Data evolving from the research project: (1) established that engaging instructional design teams in staff development fabricates an energetic, resourceful, support network that facilitates diffusion of an innovation; (2) identified characteristics of instructional design teams likely to forge a viable diffusion network; (3) indicated that engaging instructional design teams in staff development creates a microcosm of the classroom that accelerates change; (4) demonstrated that instructional design teams, as organized in this study, foster modifications in instructional practices, learning processes and outcomes of students, and teacher beliefs; and (5) supported the premise that merging the expertise of two generations (i.e., teachers and students) expedites integration of technology into teaching and learning processes. Four implications flow from the findings of this study. Effective staff development requires (1) nurturing of relationships with potential adopters, (2) customizing the staff development for potential adopters, (3) associating curricular supervisors with families of schools (i.e., elementary, middle, high), and (4) considering a network of instructional design teams as the vehicle for diffusing other innovations. / Ed. D.

A cyber-physical control system (CPS) typically consists of a set of physical subsystems, their remote terminal units, a central control center (if applicable), and local communication networks that interconnect all the components to achieve a common goal. Applications include energy systems, autonomous vehicles, and collaborative robots. Ensuring stability, performance, and resilience in CPS requires thorough analysis and control design, utilizing robust algorithms to handle delays, communication failures, and potential cyber-attacks. Time delays are a challenge in CPS, particularly in teleoperation systems, where human operators remotely control robotic systems. These delays cause chattering, oscillations, and instability, making it difficult to achieve smooth and stable remote robot control. Applications like remote surgery, space exploration, and hazardous environment operations are highly susceptible to these disruptions. To address this issue, a novel passivity-shortage framework is proposed, that enables systems to maintain stability and transparency despite time-varying communication delays and environmental disturbances. CPS are prone to attacks, particularly Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, which disrupt the normal functioning of a network by overwhelming it with excessive internet traffic, rendering the communication channels unavailable to legitimate users. These attacks threaten the stability and functionality of CPS. To enhance resilience in multi-agent systems, novel distributed algorithms are proposed. These graph theory-based algorithms mitigate network vulnerabilities by incorporating strategically placed additional communication channels, thereby increasing tolerance to attacks in large, dynamic networks. The effectiveness of these proposed approaches is validated through simulations, experiments, and numerical examples. The passivity-shortage teleoperation strategies are tested using Phantom Omni devices and they show reduced chattering and better steady-state error convergence. A case study demonstrates how the proposed distributed algorithms effectively achieve consensus, even when some agents are disconnected from the network due to DoS attacks.

Recent interest in passive solar design has led to numerous analytic methods for including energy concerns in design decisions. These methods characteristically address specific, existing problems or classes of problems. In contrast, this project investigated the incorporation of passive solar issues in design methodology by addressing fundamental concepts of general problem solving. A methodological structure which provides flexible modeling and simulation capability was constructed through the use of various notations -- english, math and Iverson notation (APL). English and math were used in the text of the thesis to communicate theory to the reader. Two APL workspaces, "THERM" and "THERM2," were created to communicate with a computer; and hence, enable the application of the methodological structure to real, complex problems. / M. Arch.

The project, presented in this paper, developed a web-based tool that provides training and technical support in the use of computers to employees at the San Bernardino Community College District. The purpose of this project was with the lack of one support system it has become necessary to create one place for support entities to share their expertise with one another and with the campus community. This project creates a web presence that all of these groups can contribute to. This system starts out small and creates a skeletal system that will allow for continued development after the project is over.

Trainers have long relied on visual content to make their training more effective. As the use of computer-based delivery has become an accepted method of distributing training and instructional materials, a system of standardizing the development and delivery of training workshops was worthy of considerable attention. The study concludes that while many of the older studies do not directly address the use of computer-based presentation applications, a development process can be achieved to streamline the creation of instructional content while maintaining consistency and quality in the content created.

Abstract Critical environmental situation requires academics and practitioners of various disciplines join efforts at planning sustainable development of the society. In information systems research, Green Information Systems and Technologies domain is the one that directly contributes to strengthening environmental values of individuals, communities, and organizations. Abundance of technology influences people most of the time. Although this influence is not always positive, research on persuasive technologies and behavior change support systems searches for the beneficial ways to utilize the impact of information systems on the daily activities of individuals. Ability to assist with encouraging certain behaviors is a defining characteristic of many contemporary systems and devices. Building on the knowledge obtained from the health domain, this dissertation investigates using persuasive technologies for fostering pro-environmental behavior change. Theoretical frameworks of the articles included in the dissertation are based primarily on the Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model, accompanied by the other prominent socio-psychological theories commonly utilized in information systems research. This dissertation focuses on finding out how to encourage people to adopt and continue using mobile applications designed to assist with acquiring sustainable habits and behaviors. The dissertation is composed of the historical analysis, systematic literature review, and four experimental studies that explore different aspects of persuasive Green IS/IT. Besides analyzing existing research using PSD model as a tool for evaluation, new empirical studies provide fresh insights on Green IS/IT designed for behavior change. Addressed topics include technology adoption and continuance intention, perceived persuasiveness, self-disclosure and risk, endogenous motivations, gamification, and cognitive absorption. Conducted statistical analyses investigate relationships among PSD constructs and other related concepts to discover factors that can convince people initiate and continue using Green IS/IT to develop or maintain environmentally sound practices. Overall, the results reveal a high potential of the PSD model to become a vehicle for enhancement of the existing Green IS/IT. The dissertation provides implications for both academics and practitioners as well as suggestions for the future evolvement of persuasive Green IS/IT research. / Tiivistelmä Ympäristön ja ilmaston vakava tilanne vaatii kaikilta osapuolilta kestävää kehitystä tukevaa toimintaa. Niin sanotut ‘vihreät’ tietojärjestelmät ja informaatioteknologiat pyrkivät vaikuttamaan ihmisten käyttäytymiseen vahvistamalla yksilöiden, yhteisöjen ja organisaatioiden ympäristöarvoja ja niiden mukaista käyttäytymistä. Yltäkylläinen teknologiatarjonta vaikuttaa käyttäytymiseemme koko ajan. Vaikka tämä vaikutus ei aina olekaan positiivista, vakuuttavien ja suostuttelevien teknologioiden sekä käyttäytymisen muutosta tukevien järjestelmien tutkimus pyrkii etsimään niitä hyödyllisiä keinoja, joilla tietojärjestelmien avulla voidaan vaikuttaa myönteisesti jokapäiväiseen elämäämme. Monien nykyaikaisten järjestelmien ja laitteiden perusominaisuutena voidaankin nykyään pitää niiden kykyä rohkaista ja kannustaa käyttäjiä myönteiseen kohdekäyttäytymiseen. Tämä väitöskirja rakentuu erityisesti terveystoimialalta omaksuttuun suostuttelevia teknologioita koskevaan tutkimustietoon ja pyrkii soveltamaan tätä ympäristöystävällisen käyttäytymisen vahvistamiseen. Tämän väitöstutkimuksen johtavana teoreettisena viitekehityksenä toimii Persuasive Systems Design -malli (PSD). Sen lisäksi hyödynnetään joitakin muita tietojärjestelmätutkimuksessa hyödynnettyjä sosiaalipsykologian teorioita. Väitöskirja keskittyy tarkastelemaan, miten voidaan kannustaa ottamaan käyttöön mobiilisovelluksia, jotka on jo alun perin suunniteltu tukemaan kestävän kehityksen kannalta myönteistä käyttäytymistä ja käyttäytymisen muutosta, sekä jatkamaan niiden käyttöä. Väitöskirja koostuu aihealueen historiallisesta analyysistä ja systemaattisesta kirjallisuuskatsauksesta sekä neljästä kokeellisesta tutkimuksesta, jotka tutkivat ’vihreiden’ tietojärjestelmien ja informaatioteknologioiden vakuuttavia ja suostuttelevia ohjelmisto-ominaisuuksia. Sen lisäksi että olemassa olevaa kirjallisuutta on analysoitu PSD-mallia käyttäen, samaan malliin pohjautuvat empiiriset tutkimukset tuottavat tuoreita oivalluksia käyttäytymisen muutosta tukevaan suunnitteluun liittyen. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan teknologian käyttöönottoa, aikomuksia jatkaa teknologian käyttöä, koettua vakuuttavuutta ja suostuttelevuutta, sensitiivisten tietojen jakamista ja siihen liittyviä riskejä, sisäsyntyistä motivaatiota, pelillistämistä sekä kognitiivista absorptiota. Tilastollisten analyysien avulla tarkastellaan PSD-mallin ydinkäsitteiden ja muiden konstruktien välisiä suhteita, jotta tunnistettaisiin niitä tekijöitä, joiden avulla voidaan vaikuttaa hyödyllisten ‘vihreiden’ tietojärjestelmien ja informaatioteknologioiden käyttöönottoon ja käytön jatkamiseen, ja yleisemmin kannustamaan ympäristöystävällisiin käytänteisiin. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat PSD-mallin merkityksen kestävää kehitystä tukeville tietojärjestelmille ja informaatioteknologioille. Suoritetun tutkimuksen perusteella ehdotetaan teemoja jatkotutkimusta varten. Väitöstutkimuksen tuloksilla on merkitystä sekä tieteenharjoittajille että käytännön soveltajille.

This project focuses on the design and modeling of a two degree-of-freedom dissipative passive haptic display. Haptic displays are man-machine interfaces that transmit forces to the human operator. A dissipative passive haptic display is one that may only remove energy from the system using actuators such as brakes and dampers, thus ensuring the safety of the human operator. These devices may be used to implement virtual constraints such as desired paths and obstacles. Traditional friction brakes have previously been used as dissipative and coupling elements in a two degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator, resulting in undesired effects such as vibration, stiction, and slow response times. Alternatively, the new robot is actuated by rheological brakes, which feature fast response times and smooth application of torque. This approach aims to improve upon the accuracy and feel of the previous design. A commercial magnetorheological (MR) fluid brake was selected and put through an extensive series of tests. The data was used to develop a model that characterizes MR fluid behavior in low speed braking applications. A parallel five bar linkage was designed and built that has separate configurations corresponding to 3-brake and 4-brake operation. The length of each arm was chosen by means of a geometrical optimization that weighs the size and area of the workspace and actuator effects. A simulation was then developed by incorporating the brake model into the equations of motion of the robot. Next, two forms of path following velocity control were devised and tested in simulation. Finally, the accuracy, workload, and smoothness of both controllers and both configurations were examined in preliminary tests with human operators.

The project presents a web-based component for a tutor training program at College of the Desert, Palm Desert, California. The application is designed to be responsive and adaptable to the tutor's needs. It also addresses the logistic and pedagogical problems that plague many community college tutor trainers and helps to mitigate this through an online instructional system that facilitates communication among the tutors so that learning can occur in a situated context.

The purpose of this project is to design, build and implement a secure, payment-based email delivery system that provides privacy and reduces spam.

Die Anwendung agiler Arbeitsweisen rückt zunehmend in den Interessensfokus unterschiedlicher Bereiche in produzierenden Unternehmen. Eine erhöhte Reaktionsfähigkeit auf unvorhergesehene Veränderungen im Kontext, Steigerung der Transparenz bezüglich Arbeitsinhalt und Auslastung im Entwicklerteam sowie das erschaffen und Vorantreiben einer übergeordneten Teamvision und damit verbundene Performancesteigerungen sind nur einige der positiven Effekte, die hierdurch erzielt werden sollen. Da die genutzten Ansätze jedoch meist auf Best Practices aus der Branche der Softwareentwicklung resultieren, stellen sie die Bereiche in produzierenden Unternehmen vor neue Herausforderungen, wie den Umgang mit Normen und Standards im agilen Arbeiten, Datenschutz bei der Erfassung von Arbeitsaufwänden und den Umgang mit physischen Produkteigenschaften. Damit die Einführung von Agilität in die Abläufe produzierender Unternehmen nachhaltig erfolgt, wurde eine Methodik entwickelt, mittels derer ein individueller Prozess bestehend aus agilen und strukturierenden Elementen abgeleitet werden kann. Im vorliegenden Beitrag soll diese Methodik hinsichtlich ihrer Zweckmäßigkeit untersucht werden, um daraus in zukünftigen Forschungsarbeiten eine Weiterentwicklung dieser Methodik abzuleiten. Dies erfolgt in einem realen Anwendungsfall – dem Änderungsmanagement eines deutschen OEMs in der Automobilindustrie. Hierzu wurde der hier existierende Prozess beobachtet und erfasst, Interviews mit betroffenen Mitarbeitern geführt und Potentiale für eine Prozessverbesserung durch die Integration agiler Elemente definiert. Diese wurden im Anschluss ebenfalls im Zuge der Methodik zur Entwicklung der individuellen agilen Prozesslösung durch eine zum Anwendungsfall passende Gesamtmethode realisiert. Die Evaluation des Vorgehens hat gezeigt, dass der Anspruch der Individualität der entwickelten Gesamtmethode gegeben ist, jedoch noch kleinere Verbesserungspotentiale bestehen.