Dept. of
Computer Science and AI FACULTY OF SCIENCE University of Malta TEL: (+356) 2340 2519 FAX: (+356) 21320539 |
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Just-in-Time Systems Research and Development GroupScopeWe investigate architectures and applications to supply Just-in-Time support. Currently, we have two main projects for Just-in-Time Support for Curriculum-based Learning and Just-in-Time Lecture Delivery and Support. The resulting architectures are intended to be generic enough to be deployed for other Just-in-Time applications.Research Group MembersDr. Christopher StaffDr. Kevin Vella Mr. Aaron Galea Ms. Ruth Borg Mr. Joseph Spiteri Past Members Mr. Rainer Bezzina
(2001-2) Research ActivitiesPublicationsBezzina, R. 2002. Peer-to-Peer Just-in-Time Support for Curriculum Based Learning. Final Year Project Report. Department of Computer Science and AI, University of Malta. Ellul, C. 2002. Just-in-Time Lecture Delivery, Management and Student Support System. Final Year Project Report. Department of Computer Science and AI, University of Malta. Overview of the Research GroupJust-in-Time systems assume that services can be provides on demand, that service providers can also be service requestors, and that users may collaborate to provide services.The research group is particularly interested in three aspects of Just-in-Time systems:
Related ProjectsJust-in-Time Lecture Delivery and SupportWe assume that a student views a lecture as a pre-recorded digital video stream. We also assume that the student requires the same level of interaction that would be available if the student was participating in the live delivery of the same lecture. Students need to be able to ask questions about the lecture content and receive answers in real-time, even though the lecture can be taken at the student's convenience and the lecturer may not be available. Additionally, lecturers may pose questions of the student, to establish that the student understands the material covered. Unlike a lecture taking place in a classroom with more than one student, with Just-in-Time delivery, each student must be able to answer the question correctly before proceeding with the rest of the lecture. This project also investigates the integration of on-line resources, such as lecture notes, with the video-based material, so that a student may seamlessly switch between alternative sources of information. An interesting
aspect of the project is how the same material can be used to support
lecture broadcasts involving several students simultaneously following
the same lecture in a virtual classroom, allowing student interaction
with each other, as well as with the shared resources and possibly the
lecturer. Read about My
Virtual Classroom, a prototype Just-in-Time lecture delivery system
for single students. My Virtual
Classroom is currently being extended to use a Web browser-compatible
user interface and to support collaborative classrooms. Just-in-Time Support for Curriculum-based Learning over IP We assume that at any point in time there are tutors familiar with a curriculum and students following the same curriculum who need support while undertaking some task. Students and tutors can join the support network at any time. Whenever a student has a problem, the initial task is to locate a tutor who is in a position to assist the student. Tutors may have different areas of specialisation, and students may have a requirement for different levels of support. For example, a primary school maths tutor may not be able to assist a secondary school maths student, and although a secondary school maths tutor may be able to assist a primary school maths student it may be inefficient to use the tutor for this task. The Just-in-Time system must be fair - it must not unnecessarily over- or under-utilise a tutor, and a student must not be denied a service if a suitably qualified tutor is available. The infrastructure
for this Just-in-Time Support Network can be redeployed in other areas
of application, such as Employee Support with Task-based Procedures and
Post-Training Support. Read about the Peer
Support for School (PS4School) system. The Just-in-Time
support system is being converted as an Open Source development project
in collaboration with KEWL,
University of Western Cape, South Africa. Question-Answering Subsystems for Just-in-time Systems A Just-in-Time System provides a service as and when it is required. In the context of education, including commercial training, there is a need to allow sudents to receive answers to questions. A Question-Answering Subsystem is able to reduce the dependency on human respondants, by understanding the question that the student is asking, understanding how an answer can be formulated, and understanding the content and structure of possible sources of information from which a satisfactory answer may be derived. To collaborate on research and development in this groupFor more information about this research and development group, please contact either Chris Staff at cstaff@cs.um.edu.mt (phone +356-23402506), or Kevin Vella at kvel@cs.um.edu.mt (phone +356-23402128). For general information about collaborating in research and development groups, please visit this page.If you are
interested in reading a postgraduate degree in this area, please e-mail
Chris Staff at cstaff@cs.um.edu.mt,
after reading the Postgraduate
Enquiries information.
Contact detailsChris Staff, Department of Computer Science and AI, University of Malta, Tal-Qroqq, Msida MSD 06, Malta E-mail: cstaff@cs.um.edu.mtWeb: http://www.cs.um.edu.mt/~cstaff Phone: 00-356-23402506 Fax: 00-356-21320539 Kevin Vella, Department of Computer Science and AI, University of Malta, Tal-Qroqq, Msida MSD 06, Malta E-mail: kvel@cs.um.edu.mt Web: http://www.cs.um.edu.mt/~kvel Phone: 00-356-23402128 Fax: 00-356-21320539 |
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