlling costs and increasing value.

PubMed

Walsh, Kieran

2015-04-01

E-learning now accounts for a substantial proportion of medical education provision. This progress has required significant investment and this investment has in turn come under increasing scrutiny so that the costs of e-learning may be controlled and its returns maximised. There are multiple methods by which the costs of e-learning can be controlled and its returns maximised. This short paper reviews some of those methods that are likely to be most effective and that are likely to save costs without compromising quality. Methods might include accessing free or low-cost resources from elsewhere; create short learning resources that will work on multiple devices; using open source platforms to host content; using in-house faculty to create content; sharing resources between institutions; and promoting resources to ensure high usage. Whatever methods are used to control costs or increase value, it is most important to evaluate the impact of these methods.

Modeling Geomagnetic Variations using a Machine Learning Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, C. M. M.; Handmer, C.; Kosar, B.; Gerules, G.; Poduval, B.; Mackintosh, G.; Munoz-Jaramillo, A.; Bobra, M.; Hernandez, T.; McGranaghan, R. M.

2017-12-01

We present a framework for data-driven modeling of Heliophysics time series data. The Solar Terrestrial Interaction Neural net Generator (STING) is an open source python module built on top of state-of-the-art statistical learning frameworks (traditional machine learning methods as well as deep learning). To showcase the capability of STING, we deploy it for the problem of predicting the temporal variation of geomagnetic fields. The data used includes solar wind measurements from the OMNI database and geomagnetic field data taken by magnetometers at US Geological Survey observatories. We examine the predictive capability of different machine learning techniques (recurrent neural networks, support vector machines) for a range of forecasting times (minutes to 12 hours). STING is designed to be extensible to other types of data. We show how STING can be used on large sets of data from different sensors/observatories and adapted to tackle other problems in Heliophysics.

Open Education 2030: Planning the Future of Adult Learning in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castaño Muñoz, Jonatan; Redecker, Christine; Vuorikari, Riina; Punie, Yves

2013-01-01

Adult learning and open education have become key elements on the European Agenda. This paper presents the first results of a foresight activity that aims to contribute to an understanding of how "Opening up Education" can improve adult learning in Europe in the future. It argues that to open up adult learning two main challenges must be…

Reconstructing Masculinity and Power in Africa through Open Distance Learning for Sustainable Development: A Critical Analysis of Wole Soyinka's "Climate of Fear"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adetunji, Barihi; Adesida, Aderonke Adetunji

2009-01-01

The strabismus conception of masculinity and power with its manipulation as reflected in the consequences of actions endorsed and demonstrated by leaders, followers, citizens as individuals and groups at different times in the past, and present has been a major source of the seemingly quiescence and underdevelopment in Africa. Masculinity has…

Effects of a Vocabulary Acquisition and Assessment System on Students' Performance in a Blended Learning Class for English Subject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jia, Jiyou; Chen, Yuhao; Ding, Zhuhui; Ruan, Meixian

2012-01-01

Vocabulary acquisition and assessment are regarded as the key basis for the instruction of English as a second language. However, it is time-consuming, fallible and repetitive for the school teachers and parents to assess the proficiency of the students' vocabulary acquisition. We customized the open source course management system Moodle to build…

Developing a WWW Resource Centre for Acquiring and Accessing Open Learning Materials on Research Methods (ReMOTE).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Robert; Marcella, Rita; Middleton, Iain; McConnell, Michael

This paper reports on ReMOTE (Research Methods Online Teaching Environment), a Robert Gordon University (Scotland) project focusing on the development of a World Wide Web (WWW) site devoted to the teaching of research methods. The aim of ReMOTE is to provide an infrastructure that allows direct links to specialist sources in order to enable the…

The OpenForest Portal as an Open Learning Ecosystem: Co-Developing in the Study of a Multidisciplinary Phenomenon in a Cultural Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liljeström, Anu; Enkenberg, Jorma; Vanninen, Petteri; Vartiainen, Henriikka; Pöllänen, Sinikka

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the OpenForest portal and its related multidisciplinary learning project. The OpenForest portal is an open learning environment and ecosystem, in which students can participate in co-developing and co-creating practices. The aim of the OpenForest ecosystem is to create an extensive interactive network of diverse learning…

Streamlined sign-out of capillary protein electrophoresis using middleware and an open-source macro application.

PubMed

Mathur, Gagan; Haugen, Thomas H; Davis, Scott L; Krasowski, Matthew D

2014-01-01

Interfacing of clinical laboratory instruments with the laboratory information system (LIS) via "middleware" software is increasingly common. Our clinical laboratory implemented capillary electrophoresis using a Sebia(®) Capillarys-2™ (Norcross, GA, USA) instrument for serum and urine protein electrophoresis. Using Data Innovations Instrument Manager, an interface was established with the LIS (Cerner) that allowed for bi-directional transmission of numeric data. However, the text of the interpretive pathology report was not properly transferred. To reduce manual effort and possibility for error in text data transfer, we developed scripts in AutoHotkey, a free, open-source macro-creation and automation software utility. Scripts were written to create macros that automated mouse and key strokes. The scripts retrieve the specimen accession number, capture user input text, and insert the text interpretation in the correct patient record in the desired format. The scripts accurately and precisely transfer narrative interpretation into the LIS. Combined with bar-code reading by the electrophoresis instrument, the scripts transfer data efficiently to the correct patient record. In addition, the AutoHotKey script automated repetitive key strokes required for manual entry into the LIS, making protein electrophoresis sign-out easier to learn and faster to use by the pathology residents. Scripts allow for either preliminary verification by residents or final sign-out by the attending pathologist. Using the open-source AutoHotKey software, we successfully improved the transfer of text data between capillary electrophoresis software and the LIS. The use of open-source software tools should not be overlooked as tools to improve interfacing of laboratory instruments.

ROBucket: A low cost operant chamber based on the Arduino microcontroller.

PubMed

Devarakonda, Kavya; Nguyen, Katrina P; Kravitz, Alexxai V

2016-06-01

The operant conditioning chamber is a cornerstone of animal behavioral research. Operant boxes are used to assess learning and motivational behavior in animals, particularly for food and drug reinforcers. However, commercial operant chambers cost several thousands of dollars. We have constructed the Rodent Operant Bucket (ROBucket), an inexpensive and easily assembled open-source operant chamber based on the Arduino microcontroller platform, which can be used to train mice to respond for sucrose solution or other liquid reinforcers. The apparatus contains two nose pokes, a drinking well, and a solenoid-controlled liquid delivery system. ROBucket can run fixed ratio and progressive ratio training schedules, and can be programmed to run more complicated behavioral paradigms. Additional features such as motion sensing and video tracking can be added to the operant chamber through the array of widely available Arduino-compatible sensors. The design files and programming code are open source and available online for others to use.

Ethoscopes: An open platform for high-throughput ethomics.

PubMed

Geissmann, Quentin; Garcia Rodriguez, Luis; Beckwith, Esteban J; French, Alice S; Jamasb, Arian R; Gilestro, Giorgio F

2017-10-01

Here, we present the use of ethoscopes, which are machines for high-throughput analysis of behavior in Drosophila and other animals. Ethoscopes provide a software and hardware solution that is reproducible and easily scalable. They perform, in real-time, tracking and profiling of behavior by using a supervised machine learning algorithm, are able to deliver behaviorally triggered stimuli to flies in a feedback-loop mode, and are highly customizable and open source. Ethoscopes can be built easily by using 3D printing technology and rely on Raspberry Pi microcomputers and Arduino boards to provide affordable and flexible hardware. All software and construction specifications are available at http://lab.gilest.ro/ethoscope.

Free open access medical education can help rural clinicians deliver 'quality care, out there'.

PubMed

Leeuwenburg, Tim J; Parker, Casey

2015-01-01

Rural clinicians require expertise across a broad range of specialties, presenting difficulty in maintaining currency of knowledge and application of best practice. Free open access medical education is a new paradigm in continuing professional education. Use of the internet and social media allows a globally accessible crowd-sourced adjunct, providing inline (contextual) and offline (asynchronous) content to augment traditional educational principles and the availability of relevant resources for life-long learning. This markedly reduces knowledge translation (the delay from inception of a new idea to bedside implementation) and allows rural clinicians to further expertise by engaging in discussion of cutting edge concepts with peers worldwide.

Open Badges: Novel Means to Motivate, Scaffold and Recognize Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jovanovic, Jelena; Devedzic, Vladan

2015-01-01

This report is centered on the emerging concept and technology of Open Badges (OBs) that are offering novel means and practices of motivating, scaffolding, recognizing, and credentialing learning. OBs are closely associated with values such as openness and learners' agency, participatory learning and peer-learning communities. This report points…

Sources, topics and use of knowledge by coaches.

PubMed

Stoszkowski, John; Collins, Dave

2016-01-01

In recent years, the value of social learning approaches as part of the design and delivery of formalised coach development initiatives has gained credence in the literature. However, insight is currently lacking into the fundamental social dimensions that underpin coach learning. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore coaches' perceptions of their actual and preferred methods of acquiring new coaching knowledge, the types of knowledge they currently acquire and/or desire, and their application of new knowledge. Responses to an online survey, completed by practicing coaches (N = 320) in a range of sports and contexts, were analysed descriptively and inductively. Results revealed that coaches preferred, and mostly acquired, coaching knowledge from informal learning activities, especially when these permitted social interaction. Notably, however, formal coach education courses were also reported relatively frequently as a source of recent knowledge acquisition. Nevertheless, critical justification for and application of acquired knowledge was largely absent. Based on the findings, we suggest that, before social learning activities such as mentoring schemes and communities of practice are placed at the centre of formalised coach development provision, coach educators must put in place the support structures to better enable coaches to recognise and deal with the potentially mixed influences of the social milieu on coach learning, aiming to ensure that their informal development is sufficiently open-minded, reflective and critical.

ERPLAB: an open-source toolbox for the analysis of event-related potentials

PubMed Central

Lopez-Calderon, Javier; Luck, Steven J.

2014-01-01

ERPLAB toolbox is a freely available, open-source toolbox for processing and analyzing event-related potential (ERP) data in the MATLAB environment. ERPLAB is closely integrated with EEGLAB, a popular open-source toolbox that provides many EEG preprocessing steps and an excellent user interface design. ERPLAB adds to EEGLAB’s EEG processing functions, providing additional tools for filtering, artifact detection, re-referencing, and sorting of events, among others. ERPLAB also provides robust tools for averaging EEG segments together to create averaged ERPs, for creating difference waves and other recombinations of ERP waveforms through algebraic expressions, for filtering and re-referencing the averaged ERPs, for plotting ERP waveforms and scalp maps, and for quantifying several types of amplitudes and latencies. ERPLAB’s tools can be accessed either from an easy-to-learn graphical user interface or from MATLAB scripts, and a command history function makes it easy for users with no programming experience to write scripts. Consequently, ERPLAB provides both ease of use and virtually unlimited power and flexibility, making it appropriate for the analysis of both simple and complex ERP experiments. Several forms of documentation are available, including a detailed user’s guide, a step-by-step tutorial, a scripting guide, and a set of video-based demonstrations. PMID:24782741

ERPLAB: an open-source toolbox for the analysis of event-related potentials.

PubMed

Lopez-Calderon, Javier; Luck, Steven J

2014-01-01

ERPLAB toolbox is a freely available, open-source toolbox for processing and analyzing event-related potential (ERP) data in the MATLAB environment. ERPLAB is closely integrated with EEGLAB, a popular open-source toolbox that provides many EEG preprocessing steps and an excellent user interface design. ERPLAB adds to EEGLAB's EEG processing functions, providing additional tools for filtering, artifact detection, re-referencing, and sorting of events, among others. ERPLAB also provides robust tools for averaging EEG segments together to create averaged ERPs, for creating difference waves and other recombinations of ERP waveforms through algebraic expressions, for filtering and re-referencing the averaged ERPs, for plotting ERP waveforms and scalp maps, and for quantifying several types of amplitudes and latencies. ERPLAB's tools can be accessed either from an easy-to-learn graphical user interface or from MATLAB scripts, and a command history function makes it easy for users with no programming experience to write scripts. Consequently, ERPLAB provides both ease of use and virtually unlimited power and flexibility, making it appropriate for the analysis of both simple and complex ERP experiments. Several forms of documentation are available, including a detailed user's guide, a step-by-step tutorial, a scripting guide, and a set of video-based demonstrations.

Discovering charge density functionals and structure-property relationships with PROPhet: A general framework for coupling machine learning and first-principles methods

DOE PAGES

Kolb, Brian; Lentz, Levi C.; Kolpak, Alexie M.

2017-04-26

Modern ab initio methods have rapidly increased our understanding of solid state materials properties, chemical reactions, and the quantum interactions between atoms. However, poor scaling often renders direct ab initio calculations intractable for large or complex systems. There are two obvious avenues through which to remedy this problem: (i) develop new, less expensive methods to calculate system properties, or (ii) make existing methods faster. This paper describes an open source framework designed to pursue both of these avenues. PROPhet (short for PROPerty Prophet) utilizes machine learning techniques to find complex, non-linear mappings between sets of material or system properties. Themore » result is a single code capable of learning analytical potentials, non-linear density functionals, and other structure-property or property-property relationships. These capabilities enable highly accurate mesoscopic simulations, facilitate computation of expensive properties, and enable the development of predictive models for systematic materials design and optimization. Here, this work explores the coupling of machine learning to ab initio methods through means both familiar (e.g., the creation of various potentials and energy functionals) and less familiar (e.g., the creation of density functionals for arbitrary properties), serving both to demonstrate PROPhet’s ability to create exciting post-processing analysis tools and to open the door to improving ab initio methods themselves with these powerful machine learning techniques.« less

Discovering charge density functionals and structure-property relationships with PROPhet: A general framework for coupling machine learning and first-principles methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kolb, Brian; Lentz, Levi C.; Kolpak, Alexie M.

Modern ab initio methods have rapidly increased our understanding of solid state materials properties, chemical reactions, and the quantum interactions between atoms. However, poor scaling often renders direct ab initio calculations intractable for large or complex systems. There are two obvious avenues through which to remedy this problem: (i) develop new, less expensive methods to calculate system properties, or (ii) make existing methods faster. This paper describes an open source framework designed to pursue both of these avenues. PROPhet (short for PROPerty Prophet) utilizes machine learning techniques to find complex, non-linear mappings between sets of material or system properties. Themore » result is a single code capable of learning analytical potentials, non-linear density functionals, and other structure-property or property-property relationships. These capabilities enable highly accurate mesoscopic simulations, facilitate computation of expensive properties, and enable the development of predictive models for systematic materials design and optimization. Here, this work explores the coupling of machine learning to ab initio methods through means both familiar (e.g., the creation of various potentials and energy functionals) and less familiar (e.g., the creation of density functionals for arbitrary properties), serving both to demonstrate PROPhet’s ability to create exciting post-processing analysis tools and to open the door to improving ab initio methods themselves with these powerful machine learning techniques.« less

Designing a Resource Evolution Support System for Open Knowledge Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Xianmin; Yu, Shengquan

2015-01-01

The continuous generation and evolution of digital learning resources is important for promoting open learning and meeting the personalized needs of learners. In the Web 2.0 era, open and collaborative authoring is becoming a popular method by which to create vast personalized learning resources in open knowledge communities (OKCs). However, the…

Inquiry-Based Science Education: Scaffolding Pupils' Self-Directed Learning in Open Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Uum, Martina S. J.; Verhoeff, Roald P.; Peeters, Marieke

2017-01-01

This paper describes a multiple case study on open inquiry-based learning in primary schools. During open inquiry, teachers often experience difficulties in balancing support and transferring responsibility to pupils' own learning. To facilitate teachers in guiding open inquiry, we developed hard and soft scaffolds. The hard scaffolds consisted of…

Fear and Trembling in Connecticut: (Or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Open Source")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terlaga, Amy

2010-01-01

In March 2007, SirsiDynix notified its Horizon and classic Dynix customers that it would not be releasing Horizon 8.0 in favor of developing its Unicorn software. As vice president/president-elect of SirsiDynix's Horizon/Dynix user group, the author was one of the first ones to be notified of this abrupt change in company strategy. The news sent…

The Knowledge Economy and Higher Education: Rankings and Classifications, Research Metrics and Learning Outcomes Measures as a System for Regulating the Value of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

2009-01-01

This paper describes the global knowledge economy (the k-economy), comprised by (1) open source knowledge flows and (2) commercial markets in intellectual property and knowledge-intensive goods. Like all economy the global knowledge economy is a site of production. It is also social and cultural, taking the form of a one-world community mediated…

World Wind Tools Reveal Environmental Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

Originally developed under NASA's Learning Technologies program as a tool to engage and inspire students, World Wind software was released under the NASA Open Source Agreement license. Honolulu, Hawaii based Intelesense Technologies is one of the companies currently making use of the technology for environmental, public health, and other monitoring applications for nonprofit organizations and Government agencies. The company saved about $1 million in development costs by using the NASA software.

Learning Management Platform for CyberCIEGE

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

developments were done using the NetBeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE) 7.0, which is a free and open source IDE. Some of these...developments could be implemented using the GUI design features of NetBeans . However, it was not done so because the existing Campaign Analyzer code base...directory through a dialog window. Also, the existing directory structures are not consistent with NetBeans project management assumptions and thus

Wyrm: A Brain-Computer Interface Toolbox in Python.

PubMed

Venthur, Bastian; Dähne, Sven; Höhne, Johannes; Heller, Hendrik; Blankertz, Benjamin

2015-10-01

In the last years Python has gained more and more traction in the scientific community. Projects like NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib have created a strong foundation for scientific computing in Python and machine learning packages like scikit-learn or packages for data analysis like Pandas are building on top of it. In this paper we present Wyrm ( https://github.com/bbci/wyrm ), an open source BCI toolbox in Python. Wyrm is applicable to a broad range of neuroscientific problems. It can be used as a toolbox for analysis and visualization of neurophysiological data and in real-time settings, like an online BCI application. In order to prevent software defects, Wyrm makes extensive use of unit testing. We will explain the key aspects of Wyrm's software architecture and design decisions for its data structure, and demonstrate and validate the use of our toolbox by presenting our approach to the classification tasks of two different data sets from the BCI Competition III. Furthermore, we will give a brief analysis of the data sets using our toolbox, and demonstrate how we implemented an online experiment using Wyrm. With Wyrm we add the final piece to our ongoing effort to provide a complete, free and open source BCI system in Python.

Connecting Multiple Intelligences through Open and Distance Learning: Going towards a Collective Intelligence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medeiros Vieira, Leandro Mauricio; Ferasso, Marcos; Schröeder, Christine da Silva

2014-01-01

This theoretical essay is a learning approach reflexion on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and the possibilities provided by the education model known as open and distance learning. Open and distance learning can revolutionize traditional pedagogical practice, meeting the needs of those who have different forms of cognitive…

Image Harvest: an open-source platform for high-throughput plant image processing and analysis.

PubMed

Knecht, Avi C; Campbell, Malachy T; Caprez, Adam; Swanson, David R; Walia, Harkamal

2016-05-01

High-throughput plant phenotyping is an effective approach to bridge the genotype-to-phenotype gap in crops. Phenomics experiments typically result in large-scale image datasets, which are not amenable for processing on desktop computers, thus creating a bottleneck in the image-analysis pipeline. Here, we present an open-source, flexible image-analysis framework, called Image Harvest (IH), for processing images originating from high-throughput plant phenotyping platforms. Image Harvest is developed to perform parallel processing on computing grids and provides an integrated feature for metadata extraction from large-scale file organization. Moreover, the integration of IH with the Open Science Grid provides academic researchers with the computational resources required for processing large image datasets at no cost. Image Harvest also offers functionalities to extract digital traits from images to interpret plant architecture-related characteristics. To demonstrate the applications of these digital traits, a rice (Oryza sativa) diversity panel was phenotyped and genome-wide association mapping was performed using digital traits that are used to describe different plant ideotypes. Three major quantitative trait loci were identified on rice chromosomes 4 and 6, which co-localize with quantitative trait loci known to regulate agronomically important traits in rice. Image Harvest is an open-source software for high-throughput image processing that requires a minimal learning curve for plant biologists to analyzephenomics datasets. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

E-learning: Web-based education.

PubMed

Sajeva, Marco

2006-12-01

This review introduces state-of-the-art Web-based education and shows how the e-learning model can be applied to an anaesthesia department using Open Source solutions, as well as lifelong learning programs, which is happening in several European research projects. The definition of the term e-learning is still a work in progress due to the fact that technologies are evolving every day and it is difficult to improve teaching methodologies or to adapt traditional methods to a new or already existing educational model. The European Community is funding several research projects to define the new common market place for tomorrow's educational system; this is leading to new frontiers like virtual Erasmus inter-exchange programs based on e-learning. The first step when adapting a course to e-learning is to re-define the educational/learning model adopted: cooperative learning and tutoring are the two key concepts. This means that traditional lecture notes, books and exercises are no longer effective; teaching files must use rich multimedia content and have to be developed using the new media. This can lead to several pitfalls that can be avoided with an accurate design phase.

Whose genome is it, anyway?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marshall, E.

1996-09-27

The genome program has issued guidelines to ensure that sequencing is done on DNA from diverse sources who have given informed consent and are anonymous. Most current sources don`t meet those criteria. It may be the first question every nonexpert asks on learning about the Human Genome Project: Whose genome are we studying, anyway? It sounds naive, says one government scientist-so naive, in fact, that {open_quotes}we chuckle as we explain that we aren`t sequencing anyone`s genome in particular; we`re sequencing a representative genome{close_quotes} made up of a mosaic of DNA from a variety of anonymous sources. And Bruce Birren, amore » clone-maker now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology`s (MIT`s) Whitehead Center for Genome Research says: {open_quotes}We spent many years pooh-poohing the question{close_quotes} of whose genome would be stored in the database. But now that labs have begun working on large stretches of human DNA-aiming to identify all 3 billion base pairs in the genetic code-the question no longer seems to laughable. To the distress of program managers in Bethesda, Maryland, the initial sources of DNA are not as diverse or as anonymous as they had assumed.« less

Open-source web-enabled data management, analyses, and visualization of very large data in geosciences using Jupyter, Apache Spark, and community tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhary, A.

2017-12-01

Current simulation models and sensors are producing high-resolution, high-velocity data in geosciences domain. Knowledge discovery from these complex and large size datasets require tools that are capable of handling very large data and providing interactive data analytics features to researchers. To this end, Kitware and its collaborators are producing open-source tools GeoNotebook, GeoJS, Gaia, and Minerva for geosciences that are using hardware accelerated graphics and advancements in parallel and distributed processing (Celery and Apache Spark) and can be loosely coupled to solve real-world use-cases. GeoNotebook (https://github.com/OpenGeoscience/geonotebook) is co-developed by Kitware and NASA-Ames and is an extension to the Jupyter Notebook. It provides interactive visualization and python-based analysis of geospatial data and depending the backend (KTile or GeoPySpark) can handle data sizes of Hundreds of Gigabytes to Terabytes. GeoNotebook uses GeoJS (https://github.com/OpenGeoscience/geojs) to render very large geospatial data on the map using WebGL and Canvas2D API. GeoJS is more than just a GIS library as users can create scientific plots such as vector and contour and can embed InfoVis plots using D3.js. GeoJS aims for high-performance visualization and interactive data exploration of scientific and geospatial location aware datasets and supports features such as Point, Line, Polygon, and advanced features such as Pixelmap, Contour, Heatmap, and Choropleth. Our another open-source tool Minerva ((https://github.com/kitware/minerva) is a geospatial application that is built on top of open-source web-based data management system Girder (https://github.com/girder/girder) which provides an ability to access data from HDFS or Amazon S3 buckets and provides capabilities to perform visualization and analyses on geosciences data in a web environment using GDAL and GeoPandas wrapped in a unified API provided by Gaia (https://github.com/OpenDataAnalytics/gaia). In this presentation, we will discuss core features of each of these tools and will present lessons learned on handling large data in the context of data management, analyses and visualization.

The Open Learning Object Model to Promote Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fulantelli, Giovanni; Gentile, Manuel; Taibi, Davide; Allegra, Mario

2008-01-01

In this paper we present the results of research work, that forms part of the activities of the EU-funded project SLOOP: Sharing Learning Objects in an Open Perspective, aimed at encouraging the definition, development and management of Open Educational Resources based on the Learning Object paradigm (Wiley, 2000). We present a model of Open…

China's Radio and TV Universities: Reflections on Theory and Practice of Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Runfang

2010-01-01

Distance education and open learning are western innovations, representing the educational concepts, cultures and societies of western countries. The introduction of distance education and the adoption of open learning in China's radio and TV universities are by no means an indication that they will and can be copied wholesale. Open and distance…

Attitudes and Perceptions of Students to Open and Distance Learning in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ojo, David Olugbenga; Olakulehin, Felix Kayode

2006-01-01

In the West African Region of Africa, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first full fledged university that operates in an exclusively open and distance learning (ODL) mode of education. NOUN focuses mainly on open and distance teaching and learning system, and delivers its courses materials via print in conjunction with…

Assessment Challenges in Open Learning: Way-Finding, Fork in the Road, or End of the Line?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, Dianne

2013-01-01

Growing global commitments to open learning through the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) are accompanied by concerns over what "to do" with that learning when learners present it to traditional institutions for assessment and accreditation. This paper proposes that established RPL (recognizing prior learning) protocols, in place…

A Three-Dimensional Approach and Open Source Structure for the Design and Experimentation of Teaching-Learning Sequences: The case of friction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Besson, Ugo; Borghi, Lidia; De Ambrosis, Anna; Mascheretti, Paolo

2010-07-01

We have developed a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on friction based on a preliminary study involving three dimensions: an analysis of didactic research on the topic, an overview of usual approaches, and a critical analysis of the subject, considered also in its historical development. We found that mostly the usual presentations do not take into account the complexity of friction as it emerges from scientific research, may reinforce some inaccurate students' conceptions, and favour a limited vision of friction phenomena. The TLS we propose begins by considering a wide range of friction phenomena to favour an initial motivation and a broader view of the topic and then develops a path of interrelated observations, experiments, and theoretical aspects. It proposes the use of structural models, involving visual representations and stimulating intuition, aimed at helping students build mental models of friction mechanisms. To facilitate the reproducibility in school contexts, the sequence is designed as an open source structure, with a core of contents, conceptual correlations and methodological choices, and a cloud of elements that can be re-designed by teachers. The sequence has been tested in teacher education and in upper secondary school, and has shown positive results in overcoming student difficulties and stimulating richer reasoning based on the structural models we suggested. The proposed path has modified the teachers' view of the topic, producing a motivation to change their traditional presentations. The open structure of the sequence has facilitated its implementation by teachers in school in coherence with the rationale of the proposal.

Plenario: A Spatio-Temporal Platform for Discovery and Exploration of Urban Science Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engler, W. H.; Malik, T.; Catlett, C.; Foster, I.; Goldstein, B.

2015-12-01

The past decade has seen the widespread release of open data concerning city services, conditions, and activities by government bodies and public institutions of all sizes. Hundreds of open data portals now host thousands of datasets of many different types. These new data sources represent enormous potential for improved understanding of urban dynamics and processes—and, ultimately, for more livable, efficient, and prosperous communities. However, those who seek to realize this potential quickly discover that discovering and applying those data relevant to any particular question can be extraordinarily difficult, due to decentralized storage, heterogeneous formats, and poor documentation. In this context, we introduce Plenario, a platform designed to automating time-consuming tasks associated with the discovery, exploration, and application of open city data—and, in so doing, reduce barriers to data use for researchers, policymakers, service providers, journalists, and members of the general public. Key innovations include a geospatial data warehouse that allows data from many sources to be registered into a common spatial and temporal frame; simple and intuitive interfaces that permit rapid discovery and exploration of data subsets pertaining to a particular area and time, regardless of type and source; easy export of such data subsets for further analysis; a user-configurable data ingest framework for automated importing and periodic updating of new datasets into the data warehouse; cloud hosting for elastic scaling and rapid creation of new Plenario instances; and an open source implementation to enable community contributions. We describe here the architecture and implementation of the Plenario platform, discuss lessons learned from its use by several communities, and outline plans for future work.

The OpenPicoAmp: an open-source planar lipid bilayer amplifier for hands-on learning of neuroscience.

PubMed

Shlyonsky, Vadim; Dupuis, Freddy; Gall, David

2014-01-01

Understanding the electrical biophysical properties of the cell membrane can be difficult for neuroscience students as it relies solely on lectures of theoretical models without practical hands on experiments. To address this issue, we developed an open-source lipid bilayer amplifier, the OpenPicoAmp, which is appropriate for use in introductory courses in biophysics or neurosciences at the undergraduate level, dealing with the electrical properties of the cell membrane. The amplifier is designed using the common lithographic printed circuit board fabrication process and off-the-shelf electronic components. In addition, we propose a specific design for experimental chambers allowing the insertion of a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene film. We provide a complete documentation allowing to build the amplifier and the experimental chamber. The students hand-out giving step-by step instructions to perform a recording is also included. Our experimental setup can be used in basic experiments in which students monitor the bilayer formation by capacitance measurement and record unitary currents produced by ionic channels like gramicidin A dimers. Used in combination with a low-cost data acquisition board this system provides a complete solution for hands-on lessons, therefore improving the effectiveness in teaching basic neurosciences or biophysics.

The OpenPicoAmp: An Open-Source Planar Lipid Bilayer Amplifier for Hands-On Learning of Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Shlyonsky, Vadim; Dupuis, Freddy; Gall, David

2014-01-01

Understanding the electrical biophysical properties of the cell membrane can be difficult for neuroscience students as it relies solely on lectures of theoretical models without practical hands on experiments. To address this issue, we developed an open-source lipid bilayer amplifier, the OpenPicoAmp, which is appropriate for use in introductory courses in biophysics or neurosciences at the undergraduate level, dealing with the electrical properties of the cell membrane. The amplifier is designed using the common lithographic printed circuit board fabrication process and off-the-shelf electronic components. In addition, we propose a specific design for experimental chambers allowing the insertion of a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene film. We provide a complete documentation allowing to build the amplifier and the experimental chamber. The students hand-out giving step-by step instructions to perform a recording is also included. Our experimental setup can be used in basic experiments in which students monitor the bilayer formation by capacitance measurement and record unitary currents produced by ionic channels like gramicidin A dimers. Used in combination with a low-cost data acquisition board this system provides a complete solution for hands-on lessons, therefore improving the effectiveness in teaching basic neurosciences or biophysics. PMID:25251830

Exploring Differences between Self-Regulated Learning Strategies of High and Low Achievers in Open Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geduld, Bernadette

2016-01-01

Open distance students differ in their preparedness for higher education studies. Students who are less self-regulated risk failure and drop out in the challenging milieu of open distance learning. In this study, the differences between the application of self-regulated learning strategies by low and high achievers were explored. A multi-method…

The Open Learning Initiative: Measuring the Effectiveness of the OLI Statistics Course in Accelerating Student Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovett, Marsha; Meyer, Oded; Thille, Candace

2008-01-01

The Open Learning Initiative (OLI) is an open educational resources project at Carnegie Mellon University that began in 2002 with a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. OLI creates web-based courses that are designed so that students can learn effectively without an instructor. In addition, the courses are often used by instructors…

Developing Pedagogical Expertise in Modern Language Learning and Specific Learning Difficulties through Collaborative and Open Educational Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallardo, Matilde; Heiser, Sarah; Arias McLaughlin, Ximena

2017-01-01

This paper analyses teachers' engagement with collaborative and open educational practices to develop their pedagogical expertise in the field of modern language (ML) learning and specific learning difficulties (SpLD). The study analyses the findings of a staff development initiative at the Department of Languages, Open University, UK, in 2013,…

Successive and discrete spaced conditioning in active avoidance learning in young and aged zebrafish.

PubMed

Yang, Peng; Kajiwara, Riki; Tonoki, Ayako; Itoh, Motoyuki

2018-05-01

We designed an automated device to study active avoidance learning abilities of zebrafish. Open source tools were used for the device control, statistical computing, and graphic outputs of data. Using the system, we developed active avoidance tests to examine the effects of trial spacing and aging on learning. Seven-month-old fish showed stronger avoidance behavior as measured by color preference index with discrete spaced training as compared to successive spaced training. Fifteen-month-old fish showed a similar trend, but with reduced cognitive abilities compared with 7-month-old fish. Further, in 7-month-old fish, an increase in learning ability during trials was observed with discrete, but not successive, spaced training. In contrast, 15-month-old fish did not show increase in learning ability during trials. Therefore, these data suggest that discrete spacing is more effective for learning than successive spacing, with the zebrafish active avoidance paradigm, and that the time course analysis of active avoidance using discrete spaced training is useful to detect age-related learning impairment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

E-Learning and Technologies for Open Distance Learning in Management Accounting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kashora, Trust; van der Poll, Huibrecht M.; van der Poll, John A.

2016-01-01

This research develops a knowledge acquisition and construction framework for e-learning for Management Accounting students at the University of South Africa, an Open Distance Learning institution which utilises e-learning. E-learning refers to the use of electronic applications and processes for learning, including the transfer of skills and…

Mobile Learning: Challenges for Teachers of Indian Open Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Awadhiya, Ashish Kumar; Miglani, Anshu

2016-01-01

"Mobile Learning" (m-Learning) has emerged as a trend in the field of Open and Distance Learning (ODL). It is removing the time and geographical barriers for learning by placing learning opportunities at the fingertips of learners. ODL institutes in India are also adopting m-learning in different forms; however, it is not fully…

40 CFR Table 3 to Subpart Wwww of... - Organic HAP Emissions Limits for Existing Open Molding Sources, New Open Molding Sources Emitting...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Existing Open Molding Sources, New Open Molding Sources Emitting Less Than 100 TPY of HAP, and New and... CATEGORIES National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Reinforced Plastic Composites... Existing Open Molding Sources, New Open Molding Sources Emitting Less Than 100 TPY of HAP, and New and...

Virtual Patients on the Semantic Web: A Proof-of-Application Study

PubMed Central

Dafli, Eleni; Antoniou, Panagiotis; Ioannidis, Lazaros; Dombros, Nicholas; Topps, David

2015-01-01

Background Virtual patients are interactive computer simulations that are increasingly used as learning activities in modern health care education, especially in teaching clinical decision making. A key challenge is how to retrieve and repurpose virtual patients as unique types of educational resources between different platforms because of the lack of standardized content-retrieving and repurposing mechanisms. Semantic Web technologies provide the capability, through structured information, for easy retrieval, reuse, repurposing, and exchange of virtual patients between different systems. Objective An attempt to address this challenge has been made through the mEducator Best Practice Network, which provisioned frameworks for the discovery, retrieval, sharing, and reuse of medical educational resources. We have extended the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring and deployment platform to facilitate the repurposing and retrieval of existing virtual patient material. Methods A standalone Web distribution and Web interface, which contains an extension for the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring system, was implemented. This extension was designed to semantically annotate virtual patients to facilitate intelligent searches, complex queries, and easy exchange between institutions. The OpenLabyrinth extension enables OpenLabyrinth authors to integrate and share virtual patient case metadata within the mEducator3.0 network. Evaluation included 3 successive steps: (1) expert reviews; (2) evaluation of the ability of health care professionals and medical students to create, share, and exchange virtual patients through specific scenarios in extended OpenLabyrinth (OLabX); and (3) evaluation of the repurposed learning objects that emerged from the procedure. Results We evaluated 30 repurposed virtual patient cases. The evaluation, with a total of 98 participants, demonstrated the system’s main strength: the core repurposing capacity. The extensive metadata schema presentation facilitated user exploration and filtering of resources. Usability weaknesses were primarily related to standard computer applications’ ease of use provisions. Most evaluators provided positive feedback regarding educational experiences on both content and system usability. Evaluation results replicated across several independent evaluation events. Conclusions The OpenLabyrinth extension, as part of the semantic mEducator3.0 approach, is a virtual patient sharing approach that builds on a collection of Semantic Web services and federates existing sources of clinical and educational data. It is an effective sharing tool for virtual patients and has been merged into the next version of the app (OpenLabyrinth 3.3). Such tool extensions may enhance the medical education arsenal with capacities of creating simulation/game-based learning episodes, massive open online courses, curricular transformations, and a future robust infrastructure for enabling mobile learning. PMID:25616272

Virtual patients on the semantic Web: a proof-of-application study.

PubMed

Dafli, Eleni; Antoniou, Panagiotis; Ioannidis, Lazaros; Dombros, Nicholas; Topps, David; Bamidis, Panagiotis D

2015-01-22

Virtual patients are interactive computer simulations that are increasingly used as learning activities in modern health care education, especially in teaching clinical decision making. A key challenge is how to retrieve and repurpose virtual patients as unique types of educational resources between different platforms because of the lack of standardized content-retrieving and repurposing mechanisms. Semantic Web technologies provide the capability, through structured information, for easy retrieval, reuse, repurposing, and exchange of virtual patients between different systems. An attempt to address this challenge has been made through the mEducator Best Practice Network, which provisioned frameworks for the discovery, retrieval, sharing, and reuse of medical educational resources. We have extended the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring and deployment platform to facilitate the repurposing and retrieval of existing virtual patient material. A standalone Web distribution and Web interface, which contains an extension for the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring system, was implemented. This extension was designed to semantically annotate virtual patients to facilitate intelligent searches, complex queries, and easy exchange between institutions. The OpenLabyrinth extension enables OpenLabyrinth authors to integrate and share virtual patient case metadata within the mEducator3.0 network. Evaluation included 3 successive steps: (1) expert reviews; (2) evaluation of the ability of health care professionals and medical students to create, share, and exchange virtual patients through specific scenarios in extended OpenLabyrinth (OLabX); and (3) evaluation of the repurposed learning objects that emerged from the procedure. We evaluated 30 repurposed virtual patient cases. The evaluation, with a total of 98 participants, demonstrated the system's main strength: the core repurposing capacity. The extensive metadata schema presentation facilitated user exploration and filtering of resources. Usability weaknesses were primarily related to standard computer applications' ease of use provisions. Most evaluators provided positive feedback regarding educational experiences on both content and system usability. Evaluation results replicated across several independent evaluation events. The OpenLabyrinth extension, as part of the semantic mEducator3.0 approach, is a virtual patient sharing approach that builds on a collection of Semantic Web services and federates existing sources of clinical and educational data. It is an effective sharing tool for virtual patients and has been merged into the next version of the app (OpenLabyrinth 3.3). Such tool extensions may enhance the medical education arsenal with capacities of creating simulation/game-based learning episodes, massive open online courses, curricular transformations, and a future robust infrastructure for enabling mobile learning.

Increasing the value of geospatial informatics with open approaches for Big Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percivall, G.; Bermudez, L. E.

2017-12-01

Open approaches to big data provide geoscientists with new capabilities to address problems of unmatched size and complexity. Consensus approaches for Big Geo Data have been addressed in multiple international workshops and testbeds organized by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in the past year. Participants came from government (NASA, ESA, USGS, NOAA, DOE); research (ORNL, NCSA, IU, JPL, CRIM, RENCI); industry (ESRI, Digital Globe, IBM, rasdaman); standards (JTC 1/NIST); and open source software communities. Results from the workshops and testbeds are documented in Testbed reports and a White Paper published by the OGC. The White Paper identifies the following set of use cases: Collection and Ingest: Remote sensed data processing; Data stream processing Prepare and Structure: SQL and NoSQL databases; Data linking; Feature identification Analytics and Visualization: Spatial-temporal analytics; Machine Learning; Data Exploration Modeling and Prediction: Integrated environmental models; Urban 4D models. Open implementations were developed in the Arctic Spatial Data Pilot using Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS) and in Testbeds using WPS and ESGF to publish climate predictions. Further development activities to advance open implementations of Big Geo Data include the following: Open Cloud Computing: Avoid vendor lock-in through API interoperability and Application portability. Open Source Extensions: Implement geospatial data representations in projects from Apache, Location Tech, and OSGeo. Investigate parallelization strategies for N-Dimensional spatial data. Geospatial Data Representations: Schemas to improve processing and analysis using geospatial concepts: Features, Coverages, DGGS. Use geospatial encodings like NetCDF and GeoPackge. Big Linked Geodata: Use linked data methods scaled to big geodata. Analysis Ready Data: Support "Download as last resort" and "Analytics as a service". Promote elements common to "datacubes."

Generation of open biomedical datasets through ontology-driven transformation and integration processes.

PubMed

Carmen Legaz-García, María Del; Miñarro-Giménez, José Antonio; Menárguez-Tortosa, Marcos; Fernández-Breis, Jesualdo Tomás

2016-06-03

Biomedical research usually requires combining large volumes of data from multiple heterogeneous sources, which makes difficult the integrated exploitation of such data. The Semantic Web paradigm offers a natural technological space for data integration and exploitation by generating content readable by machines. Linked Open Data is a Semantic Web initiative that promotes the publication and sharing of data in machine readable semantic formats. We present an approach for the transformation and integration of heterogeneous biomedical data with the objective of generating open biomedical datasets in Semantic Web formats. The transformation of the data is based on the mappings between the entities of the data schema and the ontological infrastructure that provides the meaning to the content. Our approach permits different types of mappings and includes the possibility of defining complex transformation patterns. Once the mappings are defined, they can be automatically applied to datasets to generate logically consistent content and the mappings can be reused in further transformation processes. The results of our research are (1) a common transformation and integration process for heterogeneous biomedical data; (2) the application of Linked Open Data principles to generate interoperable, open, biomedical datasets; (3) a software tool, called SWIT, that implements the approach. In this paper we also describe how we have applied SWIT in different biomedical scenarios and some lessons learned. We have presented an approach that is able to generate open biomedical repositories in Semantic Web formats. SWIT is able to apply the Linked Open Data principles in the generation of the datasets, so allowing for linking their content to external repositories and creating linked open datasets. SWIT datasets may contain data from multiple sources and schemas, thus becoming integrated datasets.

Learning Together: Opening up Learning in All-Through Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, 2010

2010-01-01

The aim of this guide is to stimulate professional reflection, dialogue and debate about learning. Education professionals in Scotland are already aware of the key issues relating to learning through the series "Curriculum for Excellence: Building the Curriculum," the recent publication "Learning Together: Opening Up Learning"…

Automated analysis of high-content microscopy data with deep learning.

PubMed

Kraus, Oren Z; Grys, Ben T; Ba, Jimmy; Chong, Yolanda; Frey, Brendan J; Boone, Charles; Andrews, Brenda J

2017-04-18

Existing computational pipelines for quantitative analysis of high-content microscopy data rely on traditional machine learning approaches that fail to accurately classify more than a single dataset without substantial tuning and training, requiring extensive analysis. Here, we demonstrate that the application of deep learning to biological image data can overcome the pitfalls associated with conventional machine learning classifiers. Using a deep convolutional neural network (DeepLoc) to analyze yeast cell images, we show improved performance over traditional approaches in the automated classification of protein subcellular localization. We also demonstrate the ability of DeepLoc to classify highly divergent image sets, including images of pheromone-arrested cells with abnormal cellular morphology, as well as images generated in different genetic backgrounds and in different laboratories. We offer an open-source implementation that enables updating DeepLoc on new microscopy datasets. This study highlights deep learning as an important tool for the expedited analysis of high-content microscopy data. © 2017 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

Advanced Cell Classifier: User-Friendly Machine-Learning-Based Software for Discovering Phenotypes in High-Content Imaging Data.

PubMed

Piccinini, Filippo; Balassa, Tamas; Szkalisity, Abel; Molnar, Csaba; Paavolainen, Lassi; Kujala, Kaisa; Buzas, Krisztina; Sarazova, Marie; Pietiainen, Vilja; Kutay, Ulrike; Smith, Kevin; Horvath, Peter

2017-06-28

High-content, imaging-based screens now routinely generate data on a scale that precludes manual verification and interrogation. Software applying machine learning has become an essential tool to automate analysis, but these methods require annotated examples to learn from. Efficiently exploring large datasets to find relevant examples remains a challenging bottleneck. Here, we present Advanced Cell Classifier (ACC), a graphical software package for phenotypic analysis that addresses these difficulties. ACC applies machine-learning and image-analysis methods to high-content data generated by large-scale, cell-based experiments. It features methods to mine microscopic image data, discover new phenotypes, and improve recognition performance. We demonstrate that these features substantially expedite the training process, successfully uncover rare phenotypes, and improve the accuracy of the analysis. ACC is extensively documented, designed to be user-friendly for researchers without machine-learning expertise, and distributed as a free open-source tool at www.cellclassifier.org. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethoscopes: An open platform for high-throughput ethomics

PubMed Central

Geissmann, Quentin; Garcia Rodriguez, Luis; Beckwith, Esteban J.; French, Alice S.; Jamasb, Arian R.

2017-01-01

Here, we present the use of ethoscopes, which are machines for high-throughput analysis of behavior in Drosophila and other animals. Ethoscopes provide a software and hardware solution that is reproducible and easily scalable. They perform, in real-time, tracking and profiling of behavior by using a supervised machine learning algorithm, are able to deliver behaviorally triggered stimuli to flies in a feedback-loop mode, and are highly customizable and open source. Ethoscopes can be built easily by using 3D printing technology and rely on Raspberry Pi microcomputers and Arduino boards to provide affordable and flexible hardware. All software and construction specifications are available at http://lab.gilest.ro/ethoscope. PMID:29049280

Globalization, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Open/Distance Learning in Nigeria: Trends, Issues and Solution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olusola, Akande Joshua; Alaba, Sofowora Olaniyi

2011-01-01

The main thrust of this paper is to discuss the development of open and distance education in Nigeria and the major manifestations of the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education in open and distance learning. This study further discusses the importance and use of ICTs in open and distance learning in making education…

Experiences from CSCW in Virtual Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Multisilta, Jari

The rapid development of modern information and communications technologies has opened new possibilities for establishing and delivering distance learning. In addition, the new learning paradigm based on cognitive learning theories can emphasize the quality of the learning process. The open learning environment that utilizes modern communications…

Open-Book Assessment: A Contribution to Improved Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eilertsen, Tor Vidar; Valdermo, Odd

2000-01-01

Studied the effects of open-book testing on instruction and student learning in an action research project involving 13 teachers and approximately 350 secondary school students in Norway. Results show open-book testing to be instrumental in strengthening understanding in both cooperative learning and more traditional classrooms. (SLD)

A Framework for Open, Flexible and Distributed Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Badrul H.

Designing open, flexible distance learning systems on the World Wide Web requires thoughtful analysis and investigation combined with an understanding of both the Web's attributes and resources and the ways instructional design principles can be applied to tap the Web's potential. A framework for open, flexible, and distributed learning has been…

Learning from Heterogeneous Data Sources: An Application in Spatial Proteomics

PubMed Central

Breckels, Lisa M.; Holden, Sean B.; Wojnar, David; Mulvey, Claire M.; Christoforou, Andy; Groen, Arnoud; Trotter, Matthew W. B.; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Lilley, Kathryn S.; Gatto, Laurent

2016-01-01

Sub-cellular localisation of proteins is an essential post-translational regulatory mechanism that can be assayed using high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS). These MS-based spatial proteomics experiments enable us to pinpoint the sub-cellular distribution of thousands of proteins in a specific system under controlled conditions. Recent advances in high-throughput MS methods have yielded a plethora of experimental spatial proteomics data for the cell biology community. Yet, there are many third-party data sources, such as immunofluorescence microscopy or protein annotations and sequences, which represent a rich and vast source of complementary information. We present a unique transfer learning classification framework that utilises a nearest-neighbour or support vector machine system, to integrate heterogeneous data sources to considerably improve on the quantity and quality of sub-cellular protein assignment. We demonstrate the utility of our algorithms through evaluation of five experimental datasets, from four different species in conjunction with four different auxiliary data sources to classify proteins to tens of sub-cellular compartments with high generalisation accuracy. We further apply the method to an experiment on pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells to classify a set of previously unknown proteins, and validate our findings against a recent high resolution map of the mouse stem cell proteome. The methodology is distributed as part of the open-source Bioconductor pRoloc suite for spatial proteomics data analysis. PMID:27175778

Engineering good: how engineering metaphors help us to understand the moral life and change society.

PubMed

Coeckelbergh, Mark

2010-06-01

Engineering can learn from ethics, but ethics can also learn from engineering. In this paper, I discuss what engineering metaphors can teach us about practical philosophy. Using metaphors such as calculation, performance, and open source, I articulate two opposing views of morality and politics: one that relies on images related to engineering as science and one that draws on images of engineering practice. I argue that the latter view and its metaphors provide a more adequate way to understand and guide the moral life. Responding to two problems of alienation and taking into account developments such as Fab Lab I then further explore the implications of this view for engineering and society.

Access and Success in Learning: Technologies for Scaling Up Open and Distance Learning Programme in the Institute of Distance Learning, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essel, Rebecca; Owusu-Boateng, William

2011-01-01

ODL (Open and Distance Learning) has come to stay. In recent years, there has been some extra-ordinary increasing international interest in it and Ghana is no exception. Currently, new ways of providing education are inevitable and ODL provides an effective alternate way. It represents approaches that focus on opening access to education and…

Using Satellite Classes to Optimise Access to and Participation in First-Year Business Management: A Case at an Open and Distance-Learning University in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanepoel, Elana; De Beer, Andreas; Muller, Helene

2009-01-01

We investigated the effect of satellite classes as a component of blended learning, to enhance student performance of the Business Management I and Management I students at an open and distance-learning university. We discuss the evolution of distance education, the interactivities promoted by open and distance learning and the concept of blended…

The Emergence of Open-Source Software in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Guohua; Bonk, Curtis J.

2007-01-01

The open-source software movement is gaining increasing momentum in China. Of the limited numbers of open-source software in China, "Red Flag Linux" stands out most strikingly, commanding 30 percent share of Chinese software market. Unlike the spontaneity of open-source movement in North America, open-source software development in…

A Study of Clinically Related Open Source Software Projects

PubMed Central

Hogarth, Michael A.; Turner, Stuart

2005-01-01

Open source software development has recently gained significant interest due to several successful mainstream open source projects. This methodology has been proposed as being similarly viable and beneficial in the clinical application domain as well. However, the clinical software development venue differs significantly from the mainstream software venue. Existing clinical open source projects have not been well characterized nor formally studied so the ‘fit’ of open source in this domain is largely unknown. In order to better understand the open source movement in the clinical application domain, we undertook a study of existing open source clinical projects. In this study we sought to characterize and classify existing clinical open source projects and to determine metrics for their viability. This study revealed several findings which we believe could guide the healthcare community in its quest for successful open source clinical software projects. PMID:16779056

Interactive basic mathematics web using Wordpress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Septia, Tika; Husna; Cesaria, Anna

2017-12-01

Wordpress is a popular open source tool that can be used for developing learning media. Basic Mathematics is the difficult subject for a physics student. The students need an interactive learning to improve their knowledge. The aims of this study were to develop the interactive media using Wordpress and to know the effectiveness of web as a learning media to improve the ICT Literacy students. This study used ADDIE models. The effectiveness of interactive web can be described as the students’ equipness of ICT literacy. The population is physics students. The findings show that the interactive web is valid for the content, presentation, linguistic, and graphic aspects. The results concluded that basic mathematic interactive web is effective to equip the learners ICT literacy of categories of high, medium, and low with the observations and questionnaires are in very good criteria.

The Integration of Personal Learning Environments & Open Network Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tu, Chih-Hsiung; Sujo-Montes, Laura; Yen, Cherng-Jyh; Chan, Junn-Yih; Blocher, Michael

2012-01-01

Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

Open Access, Open Source and Digital Libraries: A Current Trend in University Libraries around the World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krishnamurthy, M.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the open access and open source movement in the digital library world. Design/methodology/approach: A review of key developments in the open access and open source movement is provided. Findings: Open source software and open access to research findings are of great use to scholars in developing…

Marketing Open and Flexible Learning...The Direct Mail Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Ian; Beeson, David

The first section of this instructional guide explains why open learning needs marketing and what steps go into preparing a marketing campaign, including marketing the college and tutor time, service definition, service delivery, and communications. Changes in education that have affected open learning in recent years are addressed in the second…

The Open College of the North West, Distance Learning, and the "Open Tech" Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Percy, Keith; Saunders, Murray

1982-01-01

A regional program of pre-university courses in northwestern England open to adults with no entry qualifications is discussed. It uses some distance learning techniques but is investigating expansion to technical education through distance learning. The complexities and potential costs of such a substantial directional change are examined. (MSE)

Open Educational Practices and Resources. OLCOS Roadmap, 2012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geser, Guntram, Ed.

2007-01-01

As a Transversal Action under the European eLearning Programme, the Open e-Learning Content Observatory Services (OLCOS) project carries out a set of activities that aim at fostering the creation, sharing and re-use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in Europe and beyond. OER are understood to comprise content for teaching and learning,…

Measuring Self-Regulation in Self-Paced Open and Distance Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocdar, Serpil; Karadeniz, Abdulkadir; Bozkurt, Aras; Buyuk, Koksal

2018-01-01

Previous studies have described many scales for measuring self-regulation; however, no scale has been developed specifically for self-paced open and distance learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a scale for determining the self-regulated learning skills of distance learners in selfpaced open and distance learning…

Recasting Distance Learning with Network-Enabled Open Education: An Interview with Vijay Kumar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, James L.; Kumar, Vijay

2008-01-01

In an interview with James Morrison, "Innovate's" editor-in-chief, Vijay Kumar describes how rethinking distance learning as network-enabled open education can catalyze a whole new set of learning opportunities. The growing open-education movement has made an increasing number and variety of resources freely available online, including everything…

Open Distant Learning: Pedagogical Terms of Reference and Dilemmas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatkovic, Nevenka; Ruzic, Maja; Tatkovic, Sanja

2006-01-01

The paper first presents the essential viewpoints of general characteristics of open distance learning (OLD) and the short historical origins. The second part presents some pedagogical terms of reference for Open distance learning as the quality of ODL, the criteria of successful ODL (planning, successful interaction, work and emotional climate,…

RABIX: AN OPEN-SOURCE WORKFLOW EXECUTOR SUPPORTING RECOMPUTABILITY AND INTEROPERABILITY OF WORKFLOW DESCRIPTIONS

PubMed Central

Ivkovic, Sinisa; Simonovic, Janko; Tijanic, Nebojsa; Davis-Dusenbery, Brandi; Kural, Deniz

2016-01-01

As biomedical data has become increasingly easy to generate in large quantities, the methods used to analyze it have proliferated rapidly. Reproducible and reusable methods are required to learn from large volumes of data reliably. To address this issue, numerous groups have developed workflow specifications or execution engines, which provide a framework with which to perform a sequence of analyses. One such specification is the Common Workflow Language, an emerging standard which provides a robust and flexible framework for describing data analysis tools and workflows. In addition, reproducibility can be furthered by executors or workflow engines which interpret the specification and enable additional features, such as error logging, file organization, optimizations1 to computation and job scheduling, and allow for easy computing on large volumes of data. To this end, we have developed the Rabix Executor a , an open-source workflow engine for the purposes of improving reproducibility through reusability and interoperability of workflow descriptions. PMID:27896971

RABIX: AN OPEN-SOURCE WORKFLOW EXECUTOR SUPPORTING RECOMPUTABILITY AND INTEROPERABILITY OF WORKFLOW DESCRIPTIONS.

PubMed

Kaushik, Gaurav; Ivkovic, Sinisa; Simonovic, Janko; Tijanic, Nebojsa; Davis-Dusenbery, Brandi; Kural, Deniz

2017-01-01

As biomedical data has become increasingly easy to generate in large quantities, the methods used to analyze it have proliferated rapidly. Reproducible and reusable methods are required to learn from large volumes of data reliably. To address this issue, numerous groups have developed workflow specifications or execution engines, which provide a framework with which to perform a sequence of analyses. One such specification is the Common Workflow Language, an emerging standard which provides a robust and flexible framework for describing data analysis tools and workflows. In addition, reproducibility can be furthered by executors or workflow engines which interpret the specification and enable additional features, such as error logging, file organization, optim1izations to computation and job scheduling, and allow for easy computing on large volumes of data. To this end, we have developed the Rabix Executor, an open-source workflow engine for the purposes of improving reproducibility through reusability and interoperability of workflow descriptions.

A Platform for Scalable Satellite and Geospatial Data Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beneke, C. M.; Skillman, S.; Warren, M. S.; Kelton, T.; Brumby, S. P.; Chartrand, R.; Mathis, M.

2017-12-01

At Descartes Labs, we use the commercial cloud to run global-scale machine learning applications over satellite imagery. We have processed over 5 Petabytes of public and commercial satellite imagery, including the full Landsat and Sentinel archives. By combining open-source tools with a FUSE-based filesystem for cloud storage, we have enabled a scalable compute platform that has demonstrated reading over 200 GB/s of satellite imagery into cloud compute nodes. In one application, we generated global 15m Landsat-8, 20m Sentinel-1, and 10m Sentinel-2 composites from 15 trillion pixels, using over 10,000 CPUs. We recently created a public open-source Python client library that can be used to query and access preprocessed public satellite imagery from within our platform, and made this platform available to researchers for non-commercial projects. In this session, we will describe how you can use the Descartes Labs Platform for rapid prototyping and scaling of geospatial analyses and demonstrate examples in land cover classification.

BANNER: an executable survey of advances in biomedical named entity recognition.

PubMed

Leaman, Robert; Gonzalez, Graciela

2008-01-01

There has been an increasing amount of research on biomedical named entity recognition, the most basic text extraction problem, resulting in significant progress by different research teams around the world. This has created a need for a freely-available, open source system implementing the advances described in the literature. In this paper we present BANNER, an open-source, executable survey of advances in biomedical named entity recognition, intended to serve as a benchmark for the field. BANNER is implemented in Java as a machine-learning system based on conditional random fields and includes a wide survey of the best techniques recently described in the literature. It is designed to maximize domain independence by not employing brittle semantic features or rule-based processing steps, and achieves significantly better performance than existing baseline systems. It is therefore useful to developers as an extensible NER implementation, to researchers as a standard for comparing innovative techniques, and to biologists requiring the ability to find novel entities in large amounts of text.

AirShow 1.0 CFD Software Users' Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohler, Stanley R., Jr.

2005-01-01

AirShow is visualization post-processing software for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Upon reading binary PLOT3D grid and solution files into AirShow, the engineer can quickly see how hundreds of complex 3-D structured blocks are arranged and numbered. Additionally, chosen grid planes can be displayed and colored according to various aerodynamic flow quantities such as Mach number and pressure. The user may interactively rotate and translate the graphical objects using the mouse. The software source code was written in cross-platform Java, C++, and OpenGL, and runs on Unix, Linux, and Windows. The graphical user interface (GUI) was written using Java Swing. Java also provides multiple synchronized threads. The Java Native Interface (JNI) provides a bridge between the Java code and the C++ code where the PLOT3D files are read, the OpenGL graphics are rendered, and numerical calculations are performed. AirShow is easy to learn and simple to use. The source code is available for free from the NASA Technology Transfer and Partnership Office.

New Open-Source Version of FLORIS Released | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

New Open-Source Version of FLORIS Released New Open-Source Version of FLORIS Released January 26 , 2018 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers recently released an updated open-source simplified and documented. Because of the living, open-source nature of the newly updated utility, NREL

#GoOpen District Launch Packet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

Across the country, districts are choosing to #GoOpen and transitioning to the use of openly licensed educational resources to improve student learning in their schools. Openly licensed educational resources enable districts to reallocate significant funds currently spent on inflexible, static learning materials to resources and activities that…

Integrating Model-Driven and Data-Driven Techniques for Analyzing Learning Behaviors in Open-Ended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinnebrew, John S.; Segedy, James R.; Biswas, Gautam

2017-01-01

Research in computer-based learning environments has long recognized the vital role of adaptivity in promoting effective, individualized learning among students. Adaptive scaffolding capabilities are particularly important in open-ended learning environments, which provide students with opportunities for solving authentic and complex problems, and…

Game-Based Learning in an OpenSim-Supported Virtual Environment on Perceived Motivational Quality of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Heesung; Ke, Fengfeng; Paek, Insu

2017-01-01

This experimental study was intended to examine whether game-based learning (GBL) that encompasses four particular game characteristics (challenges, a storyline, immediate rewards and the integration of game-play with learning content) in an OpenSimulator-supported virtual reality learning environment can improve perceived motivational quality of…

Sticks AND Carrots: Encouraging Open Science at its source.

PubMed

Leonelli, Sabina; Spichtinger, Daniel; Prainsack, Barbara

2015-06-30

The Open Science (OS) movement has been seen as an important facilitator for public participation in science. This has been underpinned by the assumption that widespread and free access to research outputs leads to (i) better and more efficient science, (ii) economic growth, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to capitalise on research findings and (iii) increased transparency of knowledge production and its outcomes. The latter in particular could function as a catalyst for public participation and engagement. Whether OS is likely to help realise these benefits, however, will depend on the emergence of systemic incentives for scientists to utilise OS in a meaningful manner. While some areas, the environmental sciences have a long tradition of open ethos, citizen inclusion and global collaborations, such activities need to be more systematically supported and promoted by funders and learned societies in order to improve scientific research and public participation.

Supporting Students in Open and Distance Learning. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Ormond

This book, which is intended for individuals involved in recruiting and teaching students in open and distance learning (ODL) situations, examines academic and nonacademic student support issues in ODL. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's 14 chapters: (1) models and definitions of ODL systems; (2) rationale for student…

A Framework for Developing Competencies in Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arinto, Patricia B.

2013-01-01

Many open universities and distance education institutions have shifted from a predominantly print-based mode of delivery to an online mode characterised by the use of virtual learning environments and various web technologies. This paper describes the impact of the shift to open and distance e-learning (ODeL), as this trend might be called, on…

MOOCs for Language Learning-Opportunities and Challenges: The Case of the Open University Italian Beginners' MOOCs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motzo, Anna; Proudfoot, Anna

2017-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a fairly recent development in online education. Language MOOCs (LMOOCs) have recently been added to the ever-growing list of open courses offered by various providers, including FutureLearn. For learners, MOOCs offer an innovative and inexpensive alternative to formal and traditional learning. For course…

Open Learning: Resource Allocation and Control. Coombe Lodge Working Paper. Information Bank Number 1610.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latcham, Jack

In an effort to demonstrate that open learning can be accommodated within existing funding mechanisms in British colleges of further and higher education, this paper discusses issues concerned with determining the cost of Flexistudy and open learning delivery systems. After a review of the difficulties of estimating precisely the costs of various…

Adapting on Demand Examination System in National Open University of Nigeria End of Semester Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okonkwo, Charity Akuadi

2011-01-01

Teaching-learning process is incomplete without effective and meaningful assessment of students learning outcomes. This applies to both conventional modes of education as well as to open and distance learning modes. So far, conduct of examinations at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has been cumbersome and be-decked with "hydra…

Science Practical Work Instructional Technologies and Open Distance Learning in Science Teacher Training: A Case Study in Zimbabwe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhukuvhani, Crispen; Mupa, Mathew; Mhishi, Misheck; Dziva, Daimond

2012-01-01

The practical work component offers unique challenges for university science courses. This is even more pertinent in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment like the Bindura University of Science Education's Virtual and Open Distance Learning (VODL) programme. Effective ODL education should be flexible enough to accommodate science…

Harnessing the Use of Open Learning Exchange to Support Basic Education in Science and Mathematics in the Philippines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feliciano, Josephine S.; Mandapat, Louie Carl R.; Khan, Concepcion L.

2013-01-01

This paper presents the open learning initiatives of the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology to overcome certain barriers, such as enabling access, cost of replication, timely feedback, monitoring and continuous improvement of learning modules. Using an open-education model, like MIT's (Massachusetts Institute…

PyPedia: using the wiki paradigm as crowd sourcing environment for bioinformatics protocols.

PubMed

Kanterakis, Alexandros; Kuiper, Joël; Potamias, George; Swertz, Morris A

2015-01-01

Today researchers can choose from many bioinformatics protocols for all types of life sciences research, computational environments and coding languages. Although the majority of these are open source, few of them possess all virtues to maximize reuse and promote reproducible science. Wikipedia has proven a great tool to disseminate information and enhance collaboration between users with varying expertise and background to author qualitative content via crowdsourcing. However, it remains an open question whether the wiki paradigm can be applied to bioinformatics protocols. We piloted PyPedia, a wiki where each article is both implementation and documentation of a bioinformatics computational protocol in the python language. Hyperlinks within the wiki can be used to compose complex workflows and induce reuse. A RESTful API enables code execution outside the wiki. Initial content of PyPedia contains articles for population statistics, bioinformatics format conversions and genotype imputation. Use of the easy to learn wiki syntax effectively lowers the barriers to bring expert programmers and less computer savvy researchers on the same page. PyPedia demonstrates how wiki can provide a collaborative development, sharing and even execution environment for biologists and bioinformaticians that complement existing resources, useful for local and multi-center research teams. PyPedia is available online at: http://www.pypedia.com. The source code and installation instructions are available at: https://github.com/kantale/PyPedia_server. The PyPedia python library is available at: https://github.com/kantale/pypedia. PyPedia is open-source, available under the BSD 2-Clause License.

Family Open House

Science.gov Websites

Search Family Open House Join us for an afternoon of science fun. The Fermilab Family Open House is a party for children of all ages to learn about the world of physics. The Open House is supported by Open House? Check out our YouTube video to learn more! Explore physics concepts with hands-on

Supporting Learning in the Digital Age: E-Learning Strategies for NOUN (National Open University of Nigeria)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nkechinyere, Amadi Martha

2011-01-01

E-learning has long been celebrated as the solution to access in education. There seems to be a belief worldwide that by including e-learning technologies in learning packages, learners' success and economies of scale will be ensured in ODL (open and distance learning). New innovations like the internet and mobile technologies provide a great…

Signal information available for plume source tracking with and without surface waves and learning by undergraduates assisting with the research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiley, Megan Beth

Autonomous vehicles have had limited success in locating point sources of pollutants, chemicals, and other passive scalars. However, animals such as stomatopods, a mantis shrimp, track odor plumes easily for food, mates, and habitat. Laboratory experiments using Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence measured odor concentration downstream of a diffusive source with and without live stomatopods to investigate their source-tracking strategies in unidirectional and "wave-affected" (surface waves with a mean current) flows. Despite the dearth of signal, extreme temporal variation, and meandering plume centerline, the stomatopods were able to locate the source, especially in the wave-affected flow. Differences in the two plumes far from the source (>160 cm) appeared to help the animals in the wave-affected flow position themselves closer to the source (<70 cm) at times with relatively large amounts of odor and plume filaments of high concentration. At the height of the animals' antennules, the site of their primary chemosensors, the time-averaged Reynolds stresses in the two flows were approximately the same. The temporal variation in stresses over the wave cycle may be responsible for differences in the two plumes. The antennule height falls between a region of large peaks in Reynolds stress in phase with peaks in streamwise acceleration, and a lower region with a smaller Reynolds stress peak in phase with maximum shear during flow reversal. Six undergraduate students assisted with the research. We documented their daily activities and ideas on plume dispersion using open-ended interviews. Most of their time was spent on tasks that required no understanding of fluid mechanics, and there was little evidence of learning by participation in the RAship. One RA's conceptions of turbulence did change, but a group workshop seemed to support this learning more than the RAship. The documented conceptions could aid in curriculum design, since situating new information within current knowledge seems to deepen learning outcomes. The RAs' conceptions varied widely with some overlap of ideas. The interviews also showed that most RAs did not discuss molecular diffusion as part of the mixing process and some remembered information from course demonstrations, but applied them inappropriately to the interview questions.

The successes and challenges of open-source biopharmaceutical innovation.

PubMed

Allarakhia, Minna

2014-05-01

Increasingly, open-source-based alliances seek to provide broad access to data, research-based tools, preclinical samples and downstream compounds. The challenge is how to create value from open-source biopharmaceutical innovation. This value creation may occur via transparency and usage of data across the biopharmaceutical value chain as stakeholders move dynamically between open source and open innovation. In this article, several examples are used to trace the evolution of biopharmaceutical open-source initiatives. The article specifically discusses the technological challenges associated with the integration and standardization of big data; the human capacity development challenges associated with skill development around big data usage; and the data-material access challenge associated with data and material access and usage rights, particularly as the boundary between open source and open innovation becomes more fluid. It is the author's opinion that the assessment of when and how value creation will occur, through open-source biopharmaceutical innovation, is paramount. The key is to determine the metrics of value creation and the necessary technological, educational and legal frameworks to support the downstream outcomes of now big data-based open-source initiatives. The continued focus on the early-stage value creation is not advisable. Instead, it would be more advisable to adopt an approach where stakeholders transform open-source initiatives into open-source discovery, crowdsourcing and open product development partnerships on the same platform.

Learning topography with Tangible Landscape games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrasova, A.; Tabrizian, P.; Harmon, B. A.; Petras, V.; Millar, G.; Mitasova, H.; Meentemeyer, R. K.

2017-12-01

Understanding topography and its representations is crucial for correct interpretation and modeling of surface processes. However, novice earth science and landscape architecture students often find reading topographic maps challenging. As a result, many students struggle to comprehend more complex spatial concepts and processes such as flow accumulation or sediment transport.We developed and tested a new method for teaching hydrology, geomorphology, and grading using Tangible Landscape—a tangible interface for geospatial modeling. Tangible Landscape couples a physical and digital model of a landscape through a real-time cycle of hands-on modeling, 3D scanning, geospatial computation, and projection. With Tangible Landscape students can sculpt a projection-augmented topographic model of a landscape with their hands and use a variety of tangible objects to immediately see how they are changing geospatial analytics such as contours, profiles, water flow, or landform types. By feeling and manipulating the shape of the topography, while seeing projected geospatial analytics, students can intuitively learn about 3D topographic form, its representations, and how topography controls physical processes. Tangible Landscape is powered by GRASS GIS, an open source geospatial platform with extensive libraries for geospatial modeling and analysis. As such, Tangible Landscape can be used to design a wide range of learning experiences across a large number of geoscience disciplines.As part of a graduate level course that teaches grading, 16 students participated in a series of workshops, which were developed as serious games to encourage learning through structured play. These serious games included 1) diverting rain water to a specified location with minimal changes to landscape, 2) building different combinations of landforms, and 3) reconstructing landscapes based on projected contour information with feedback.In this poster, we will introduce Tangible Landscape, and describe the games and their implementation. We will then present preliminary results of a user experience survey we conducted as part of the workshops. All developed materials and software are open source and available online.

Remix as Professional Learning: Educators' Iterative Literacy Practice in CLMOOC

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Anna; West-Puckett, Stephanie; Cantrill, Christina; Zamora, Mia

2016-01-01

The Connected Learning Massive Open Online Collaboration (CLMOOC) is an online professional development experience designed as an openly networked, production-centered, participatory learning collaboration for educators. Addressing the paucity of research that investigates learning processes in MOOC experiences, this paper examines the situated…

Machine Learning for Medical Imaging

PubMed Central

Korfiatis, Panagiotis; Akkus, Zeynettin; Kline, Timothy L.

2017-01-01

Machine learning is a technique for recognizing patterns that can be applied to medical images. Although it is a powerful tool that can help in rendering medical diagnoses, it can be misapplied. Machine learning typically begins with the machine learning algorithm system computing the image features that are believed to be of importance in making the prediction or diagnosis of interest. The machine learning algorithm system then identifies the best combination of these image features for classifying the image or computing some metric for the given image region. There are several methods that can be used, each with different strengths and weaknesses. There are open-source versions of most of these machine learning methods that make them easy to try and apply to images. Several metrics for measuring the performance of an algorithm exist; however, one must be aware of the possible associated pitfalls that can result in misleading metrics. More recently, deep learning has started to be used; this method has the benefit that it does not require image feature identification and calculation as a first step; rather, features are identified as part of the learning process. Machine learning has been used in medical imaging and will have a greater influence in the future. Those working in medical imaging must be aware of how machine learning works. ©RSNA, 2017 PMID:28212054

Machine Learning for Medical Imaging.

PubMed

Erickson, Bradley J; Korfiatis, Panagiotis; Akkus, Zeynettin; Kline, Timothy L

2017-01-01

Machine learning is a technique for recognizing patterns that can be applied to medical images. Although it is a powerful tool that can help in rendering medical diagnoses, it can be misapplied. Machine learning typically begins with the machine learning algorithm system computing the image features that are believed to be of importance in making the prediction or diagnosis of interest. The machine learning algorithm system then identifies the best combination of these image features for classifying the image or computing some metric for the given image region. There are several methods that can be used, each with different strengths and weaknesses. There are open-source versions of most of these machine learning methods that make them easy to try and apply to images. Several metrics for measuring the performance of an algorithm exist; however, one must be aware of the possible associated pitfalls that can result in misleading metrics. More recently, deep learning has started to be used; this method has the benefit that it does not require image feature identification and calculation as a first step; rather, features are identified as part of the learning process. Machine learning has been used in medical imaging and will have a greater influence in the future. Those working in medical imaging must be aware of how machine learning works. © RSNA, 2017.

Bat detective-Deep learning tools for bat acoustic signal detection.

PubMed

Mac Aodha, Oisin; Gibb, Rory; Barlow, Kate E; Browning, Ella; Firman, Michael; Freeman, Robin; Harder, Briana; Kinsey, Libby; Mead, Gary R; Newson, Stuart E; Pandourski, Ivan; Parsons, Stuart; Russ, Jon; Szodoray-Paradi, Abigel; Szodoray-Paradi, Farkas; Tilova, Elena; Girolami, Mark; Brostow, Gabriel; Jones, Kate E

2018-03-01

Passive acoustic sensing has emerged as a powerful tool for quantifying anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, especially for echolocating bat species. To better assess bat population trends there is a critical need for accurate, reliable, and open source tools that allow the detection and classification of bat calls in large collections of audio recordings. The majority of existing tools are commercial or have focused on the species classification task, neglecting the important problem of first localizing echolocation calls in audio which is particularly problematic in noisy recordings. We developed a convolutional neural network based open-source pipeline for detecting ultrasonic, full-spectrum, search-phase calls produced by echolocating bats. Our deep learning algorithms were trained on full-spectrum ultrasonic audio collected along road-transects across Europe and labelled by citizen scientists from www.batdetective.org. When compared to other existing algorithms and commercial systems, we show significantly higher detection performance of search-phase echolocation calls with our test sets. As an example application, we ran our detection pipeline on bat monitoring data collected over five years from Jersey (UK), and compared results to a widely-used commercial system. Our detection pipeline can be used for the automatic detection and monitoring of bat populations, and further facilitates their use as indicator species on a large scale. Our proposed pipeline makes only a small number of bat specific design decisions, and with appropriate training data it could be applied to detecting other species in audio. A crucial novelty of our work is showing that with careful, non-trivial, design and implementation considerations, state-of-the-art deep learning methods can be used for accurate and efficient monitoring in audio.

Bat detective—Deep learning tools for bat acoustic signal detection

PubMed Central

Barlow, Kate E.; Firman, Michael; Freeman, Robin; Harder, Briana; Kinsey, Libby; Mead, Gary R.; Newson, Stuart E.; Pandourski, Ivan; Russ, Jon; Szodoray-Paradi, Abigel; Tilova, Elena; Girolami, Mark; Jones, Kate E.

2018-01-01

Passive acoustic sensing has emerged as a powerful tool for quantifying anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, especially for echolocating bat species. To better assess bat population trends there is a critical need for accurate, reliable, and open source tools that allow the detection and classification of bat calls in large collections of audio recordings. The majority of existing tools are commercial or have focused on the species classification task, neglecting the important problem of first localizing echolocation calls in audio which is particularly problematic in noisy recordings. We developed a convolutional neural network based open-source pipeline for detecting ultrasonic, full-spectrum, search-phase calls produced by echolocating bats. Our deep learning algorithms were trained on full-spectrum ultrasonic audio collected along road-transects across Europe and labelled by citizen scientists from www.batdetective.org. When compared to other existing algorithms and commercial systems, we show significantly higher detection performance of search-phase echolocation calls with our test sets. As an example application, we ran our detection pipeline on bat monitoring data collected over five years from Jersey (UK), and compared results to a widely-used commercial system. Our detection pipeline can be used for the automatic detection and monitoring of bat populations, and further facilitates their use as indicator species on a large scale. Our proposed pipeline makes only a small number of bat specific design decisions, and with appropriate training data it could be applied to detecting other species in audio. A crucial novelty of our work is showing that with careful, non-trivial, design and implementation considerations, state-of-the-art deep learning methods can be used for accurate and efficient monitoring in audio. PMID:29518076

Use of a Machine Learning-Based High Content Analysis Approach to Identify Photoreceptor Neurite Promoting Molecules.

PubMed

Fuller, John A; Berlinicke, Cynthia A; Inglese, James; Zack, Donald J

2016-01-01

High content analysis (HCA) has become a leading methodology in phenotypic drug discovery efforts. Typical HCA workflows include imaging cells using an automated microscope and analyzing the data using algorithms designed to quantify one or more specific phenotypes of interest. Due to the richness of high content data, unappreciated phenotypic changes may be discovered in existing image sets using interactive machine-learning based software systems. Primary postnatal day four retinal cells from the photoreceptor (PR) labeled QRX-EGFP reporter mice were isolated, seeded, treated with a set of 234 profiled kinase inhibitors and then cultured for 1 week. The cells were imaged with an Acumen plate-based laser cytometer to determine the number and intensity of GFP-expressing, i.e. PR, cells. Wells displaying intensities and counts above threshold values of interest were re-imaged at a higher resolution with an INCell2000 automated microscope. The images were analyzed with an open source HCA analysis tool, PhenoRipper (Rajaram et al., Nat Methods 9:635-637, 2012), to identify the high GFP-inducing treatments that additionally resulted in diverse phenotypes compared to the vehicle control samples. The pyrimidinopyrimidone kinase inhibitor CHEMBL-1766490, a pan kinase inhibitor whose major known targets are p38α and the Src family member lck, was identified as an inducer of photoreceptor neuritogenesis by using the open-source HCA program PhenoRipper. This finding was corroborated using a cell-based method of image analysis that measures quantitative differences in the mean neurite length in GFP expressing cells. Interacting with data using machine learning algorithms may complement traditional HCA approaches by leading to the discovery of small molecule-induced cellular phenotypes in addition to those upon which the investigator is initially focusing.

The Martian Goes To College: Open Inquiry with Science Fiction in the Classroom.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beatty, L.; Patterson, J. D.

2015-12-01

Storytelling is an ancient art; one that can get lost in the reams of data available in a typical geology or astronomy classroom. But storytelling draws us to a magical place. Our students, with prior experience in either a geology or astronomy course, were invited to explore Mars in a special topics course at Johnson County Community College through reading The Martian by Andy Weir. As they traveled with astronaut Mark Watney, the students used Google Mars, Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing (JMARS), and learning modules from the Mars for Earthlings web site to investigate the terrain and the processes at work in the past and present on Mars. Our goal was to apply their understanding of processes on Earth in order to explain and predict what they observed on Mars courtesy of the remote sensing opportunities available from Viking, Pathfinder, the Mars Exploration Rovers, and Maven missions; sort of an inter-planetary uniformitarianism. Astronaut Mark Watney's fictional journey from Acidalia Planitia to Schiaparelli Crater was analyzed using learning modules in Mars for Earthlings and exercises that we developed based on Google Mars, JMARS, Rotating Sky Explorer, and Science Friday podcasts. Each student also completed an individual project that either focused on a particular region that Astronaut Mark Watney traveled through or a problem that he faced. Through this open-inquiry learning style, they determined some processes that shaped Mars such as crater impacts, volcanism, fluid flow, mass movement, and groundwater sapping and also investigated the efficacy of solar energy as a power source based on location and the likelihood of regolith potential as a mineral matter source for soil.

Image-based deep learning for classification of noise transients in gravitational wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razzano, Massimiliano; Cuoco, Elena

2018-05-01

The detection of gravitational waves has inaugurated the era of gravitational astronomy and opened new avenues for the multimessenger study of cosmic sources. Thanks to their sensitivity, the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo interferometers will probe a much larger volume of space and expand the capability of discovering new gravitational wave emitters. The characterization of these detectors is a primary task in order to recognize the main sources of noise and optimize the sensitivity of interferometers. Glitches are transient noise events that can impact the data quality of the interferometers and their classification is an important task for detector characterization. Deep learning techniques are a promising tool for the recognition and classification of glitches. We present a classification pipeline that exploits convolutional neural networks to classify glitches starting from their time-frequency evolution represented as images. We evaluated the classification accuracy on simulated glitches, showing that the proposed algorithm can automatically classify glitches on very fast timescales and with high accuracy, thus providing a promising tool for online detector characterization.

Strategies for fitting nonlinear ecological models in R, AD Model Builder, and BUGS

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bolker, Benjamin M.; Gardner, Beth; Maunder, Mark; Berg, Casper W.; Brooks, Mollie; Comita, Liza; Crone, Elizabeth; Cubaynes, Sarah; Davies, Trevor; de Valpine, Perry; Ford, Jessica; Gimenez, Olivier; Kéry, Marc; Kim, Eun Jung; Lennert-Cody, Cleridy; Magunsson, Arni; Martell, Steve; Nash, John; Nielson, Anders; Regentz, Jim; Skaug, Hans; Zipkin, Elise

2013-01-01

1. Ecologists often use nonlinear fitting techniques to estimate the parameters of complex ecological models, with attendant frustration. This paper compares three open-source model fitting tools and discusses general strategies for defining and fitting models. 2. R is convenient and (relatively) easy to learn, AD Model Builder is fast and robust but comes with a steep learning curve, while BUGS provides the greatest flexibility at the price of speed. 3. Our model-fitting suggestions range from general cultural advice (where possible, use the tools and models that are most common in your subfield) to specific suggestions about how to change the mathematical description of models to make them more amenable to parameter estimation. 4. A companion web site (https://groups.nceas.ucsb.edu/nonlinear-modeling/projects) presents detailed examples of application of the three tools to a variety of typical ecological estimation problems; each example links both to a detailed project report and to full source code and data.

Benchmarking for Bayesian Reinforcement Learning

PubMed Central

Ernst, Damien; Couëtoux, Adrien

2016-01-01

In the Bayesian Reinforcement Learning (BRL) setting, agents try to maximise the collected rewards while interacting with their environment while using some prior knowledge that is accessed beforehand. Many BRL algorithms have already been proposed, but the benchmarks used to compare them are only relevant for specific cases. The paper addresses this problem, and provides a new BRL comparison methodology along with the corresponding open source library. In this methodology, a comparison criterion that measures the performance of algorithms on large sets of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) drawn from some probability distributions is defined. In order to enable the comparison of non-anytime algorithms, our methodology also includes a detailed analysis of the computation time requirement of each algorithm. Our library is released with all source code and documentation: it includes three test problems, each of which has two different prior distributions, and seven state-of-the-art RL algorithms. Finally, our library is illustrated by comparing all the available algorithms and the results are discussed. PMID:27304891

Benchmarking for Bayesian Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Castronovo, Michael; Ernst, Damien; Couëtoux, Adrien; Fonteneau, Raphael

2016-01-01

In the Bayesian Reinforcement Learning (BRL) setting, agents try to maximise the collected rewards while interacting with their environment while using some prior knowledge that is accessed beforehand. Many BRL algorithms have already been proposed, but the benchmarks used to compare them are only relevant for specific cases. The paper addresses this problem, and provides a new BRL comparison methodology along with the corresponding open source library. In this methodology, a comparison criterion that measures the performance of algorithms on large sets of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) drawn from some probability distributions is defined. In order to enable the comparison of non-anytime algorithms, our methodology also includes a detailed analysis of the computation time requirement of each algorithm. Our library is released with all source code and documentation: it includes three test problems, each of which has two different prior distributions, and seven state-of-the-art RL algorithms. Finally, our library is illustrated by comparing all the available algorithms and the results are discussed.

A convolutional neural network approach to calibrating the rotation axis for X-ray computed tomography.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaogang; De Carlo, Francesco; Phatak, Charudatta; Gürsoy, Dogˇa

2017-03-01

This paper presents an algorithm to calibrate the center-of-rotation for X-ray tomography by using a machine learning approach, the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The algorithm shows excellent accuracy from the evaluation of synthetic data with various noise ratios. It is further validated with experimental data of four different shale samples measured at the Advanced Photon Source and at the Swiss Light Source. The results are as good as those determined by visual inspection and show better robustness than conventional methods. CNN has also great potential for reducing or removing other artifacts caused by instrument instability, detector non-linearity, etc. An open-source toolbox, which integrates the CNN methods described in this paper, is freely available through GitHub at tomography/xlearn and can be easily integrated into existing computational pipelines available at various synchrotron facilities. Source code, documentation and information on how to contribute are also provided.

Open for Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voyles, Bennett

2007-01-01

People know about the Sakai Project (open source course management system); they may even know about Kuali (open source financials). So, what is the next wave in open source software? This article discusses business intelligence (BI) systems. Though open source BI may still be only a rumor in most campus IT departments, some brave early adopters…

A Predictive Study of Learner Attitudes toward Open Learning in a Robotics Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avsec, Stanislav; Rihtarsic, David; Kocijancic, Slavko

2014-01-01

Open learning (OL) strives to transform teaching and learning by applying learning science and emerging technologies to increase student success, improve learning productivity, and lower barriers to access. OL of robotics has a significant growth rate in secondary and/or high schools, but failures exist. Little is known about why many users stop…

The Development of Online Tutorial Program Design Using Problem-Based Learning in Open Distance Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Said, Asnah; Syarif, Edy

2016-01-01

This research aimed to evaluate of online tutorial program design by applying problem-based learning Research Methods currently implemented in the system of Open Distance Learning (ODL). The students must take a Research Methods course to prepare themselves for academic writing projects. Problem-based learning basically emphasizes the process of…

From Reload to ReCourse: Learning from IMS Learning Design Implementations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, David; Beauvoir, Phillip; Liber, Oleg; Barrett-Baxendale, Mark

2009-01-01

The use of the Web to deliver open, distance, and flexible learning has opened up the potential for social interaction and adaptive learning, but the usability, expressivity, and interoperability of the available tools leave much to be desired. This article explores these issues as they relate to teachers and learning designers through the case of…

Exploring the Effectiveness of Self-Regulated Learning in Massive Open Online Courses on Non-Native English Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Liang-Yi

2015-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are expanding the scope of online distance learning in the creation of a cross-country global learning environment. For learners worldwide, MOOCs offer a wealth of online learning resources. However, such a diversified environment makes the learning process complicated and challenging. To achieve their…

Implications of the University of South Africa's (UNISA) Shift to Open Distance e-Learning on Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngubane-Mokiwa, Sindile A.

2017-01-01

This conceptual and exploratory article seeks to explore the implications of the University of South Africa's (Unisa) shift from open distance learning (ODL) to open distance e-learning (ODeL) on Teacher Education. In addition, the article problematizes the shift as a policy imperative. Unisa's mandate to provide teacher education opportunities to…

Knowledge Typologies for Professional Learning: Educators' (Re)Generation of Knowledge When Learning Open Educational Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hood, Nina; Littlejohn, Allison

2017-01-01

Open education resources (OER) and accompanying open education practices (OEP), are changing the education landscape. For educators to take full advantage of the opportunities OER offer they must engage in learning activities to facilitate the extension and adaption of their practice. This paper forms part of a larger study exploring how adult…

Increasing Access to Higher Education through Open and Distance Learning: Empirical Findings from Mzuzu University, Malawi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chawinga, Winner Dominic; Zozie, Paxton Andrew

2016-01-01

Slowly but surely, open and distance learning (ODL) programmes are being regarded as one of the most practical ways that universities across the world are increasingly adopting in order to increase access to university education. Likewise, Mzuzu University (MZUNI) set up the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL) to oversee the running of…

Building Capacity for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in West Africa Sub-Region: The Pivotal Role of RETRIDAL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amini, Clifford; Oluyide, Oluwaseun

2016-01-01

The paper posits the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDAL) as an institution established for the purpose of enhancing Open and Distance Learning in the West African sub-region. The institute has pursued this mandate with an unparalleled vigour since its establishment in 2003--a partnership of the…

Enrolment Statistics in Open Learning Systems. Coombe Lodge Working Paper. Information Bank Number 1582.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latcham, Jack

The development and extension of open learning systems in British institutions of further and higher education has given rise to a need for changes in the methods of recording student progress. Open learning systems' provision of a wide flexibility of pace so that students can extend or compress their periods of study as compared with traditional…

Something for Everyone? The Different Approaches of Academic Disciplines to Open Educational Resources and the Effect on Widening Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coughlan, Tony; Perryman, Leigh-Anne

2011-01-01

This article explores the relationship between academic disciplines' representation in the United Kingdom Open University's (OU) OpenLearn open educational resources (OER) repository and in the OU's fee-paying curriculum. Becher's (1989) typology was used to subdivide the OpenLearn and OU fee-paying curriculum content into four disciplinary…

Toward interactive context-aware affective educational recommendations in computer-assisted language learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Olga C.; Saneiro, Mar; Boticario, Jesus G.; Rodriguez-Sanchez, M. C.

2016-01-01

This work explores the benefits of supporting learners affectively in a context-aware learning situation. This features a new challenge in related literature in terms of providing affective educational recommendations that take advantage of ambient intelligence and are delivered through actuators available in the environment, thus going beyond previous approaches which provided computer-based recommendation that present some text or tell aloud the learner what to do. To address this open issue, we have applied TORMES elicitation methodology, which has been used to investigate the potential of ambient intelligence for making more interactive recommendations in an emotionally challenging scenario (i.e. preparing for the oral examination of a second language learning course). Arduino open source electronics prototyping platform is used both to sense changes in the learners' affective state and to deliver the recommendation in a more interactive way through different complementary sensory communication channels (sight, hearing, touch) to cope with a universal design. An Ambient Intelligence Context-aware Affective Recommender Platform (AICARP) has been built to support the whole experience, which represents a progress in the state of the art. In particular, we have come up with what is most likely the first interactive context-aware affective educational recommendation. The value of this contribution lies in discussing methodological and practical issues involved.

Citizen social science: a methodology to facilitate and evaluate workplace learning in continuing interprofessional education.

PubMed

Dadich, Ann

2014-05-01

Workplace learning in continuing interprofessional education (CIPE) can be difficult to facilitate and evaluate, which can create a number of challenges for this type of learning. This article presents an innovative method to foster and investigate workplace learning in CIPE - citizen social science. Citizen social science involves clinicians as co-researchers in the systematic examination of social phenomena. When facilitated by an open-source online social networking platform, clinicians can participate via computer, smartphone, or tablet in ways that suit their needs and preferences. Furthermore, as co-researchers they can help to reveal the dynamic interplay that facilitates workplace learning in CIPE. Although yet to be tested, citizen social science offers four potential benefits: it recognises and accommodates the complexity of workplace learning in CIPE; it has the capacity to both foster and evaluate the phenomena; it can be used in situ, capturing and having direct relevance to the complexity of the workplace; and by advancing both theoretical and methodological debates on CIPE, it may reveal opportunities to improve and sustain workplace learning. By describing an example situated in the youth health sector, this article demonstrates how these benefits might be realised.

Biopython: freely available Python tools for computational molecular biology and bioinformatics

PubMed Central

Cock, Peter J. A.; Antao, Tiago; Chang, Jeffrey T.; Chapman, Brad A.; Cox, Cymon J.; Dalke, Andrew; Friedberg, Iddo; Hamelryck, Thomas; Kauff, Frank; Wilczynski, Bartek; de Hoon, Michiel J. L.

2009-01-01

Summary: The Biopython project is a mature open source international collaboration of volunteer developers, providing Python libraries for a wide range of bioinformatics problems. Biopython includes modules for reading and writing different sequence file formats and multiple sequence alignments, dealing with 3D macro molecular structures, interacting with common tools such as BLAST, ClustalW and EMBOSS, accessing key online databases, as well as providing numerical methods for statistical learning. Availability: Biopython is freely available, with documentation and source code at www.biopython.org under the Biopython license. Contact: All queries should be directed to the Biopython mailing lists, see www.biopython.org/wiki/_Mailing_listspeter.cock@scri.ac.uk. PMID:19304878

The Commercial Open Source Business Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riehle, Dirk

Commercial open source software projects are open source software projects that are owned by a single firm that derives a direct and significant revenue stream from the software. Commercial open source at first glance represents an economic paradox: How can a firm earn money if it is making its product available for free as open source? This paper presents the core properties of com mercial open source business models and discusses how they work. Using a commercial open source approach, firms can get to market faster with a superior product at lower cost than possible for traditional competitors. The paper shows how these benefits accrue from an engaged and self-supporting user community. Lacking any prior comprehensive reference, this paper is based on an analysis of public statements by practitioners of commercial open source. It forges the various anecdotes into a coherent description of revenue generation strategies and relevant business functions.

Using i2b2 to Bootstrap Rural Health Analytics and Learning Networks

PubMed Central

Harris, Daniel R.; Baus, Adam D.; Harper, Tamela J.; Jarrett, Traci D.; Pollard, Cecil R.; Talbert, Jeffery C.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate that the open-source i2b2 (Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside) data model can be used to bootstrap rural health analytics and learning networks. These networks promote communication and research initiatives by providing the infrastructure necessary for sharing data and insights across a group of healthcare and research partners. Data integration remains a crucial challenge in connecting rural healthcare sites with a common data sharing and learning network due to the lack of interoperability and standards within electronic health records. The i2b2 data model acts as a point of convergence for disparate data from multiple healthcare sites. A consistent and natural data model for healthcare data is essential for overcoming integration issues, but challenges such as those caused by weak data standardization must still be addressed. We describe our experience in the context of building the West Virginia/Kentucky Health Analytics and Learning Network, a collaborative, multi-state effort connecting rural healthcare sites. PMID:28261006

Using i2b2 to Bootstrap Rural Health Analytics and Learning Networks.

PubMed

Harris, Daniel R; Baus, Adam D; Harper, Tamela J; Jarrett, Traci D; Pollard, Cecil R; Talbert, Jeffery C

2016-08-01

We demonstrate that the open-source i2b2 (Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside) data model can be used to bootstrap rural health analytics and learning networks. These networks promote communication and research initiatives by providing the infrastructure necessary for sharing data and insights across a group of healthcare and research partners. Data integration remains a crucial challenge in connecting rural healthcare sites with a common data sharing and learning network due to the lack of interoperability and standards within electronic health records. The i2b2 data model acts as a point of convergence for disparate data from multiple healthcare sites. A consistent and natural data model for healthcare data is essential for overcoming integration issues, but challenges such as those caused by weak data standardization must still be addressed. We describe our experience in the context of building the West Virginia/Kentucky Health Analytics and Learning Network, a collaborative, multi-state effort connecting rural healthcare sites.

The development of a learning management system for dental radiology education: A technical report.

PubMed

Chang, Hee-Jin; Symkhampha, Khanthaly; Huh, Kyung-Hoe; Yi, Won-Jin; Heo, Min-Suk; Lee, Sam-Sun; Choi, Soon-Chul

2017-03-01

This study was conducted to suggest the development of a learning management system for dental radiology education using the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle). Moodle is a well-known and verified open-source software-learning management system (OSS-LMS). The Moodle software was installed on a server computer and customized for dental radiology education. The system was implemented for teaching undergraduate students to diagnose dental caries in panoramic images. Questions were chosen that could assess students' diagnosis ability. Students were given several questions corre-sponding to each of 100 panoramic images. The installation and customization of Moodle was feasible, cost-effective, and time-saving. By having students answer questions repeatedly, it was possible to train them to examine panoramic images sequentially and thoroughly. Based on its educational efficiency and efficacy, the adaptation of an OSS-LMS in dental school may be highly recommended. The system could be extended to continuing education for dentists. Further studies on the objective evaluation of knowledge acquisition and retention are needed.

Guided Tour of Pythonian Museum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, H. Joe

2017-01-01

At http:hdfeos.orgzoo, we have a large collection of Python examples of dealing with NASA HDF (Hierarchical Data Format) products. During this hands-on Python tutorial session, we'll present a few common hacks to access and visualize local NASA HDF data. We'll also cover how to access remote data served by OPeNDAP (Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol). As a glue language, we will demonstrate how you can use Python for your data workflow - from searching data to analyzing data with machine learning.

Modeling the History of Astronomy: Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timberlake, Todd K.

This paper describes a series of activities in which students investigate and use the Ptolemaic, Copernican, and Tychonic models of planetary motion. The activities guide students through using open source software to discover important observational facts, learn the necessary vocabulary, understand the fundamental properties of different theoretical models, and relate the theoretical models to observational data. After completing these activities students can make observations of a fictitious solar system and use those observations to construct models for that system.

Reference software implementation for GIFTS ground data processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, R. K.; Howell, H. B.; Knuteson, R. O.; Martin, G. D.; Olson, E. R.; Smuga-Otto, M. J.

2006-08-01

Future satellite weather instruments such as high spectral resolution imaging interferometers pose a challenge to the atmospheric science and software development communities due to the immense data volumes they will generate. An open-source, scalable reference software implementation demonstrating the calibration of radiance products from an imaging interferometer, the Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer1 (GIFTS), is presented. This paper covers essential design principles laid out in summary system diagrams, lessons learned during implementation and preliminary test results from the GIFTS Information Processing System (GIPS) prototype.

Deep learning for media analysis in defense scenariosan evaluation of an open source framework for object detection in intelligence related image sets

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

Training time statistics from Jones’ thesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Table 2.2 Evaluation runtime statistics from Camp’s thesis for a single image. 17...Table 2.3 Training and evaluation runtime statistics from Sharpe’s thesis. . . 19 Table 2.4 Sharpe’s screenshot detector results for combinations of...training resources available and time required for each algorithm Jones [15] tested. Table 2.1. Training time statistics from Jones’ [15] thesis. Algorithm

Outdoor Education: Opening and Closing Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingie, Walter, Comp.

Opening activites (to create an atmosphere of cooperation and a desire to work, explore, and learn together) and closing activities (to summarize what has happened or been learned) for outdoor education programs are described. All activities are intended to incite enthusiasm to learn and make the learning activity a desired, joyful experience.…

Do Open Educational Resources and Cloud Classroom Really Improve Students' Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chia-Wen; Shen, Pei-Di

2014-01-01

More and more educational institutions are using educational technologies and online learning materials to help students achieve satisfactory learning effects. However, not all teachers are able to prepare and design digital learning materials for students. This research attempted to empirically demonstrate the effects of applying open educational…

Mobile Learning: Readiness and Perceptions of Teachers of Open Universities of Commonwealth Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miglani, Anshu; Awadhiya, Ashish Kumar

2017-01-01

Integration of "Mobile Learning" (m-learning) in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) systems can play a crucial role in reducing the "Digital Divide" and strengthening "Democratization of Education" by providing quality educational opportunities and access to information quickly at affordable cost in Commonwealth Asian…

Exploring Moodle Functionality for Managing Open Distance Learning E-Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koneru, Indira

2017-01-01

Current and emerging technologies enable Open Distance Learning (ODL) institutions integrate e-Learning in innovative ways and add value to the existing teaching-learning and assessment processes. ODL e-Assessment systems have evolved from Computer Assisted/Aided Assessment (CAA) systems through intelligent assessment and feedback systems.…

A Computer Learning Center for Environmental Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustard, John F.

2000-01-01

In the fall of 1998, MacMillan Hall opened at Brown University to students. In MacMillan Hall was the new Computer Learning Center, since named the EarthLab which was outfitted with high-end workstations and peripherals primarily focused on the use of remotely sensed and other spatial data in the environmental sciences. The NASA grant we received as part of the "Centers of Excellence in Applications of Remote Sensing to Regional and Global Integrated Environmental Assessments" was the primary source of funds to outfit this learning and research center. Since opening, we have expanded the range of learning and research opportunities and integrated a cross-campus network of disciplines who have come together to learn and use spatial data of all kinds. The EarthLab also forms a core of undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research on environmental problems that draw upon the unique perspective of remotely sensed data. Over the last two years, the Earthlab has been a center for research on the environmental impact of water resource use in and regions, impact of the green revolution on forest cover in India, the design of forest preserves in Vietnam, and detailed assessments of the utility of thermal and hyperspectral data for water quality analysis. It has also been used extensively for local environmental activities, in particular studies on the impact of lead on the health of urban children in Rhode Island. Finally, the EarthLab has also served as a key educational and analysis center for activities related to the Brown University Affiliated Research Center that is devoted to transferring university research to the private sector.

Developing a new experimental system for an undergraduate laboratory exercise to teach theories of visuomotor learning.

PubMed

Kasuga, Shoko; Ushiba, Junichi

2014-01-01

Humans have a flexible motor ability to adapt their movements to changes in the internal/external environment. For example, using arm-reaching tasks, a number of studies experimentally showed that participants adapt to a novel visuomotor environment. These results helped develop computational models of motor learning implemented in the central nervous system. Despite the importance of such experimental paradigms for exploring the mechanisms of motor learning, because of the cost and preparation time, most students are unable to participate in such experiments. Therefore, in the current study, to help students better understand motor learning theories, we developed a simple finger-reaching experimental system using commonly used laptop PC components with an open-source programming language (Processing Motor Learning Toolkit: PMLT). We found that compared to a commercially available robotic arm-reaching device, our PMLT accomplished similar learning goals (difference in the error reduction between the devices, P = 0.10). In addition, consistent with previous reports from visuomotor learning studies, the participants showed after-effects indicating an adaptation of the motor learning system. The results suggest that PMLT can serve as a new experimental system for an undergraduate laboratory exercise of motor learning theories with minimal time and cost for instructors.

Telemedicine and pediatric radiology: a new environment for training, learning, and interactive discussions.

PubMed

Monteiro, Alexandra M V; Corrêa, Diogo Goulart; Santos, Alair Augusto Sarmet M D; Cavalcanti, Silvio A; Sakuno, Telma; Filgueiras, Tereza; Just, Eduardo; Santos, Munique; Messina, Luiz Ary; Haddad, Ana Estela; Marchiori, Edson

2011-12-01

To report the experience of the Brazilian Program of Pediatric Teleradiology in combining teleconferencing and a virtual learning environment for services integration, collaborative research, and continuing education in pediatric radiology. We performed virtual meetings from March 2005 to October 2010 on pediatric radiology-related themes, using a combination of videoconferences and Web conferences, which were recorded and made available in an open-source software (Moodle) for reuse. We performed 58 virtual sessions: 29 anatomical-clinical-radiological sessions, 28 on upgrading themes, and 1 virtual symposium. The average of connected points was 12 by videoconference and 39 by Web conference, and of 450 participants per event. At the time of this writing, 318 physicians and students are registered in the virtual learning environment, with a total of 14,678 accesses. Telemedicine is being included in pediatric radiology practice, as a means for distance education, training, and continuing integration between groups.

From Learning in Coffee Houses to Learning with Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peter, Sandra; Farrell, Lesley

2013-01-01

What is "open" about Open Educational Resources? How does education become "open" when it is removed from the institutional housing of the school or the university and develops in public social settings? Has the Internet, in providing educational content without cost and free of copyright restrictions, provoked a unique and…

Astronomy for Astronomical Numbers - Education and Public Outreach with Massive Open Online Classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impey, C.; Buxner, S.; Wenger, M.; Formanek, M.

2015-12-01

Massive Open Online Classes (MOOCs) represent a powerful new mode of education and public outreach. While early hype has often given way to disappointment over the typically low completion rates, retaining the interest of free-choice learners is always a challenge, and the worldwide reach and low cost of of these online classes is a democratizing influence in higher education. We have used providers Udemy and Coursera to reach over 60,000 adults with an astronomy course that covers the recent research results across the subject from comets to cosmology. In addition to measures of participation, completion, and performance, we have administered surveys of the learners that measure science literacy, attitudes towards science and technology, and sources of information about science. Beyond the usual core of video lectures and quizzes, we have used peer reviewed writing assignments, observing project, and citizen science to create a richer learning environment. Research on MOOCs is still in its early stages, but we hope to learn what factors contribute most to student engagement and completion in these online settings.

Integrating Symbolic and Statistical Methods for Testing Intelligent Systems Applications to Machine Learning and Computer Vision

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jha, Sumit Kumar; Pullum, Laura L; Ramanathan, Arvind

Embedded intelligent systems ranging from tiny im- plantable biomedical devices to large swarms of autonomous un- manned aerial systems are becoming pervasive in our daily lives. While we depend on the flawless functioning of such intelligent systems, and often take their behavioral correctness and safety for granted, it is notoriously difficult to generate test cases that expose subtle errors in the implementations of machine learning algorithms. Hence, the validation of intelligent systems is usually achieved by studying their behavior on representative data sets, using methods such as cross-validation and bootstrapping.In this paper, we present a new testing methodology for studyingmore » the correctness of intelligent systems. Our approach uses symbolic decision procedures coupled with statistical hypothesis testing to. We also use our algorithm to analyze the robustness of a human detection algorithm built using the OpenCV open-source computer vision library. We show that the human detection implementation can fail to detect humans in perturbed video frames even when the perturbations are so small that the corresponding frames look identical to the naked eye.« less

Creating interactive physics simulations using the power of GeoGebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, Tom

2017-05-01

I have long incorporated physics simulations in my physics teaching, and truly appreciate those who have made their simulations available to the public. I often would think of an idea for a simulation I would love to be able to use, but with no real programming background I did not know how I could make my own. That was the case until I discovered GeoGebra, which is an open source software offering "Dynamic Mathematics for Teaching and Learning." GeoGebra is freely available for non-commercial users. It is powerful, easy to learn, and versatile. There are versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as tablet and phone versions. It can also be run directly from a Chrome browser.

Engineering Good: How Engineering Metaphors Help us to Understand the Moral Life and Change Society

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Engineering can learn from ethics, but ethics can also learn from engineering. In this paper, I discuss what engineering metaphors can teach us about practical philosophy. Using metaphors such as calculation, performance, and open source, I articulate two opposing views of morality and politics: one that relies on images related to engineering as science and one that draws on images of engineering practice. I argue that the latter view and its metaphors provide a more adequate way to understand and guide the moral life. Responding to two problems of alienation and taking into account developments such as Fab Lab I then further explore the implications of this view for engineering and society. PMID:19722107

Open-source software: not quite endsville.

PubMed

Stahl, Matthew T

2005-02-01

Open-source software will never achieve ubiquity. There are environments in which it simply does not flourish. By its nature, open-source development requires free exchange of ideas, community involvement, and the efforts of talented and dedicated individuals. However, pressures can come from several sources that prevent this from happening. In addition, openness and complex licensing issues invite misuse and abuse. Care must be taken to avoid the pitfalls of open-source software.

Developing an Open Source Option for NASA Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Patrick J.; Parks, John W. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

We present arguments in favor of developing an Open Source option for NASA software; in particular we discuss how Open Source is compatible with NASA's mission. We compare and contrast several of the leading Open Source licenses, and propose one - the Mozilla license - for use by NASA. We also address some of the related issues for NASA with respect to Open Source. In particular, we discuss some of the elements in the External Release of NASA Software document (NPG 2210.1A) that will likely have to be changed in order to make Open Source a reality withm the agency.

Facilitating learning through an international virtual collaborative practice: A case study.

PubMed

Wihlborg, Monne; Friberg, Elizabeth E; Rose, Karen M; Eastham, Linda

2018-02-01

Internationalisation of higher education involving information and communication technology such as e-learning opens opportunities for innovative learning approaches across nations and cultures. Describe a case in practice of collaborative and transformative learning in relation to 'internationalisation on home grounds' with the broader learning objective of 'becoming aware and knowledgeable'. A mutually developed project established a virtual international collaborative exchange for faculty and students using a course management software (MOODLE) and open access technology (Adobe CONNECT). Two research universities in Sweden and the United States. Approximately 90 nursing students from each university per semester over several semesters. A collaborative process to develop a joint learning community to construct a virtual module and learning activity involving academics and nursing students in two countries using principles of meaning construction and negotiated learning. Developed possibilities for dealing with the challenges and finding strategies for a future higher education system that opens dialogues worldwide. Virtual international exchanges open innovative communication and learning contexts across nations and cultures. Internationalisation is so much more than students and teachers' mobility. 'Internationalisation on home grounds' (internationalisation for all) should receive more attention to support faculty and student collaboration, learning, and professional development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Open and Distance Learning: Case Studies from Industry and Education. Open and Distance Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Stephen C., Ed.

This book contains 14 case studies, written by those involved in the teaching and training initiatives, that illustrate the use of open and distance learning strategies. The case studies, drawn from many parts of the world (but mostly British based), feature efforts in large and small companies in a variety of industries. The first part of the…

Upscaling the Number of Learners, Fragmenting the Role of Teachers: How Do Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Form New Conditions for Learning Design?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buhl, Mie; Andreasen, Lars Birch; Pushpanadham, Karanam

2018-01-01

The proliferation and expansion of massive open online courses (MOOCs) prompts a need to revisit classical pedagogical questions. In what ways will MOOCs facilitate and promote new e-learning pedagogies? Is current learning design adequate for the "massiveness" and "openness" of MOOCs? This article discusses the ways in which…

Accounting for Academic Staff Resources for the Tutorial Support of Open Learning. Coombe Lodge Working Paper. Information Bank Number 1605.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birch, Derek W.; Latcham, Jack

The problems of resource allocation and management within open learning systems in colleges of further and higher education in Britain are discussed in this paper, with particular focus on the deployment of academic staff. First, the components of open learning systems are outlined; e.g., providing materials for students' private study, grading…

Forum 76; a Modern Chautauqua. Proceedings of the National Conference on Open Learning and Nontraditional Study (3rd, Lincoln, Nebraska, June 15-17, 1976).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavert, C. Edward, Comp.

This third national conference on open learning and nontraditional study attempted to demonstrate cooperative efforts across the country and to show how open learning and nontraditional study relate to unified efforts to achieve common goals. Topics discussed at the conference included: (1) the national overview, (2) military training programs,…

[Learning strategies of autonomous medical students].

PubMed

Márquez U, Carolina; Fasce H, Eduardo; Ortega B, Javiera; Bustamante D, Carolina; Pérez V, Cristhian; Ibáñez G, Pilar; Ortiz M, Liliana; Espinoza P, Camila; Bastías V, Nancy

2015-12-01

Understanding how autonomous students are capable of regulating their own learning process is essential to develop self-directed teaching methods. To understand how self-directed medical students approach learning in medical schools at University of Concepción, Chile. A qualitative and descriptive study, performed according to Grounded Theory guidelines, following Strauss & Corbin was performed. Twenty medical students were selected by the maximum variation sampling method. The data collection technique was carried out by a semi-structured thematic interview. Students were interviewed by researchers after an informed consent procedure. Data were analyzed by the open coding method using Atlas-ti 7.5.2 software. Self-directed learners were characterized by being good planners and managing their time correctly. Students performed a diligent selection of contents to study based on reliable literature sources, theoretical relevance and type of evaluation. They also emphasized the discussion of clinical cases, where theoretical contents can be applied. This modality allows them to gain a global view of theoretical contents, to verbalize knowledge and to obtain a learning feedback. The learning process of autonomous students is intentional and planned.

Testing and Validating Machine Learning Classifiers by Metamorphic Testing☆

PubMed Central

Xie, Xiaoyuan; Ho, Joshua W. K.; Murphy, Christian; Kaiser, Gail; Xu, Baowen; Chen, Tsong Yueh

2011-01-01

Machine Learning algorithms have provided core functionality to many application domains - such as bioinformatics, computational linguistics, etc. However, it is difficult to detect faults in such applications because often there is no “test oracle” to verify the correctness of the computed outputs. To help address the software quality, in this paper we present a technique for testing the implementations of machine learning classification algorithms which support such applications. Our approach is based on the technique “metamorphic testing”, which has been shown to be effective to alleviate the oracle problem. Also presented include a case study on a real-world machine learning application framework, and a discussion of how programmers implementing machine learning algorithms can avoid the common pitfalls discovered in our study. We also conduct mutation analysis and cross-validation, which reveal that our method has high effectiveness in killing mutants, and that observing expected cross-validation result alone is not sufficiently effective to detect faults in a supervised classification program. The effectiveness of metamorphic testing is further confirmed by the detection of real faults in a popular open-source classification program. PMID:21532969

The Bioperl Toolkit: Perl Modules for the Life Sciences

PubMed Central

Stajich, Jason E.; Block, David; Boulez, Kris; Brenner, Steven E.; Chervitz, Stephen A.; Dagdigian, Chris; Fuellen, Georg; Gilbert, James G.R.; Korf, Ian; Lapp, Hilmar; Lehväslaiho, Heikki; Matsalla, Chad; Mungall, Chris J.; Osborne, Brian I.; Pocock, Matthew R.; Schattner, Peter; Senger, Martin; Stein, Lincoln D.; Stupka, Elia; Wilkinson, Mark D.; Birney, Ewan

2002-01-01

The Bioperl project is an international open-source collaboration of biologists, bioinformaticians, and computer scientists that has evolved over the past 7 yr into the most comprehensive library of Perl modules available for managing and manipulating life-science information. Bioperl provides an easy-to-use, stable, and consistent programming interface for bioinformatics application programmers. The Bioperl modules have been successfully and repeatedly used to reduce otherwise complex tasks to only a few lines of code. The Bioperl object model has been proven to be flexible enough to support enterprise-level applications such as EnsEMBL, while maintaining an easy learning curve for novice Perl programmers. Bioperl is capable of executing analyses and processing results from programs such as BLAST, ClustalW, or the EMBOSS suite. Interoperation with modules written in Python and Java is supported through the evolving BioCORBA bridge. Bioperl provides access to data stores such as GenBank and SwissProt via a flexible series of sequence input/output modules, and to the emerging common sequence data storage format of the Open Bioinformatics Database Access project. This study describes the overall architecture of the toolkit, the problem domains that it addresses, and gives specific examples of how the toolkit can be used to solve common life-sciences problems. We conclude with a discussion of how the open-source nature of the project has contributed to the development effort. [Supplemental material is available online at www.genome.org. Bioperl is available as open-source software free of charge and is licensed under the Perl Artistic License (http://www.perl.com/pub/a/language/misc/Artistic.html). It is available for download at http://www.bioperl.org. Support inquiries should be addressed to bioperl-l@bioperl.org.] PMID:12368254

OpenSHS: Open Smart Home Simulator.

PubMed

Alshammari, Nasser; Alshammari, Talal; Sedky, Mohamed; Champion, Justin; Bauer, Carolin

2017-05-02

This paper develops a new hybrid, open-source, cross-platform 3D smart home simulator, OpenSHS, for dataset generation. OpenSHS offers an opportunity for researchers in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning to test and evaluate their models. Following a hybrid approach, OpenSHS combines advantages from both interactive and model-based approaches. This approach reduces the time and efforts required to generate simulated smart home datasets. We have designed a replication algorithm for extending and expanding a dataset. A small sample dataset produced, by OpenSHS, can be extended without affecting the logical order of the events. The replication provides a solution for generating large representative smart home datasets. We have built an extensible library of smart devices that facilitates the simulation of current and future smart home environments. Our tool divides the dataset generation process into three distinct phases: first design: the researcher designs the initial virtual environment by building the home, importing smart devices and creating contexts; second, simulation: the participant simulates his/her context-specific events; and third, aggregation: the researcher applies the replication algorithm to generate the final dataset. We conducted a study to assess the ease of use of our tool on the System Usability Scale (SUS).

OpenSHS: Open Smart Home Simulator

PubMed Central

Alshammari, Nasser; Alshammari, Talal; Sedky, Mohamed; Champion, Justin; Bauer, Carolin

2017-01-01

This paper develops a new hybrid, open-source, cross-platform 3D smart home simulator, OpenSHS, for dataset generation. OpenSHS offers an opportunity for researchers in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning to test and evaluate their models. Following a hybrid approach, OpenSHS combines advantages from both interactive and model-based approaches. This approach reduces the time and efforts required to generate simulated smart home datasets. We have designed a replication algorithm for extending and expanding a dataset. A small sample dataset produced, by OpenSHS, can be extended without affecting the logical order of the events. The replication provides a solution for generating large representative smart home datasets. We have built an extensible library of smart devices that facilitates the simulation of current and future smart home environments. Our tool divides the dataset generation process into three distinct phases: first design: the researcher designs the initial virtual environment by building the home, importing smart devices and creating contexts; second, simulation: the participant simulates his/her context-specific events; and third, aggregation: the researcher applies the replication algorithm to generate the final dataset. We conducted a study to assess the ease of use of our tool on the System Usability Scale (SUS). PMID:28468330

Open Source Bayesian Models. 1. Application to ADME/Tox and Drug Discovery Datasets.

PubMed

Clark, Alex M; Dole, Krishna; Coulon-Spektor, Anna; McNutt, Andrew; Grass, George; Freundlich, Joel S; Reynolds, Robert C; Ekins, Sean

2015-06-22

On the order of hundreds of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME/Tox) models have been described in the literature in the past decade which are more often than not inaccessible to anyone but their authors. Public accessibility is also an issue with computational models for bioactivity, and the ability to share such models still remains a major challenge limiting drug discovery. We describe the creation of a reference implementation of a Bayesian model-building software module, which we have released as an open source component that is now included in the Chemistry Development Kit (CDK) project, as well as implemented in the CDD Vault and in several mobile apps. We use this implementation to build an array of Bayesian models for ADME/Tox, in vitro and in vivo bioactivity, and other physicochemical properties. We show that these models possess cross-validation receiver operator curve values comparable to those generated previously in prior publications using alternative tools. We have now described how the implementation of Bayesian models with FCFP6 descriptors generated in the CDD Vault enables the rapid production of robust machine learning models from public data or the user's own datasets. The current study sets the stage for generating models in proprietary software (such as CDD) and exporting these models in a format that could be run in open source software using CDK components. This work also demonstrates that we can enable biocomputation across distributed private or public datasets to enhance drug discovery.

Open Source Bayesian Models. 1. Application to ADME/Tox and Drug Discovery Datasets

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

On the order of hundreds of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME/Tox) models have been described in the literature in the past decade which are more often than not inaccessible to anyone but their authors. Public accessibility is also an issue with computational models for bioactivity, and the ability to share such models still remains a major challenge limiting drug discovery. We describe the creation of a reference implementation of a Bayesian model-building software module, which we have released as an open source component that is now included in the Chemistry Development Kit (CDK) project, as well as implemented in the CDD Vault and in several mobile apps. We use this implementation to build an array of Bayesian models for ADME/Tox, in vitro and in vivo bioactivity, and other physicochemical properties. We show that these models possess cross-validation receiver operator curve values comparable to those generated previously in prior publications using alternative tools. We have now described how the implementation of Bayesian models with FCFP6 descriptors generated in the CDD Vault enables the rapid production of robust machine learning models from public data or the user’s own datasets. The current study sets the stage for generating models in proprietary software (such as CDD) and exporting these models in a format that could be run in open source software using CDK components. This work also demonstrates that we can enable biocomputation across distributed private or public datasets to enhance drug discovery. PMID:25994950

Automatic analysis of online image data for law enforcement agencies by concept detection and instance search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Boer, Maaike H. T.; Bouma, Henri; Kruithof, Maarten C.; ter Haar, Frank B.; Fischer, Noëlle M.; Hagendoorn, Laurens K.; Joosten, Bart; Raaijmakers, Stephan

2017-10-01

The information available on-line and off-line, from open as well as from private sources, is growing at an exponential rate and places an increasing demand on the limited resources of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). The absence of appropriate tools and techniques to collect, process, and analyze the volumes of complex and heterogeneous data has created a severe information overload. If a solution is not found, the impact on law enforcement will be dramatic, e.g. because important evidence is missed or the investigation time is too long. Furthermore, there is an uneven level of capabilities to deal with the large volumes of complex and heterogeneous data that come from multiple open and private sources at national level across the EU, which hinders cooperation and information sharing. Consequently, there is a pertinent need to develop tools, systems and processes which expedite online investigations. In this paper, we describe a suite of analysis tools to identify and localize generic concepts, instances of objects and logos in images, which constitutes a significant portion of everyday law enforcement data. We describe how incremental learning based on only a few examples and large-scale indexing are addressed in both concept detection and instance search. Our search technology allows querying of the database by visual examples and by keywords. Our tools are packaged in a Docker container to guarantee easy deployment on a system and our tools exploit possibilities provided by open source toolboxes, contributing to the technical autonomy of LEAs.

Open-Source Data and the Study of Homicide.

PubMed

Parkin, William S; Gruenewald, Jeff

2015-07-20

To date, no discussion has taken place in the social sciences as to the appropriateness of using open-source data to augment, or replace, official data sources in homicide research. The purpose of this article is to examine whether open-source data have the potential to be used as a valid and reliable data source in testing theory and studying homicide. Official and open-source homicide data were collected as a case study in a single jurisdiction over a 1-year period. The data sets were compared to determine whether open-sources could recreate the population of homicides and variable responses collected in official data. Open-source data were able to replicate the population of homicides identified in the official data. Also, for every variable measured, the open-sources captured as much, or more, of the information presented in the official data. Also, variables not available in official data, but potentially useful for testing theory, were identified in open-sources. The results of the case study show that open-source data are potentially as effective as official data in identifying individual- and situational-level characteristics, provide access to variables not found in official homicide data, and offer geographic data that can be used to link macro-level characteristics to homicide events. © The Author(s) 2015.

Building a Snow Data Management System using Open Source Software (and IDL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodale, C. E.; Mattmann, C. A.; Ramirez, P.; Hart, A. F.; Painter, T.; Zimdars, P. A.; Bryant, A.; Brodzik, M.; Skiles, M.; Seidel, F. C.; Rittger, K. E.

2012-12-01

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory free and open source software is used everyday to support a wide range of projects, from planetary to climate to research and development. In this abstract I will discuss the key role that open source software has played in building a robust science data processing pipeline for snow hydrology research, and how the system is also able to leverage programs written in IDL, making JPL's Snow Data System a hybrid of open source and proprietary software. Main Points: - The Design of the Snow Data System (illustrate how the collection of sub-systems are combined to create a complete data processing pipeline) - Discuss the Challenges of moving from a single algorithm on a laptop, to running 100's of parallel algorithms on a cluster of servers (lesson's learned) - Code changes - Software license related challenges - Storage Requirements - System Evolution (from data archiving, to data processing, to data on a map, to near-real-time products and maps) - Road map for the next 6 months (including how easily we re-used the snowDS code base to support the Airborne Snow Observatory Mission) Software in Use and their Software Licenses: IDL - Used for pre and post processing of data. Licensed under a proprietary software license held by Excelis. Apache OODT - Used for data management and workflow processing. Licensed under the Apache License Version 2. GDAL - Geospatial Data processing library used for data re-projection currently. Licensed under the X/MIT license. GeoServer - WMS Server. Licensed under the General Public License Version 2.0 Leaflet.js - Javascript web mapping library. Licensed under the Berkeley Software Distribution License. Python - Glue code and miscellaneous data processing support. Licensed under the Python Software Foundation License. Perl - Script wrapper for running the SCAG algorithm. Licensed under the General Public License Version 3. PHP - Front-end web application programming. Licensed under the PHP License Version 3.01

Study of medical education in 3D surgical modeling by surgeons with free open-source software: Example of mandibular reconstruction with fibula free flap and creation of its surgical guides.

PubMed

Ganry, L; Hersant, B; Bosc, R; Leyder, P; Quilichini, J; Meningaud, J P

2018-02-27

Benefits of 3D printing techniques, biomodeling and surgical guides are well known in surgery, especially when the same surgeon who performed the surgery participated in the virtual surgical planning. Our objective was to evaluate the transfer of know how of a neutral 3D surgical modeling free open-source software protocol to surgeons with different surgical specialities. A one-day training session was organised in 3D surgical modeling applied to one mandibular reconstruction case with fibula free flap and creation of its surgical guides. Surgeon satisfaction was analysed before and after the training. Of 22 surgeons, 59% assessed the training as excellent or very good and 68% considered changing their daily surgical routine and would try to apply our open-source software protocol in their department after a single training day. The mean capacity in using the software improved from 4.13 on 10 before to 6.59 on 10 after training for OsiriX ® software, from 1.14 before to 5.05 after training for Meshlab ® , from 0.45 before to 4.91 after training for Netfabb ® and from 1.05 before and 4.41 after training for Blender ® . According to surgeons, using the software Blender ® became harder as the day went on. Despite improvement in the capacity in using software for all participants, more than a single training day is needed for the transfer of know how on 3D modeling with open-source software. Although the know-how transfer, overall satisfaction, actual learning outcomes and relevance of this training were appropriated, a longer training including different topics will be needed to improve training quality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Designing and Instructing Hybrid Open Learning Spaces Model to Support Lifelong Learning Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Caroline M.

2016-01-01

With a focus upon open and lifelong learning understanding, the real world delineation between formalized higher education graduate school efforts and professional career position lines may be suggested as being blurred. This case study offers an analysis of one university instructor's efforts towards developing hybrid learning spaces that…

Using Coherence Analysis to Characterize Self-Regulated Learning Behaviours in Open-Ended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segedy, James R.; Kinnebrew, John S.; Biswas, Gautam

2015-01-01

Researchers have long recognized the potential benefits of open-ended computer- based learning environments (OELEs) to help students develop self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviours. However, measuring self-regulation in these environments is a difficult task. In this paper, we present our work in developing and evaluating "coherence…

Design of Open Content Social Learning Based on the Activities of Learner and Similar Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Benneaser; Jayakumar, J.; Thavavel, V.; Arumugam, Muthukumar; Poornaselvan, K. J.

2017-01-01

Teaching and learning are increasingly taking advantage of the rapid growth in Internet resources, open content, mobile technologies and social media platforms. However, due to the generally unstructured nature and overwhelming quantity of learning content, effective learning remains challenging. In an effort to close this gap, the authors…

Developing a User Oriented Design Methodology for Learning Activities Using Boundary Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fragou, ?lga; Kameas, Achilles

2013-01-01

International Standards in High and Open and Distance Education are used for developing Open Educational Resources (OERs). Current issues in e-learning community are the specification of learning chunks and the definition of describing designs for different units of learning (activities, units, courses) in a generic though expandable format.…

Open Learning Environments and the Impact of a Pedagogical Agent

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarebout, Geraldine; Elen, Jan

2006-01-01

Research reveals that in highly structured learning environments pedagogical agents can act as tools to direct students' learning processes by providing content or problem solving guidance. It has not yet been addressed whether pedagogical agents have a similar impact in more open learning environments that aim at fostering students' acquisition…

Survey of Learning Experiences and Influence of Learning Style Preferences on User Intentions Regarding MOOCs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Ray I.; Hung, Yu Hsin; Lin, Chun Fu

2015-01-01

With the rapid development of web techniques, information and communication technology is being increasingly used in curricula, and learning portfolios can be automatically retrieved and maintained as learners interact through e-learning platforms. Further, massive open online courses (MOOCs), which apply such technology to provide open access to…

Successful Students in an Open and Distance Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puspitasari, Kristanti Ambar; Oetoyo, Boedhi

2018-01-01

Learning in a higher education institution that applies an open and distance learning system requires the students to study as independent learners. This research is a survey research with the purpose of exploring the characteristics, habits and learning motivation of high-achiever students or those who obtained a high level of Grade Point Average…

Seamless Support: Technology Enhanced Learning in Open Distance Learning at NWU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esterhuizen, Hennie

2015-01-01

Frantic attempts of investing in technology to demonstrate willingness to educate for the knowledge society may result in failure to address the real requirements. This paper presents the main features of a framework for integrating Technology Enhanced Learning in Open Distance Learning at North-West University, South Africa. Support towards…

IDEPI: rapid prediction of HIV-1 antibody epitopes and other phenotypic features from sequence data using a flexible machine learning platform.

PubMed

Hepler, N Lance; Scheffler, Konrad; Weaver, Steven; Murrell, Ben; Richman, Douglas D; Burton, Dennis R; Poignard, Pascal; Smith, Davey M; Kosakovsky Pond, Sergei L

2014-09-01

Since its identification in 1983, HIV-1 has been the focus of a research effort unprecedented in scope and difficulty, whose ultimate goals--a cure and a vaccine--remain elusive. One of the fundamental challenges in accomplishing these goals is the tremendous genetic variability of the virus, with some genes differing at as many as 40% of nucleotide positions among circulating strains. Because of this, the genetic bases of many viral phenotypes, most notably the susceptibility to neutralization by a particular antibody, are difficult to identify computationally. Drawing upon open-source general-purpose machine learning algorithms and libraries, we have developed a software package IDEPI (IDentify EPItopes) for learning genotype-to-phenotype predictive models from sequences with known phenotypes. IDEPI can apply learned models to classify sequences of unknown phenotypes, and also identify specific sequence features which contribute to a particular phenotype. We demonstrate that IDEPI achieves performance similar to or better than that of previously published approaches on four well-studied problems: finding the epitopes of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNab), determining coreceptor tropism of the virus, identifying compartment-specific genetic signatures of the virus, and deducing drug-resistance associated mutations. The cross-platform Python source code (released under the GPL 3.0 license), documentation, issue tracking, and a pre-configured virtual machine for IDEPI can be found at https://github.com/veg/idepi.

Radioactive source security: the cultural challenges.

PubMed

Englefield, Chris

2015-04-01

Radioactive source security is an essential part of radiation protection. Sources can be abandoned, lost or stolen. If they are stolen, they could be used to cause deliberate harm and the risks are varied and significant. There is a need for a global security protection system and enhanced capability to achieve this. The establishment of radioactive source security requires 'cultural exchanges'. These exchanges include collaboration between: radiation protection specialists and security specialists; the nuclear industry and users of radioactive sources; training providers and regulators/users. This collaboration will facilitate knowledge and experience exchange for the various stakeholder groups, beyond those already provided. This will promote best practice in both physical and information security and heighten security awareness generally. Only if all groups involved are prepared to open their minds to listen to and learn from, each other will a suitable global level of control be achieved. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Open Courses, Informal, Social Learning and Mobile Photography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Mark

2016-01-01

This paper provides an overview of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and contextualizes them within the broader trends of open, informal and mobile learning. It then discuss Phonar Nation, a free, open, non-credit five-week photography course that was offered twice in 2014 using mobile media to reach youth from 12-18 years of age. The author…

Open-Book, Open-Web Online Examinations: Developing Examination Practices to Support University Students' Learning and Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myyry, Liisa; Joutsenvirta, Taina

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate university students' experiences of open-book, open-web online examinations compared to traditional class examinations concerning preparing, responding, and learning. The data (N?=?110) were collected by an online survey from the university students who took an online examination. The students used…

Ten Years of Open Practice: A Reflection on the Impact of OpenLearn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Patrina; Jelfs, Anne

2016-01-01

The Open University (OU) makes a proportion of all its taught modules available to the public via OpenLearn each year. This process involves the modification, of module excerpts, showcasing subject matter and teaching approach. This activity serves both the University's social and business missions through the delivery of free courses to the…

Learning Challenges in Higher Education: An Analysis of Contradictions within Open Educational Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaatrakoski, Heli; Littlejohn, Allison; Hood, Nina

2017-01-01

Open education, including the use of open educational resources (OER) and the adoption of open education practice, has the potential to challenge educators to change their practice in fundamental ways. This paper forms part of a larger study focusing on higher education educators' learning from and through their engagement with OER. The first part…

Role of Radio and TV Programmes in Distance and Open Learning System: A Case of Bangladesh Open University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karim, Salma; Kama, Mustafa Azad; Islam, Md. Mayenul

2001-01-01

Examines the role and effectiveness of radio and television programs in distance and open learning systems based on a survey of students at Bangladesh Open University. Offers recommendations for improvements, including extending the time span, ensuring the quality of presentations, teacher involvement, and audio and video cassette…

Effectiveness of Different Medium of Education to Imparting Knowledge at Bangladesh Open University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Islam, Anwarul; Islam, Nasirul

2008-01-01

Open and distance learning system meanly based on different types of media to impart education to the learners. Bangladesh Open University (BOU) offered education through open and distance learning system. There are two largest programs one is Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and another one is Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) offered by BOU…

Computer-Based Learning in Open and Distance Learning Institutions in Nigeria: Cautions on Use of Internet for Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okopi, Fidel Onjefu; Odeyemi, Olajumoke Janet; Adesina, Adewale

2015-01-01

The study has identified the areas of strengths and weaknesses in the current use of Computer Based Learning (CBL) tools in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions in Nigeria. To achieve these objectives, the following research questions were proposed: (i) What are the computer-based learning tools (soft and hard ware) that are actually in…

Costing Distance Education and Open Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning-- A Survey of Policy and Practice. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commonwealth of Learning, 2004

2004-01-01

Ideological arguments are made for open learning, economic ones for distance education. If it can produce similar results to those of conventional education at a lower cost, then distance education has a powerful appeal. With increasing demand for access to educational opportunities at all levels, and often decreasing budgets in real terms for…

Developing Conceptual Framework for Revising Self-Learning Materials (SLMs) of the Open School (OS) of Bangladesh Open University (BOU) at a Digital Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeasmin, Sabina; Murthy, C. R. K.

2011-01-01

Bangladesh Open University (BOU) runs school programs as part of its academic activities through open schooling since its inception. As of today, the Open School uses the first generation self-learning materials (SLMs) written, before an era, following an in-house style and template. The concerned faculty member corrects, every year, texts before…

Developing Conceptual Framework for Revising Self-Learning Materials (SLMs) of the Open School (OS) of Bangladesh Open University (BOU) at a Digital Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeasmin, Sabina; Murthy, C. R. K.

2012-01-01

Bangladesh Open University (BOU) runs school programs as part of its academic activities through open schooling since its inception. As of today, the Open School uses the first generation self-learning materials (SLMs) written, before an era, following an in-house style and template. The concerned faculty member corrects, every year, texts before…

[Reverse learning in WAG/Rij rats with depression-like behavior].

PubMed

Malyshev, A V; Zakharov, A M; Sarkisova, K Iu; Dubynin, V A

2012-01-01

Learning and reverse learning in a complex maze, behavior in the open field test, novelty-suppressed feeding test, and forced swimming test were studies in WAG/Rij and Wistar rats. As compared with Wistar rats, WAG/Rij rats more slowly learned the spatial task, more slowly performed in the learning and reverse learning tasks, and made more errors in the complex maze (18% of WAG/Rij rats didn't reach learning criterion). Moreover, WAG/Rij rats exhibited reduced grooming reactions in the open field test, longer latency of approaching to food in the novel open field, reduced amount of food consumed in the home cage in the novelty-suppressed feeding test, and increased immobility time in the forced swimming test. The results suggest cognitive impaiment in WAG/Rij rats with depression-like behavior.

Differentiating between Distance/Open Education Systems: Parameters for Comparison.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guri-Rozenblit, Sarah

1993-01-01

Suggests eight parameters as criteria for describing and comparing distance education/open learning institutions: target population, dimensions of openness, organizational structure, design and development of learning materials, use of advanced technology, teaching/tutoring system, student support systems, and interinstitutional collaboration. (35…

Open University Learning Analytics dataset.

PubMed

Kuzilek, Jakub; Hlosta, Martin; Zdrahal, Zdenek

2017-11-28

Learning Analytics focuses on the collection and analysis of learners' data to improve their learning experience by providing informed guidance and to optimise learning materials. To support the research in this area we have developed a dataset, containing data from courses presented at the Open University (OU). What makes the dataset unique is the fact that it contains demographic data together with aggregated clickstream data of students' interactions in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This enables the analysis of student behaviour, represented by their actions. The dataset contains the information about 22 courses, 32,593 students, their assessment results, and logs of their interactions with the VLE represented by daily summaries of student clicks (10,655,280 entries). The dataset is freely available at https://analyse.kmi.open.ac.uk/open_dataset under a CC-BY 4.0 license.

Open University Learning Analytics dataset

PubMed Central

Kuzilek, Jakub; Hlosta, Martin; Zdrahal, Zdenek

2017-01-01

Learning Analytics focuses on the collection and analysis of learners’ data to improve their learning experience by providing informed guidance and to optimise learning materials. To support the research in this area we have developed a dataset, containing data from courses presented at the Open University (OU). What makes the dataset unique is the fact that it contains demographic data together with aggregated clickstream data of students’ interactions in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This enables the analysis of student behaviour, represented by their actions. The dataset contains the information about 22 courses, 32,593 students, their assessment results, and logs of their interactions with the VLE represented by daily summaries of student clicks (10,655,280 entries). The dataset is freely available at https://analyse.kmi.open.ac.uk/open_dataset under a CC-BY 4.0 license. PMID:29182599

How Is Open Source Special?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapor, Mitchell

2005-01-01

Open source software projects involve the production of goods, but in software projects, the "goods" consist of information. The open source model is an alternative to the conventional centralized, command-and-control way in which things are usually made. In contrast, open source projects are genuinely decentralized and transparent. Transparent…

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review.

PubMed

Ardal, Christine; Alstadsæter, Annette; Røttingen, John-Arne

2011-09-28

Innovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery. A systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project. Common characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined. We believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents.

Evaluation of the free, open source software WordPress as electronic portfolio system in undergraduate medical education.

PubMed

Avila, Javier; Sostmann, Kai; Breckwoldt, Jan; Peters, Harm

2016-06-03

Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are used to document and support learning activities. E-portfolios with mobile capabilities allow even more flexibility. However, the development or acquisition of ePortfolio software is often costly, and at the same time, commercially available systems may not sufficiently fit the institution's needs. The aim of this study was to design and evaluate an ePortfolio system with mobile capabilities using a commercially free and open source software solution. We created an online ePortfolio environment using the blogging software WordPress based on reported capability features of such software by a qualitative weight and sum method. Technical implementation and usability were evaluated by 25 medical students during their clinical training by quantitative and qualitative means using online questionnaires and focus groups. The WordPress ePortfolio environment allowed students a broad spectrum of activities - often documented via mobile devices - like collection of multimedia evidences, posting reflections, messaging, web publishing, ePortfolio searches, collaborative learning, knowledge management in a content management system including a wiki and RSS feeds, and the use of aid tools for studying. The students' experience with WordPress revealed a few technical problems, and this report provides workarounds. The WordPress ePortfolio was rated positively by the students as a content management system (67 % of the students), for exchange with other students (74 %), as a note pad for reflections (53 %) and for its potential as an information source for assessment (48 %) and exchange with a mentor (68 %). On the negative side, 74 % of the students in this pilot study did not find it easy to get started with the system, and 63 % rated the ePortfolio as not being user-friendly. Qualitative analysis indicated a need for more introductory information and training. It is possible to build an advanced ePortfolio system with mobile capabilities with the free and open source software WordPress. This allows institutions without proprietary software to build a sophisticated ePortfolio system adapted to their needs with relatively few resources. The implementation of WordPress should be accompanied by introductory courses in the use of the software and its apps in order to facilitate its usability.

Open Source Paradigm: A Synopsis of The Cathedral and the Bazaar for Health and Social Care.

PubMed

Benson, Tim

2016-07-04

Open source software (OSS) is becoming more fashionable in health and social care, although the ideas are not new. However progress has been slower than many had expected. The purpose is to summarise the Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) paradigm in terms of what it is, how it impacts users and software engineers and how it can work as a business model in health and social care sectors. Much of this paper is a synopsis of Eric Raymond's seminal book The Cathedral and the Bazaar, which was the first comprehensive description of the open source ecosystem, set out in three long essays. Direct quotes from the book are used liberally, without reference to specific passages. The first part contrasts open and closed source approaches to software development and support. The second part describes the culture and practices of the open source movement. The third part considers business models. A key benefit of open source is that users can access and collaborate on improving the software if they wish. Closed source code may be regarded as a strategic business risk that that may be unacceptable if there is an open source alternative. The sharing culture of the open source movement fits well with that of health and social care.

Automated concept-level information extraction to reduce the need for custom software and rules development.

PubMed

D'Avolio, Leonard W; Nguyen, Thien M; Goryachev, Sergey; Fiore, Louis D

2011-01-01

Despite at least 40 years of promising empirical performance, very few clinical natural language processing (NLP) or information extraction systems currently contribute to medical science or care. The authors address this gap by reducing the need for custom software and rules development with a graphical user interface-driven, highly generalizable approach to concept-level retrieval. A 'learn by example' approach combines features derived from open-source NLP pipelines with open-source machine learning classifiers to automatically and iteratively evaluate top-performing configurations. The Fourth i2b2/VA Shared Task Challenge's concept extraction task provided the data sets and metrics used to evaluate performance. Top F-measure scores for each of the tasks were medical problems (0.83), treatments (0.82), and tests (0.83). Recall lagged precision in all experiments. Precision was near or above 0.90 in all tasks. Discussion With no customization for the tasks and less than 5 min of end-user time to configure and launch each experiment, the average F-measure was 0.83, one point behind the mean F-measure of the 22 entrants in the competition. Strong precision scores indicate the potential of applying the approach for more specific clinical information extraction tasks. There was not one best configuration, supporting an iterative approach to model creation. Acceptable levels of performance can be achieved using fully automated and generalizable approaches to concept-level information extraction. The described implementation and related documentation is available for download.

Characterizing Student Perceptions of and Buy-In toward Common Formative Assessment Techniques

PubMed Central

Brazeal, Kathleen R.; Brown, Tanya L.; Couch, Brian A.

2016-01-01

Formative assessments (FAs) can occur as preclass assignments, in-class activities, or postclass homework. FAs aim to promote student learning by accomplishing key objectives, including clarifying learning expectations, revealing student thinking to the instructor, providing feedback to the student that promotes learning, facilitating peer interactions, and activating student ownership of learning. While FAs have gained prominence within the education community, we have limited knowledge regarding student perceptions of these activities. We used a mixed-methods approach to determine whether students recognize and value the role of FAs in their learning and how students perceive course activities to align with five key FA objectives. To address these questions, we administered a midsemester survey in seven introductory biology course sections that were using multiple FA techniques. Overall, responses to both open-ended and closed-ended questions revealed that the majority of students held positive perceptions of FAs and perceived FAs to facilitate their learning in a variety of ways. Students consistently considered FA activities to have accomplished particular objectives, but there was greater variation among FAs in how students perceived the achievement of other objectives. We further discuss potential sources of student resistance and implications of these results for instructor practice. PMID:27909023

Weather forecasting with open source software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rautenhaus, Marc; Dörnbrack, Andreas

2013-04-01

To forecast the weather situation during aircraft-based atmospheric field campaigns, we employ a tool chain of existing and self-developed open source software tools and open standards. Of particular value are the Python programming language with its extension libraries NumPy, SciPy, PyQt4, Matplotlib and the basemap toolkit, the NetCDF standard with the Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata conventions, and the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service standard. These open source libraries and open standards helped to implement the "Mission Support System", a Web Map Service based tool to support weather forecasting and flight planning during field campaigns. The tool has been implemented in Python and has also been released as open source (Rautenhaus et al., Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 55-71, 2012). In this presentation we discuss the usage of free and open source software for weather forecasting in the context of research flight planning, and highlight how the field campaign work benefits from using open source tools and open standards.

Open Source Software Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

Software, 2002, 149(1), 3-17. 3. DiBona , C., Cooper, D., and Stone, M. (Eds.), Open Sources 2.0, 2005, O’Reilly Media, Sebastopol, CA. Also see, C... DiBona , S. Ockman, and M. Stone (Eds.). Open Sources: Vocides from the Open Source Revolution, 1999. O’Reilly Media, Sebastopol, CA. 4. Ducheneaut, N

Using Random Parameter Logit in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Institutions in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiam, Chooi Chea; Loo, SzeWei

2015-01-01

Attention has been drawn to Open Distance Learning (ODL) as a mode for teaching and learning with the advancement in communication via the Internet. Education today has expanded the role of ICT in learning and knowledge generation, leveraging on Internet technology to transmit education across the country. Due to the advancement of technology and…

Reflections on Assessment in Open Distance Learning (ODL): The Case of the University of South Africa (UNISA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Letseka, Moeketsi; Pitsoe, Victor

2013-01-01

The article explores the challenges of assessment in open distance learning (ODL). The authors argue that ultimately assessment should be about improving the quality of teaching and effective learning. It should be based on making expectations explicit and public, setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality, systematically…

Personalised Learning in the Open Classroom: The Mutuality of Teacher and Student Agency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deed, Craig; Cox, Peter; Dorman, Jeffrey; Edwards, Debra; Farrelly, Cathleen; Keeffe, Mary; Lovejoy, Valerie; Mow, Lucy; Sellings, Peter; Prain, Vaughan; Waldrip, Bruce; Yager, Zali

2014-01-01

In this paper we examine how agency is characterised by teachers and students when personalised learning is enacted in the contemporary open classroom. A case study is outlined that identifies teacher reasoning for practice, the use of physical and virtual learning spaces, and student reaction to teacher facilitation of personalised learning.…

OpenFDA: an innovative platform providing access to a wealth of FDA's publicly available data.

PubMed

Kass-Hout, Taha A; Xu, Zhiheng; Mohebbi, Matthew; Nelsen, Hans; Baker, Adam; Levine, Jonathan; Johanson, Elaine; Bright, Roselie A

2016-05-01

The objective of openFDA is to facilitate access and use of big important Food and Drug Administration public datasets by developers, researchers, and the public through harmonization of data across disparate FDA datasets provided via application programming interfaces (APIs). Using cutting-edge technologies deployed on FDA's new public cloud computing infrastructure, openFDA provides open data for easier, faster (over 300 requests per second per process), and better access to FDA datasets; open source code and documentation shared on GitHub for open community contributions of examples, apps and ideas; and infrastructure that can be adopted for other public health big data challenges. Since its launch on June 2, 2014, openFDA has developed four APIs for drug and device adverse events, recall information for all FDA-regulated products, and drug labeling. There have been more than 20 million API calls (more than half from outside the United States), 6000 registered users, 20,000 connected Internet Protocol addresses, and dozens of new software (mobile or web) apps developed. A case study demonstrates a use of openFDA data to understand an apparent association of a drug with an adverse event. With easier and faster access to these datasets, consumers worldwide can learn more about FDA-regulated products. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved.

OpenFDA: an innovative platform providing access to a wealth of FDA’s publicly available data

PubMed Central

Kass-Hout, Taha A; Mohebbi, Matthew; Nelsen, Hans; Baker, Adam; Levine, Jonathan; Johanson, Elaine; Bright, Roselie A

2016-01-01

Objective The objective of openFDA is to facilitate access and use of big important Food and Drug Administration public datasets by developers, researchers, and the public through harmonization of data across disparate FDA datasets provided via application programming interfaces (APIs). Materials and Methods Using cutting-edge technologies deployed on FDA’s new public cloud computing infrastructure, openFDA provides open data for easier, faster (over 300 requests per second per process), and better access to FDA datasets; open source code and documentation shared on GitHub for open community contributions of examples, apps and ideas; and infrastructure that can be adopted for other public health big data challenges. Results Since its launch on June 2, 2014, openFDA has developed four APIs for drug and device adverse events, recall information for all FDA-regulated products, and drug labeling. There have been more than 20 million API calls (more than half from outside the United States), 6000 registered users, 20,000 connected Internet Protocol addresses, and dozens of new software (mobile or web) apps developed. A case study demonstrates a use of openFDA data to understand an apparent association of a drug with an adverse event. Conclusion With easier and faster access to these datasets, consumers worldwide can learn more about FDA-regulated products. PMID:26644398

Open-source hardware for medical devices

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Open-source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell the design or the hardware based on that design. Some open-source hardware projects can potentially be used as active medical devices. The open-source approach offers a unique combination of advantages, including reducing costs and faster innovation. This article compares 10 of open-source healthcare projects in terms of how easy it is to obtain the required components and build the device. PMID:27158528

Open-source hardware for medical devices.

PubMed

Niezen, Gerrit; Eslambolchilar, Parisa; Thimbleby, Harold

2016-04-01

Open-source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so anyone can study, modify, distribute, make and sell the design or the hardware based on that design. Some open-source hardware projects can potentially be used as active medical devices. The open-source approach offers a unique combination of advantages, including reducing costs and faster innovation. This article compares 10 of open-source healthcare projects in terms of how easy it is to obtain the required components and build the device.

The case for open-source software in drug discovery.

PubMed

DeLano, Warren L

2005-02-01

Widespread adoption of open-source software for network infrastructure, web servers, code development, and operating systems leads one to ask how far it can go. Will "open source" spread broadly, or will it be restricted to niches frequented by hopeful hobbyists and midnight hackers? Here we identify reasons for the success of open-source software and predict how consumers in drug discovery will benefit from new open-source products that address their needs with increased flexibility and in ways complementary to proprietary options.

Personal Spaces in Public Repositories as a Facilitator for Open Educational Resource Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Anat; Reisman, Sorel; Sperling, Barbra Bied

2015-01-01

Learning object repositories are a shared, open and public space; however, the possibility and ability of personal expression in an open, global, public space is crucial. The aim of this study is to explore personal spaces in a big learning object repository as a facilitator for adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) into teaching practices…

Assuring Quality Evaluation Practices in Open and Distance Learning System: The Case of National Open University of Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ofoha, D.

2012-01-01

The success of any open and distance learning (ODL) programme depends on how well it is evaluated. In the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), students are assessed and evaluated through continuous assessment as well as end of semester examinations. This paper focuses on Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA), which forms part of continuous…

Virtual and physical toys: open-ended features for non-formal learning.

PubMed

Petersson, Eva; Brooks, Anthony

2006-04-01

This paper examines the integrated toy--both physical and virtual--as an essential resource for collaborative learning. This learning incorporates rehabilitation, training, and education. The data derived from two different cases. Pedagogical issues related to non-formal learning and open-ended features of design are discussed. Findings suggest that social, material, and expressive affordances constitute a base for an alterative interface to encourage children's play and learning.

Atomicrex—a general purpose tool for the construction of atomic interaction models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stukowski, Alexander; Fransson, Erik; Mock, Markus; Erhart, Paul

2017-07-01

We introduce atomicrex, an open-source code for constructing interatomic potentials as well as more general types of atomic-scale models. Such effective models are required to simulate extended materials structures comprising many thousands of atoms or more, because electronic structure methods become computationally too expensive at this scale. atomicrex covers a wide range of interatomic potential types and fulfills many needs in atomistic model development. As inputs, it supports experimental property values as well as ab initio energies and forces, to which models can be fitted using various optimization algorithms. The open architecture of atomicrex allows it to be used in custom model development scenarios beyond classical interatomic potentials while thanks to its Python interface it can be readily integrated e.g., with electronic structure calculations or machine learning algorithms.

The Evolution of Medical Training Simulation in the U.S. Military.

PubMed

Linde, Amber S; Kunkler, Kevin

2016-01-01

The United States has been at war since 2003. During that time, training using Medical Simulation technology has been developed and integrated into military medical training for combat medics, nurses and surgeons. Efforts stemming from the Joint Programmatic Committee-1 (JPC-1) Medical Simulation and Training Portfolio has allowed for the improvement and advancement in military medical training by focusing on research in simulation training technology in order to achieve this. Based upon lessons learned capability gaps have been identified concerning the necessity to validate and enhance combat medial training simulators. These capability gaps include 1) Open Source/Open Architecture; 2) Modularity and Interoperability; and 3) Material and Virtual Reality (VR) Models. Using the capability gaps, JPC-1 has identified important research endeavors that need to be explored.

Students’ Spatial Ability through Open-Ended Approach Aided by Cabri 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priatna, N.

2017-09-01

The use of computer software such as Cabri 3D for learning activities is very unlimited. Students can adjust their learning speed according to their level of ability. Open-ended approach strongly supports the use of computer software in learning, because the goal of open-ended learning is to help developing creative activities and mathematical mindset of students through problem solving simultaneously. In other words, creative activities and mathematical mindset of students should be developed as much as possible in accordance with the ability of spatial ability of each student. Spatial ability is the ability of students in constructing and representing geometry models. This study aims to determine the improvement of spatial ability of junior high school students who obtained learning with open-ended approach aided by Cabri 3D. It adopted a quasi-experimental method with the non-randomized control group pretest-posttest design and the 2×3 factorial model. The instrument of the study is spatial ability test. Based on analysis of the data, it is found that the improvement of spatial ability of students who received open-ended learning aided by Cabri 3D was greater than students who received expository learning, both as a whole and based on the categories of students’ initial mathematical ability.

Computer-assisted learning in human and dental medicine.

PubMed

Höhne, S; Schumann, R R

2004-04-01

This article describes the development and application of new didactic methods for use in computer-assisted teaching and learning systems for training doctors and dentists. Taking the Meducase project as an example, didactic models and their technological implementation are explained, together with the limitations of imparting knowledge with the "new media". In addition, legal concepts for a progressive, pragmatic, and innovative distribution of knowledge to undergraduate students are presented. In conclusion, potential and visions for the wide use of electronic learning in the German and European universities in the future are discussed. Self-directed learning (SDL) is a key component in both undergraduate education and lifelong learning for medical practitioners. E-learning can already be used to promote SDL at undergraduate level. The Meducase project uses self-directed, constructive, case- and problem-oriented learning within a learning platform for medical and dental students. In the long run, e-learning programs can only be successful in education if there is consistent analysis and implementation of value-added factors and the development and use of media-didactic concepts matched to electronic learning. The use of innovative forms of licensing - open source licenses for software and similar licenses for content - facilitates continuous, free access to these programs for all students and teachers. These legal concepts offer the possibility of innovative knowledge distribution, quality assurance and standardization across specializations, university departments, and possibly even national borders.

[E-Learning in radiology; the practical use of the content management system ILIAS].

PubMed

Schütze, B; Mildenberger, P; Kämmerer, M

2006-05-01

Due to the possibility of using different kinds of visualization, e-learning has the advantage of allowing individualized learning. A check should be performed to determine whether the use of the web-based content management system ILIAS simplifies the writing and production of electronic learning modules in radiology. Internet-based e-learning provides access to existing learning modules regardless of time and location, since fast Internet connections are readily available. Web Content Management Systems (WCMS) are suitable platforms for imparting radiology-related information (visual abilities like the recognition of patterns as well as interdisciplinary specialized knowledge). The open source product ILIAS is a free WCMS. It is used by many universities and is accepted by both students and lecturers. Its modular and object-oriented software architecture makes it easy to adapt and enlarge the platform. The employment of e-learning standards such as LOM and SCORM within ILIAS makes it possible to reuse contents, even if the platform has to be changed. ILIAS renders it possible to provide students with texts, images, or files of any other kind within a learning context which is defined by the lecturer. Students can check their acquired knowledge via online testing and receive direct performance feedback. The significant interest that students have shown in ILIAS proves that e-learning can be a useful addition to conventional learning methods.

Choosing Open Source ERP Systems: What Reasons Are There For Doing So?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansson, Björn; Sudzina, Frantisek

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems attract a high attention and open source software does it as well. The question is then if, and if so, when do open source ERP systems take off. The paper describes the status of open source ERP systems. Based on literature review of ERP system selection criteria based on Web of Science articles, it discusses reported reasons for choosing open source or proprietary ERP systems. Last but not least, the article presents some conclusions that could act as input for future research. The paper aims at building up a foundation for the basic question: What are the reasons for an organization to adopt open source ERP systems.

Globalisation, Consumption and the Learning Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, John

1995-01-01

Distance open learning represents both an outcome of and a primary factor in globalization. Despite investment in infrastructure, software, and human resources, demand for distance open learning in the European market remains constrained. The European Union's policies conceptualize a "European economic space" that ignores the real…

Developing open-source codes for electromagnetic geophysics using industry support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Key, K.

2017-12-01

Funding for open-source software development in academia often takes the form of grants and fellowships awarded by government bodies and foundations where there is no conflict-of-interest between the funding entity and the free dissemination of the open-source software products. Conversely, funding for open-source projects in the geophysics industry presents challenges to conventional business models where proprietary licensing offers value that is not present in open-source software. Such proprietary constraints make it easier to convince companies to fund academic software development under exclusive software distribution agreements. A major challenge for obtaining commercial funding for open-source projects is to offer a value proposition that overcomes the criticism that such funding is a give-away to the competition. This work draws upon a decade of experience developing open-source electromagnetic geophysics software for the oil, gas and minerals exploration industry, and examines various approaches that have been effective for sustaining industry sponsorship.

Behind Linus's Law: Investigating Peer Review Processes in Open Source

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jing

2013-01-01

Open source software has revolutionized the way people develop software, organize collaborative work, and innovate. The numerous open source software systems that have been created and adopted over the past decade are influential and vital in all aspects of work and daily life. The understanding of open source software development can enhance its…

An Analysis of Open Source Security Software Products Downloads

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barta, Brian J.

2014-01-01

Despite the continued demand for open source security software, a gap in the identification of success factors related to the success of open source security software persists. There are no studies that accurately assess the extent of this persistent gap, particularly with respect to the strength of the relationships of open source software…

Research on OpenStack of open source cloud computing in colleges and universities’ computer room

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Zhang, Dandan

2017-06-01

In recent years, the cloud computing technology has a rapid development, especially open source cloud computing. Open source cloud computing has attracted a large number of user groups by the advantages of open source and low cost, have now become a large-scale promotion and application. In this paper, firstly we briefly introduced the main functions and architecture of the open source cloud computing OpenStack tools, and then discussed deeply the core problems of computer labs in colleges and universities. Combining with this research, it is not that the specific application and deployment of university computer rooms with OpenStack tool. The experimental results show that the application of OpenStack tool can efficiently and conveniently deploy cloud of university computer room, and its performance is stable and the functional value is good.

Crowded: a crowd-sourced perspective of events as they happen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantingham, Richard; Hossain, Aleem

2013-05-01

`Crowded' is a web-based application developed by the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl) that collates imagery of a particular location from a variety of media sources to provide an operator with real-time situational awareness. Emergency services and other relevant agencies have detected or become aware of an event - a riot or an explosion, for instance - and its location or text associated with it. The ubiquity of mobile devices allows people to collect and upload media of the incident to the Internet, in real time. Crowded manages the interactions with online sources of media: Flickr; Instagram; YouTube; Twitter; and Transport for London traffic cameras, to retrieve imagery that is being uploaded at that point in time. In doing so, it aims to provide human operators with near-instantaneous `eyes-on' from a variety of different perspectives. The first instantiation of Crowded was implemented as a series of integrated web-services with the aim of rapidly understanding whether the approach was viable. In doing so, it demonstrated how non-traditional, open sources can be used to provide a richer current intelligence picture than can be obtained alone from classified sources. The development of Crowded also explored how open source technology and cloud-based services can be used in the modern intelligence and security environment to provide a multi-agency Common Operating Picture to help achieve a co-ordinated response. The lessons learned in building the prototype are currently being used to design and develop a second version, and identify options and priorities for future development.

Common characteristics of open source software development and applicability for drug discovery: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Innovation through an open source model has proven to be successful for software development. This success has led many to speculate if open source can be applied to other industries with similar success. We attempt to provide an understanding of open source software development characteristics for researchers, business leaders and government officials who may be interested in utilizing open source innovation in other contexts and with an emphasis on drug discovery. Methods A systematic review was performed by searching relevant, multidisciplinary databases to extract empirical research regarding the common characteristics and barriers of initiating and maintaining an open source software development project. Results Common characteristics to open source software development pertinent to open source drug discovery were extracted. The characteristics were then grouped into the areas of participant attraction, management of volunteers, control mechanisms, legal framework and physical constraints. Lastly, their applicability to drug discovery was examined. Conclusions We believe that the open source model is viable for drug discovery, although it is unlikely that it will exactly follow the form used in software development. Hybrids will likely develop that suit the unique characteristics of drug discovery. We suggest potential motivations for organizations to join an open source drug discovery project. We also examine specific differences between software and medicines, specifically how the need for laboratories and physical goods will impact the model as well as the effect of patents. PMID:21955914

Perceptions of the use of intelligent information access systems in university level active learning activities among teachers of biomedical subjects.

PubMed

Aparicio, Fernando; Morales-Botello, María Luz; Rubio, Margarita; Hernando, Asunción; Muñoz, Rafael; López-Fernández, Hugo; Glez-Peña, Daniel; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; de la Villa, Manuel; Maña, Manuel; Gachet, Diego; Buenaga, Manuel de

2018-04-01

Student participation and the use of active methodologies in classroom learning are being increasingly emphasized. The use of intelligent systems can be of great help when designing and developing these types of activities. Recently, emerging disciplines such as 'educational data mining' and 'learning analytics and knowledge' have provided clear examples of the importance of the use of artificial intelligence techniques in education. The main objective of this study was to gather expert opinions regarding the benefits of using complementary methods that are supported by intelligent systems, specifically, by intelligent information access systems, when processing texts written in natural language and the benefits of using these methods as companion tools to the learning activities that are employed by biomedical and health sciences teachers. Eleven teachers of degree courses who belonged to the Faculties of Biomedical Sciences (BS) and Health Sciences (HS) of a Spanish university in Madrid were individually interviewed. These interviews were conducted using a mixed methods questionnaire that included 66 predefined close-ended and open-ended questions. In our study, three intelligent information access systems (i.e., BioAnnote, CLEiM and MedCMap) were successfully used to evaluate the teacher's perceptions regarding the utility of these systems and their different methods in learning activities. All teachers reported using active learning methods in the classroom, most of which were computer programs that were used for initially designing and later executing learning activities. All teachers used case-based learning methods in the classroom, with a specific emphasis on case reports written in Spanish and/or English. In general, few or none of the teachers were familiar with the technical terms related to the technologies used for these activities such as "intelligent systems" or "concept/mental maps". However, they clearly realized the potential applicability of such approaches in both the preparation and the effective use of these activities in the classroom. Specifically, the themes highlighted by a greater number of teachers after analyzing the responses to the open-ended questions were the usefulness of BioAnnote system to provide reliable sources of medical information and the usefulness of the bilingual nature of CLEiM system for learning medical terminology in English. Three intelligent information access systems were successfully used to evaluate the teacher's perceptions regarding the utility of these systems in learning activities. The results of this study showed that integration of reliable sources of information, bilingualism and selective annotation of concepts were the most valued features by the teachers, who also considered the incorporation of these systems into learning activities to be potentially very useful. In addition, in the context of our experimental conditions, our work provides useful insights into the way to appropriately integrate this type of intelligent information access systems into learning activities, revealing key themes to consider when developing such approaches. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Role of Open Source Tools and Resources in Virtual Screening for Drug Discovery.

PubMed

Karthikeyan, Muthukumarasamy; Vyas, Renu

2015-01-01

Advancement in chemoinformatics research in parallel with availability of high performance computing platform has made handling of large scale multi-dimensional scientific data for high throughput drug discovery easier. In this study we have explored publicly available molecular databases with the help of open-source based integrated in-house molecular informatics tools for virtual screening. The virtual screening literature for past decade has been extensively investigated and thoroughly analyzed to reveal interesting patterns with respect to the drug, target, scaffold and disease space. The review also focuses on the integrated chemoinformatics tools that are capable of harvesting chemical data from textual literature information and transform them into truly computable chemical structures, identification of unique fragments and scaffolds from a class of compounds, automatic generation of focused virtual libraries, computation of molecular descriptors for structure-activity relationship studies, application of conventional filters used in lead discovery along with in-house developed exhaustive PTC (Pharmacophore, Toxicophores and Chemophores) filters and machine learning tools for the design of potential disease specific inhibitors. A case study on kinase inhibitors is provided as an example.

The 2017 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC)

PubMed Central

Harris, Nomi L.; Cock, Peter J.A.; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J.; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Munoz-Torres, Monica; Tzovaras, Bastian Greshake; Wiencko, Heather

2017-01-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. The 18th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2017) took place in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2017. The conference brought together nearly 250 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, open and reproducible science, and this year’s theme, open data. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community, called the OBF Codefest. PMID:29118973

The 2017 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC).

PubMed

Harris, Nomi L; Cock, Peter J A; Chapman, Brad; Fields, Christopher J; Hokamp, Karsten; Lapp, Hilmar; Munoz-Torres, Monica; Tzovaras, Bastian Greshake; Wiencko, Heather

2017-01-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is a meeting organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of Open Source software development and Open Science within the biological research community. The 18th annual BOSC ( http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2017) took place in Prague, Czech Republic in July 2017. The conference brought together nearly 250 bioinformatics researchers, developers and users of open source software to interact and share ideas about standards, bioinformatics software development, open and reproducible science, and this year's theme, open data. As in previous years, the conference was preceded by a two-day collaborative coding event open to the bioinformatics community, called the OBF Codefest.

The Efficient Utilization of Open Source Information

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baty, Samuel R.

These are a set of slides on the efficient utilization of open source information. Open source information consists of a vast set of information from a variety of sources. Not only does the quantity of open source information pose a problem, the quality of such information can hinder efforts. To show this, two case studies are mentioned: Iran and North Korea, in order to see how open source information can be utilized. The huge breadth and depth of open source information can complicate an analysis, especially because open information has no guarantee of accuracy. Open source information can provide keymore » insights either directly or indirectly: looking at supporting factors (flow of scientists, products and waste from mines, government budgets, etc.); direct factors (statements, tests, deployments). Fundamentally, it is the independent verification of information that allows for a more complete picture to be formed. Overlapping sources allow for more precise bounds on times, weights, temperatures, yields or other issues of interest in order to determine capability. Ultimately, a "good" answer almost never comes from an individual, but rather requires the utilization of a wide range of skill sets held by a team of people.« less

Drivers of Learning Management System Use in a South African Open and Distance Learning Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venter, Peet; van Rensburg, Mari Jansen; Davis, Annemarie

2012-01-01

The study on which this article reports examined the determinants of usage of an online learning management system (LMS) by fourth level business students at a South African open and distance learning university using an extension of the widely used technology acceptance model (TAM) as a theoretical basis. A survey was conducted among students at…

Eco-Dialogical Learning and Translanguaging in Open-Ended 3D Virtual Learning Environments: Where Place, Time, and Objects Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Dongping; Schmidt, Matthew; Hu, Ying; Liu, Min; Hsu, Jesse

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between design, learning, and translanguaging in a 3D collaborative virtual learning environment for adolescent learners of Chinese and English. We designed an open-ended space congruent with ecological and dialogical perspectives on second language acquisition. In such a space,…

Learning from Multiple Collaborating Intelligent Tutors: An Agent-based Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomos, Konstantinos; Avouris, Nikolaos

1999-01-01

Describes an open distributed multi-agent tutoring system (MATS) and discusses issues related to learning in such open environments. Topics include modeling a one student-many teachers approach in a computer-based learning context; distributed artificial intelligence; implementation issues; collaboration; and user interaction. (Author/LRW)

Teachers' roles in light of massive open online courses (MOOCs): Evolution and challenges in higher distance education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil-Jaurena, Inés; Domínguez, Daniel

2018-03-01

This article analyses the challenges teachers face when entering a digital and open online environment in higher education. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become a popular phenomenon, making online learning more visible in the educational agenda; therefore, it is appropriate to analyse their expansion and diversification to help inform the next generation of courses. In this article, MOOCs are contextualised in a historical and wider approach to online education, building upon lessons learned from open and distance education, and exploring the introduction of technologies in providing higher education to massive populations over the past 45 years. In particular, the research study presented in this article used the open scholarship approach to analyse many of the changes that can occur in teaching when an open context applies, as in the case of MOOCs. Taking into account that a collaborative online learning experience is influenced by the simultaneous presence and overlap of cognitive, social and teaching elements, the study also used the community of inquiry model as a theoretical framework. In the study, 24 teachers (from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia [UNED] in Madrid, Spain) were surveyed about their experiences of MOOCs in terms of their current tasks, and the main changes they have observed compared to teaching in a more traditional electronic learning (e-learning) environment (at both graduate and postgraduate levels). These changes in roles, as well as teachers' views about the impact of "massiveness" and "openness" on their understanding and teaching practice, are presented and analysed. Finally, the article also discusses how the evolution towards adapted learning, collaborative learning and assessment supported by technical tools, for example, was already in progress at UNED before MOOCs were initiated.

Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning Initiatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Michael, Ed.; Wake, Donna, Ed.

2017-01-01

Education has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since educators have been able to harness the power of mobile technology. Open-access learning techniques provide more students with the opportunity to engage in educational opportunities that may have been previously restricted. "Empowering Learners with Mobile Open-Access Learning…

The Role of the Australian Open Learning Information Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Robin; And Others

Three documents are presented which describe the Australian Open Learning Information Network (AOLIN)--a national, independent, and self-supporting network of educational researchers with a common interest in the use of information technology for open and distance education--and discuss two evaluative studies undertaken by the organization. The…

The 2015 Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC 2015).

PubMed

Harris, Nomi L; Cock, Peter J A; Lapp, Hilmar; Chapman, Brad; Davey, Rob; Fields, Christopher; Hokamp, Karsten; Munoz-Torres, Monica

2016-02-01

The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference (BOSC) is organized by the Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF), a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting the practice and philosophy of open source software development and open science within the biological research community. Since its inception in 2000, BOSC has provided bioinformatics developers with a forum for communicating the results of their latest efforts to the wider research community. BOSC offers a focused environment for developers and users to interact and share ideas about standards; software development practices; practical techniques for solving bioinformatics problems; and approaches that promote open science and sharing of data, results, and software. BOSC is run as a two-day special interest group (SIG) before the annual Intelligent Systems in Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference. BOSC 2015 took place in Dublin, Ireland, and was attended by over 125 people, about half of whom were first-time attendees. Session topics included "Data Science;" "Standards and Interoperability;" "Open Science and Reproducibility;" "Translational Bioinformatics;" "Visualization;" and "Bioinformatics Open Source Project Updates". In addition to two keynote talks and dozens of shorter talks chosen from submitted abstracts, BOSC 2015 included a panel, titled "Open Source, Open Door: Increasing Diversity in the Bioinformatics Open Source Community," that provided an opportunity for open discussion about ways to increase the diversity of participants in BOSC in particular, and in open source bioinformatics in general. The complete program of BOSC 2015 is available online at http://www.open-bio.org/wiki/BOSC_2015_Schedule.

Distance Education and Open Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Criteria and Conditions for Quality and Critical Success Factor-- Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning. A Survey of Policy and Practice. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commonwealth of Learning, 2004

2004-01-01

Both of these "Surveys of policy and practice" were conducted on behalf of COL by the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) as part of COL's partnership agreement with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning. The first report identifies…

Part-Time Learners in Open and Distance Learning: Revisiting the Critical Importance of Choice, Flexibility and Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butcher, John; Rose-Adams, John

2015-01-01

In this article, we argue that, if open learning seeks to (re)assert a social justice mission, issues of openness and flexibility are more critical than ever. Drawing on qualitative data from a National Union of Students Wales/Open University study, which explored, in the voices of Welsh students, the identity, motivation and barriers faced by…

Pre-service elementary teachers' understanding of scientific inquiry and its role in school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macaroglu, Esra

The purpose of this research was to explore pre-service elementary teachers' developing understanding of scientific inquiry within the context of their elementary science teaching and learning. More specifically, the study examined 24 pre-service elementary teachers' emerging understanding of (1) the nature of science and scientific inquiry; (2) the "place" of scientific inquiry in school science; and (3) the roles and responsibilities of teachers and students within an inquiry-based learning environment. Data sources consisted primarily of student-generated artifacts collected throughout the semester, including pre/post-philosophy statements and text-based materials collected from electronic dialogue journals. Individual data sources were open-coded to identify concepts and categories expressed by students. Cross-comparisons were conducted and patterns were identified. Assertions were formed with these patterns. Findings are hopeful in that they suggest pre-service teachers can develop a more contemporary view of scientific inquiry when immersed in a context that promotes this perspective. Not surprisingly, however, the prospective teachers encountered a number of barriers when attempting to translate their emerging ideas into practice. More research is needed to determine which teacher preparation experiences are most powerful in supporting pre-service teachers as they construct a framework for science teaching and learning that includes scientific inquiry as a central component.

Open Source, Openness, and Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, David

2006-01-01

In this article David Wiley provides an overview of how the general expansion of open source software has affected the world of education in particular. In doing so, Wiley not only addresses the development of open source software applications for teachers and administrators, he also discusses how the fundamental philosophy of the open source…

The Emergence of Open-Source Software in North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Guohua; Bonk, Curtis J.

2007-01-01

Unlike conventional models of software development, the open source model is based on the collaborative efforts of users who are also co-developers of the software. Interest in open source software has grown exponentially in recent years. A "Google" search for the phrase open source in early 2005 returned 28.8 million webpage hits, while…

An Android malware detection system based on machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Long; Yu, Haiyang

2017-08-01

The Android smartphone, with its open source character and excellent performance, has attracted many users. However, the convenience of the Android platform also has motivated the development of malware. The traditional method which detects the malware based on the signature is unable to detect unknown applications. The article proposes a machine learning-based lightweight system that is capable of identifying malware on Android devices. In this system we extract features based on the static analysis and the dynamitic analysis, then a new feature selection approach based on principle component analysis (PCA) and relief are presented in the article to decrease the dimensions of the features. After that, a model will be constructed with support vector machine (SVM) for classification. Experimental results show that our system provides an effective method in Android malware detection.

Application of artificial neural networks to identify equilibration in computer simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leibowitz, Mitchell H.; Miller, Evan D.; Henry, Michael M.; Jankowski, Eric

2017-11-01

Determining which microstates generated by a thermodynamic simulation are representative of the ensemble for which sampling is desired is a ubiquitous, underspecified problem. Artificial neural networks are one type of machine learning algorithm that can provide a reproducible way to apply pattern recognition heuristics to underspecified problems. Here we use the open-source TensorFlow machine learning library and apply it to the problem of identifying which hypothetical observation sequences from a computer simulation are “equilibrated” and which are not. We generate training populations and test populations of observation sequences with embedded linear and exponential correlations. We train a two-neuron artificial network to distinguish the correlated and uncorrelated sequences. We find that this simple network is good enough for > 98% accuracy in identifying exponentially-decaying energy trajectories from molecular simulations.

Analyzing microtomography data with Python and the scikit-image library.

PubMed

Gouillart, Emmanuelle; Nunez-Iglesias, Juan; van der Walt, Stéfan

2017-01-01

The exploration and processing of images is a vital aspect of the scientific workflows of many X-ray imaging modalities. Users require tools that combine interactivity, versatility, and performance. scikit-image is an open-source image processing toolkit for the Python language that supports a large variety of file formats and is compatible with 2D and 3D images. The toolkit exposes a simple programming interface, with thematic modules grouping functions according to their purpose, such as image restoration, segmentation, and measurements. scikit-image users benefit from a rich scientific Python ecosystem that contains many powerful libraries for tasks such as visualization or machine learning. scikit-image combines a gentle learning curve, versatile image processing capabilities, and the scalable performance required for the high-throughput analysis of X-ray imaging data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Exercise environment for Introduction to Cyber Technologies class. This software is essentially a collection of short scripts, configuration files, and small executables that form the exercise component of the Sandia Cyber Technologies Academy's Introduction to Cyber Technologies class. It builds upon other open-source technologies, such as Debian Linux and minimega, to provide comprehensive Linux and networking exercises that make learning these topics exciting and fun. Sample exercises: a pre-built set of home directories the student must navigate through to learn about privilege escalation, the creation of a virtual network playground designed to teach the student about the resiliency of themore » Internet, and a two-hour Capture the Flag challenge for the final lesson. There are approximately thirty (30) exercises included for the students to complete as part of the course.« less

Informal Learning and Non-Formal Education for Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latchem, Colin

2014-01-01

The following article examines the issues of open, distance and technology-based informal learning and non-formal education for individual and community development. It argues that these two modes of education, which are estimated to constitute 70-90% of lifelong learning, are insufficiently represented in the literature of open and distance…

Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and Institutional Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reushle, Shirley, Ed.; Antonio, Amy, Ed.; Keppell, Mike, Ed.

2016-01-01

The discipline of education is a multi-faceted system that must constantly integrate new strategies and procedures to ensure successful learning experiences. Enhancements in education provide learners with greater opportunities for growth and advancement. "Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and…

Sustainable Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Open and Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okonkwo, Charity Akuadi

2010-01-01

This paper first presents an overview of the concepts of assessment and evaluation in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment. The large numbers of students and numerous courses make assessment and evaluation very difficult and administrative nightmare at Distance Learning (DL) institutions. These challenges informed exploring issues relating…

A convolutional neural network-based screening tool for X-ray serial crystallography.

PubMed

Ke, Tsung Wei; Brewster, Aaron S; Yu, Stella X; Ushizima, Daniela; Yang, Chao; Sauter, Nicholas K

2018-05-01

A new tool is introduced for screening macromolecular X-ray crystallography diffraction images produced at an X-ray free-electron laser light source. Based on a data-driven deep learning approach, the proposed tool executes a convolutional neural network to detect Bragg spots. Automatic image processing algorithms described can enable the classification of large data sets, acquired under realistic conditions consisting of noisy data with experimental artifacts. Outcomes are compared for different data regimes, including samples from multiple instruments and differing amounts of training data for neural network optimization. open access.

Unified Monitoring Architecture for IT and Grid Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aimar, A.; Aguado Corman, A.; Andrade, P.; Belov, S.; Delgado Fernandez, J.; Garrido Bear, B.; Georgiou, M.; Karavakis, E.; Magnoni, L.; Rama Ballesteros, R.; Riahi, H.; Rodriguez Martinez, J.; Saiz, P.; Zolnai, D.

2017-10-01

This paper provides a detailed overview of the Unified Monitoring Architecture (UMA) that aims at merging the monitoring of the CERN IT data centres and the WLCG monitoring using common and widely-adopted open source technologies such as Flume, Elasticsearch, Hadoop, Spark, Kibana, Grafana and Zeppelin. It provides insights and details on the lessons learned, explaining the work performed in order to monitor the CERN IT data centres and the WLCG computing activities such as the job processing, data access and transfers, and the status of sites and services.

Open Data, Open Source and Open Standards in chemistry: The Blue Obelisk five years on

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The Blue Obelisk movement was established in 2005 as a response to the lack of Open Data, Open Standards and Open Source (ODOSOS) in chemistry. It aims to make it easier to carry out chemistry research by promoting interoperability between chemistry software, encouraging cooperation between Open Source developers, and developing community resources and Open Standards. Results This contribution looks back on the work carried out by the Blue Obelisk in the past 5 years and surveys progress and remaining challenges in the areas of Open Data, Open Standards, and Open Source in chemistry. Conclusions We show that the Blue Obelisk has been very successful in bringing together researchers and developers with common interests in ODOSOS, leading to development of many useful resources freely available to the chemistry community. PMID:21999342

Strategy for a Sustained Quality Delivery Mode of ODL Programmes for Massive Enrollments and E-Learning: The Case for Zimbabwe Open University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabanda, Gabriel

2014-01-01

The market dynamics in distance education has precipitated phenomenal growth opportunities in enrollments and e-learning. The purpose of the paper was to develop a strategy for sustained quality delivery mode of distance education progammes that precipitate massive enrollments and e-learning in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution using…

Success Profiling: A Methodological Perspective on the Interactive Nature of Success Predictors on Student Performance at an Open and Distance Learning Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Helene; Swanepoel, Elana; De Beer, Andreas

2010-01-01

The drive to improve the academic performance of students at an open and distance learning (ODL) institution has resulted in the incorporation of a blended learning component, namely satellite classes, in the learning strategy to enhance the academic performance of first year diploma students in Business Management and Management. Monitoring this…

Training Language Teachers to Sustain Self-Directed Language Learning: An Exploration of Advisers' Experiences on a Web-Based Open Virtual Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailly, Sophie; Ciekanski, Maud; Guély-Costa, Eglantine

2013-01-01

This article describes the rationale for pedagogical, technological and organizational choices in the design of a web-based and open virtual learning environment (VLE) promoting and sustaining self-directed language learning. Based on the last forty years of research on learner autonomy at the CRAPEL according to Holec's definition (1988), we…

Making Sense of Learner and Learning Big Data: Reviewing Five Years of Data Wrangling at the Open University UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rienties, Bart; Cross, Simon; Marsh, Vicky; Ullmann, Thomas

2017-01-01

Most distance learning institutions collect vast amounts of learning data. Making sense of this 'Big Data' can be a challenge, in particular when data are stored at different data warehouses and require advanced statistical skills to interpret complex patterns of data. As a leading institute on learning analytics, the Open University UK instigated…

Parallel evolution of Nitric Oxide signaling: Diversity of synthesis & memory pathways

PubMed Central

Moroz, Leonid L.; Kohn, Andrea B.

2014-01-01

The origin of NO signaling can be traceable back to the origin of life with the large scale of parallel evolution of NO synthases (NOSs). Inducible-like NOSs may be the most basal prototype of all NOSs and that neuronal-like NOS might have evolved several times from this prototype. Other enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways for NO synthesis have been discovered using reduction of nitrites, an alternative source of NO. Diverse synthetic mechanisms can co-exist within the same cell providing a complex NO-oxygen microenvironment tightly coupled with cellular energetics. The dissection of multiple sources of NO formation is crucial in analysis of complex biological processes such as neuronal integration and learning mechanisms when NO can act as a volume transmitter within memory-forming circuits. In particular, the molecular analysis of learning mechanisms (most notably in insects and gastropod molluscs) opens conceptually different perspectives to understand the logic of recruiting evolutionarily conserved pathways for novel functions. Giant uniquely identified cells from Aplysia and related species precent unuque opportunities for integrative analysis of NO signaling at the single cell level. PMID:21622160

Open Genetic Code: on open source in the life sciences.

PubMed

Deibel, Eric

2014-01-01

The introduction of open source in the life sciences is increasingly being suggested as an alternative to patenting. This is an alternative, however, that takes its shape at the intersection of the life sciences and informatics. Numerous examples can be identified wherein open source in the life sciences refers to access, sharing and collaboration as informatic practices. This includes open source as an experimental model and as a more sophisticated approach of genetic engineering. The first section discusses the greater flexibly in regard of patenting and the relationship to the introduction of open source in the life sciences. The main argument is that the ownership of knowledge in the life sciences should be reconsidered in the context of the centrality of DNA in informatic formats. This is illustrated by discussing a range of examples of open source models. The second part focuses on open source in synthetic biology as exemplary for the re-materialization of information into food, energy, medicine and so forth. The paper ends by raising the question whether another kind of alternative might be possible: one that looks at open source as a model for an alternative to the commodification of life that is understood as an attempt to comprehensively remove the restrictions from the usage of DNA in any of its formats.