Abstract

We revive an old but little explored idea about how to think about algorithms and problem solving. Algorithms are discrete dynamical systems, also called iterative systems. Pursuing this point of view pays rich dividends. Important concepts like state space, next-state function, termination, fixed points, invariants, traces etc., can be mapped from dynamical systems to elements of algorithm design. Many of these concepts can be visualised through plots that trace the dynamic behaviour of the algorithm

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to suggest a fresh approach to introductory programming curricula in the Indian school and engineering college context. The approach allows the student to connect high-school (up to 10+2) mathematics to the fundamentals of computing, algorithms and problem solving. The bridge connecting algebra and computing is functional programming, a paradigm confined over forty years to the computer science research community but now gaining popularity in industry as well as undergraduate education in some schools across the world. We show, using several examples, why and how functional programming is easier to master than traditional imperative programming. We conclude with the results of our attempts so far at introducing functional programming to students in IT colleges in India.

Abstract

espite the advancement in the information extraction area, the task of identifying associated relations among named entities within a text document remains a significant challenge. Existing automated approaches lack human precision and they also struggle to handle erroneous documents. In this paper, we propose a crowdsourcing-based approach to improve the accuracy of the generated relations from the existing extraction techniques. Our idea is to gather judgments on the extracted relations of an article from the interested users. By contributing, the users in return remember the facts related to a document. This paper presents the complete design of the approach along with a user study done with twelve participants. Results show that the users rated the proposed system positively and were willing to contribute their time and energy for the task.

Abstract

A set of tools that demostrate the concept of a re-narration web, that aims to add alternative, target specific narrations of web documents as an extension of the web protocol with the intent of assisting a process of content dissemination and access that is inclusive of non-literate people.

Abstract

We propose Alipi, a distributed and participatory approach for re-narrating web pages for the purpose of rendering the content more accessible. This model supports alternative descriptions for a web page or parts of it via rewriting or re-narration for a given target audience by volunteers. The goal is to render the Web accessible to people across varied abilities, age, economic situation, language and geographic locations. We present the motivation, architecture and prototype implementation of Alipi.

Abstract

Workflows are ubiquitous in educational ERP and process management. The question we address in this paper is how to specify and design verifiable workflows for educational processes. To specify workflows, we borrow a simple algebraic notation from computer science. We illustrate the use of this notation through a series of typical workflow examples. We show how an algebraic specification is more expressive than a graphical specification. We then show how these algebraic specifications may be represented in the Scribble specification language, which has in built tools for verification.

Abstract

Content creation and management is an inevitable part of teaching a course. This paper describes a novel way of handling this problem using Org-mode, a recently created text based information management tool being used within the Emacs user community. We list certain desirable features, specially for the purposes of computer science courses, such as support for collaborative development and literate programming. We show how Org-mode compares favourably over other approaches like wikis and other content and course management systems. We describe why the combination of Org-mode and version control is suitable for creating and publishing content quickly, with minimum overhead in a collaborative manner.

Abstract

The rapid release model of software introduces frequent updates to the existing software every twelve-eighteen weeks, forcing a user to get accustomed to its new features. We propose an experimental study to compare the learning gaps that are introduced when a user is exposed to a new version of a software, with which he is previously acquainted. In order to explore the problem, we propose four models of a machine, with each model involving an update either to the functionality, or to the user interface, or both. We conducted a between-subjects experimental study with thirty-two participants who performed two tasks successively on two models of a machine, the second one being a updated model of the first. The analysis of the data using ANOVA implies that a change in the user interface dominates a change in the functionality. Results indicate that 88% of the errors were caused due to a change in the user interface. 87.5% of the users who underwent a change in the user interface hold this change responsible for the learning gap, while only 56.25% users who underwent a change in the functionality consider it to be a potential reason for the learning gap.

Abstract

The shortage of experimental platforms needed for learning IT systems in a hands-on way is one reason for the lack of quality education in the area of IT. For most students who have access to a PC, their ability to experiment on that machine is limited by the risk of possible irrecoverable damage their experimentation may cause to the equipment. We report the development of a 'Virtual Laboratory for Systems and Software' that teaches the basics of Linux. The goal of this laboratory is to give the students a platform through which they can learn the essentials of linux. The student interacts with a virtual instance of a linux machine through the browser on his machine to learn basic tasks of linux system administration. The student's machine could be running any operating system (not necessarily linux). This obviates the need to have a linux machine on the part of the student. The lab consists of a suite of experiments designed as web applications which are based on IT Workshop courses at undergraduate level in universities.

Abstract

Distributed and concurrent development of virtual labs across multiple institutes and teams presents several challenges, both organizational and technical in nature. We present models for managing the process of virtual lab development, deployment and distribution. Close to twenty labs in computer science and chemical sciences are currently following our model. The architecture is designed to ultimately encourage and support a community ecosystem where teachers or students from any college could contribute to lab development, and a college could choose to subscribe to a set of virtual labs. Our deployment model, yet to be fully implemented, has as its back end a flexible virtualization architecture for running experiments and and a package based distribution model that encourages community participation in the use of virtual labs.