Santa Clara University's Robotic Systems Laboratory conducts an aggressive robotic development and operations program in which interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate students build and deploy a wide range of robotic systems, ranging from underwater vehicles to spacecraft. These year-long projects expose students to the breadth of and…

While the telepointer has been widely accepted in the Computer Supported Collaborative Work community, little work has been done to quantify its effect on performance and perception. We present preliminary results quantifying the telepointer's effect on knowledge retention and satisfaction in an online collaboration. In experiments, a remote…

The note discusses ways in which technology can be used in the calculus learning process. In particular, five MATLAB programs are detailed for use by instructors or students that demonstrate important concepts in introductory calculus: Newton's method, differentiation and integration. Two of the programs are animated. The programs and the…

As libraries increasingly look to give their collections a strong digital presence, many of the librarians involved come from traditionally technical services oriented areas: catalogers, systems librarians, web developers, and database specialists. Collaboration between representatives of public services, collection development, and technical…

The "computers are social actors" paradigm asserts that human-to-computer interactions are fundamentally social responses. Earlier research has shown that effective management of the social presence in user interface design can improve user engagement and motivation. Much of this research has focused on adult subjects. This study…

This handbook is designed to provide guidance for someone who wants to create portable multimedia presentations with notebook computers and related technologies. The first section offers technological overviews to help assess needs for: (1) portable computers; (2) software; (3) projection equipment; (4) peripherals; (5) portable storage; (6)…

The development of potentially powerful computer-based tools within rich learning environments is hampered by the constraints of delivery systems (specifically low-resolution, low-real estate displays). In designing a World Wide Web-based tool for manipulating time-based information, the authors have encountered a lack of guidelines or empirical…

Information systems (IS) professionals are called on to produce increasingly sophisticated user interfaces as a part of software development. Although IS education includes coverage of user interface (UI) development, classroom presentation of this topic frequently is cursory and does not provide any particular methodology for the task. In this…

Each semester at Miami University (Ohio) the secretaries struggle to update the Campus Directory database in order to print the campus telephone and office/class hours directory. It is a time-consuming process and the directory is usually late and out-of-date by the time it is printed. The university's Computer Services Manager has created a Web…

In the context of exploring educational hypermedia on the World Wide Web, this paper presents a history visualization that helps learners reorganize explored contents to find what Web sites they should visit next. Learning-by-exploration is discussed as it relates to educational hypermedia, including the "Get Lost in Hyperspace" problem,…

This paper shows how to use design patterns for building educational multimedia applications. The first section summarizes design issues related to organizing the information, the organization of the interface, and implementation. Navigating through information is covered in the second section, including problems, motivations, and solutions, and…

A brief review shows several suggested ways in which cultural historical activity theory has proved valuable to technology supported learning environments. Three of our own design cases are then described (evaluating a peer to peer interface for learning objects, designing an on-line school, and rethinking a public science centre). These are…

Introduces a photogate arrangement using a photo-reflective sensor for air track experiments. Reports that the sensitivity to sunlight can be eliminated and a mechanically more convenient package produced. Shows the mounting, circuit, and usage of the photogate. (YP)

This document lists 55 ideas for organizing and lending computer equipment, switches, adapters, and software. The first section lists general organizational hints, including labeling of equipment, maintaining regular inventories, and establishing a crisis phone number and contact person to help people figure things out. The second section lists…

Viikki is one of the four campuses of the University of Helsinki. The Viikki Virtual Infocenter will be located on the Viikki Campus in Helsinki. It will be a modern learning environment that offers library and information services, study rooms and learning facilities, computer and network services, and administrative campus services to students…