http://hdl.handle.net/10791/68 2026-05-03T14:15:22Z 2026-05-03T14:15:22Z Sweeney, M. R. http://hdl.handle.net/10791/160 2015-05-19T21:55:19Z 2015-04-28T06:00:00Z

Title: Application of Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf to Adult Literacy Instruction in the Hearing Community Authors: Sweeney, M. R. Supervisor(s): Moisey, Susan (Centre for Distance Education, Athabasca University) Degree: MDE Department: Centre for Distance Education Abstract: Illiteracy remains a serious problem in Canada with a significant proportion of the adult population still unable to read and write. Illiteracy is a particularly serious problem in rural areas because a variety of factors limit access to instructional programs and restrict the quality of instruction. The intent of this research project was to determine if the TDD could be used to improve both access to adult literacy programs and the quality of instruction. The TDD is an old technology, but it has not previously been used for instructional purposes. Because of the preliminary nature of the inquiry, a case study design was originally adopted, but because of a variety of factors, this plan did not attract sufficient numbers of study participants. Following a detailed review of the case, the study plan was revised. In the revised plan, a case study design was imbedded within an overall action research framework that invited greater involvement from project participants. This revision of the plan lead to a significant increase in the number of study volunteers, and enabled the conduct of a variety of individual and group learning activities using the technology. Findings of the study include: the TDD can be used both as an adjunct to face-to-face instruction and as a vehicle for distance learning; students find the device supports attainment of their learning objectives; instructors can envisage how to use the device in distance learning applications; and use of the device needs to be integrated with the use other instructional technologies. The study also identified several limitations of the technology and highlighted where technological improvements are required. Graduation Date: 2005

2015-04-28T06:00:00Z Mottus, A. M. http://hdl.handle.net/10791/82 2015-04-01T22:11:49Z 2013-01-01T07:00:00Z

Title: Teacher Decision Making in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment Authors: Mottus, A. M. Supervisor(s): Kinshuk, Dr. Degree: Master of Science, Information Systems (MScIS) Department: Faculty of Science and Technology Abstract: The ability for teachers to support students in ubiquitous learning environments has proven to be very challenging due to the limitations caused by physical distance and asynchronous communication methods. This been has been further complicated by the dynamic nature of the learning process and a dramatic rise in the number of digital resources combined with those found in the real world. This has generated a vast amount of information in terms of learning interactions, mobile anywhere, anytime access, peer associations, and demographic materials. This plethora of information has made it extremely difficult to isolate critical facts and refine meaningful patterns. While data mining, adaptive learning systems and other education support techniques have provided a number of tools they have yet to create a universal method of assisting students. These mechanisms have also focused on replicating the expertise provided by teachers rather than supporting them. These techniques also tend to be highly complex requiring specialized skills just to use them thereby limiting accessibility. Given the challenges of automating educational processes this paper proposes a mechanism for reconnecting teachers with their students. To accomplish this, an educational decision support system has been proposed in the form of an interactive dashboard to empower teachers with the ability to access student learning process information along with machine generated recommendations. The design has also focused on ways of expressing data mining outcomes using methods which have highly visual components in order to promote ease of access. This research has developed one potential teacher decision support system design for use in a ubiquitous learning environment. This has been augmented by also identifying the tools suitable for constructing such a dashboard. The prototype from this research has provided a proof of concept which can be used to guide future work and derive feedback from teachers and researchers alike. Graduation Date: 2013-08

2013-01-01T07:00:00Z Jones, D. A. http://hdl.handle.net/10791/80 2015-04-28T19:21:44Z 2012-01-01T07:00:00Z

Title: Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game for Teaching Youth Finance Authors: Jones, D. A. Supervisor(s): Chang, Maiga (School of Computing & Information Systems, Faculty of Science & Technology, Athabasca University) Degree: Master of Science, Information Systems (MScIS) Department: Faculty of Science and Technology Abstract: It has been stated that people need to improve their knowledge of finances and make better choices with their money. Many programs have been created to teach basic finances. These programs target people of all ages from adults all the way down to kindergarten students. The vast majority of opinions on teaching finances state that education begins with children – the younger the better. The goal of this research project is to create a fun to play (massively) multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) capable of teaching younger students how to better manage their personal finances. The game will be designed as an educational title with an attempt to balance both the entertainment and educational components. It will be a combination of a game and a simulation. Students will live out a virtual life in a generated game world making financial decisions for their character in an attempt to develop enough wealth to allow that character to retire. Graduation Date: 2012-04

2012-01-01T07:00:00Z Thayaparan, A. A. http://hdl.handle.net/10791/85 2015-04-01T22:10:26Z 2011-01-01T07:00:00Z

Title: Enterprise Integration with Messaging Authors: Thayaparan, A. A. Supervisor(s): Tan, Qing Degree: Master of Science, Information Systems (MScIS) Department: Faculty of Science and Technology Abstract: Integration architects and developers are faced with many challenges when integrating disparate enterprise applications. First off, it is necessary to come up with the integration solution that meets organization’s business needs. At the same time, they need to make sure that the solution requires minimum or no changes to the existing applications, so that cost of integration is minimal to the organization. This means the integration solution has to be technology neutral so that applications and systems built using different platforms and languages can be easily integrated. In addition, the systems integrated need to be loosely coupled so that changes to one system can be handled easily without impacting others. In order to tackle integration challenges like these, knowing and applying the appropriate integration styles and patterns is necessary. In addition, architects and developers need to be able to map different architectural design to appropriate technology and products. This thesis essay conducts a review on many of the integration architectures and patterns and how they help solve some of these challenges. It also reviews some of the technologies and products that are used to implement enterprise integration. More specifically, the essay takes an in-depth look into enterprise integration with respect to messaging by reviewing various messaging architectures, patterns, and technology. So, there are three main objectives for this thesis. The first objective is to research and evaluate some of the common integration architectures. The second objective is to review and analyze various integration patterns, specifically messaging and interaction patterns, and discuss how they help solve many common integration problems. The third objective is to discuss current technologies and products that are being used to implement enterprise integration based on proven architectures and patterns. Graduation Date: 2011-02

2011-01-01T07:00:00Z