M.Ed. / Computers are an integral part of life, and have become integral to everyday functions of work, travel, health, entertainment and study. It is crucial that this technology be utilised to maximum effect. In schools, learners are increasingly required to enhance their computer skills, and at tertiary level students explore ways they can be used to develop and enhance capacity, functions and responsibilities. This study examines ways in which computer technology can be used to teach, so as to benefit all role-players in the learning process, including lecturers, students, the learning fraternity and industry, contributing to a more competent and capacitated workforce. In particular, it looks at an electronic assessment tool implemented by the University of Johannesburg (UJ), intended to enhance and upgrade learning in courses where computers are used. However, with the initial use of system, certain shortcomings were identified which affected its performance. As computer-related testing was considered important in contributing to assessment, it was critical to identify any problems that were inhibiting its optimal performance. To this end, the researcher studied the subdepartment End-User Computing (EUC), located within the department of Business Information Technology (BIT) at UJ. A qualitative phase consisted of two identified focus groups made up of specific individuals from BIT, comprising lecturers engaged in the daily use and activation of the electronic assessment system and supported by information system technical support personnel. A second phase, quantitative in nature, used responses to structured questionnaires delivered to students who had used the assessment tool. The University’s Statcon unit analysed results, and identified problems. Lecturers pointed to the language used in questions and system challenges to teaching and learning, while students highlighted a need for preparing them for the process, particularly calling for a tutorial with class presentation prior to assessment.

Spreadsheet languages are the most commonly used end-user programming paradigm, yet spreadsheets commonly contain errors. Research shows that a significant number of spreadsheets (20%-40%) created by end users contain errors. In an attempt to reduce this error rate, this work presents an assertion propagation system for an end-user spreadsheet programming language, along with proofs of correctness, and complexity analysis. In addition to the traditional benefits of assertions (dynamic error checking and the documentation of programmer assumptions) this system deductively propagates the implications of assertions. This propagation adds two benefits, the cross-checking of program logic, and additional immediate visual feedback about the range of behavior of the program code for the end-user. / Graduation date: 2002

E-commerce has begun to evolve beyond simple web pages to more sophisticated ways of conducting e-business transactions, such as through electronic advertising, negotiation, and delivery. However, to participate in these advances requires the skills of professional programmers, and end-user owners of small businesses often cannot justify this expense. In this thesis, we present FAR, an end-user language to offer and deliver e-services. The novel aspects of FAR are its support of small e-services and its multiparadigm approach to combining ideas from spreadsheets and rule-based programming with drag-and-drop web page layout devices. / Graduation date: 2002

The business environment nowadays becomes much more dynamically and tensely than the past driven by the trend of globalization and free trading. Therefore, any enterprise in the world has to face competition from everywhere in the world. Under such complicated business environment, it¡¦s dangerous to make decision based on past experience or instinct. If some key message is missed or not collected, a disaster caused by logical decision, but far away from the reality might just happen. In last couple decades, software providers launched DSS(Decision Support System), BI(Business Intelligence), ¡K, etc. based on current enterprise IT infrastructure like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), MRPII(Manufacturing Resource Planning), ¡K, etc. to help enterprise for decision making. However, such systems are not popular in Taiwan, not to mention the successful stories. While I studied the lesson ¡§information technology and competitive advantage¡¨ conducted by Profession Kuo, I concluded from classmates¡¦ discussion that the root causes were as follows. 1. Most Taiwan manufacturers¡¦ strategy is to launch product at lower cost to allow them to win business via price war. Therefore, they are willing to invest tangible hardware, not intangible software. 2. The branches of international companies can¡¦t develop their own information system due to Corporate policy or security concern. Based on above mentioned, I started thinking if we could have a BI system that doesn¡¦t need to spend money, is easy to implement, and no need for Corporate approval. Such BI system could help management to retrieve effective and enough information for precise decision making. After evaluation, I think Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software is the most suitable solution. It¡¦s because almost all enterprises have it, it can contain 1M units of data in a file, and useful tools of macro, pivot table, sorting, filtering, VBA(Visual Basic for Application). Furthermore, the nature of spreadsheet is similar to database structure, so it can be easily integrated with database like SQL database, Microsoft Access. Thanks to Profession Kuo¡¦s coaching, I started doing research, and studied necessary tool like VBA, ¡K, etc. to warm up for this thesis. After months, I finally finish it, and I hope it can contribute to the ones that have similar problem with me.

This paper proposed a revised technology acceptance model for measuring end user computing (EUC) acceptance. An empirical study was conducted to collect data and the revised model was evaluated by structural equation modeling, and then confirmatory factor analysis was applied to test if the empirical data confirmed to the presumed model. The results demonstrated that the model explained 56% of the variance. The finding contributes to an expanded understanding of the factors that promote the EUC acceptance.

Despite the persistent change and growth that characterizes the Internet, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) still dominates at the transport layer, carrying more than 90\% of the global traffic. Despite its astonishing success, it has been observed that TCP can cause poor end-to-end performance, especially for large transfers and in network paths with high bandwidth-delay product. In this thesis, we focus on mechanisms that can address key problems in TCP performance, without any modification in the protocol itself. This evolutionary approach is important in practice, as the deployment of clean-slate transport protocols in the Internet has been proved to be extremely difficult. Specifically, we identify a number of TCP-related problems that can cause poor end-to-end performance. These problems include poorly dimensioned socket buffer sizes at the end-hosts, suboptimal buffer sizing at routers and switches, and congestion unresponsive TCP traffic aggregates. We propose solutions that can address these issues, without any modification to TCP. <br> <br> In network paths with significant available bandwidth, increasing the TCP window till observing loss can result in much lower throughput than the path's available bandwidth. We show that changes in TCP are {em not required} to utilize all the available bandwidth, and propose the application-layer SOcket Buffer Auto-Sizing (SOBAS) mechanism to achieve this goal. SOBAS relies on run-time estimation of the round trip time (RTT) and receive rate, and limits its socket buffer size when the receive rate approaches the path's available bandwidth. In a congested network, SOBAS does not limit its socket buffer size. Our experiment results show that SOBAS improves TCP throughput in uncongested network without hurting TCP performance in congested networks. <br> <br> Improper router buffer sizing can also result in poor TCP throughput. Previous research in router buffer sizing focused on network performance metrics such as link utilization or loss rate. Instead, we focus on the impact of buffer sizing on end-to-end TCP performance. We find that the router buffer size that optimizes TCP throughput is largely determined by the link's output to input capacity ratio. If that ratio is larger than one, the loss rate drops exponentially with the buffer size and the optimal buffer size is close to zero. Otherwise, if the output to input capacity ratio is lower than one, the loss rate follows a power-law reduction with the buffer size and significant buffering is needed. The amount of buffering required in this case depends on whether most flows end in the slow-start phase or in the congestion avoidance phase. <br> <br> TCP throughput also depends on whether the cross-traffic reduces its send rate upon congestion. We define this cross-traffic property as {em congestion responsiveness}. Since the majority of Internet traffic uses TCP, which reduces its send rate upon congestion, an aggregate of many TCP flows is believed to be congestion responsive. Here, we show that the congestion responsiveness of aggregate traffic also depends on the flow arrival process. If the flow arrival process follows an open-loop model, then even if the traffic consists exclusively of TCP transfers, the aggregate traffic can still be unresponsive to congestion. TCP flows that arrive in the network in a closed-loop manner are always congestion responsive, on the other hand. We also propose a scheme to estimate the fraction of traffic that follows the closed-loop model in a given link, and give practical guidelines to increase that fraction with simple application-layer modifications.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 257-276.

Thesis (D. Sc.)--Nova University, 1991. / At head of title: Dissertation report IS 8995. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-107).

Thesis (D. Sc.)--Nova University, 1991. / At head of title: Dissertation report IS 8995. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-107).

Thesis (M. Tech. Office Management and Technology) --Vaal University of Technology / The world of digital interactivity, of computers, of cyberspace and the "e-revolution', is making computer literacy more indispensable than ever. There is an increasing demand for ICT skills worldwide- South Africa is not alone in identifying shortages. The information and communication technology in South Africa is exacerbated by emigration on the one hand and the previously disadvantaged learners on the other hand. With an education system that is stretched, higher education has not kept pace with information and communication technology training in South Africa, therefore learners display a shortcoming of basic computer skills. The purpose of this study is to emphasise the importance of implementing computer literacy training throughout the entire learning programme of learners at higher education institutions. Learners randomly selected from the Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, indicated their computer literacy via questionnaires and levels of experience. It is clear that the abilities of the learners are not sufficient to ensure that they are computer literate or that they will be effective users in the workplace. This study results in a powerful argument in support of the extension of continued growth in computer usage in the workplace.