The aim of this study is to take a closer look at how customization, or the lack thereof, affectsthe player to character emotional bond and identification in a digital game. Examining previousarticles and studies with similar aim, the lack of study pertaining to a certain game formatsurfaced and sparked a research interest. To gain some clarity into how character customization,and the identification and bond it inspires in players, would be affected by a non-audiovisualbranching stories digital game the researcher created a small game for this study. This paperexplores if previous research results on RPGs can be transferred to the format of a text-basednon-audiovisual branching story game. For this qualitative study, ten people, divided in twogroups, played a version of the game and answered follow-up questions in the form of aquestionnaire. In addition, some observations were carried out of the game play sessions. Theseanswers were studied to give the individuals perspective, as well as allowing for the study of thephenomena by reviewing multiple perspectives to distinguish patterns. The results indicate thatcaring for a character takes longer if the player is not allowed to customize it. It was also indicated that the actual customization was more important than the character created.

We introduce a novel Syntax-based Security Testing (SST) framework that uses a protocol specification to effectively perform security testing on text-based communication protocols. A protocol specification of a particular text-based protocol under-tested (TPUT) represents its syntactic grammar and static semantic contracts on the grammar. Mutators written in TXL break the syntactic and semantic constraints of the protocol specification to generate test cases. Different protocol specification testing strategies can be joined together to yield a compositional testing approach. SST is independent of any particular text-based protocols. The power of SST stems from the way it obtains test cases from the protocol specifications. We also use the robust parsing technique with TXL to parse a TPUT. SST has successfully revealed security faults in different text-based protocol applications such as web applications and kOganizer. We also demonstrate SST can mimic the venerable PROTOS Test-Suite: co-http-reply developed by University of Oulu. / Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-30 16:01:18.048

Data collecting and preparing is generally considered a crucial process in data science projects. Especially for image data, adding semantic attributes when preparing image data provides much more insights for data scientists. In this project, we aim to implement a general-purpose central image data repository that allows image researchers to collect data with semantic properties as well as data query. One of our researchers has come up with the specific challenge of collecting images with weight data of infants in least developed countries with limited internet access. The rationale is to predict infant weights based on image data by applying Machine Learning techniques. To address the data collecting issue, I implemented a mobile application which features online and offline image and annotation upload and a web application which features image query functionality. This work is derived and partly decoupled from the previous project – ImageSfERe (Image Sharing for Epilepsy Research), which is a web-based platform to collect and share epilepsy patient imaging.

This thesis explores the use of the World Wide Web asinfrastructure for collaboration among small or middle sizedgroups. A collection of Web-based tools has been developed,whose main characteristic is that they allow users to makeannotations to shared documents. These Web annotations form adialogue that is persistent and immediately accessible to theusers. Special interest has been devoted to observing howcollaborators make use of a common space where Web-documents aswell as Web-annotations are organized and stored. This commonspace has been called a domain. We have also tried a novel method for the design ofcollaborative Web-based systems, called“designing frominside”. It is based on communication between the usersand the designer in the form of a dialogue, which is generatedand presented“inside”the system that is beingdeveloped. In this way, users can make comments about theirexperience using the tool while in the appropriate context.Comments by the users as well as the designer's replies areshared with other users. In this way the users become involvedunobtrusively in the design process of the tool. One of the tools, DHS, has been used in longitudinal studieswithin courses where students also met regularly in theclassroom. In one contextthe students used the DHS as adiscussion or annotation tool for documents that they hadwritten. Within this framework, we also explored how secondlanguage students collaboratively made use of the tool toaccomplish a task that is normally done individually (readingcomprehension). Col·lecció is the latest version of the DHS. Themost important change in this tool is that users can add theWeb-documents to the domain themselves. This gives a newperspective to the tools because it can work as a collectivebookmark system. This system has been used in three casestudies in which a distributed and co-located group discussed acollection of Web-documents. Another system in the family is Col·laboració,which is oriented to supporting collaborative writing tasks. Itfocuses primarily on the communication needs co-authors mighthave around a shared document that is being produced. Thesystem also allows for on-line revision and for generatingversions of the document. This system has been used in 8 casestudies, where we have observed the users’interaction andexplored the possibilities that the Web offers to collaborativewriting. For example, co-authors can use the commenting spaceas a“window to the Web”, as the Web provides a hugeamount of information that can be relevant during the writingprocess. One of the characteristics of all these tools is that theypresent the comments in chronological order. No threadingmechanism is used, although several users have requested athreaded presentation of the comments. This design choice isbased on the belief that with threading of comments, the focusof the discussion could drastically divert from its originaltopic, the document. In our observations, a dual discoursecontext is often found in the comments referring both to aprevious comment and to the shared document. To facilitateorientation in the discussions, we have also developed avisualization tool called Domain Interactivity Diagram (DID),designed to work together with the other systems. The studies show that the Web offers a suitableinfrastructure for text-based discussions in which the documentcan be given a prime role. It also emerged that the integrationof email was appreciated by users mainly because it wasconsidered as a reminder of the task. In educational settings,students valued the possibility to go through many exampleswritten by other students in comparison with the traditionalway. Also the dialogue formed by the comments was astraightforward way to promote collaboration amongstudents. WWW, discussion, annotation, design, writing, collaborativework, asynchronous communication, text-based communication.

<p>This thesis explores the use of the World Wide Web asinfrastructure for collaboration among small or middle sizedgroups. A collection of Web-based tools has been developed,whose main characteristic is that they allow users to makeannotations to shared documents. These Web annotations form adialogue that is persistent and immediately accessible to theusers. Special interest has been devoted to observing howcollaborators make use of a common space where Web-documents aswell as Web-annotations are organized and stored. This commonspace has been called a domain.</p><p>We have also tried a novel method for the design ofcollaborative Web-based systems, called“designing frominside”. It is based on communication between the usersand the designer in the form of a dialogue, which is generatedand presented“inside”the system that is beingdeveloped. In this way, users can make comments about theirexperience using the tool while in the appropriate context.Comments by the users as well as the designer's replies areshared with other users. In this way the users become involvedunobtrusively in the design process of the tool.</p><p>One of the tools, DHS, has been used in longitudinal studieswithin courses where students also met regularly in theclassroom. In one contextthe students used the DHS as adiscussion or annotation tool for documents that they hadwritten. Within this framework, we also explored how secondlanguage students collaboratively made use of the tool toaccomplish a task that is normally done individually (readingcomprehension).</p><p>Col·lecció is the latest version of the DHS. Themost important change in this tool is that users can add theWeb-documents to the domain themselves. This gives a newperspective to the tools because it can work as a collectivebookmark system. This system has been used in three casestudies in which a distributed and co-located group discussed acollection of Web-documents.</p><p>Another system in the family is Col·laboració,which is oriented to supporting collaborative writing tasks. Itfocuses primarily on the communication needs co-authors mighthave around a shared document that is being produced. Thesystem also allows for on-line revision and for generatingversions of the document. This system has been used in 8 casestudies, where we have observed the users’interaction andexplored the possibilities that the Web offers to collaborativewriting. For example, co-authors can use the commenting spaceas a“window to the Web”, as the Web provides a hugeamount of information that can be relevant during the writingprocess.</p><p>One of the characteristics of all these tools is that theypresent the comments in chronological order. No threadingmechanism is used, although several users have requested athreaded presentation of the comments. This design choice isbased on the belief that with threading of comments, the focusof the discussion could drastically divert from its originaltopic, the document. In our observations, a dual discoursecontext is often found in the comments referring both to aprevious comment and to the shared document. To facilitateorientation in the discussions, we have also developed avisualization tool called Domain Interactivity Diagram (DID),designed to work together with the other systems.</p><p>The studies show that the Web offers a suitableinfrastructure for text-based discussions in which the documentcan be given a prime role. It also emerged that the integrationof email was appreciated by users mainly because it wasconsidered as a reminder of the task. In educational settings,students valued the possibility to go through many exampleswritten by other students in comparison with the traditionalway. Also the dialogue formed by the comments was astraightforward way to promote collaboration amongstudents.</p><p>WWW, discussion, annotation, design, writing, collaborativework, asynchronous communication, text-based communication.</p>

[Abstract]: This study focuses on the nature, role and function of online social presence in text-based online learning environments and how it relates to learner support. Ultimately, the study seeks to understand the relationships between the nature, role and function of social presence, the social learning processes employed in contemporary online learning environments and the mechanisms which support learning in these environments. This study is guided by the question: In what ways might social presence enhance the provision of learner support in text-based online learning environments? Of particular interest in this study is information related to (a) how participants in online courses experience social presence; (b) how learners in online courses perceive and/or experience learner support in online courses and (c) how these experiences affect learner activity in online learning environments.The research design employs a collective case study approach which focuses on learners in four separate online courses within a single university context to inform understanding of the phenomena in question. Using a combination of interview-like techniques, the study seeks to ground the understanding of social presence, mediated social processes (i.e., interpersonal interaction, collaboration and community development) and learner support in the experiences of online learners.The results suggest a number of important findings with regard to social presence and learner support. First is an understanding of social presence as a quality of individual actors in the online environments. Social presence exists as a response to the limits of the technology and media in text-based online learning environments. Next, the study identifies social presence an essential component of online learning environments because it facilitates and supports mediated social processes including interpersonal interaction (or transaction), the development of relations between individuals and amongst groups of individuals, the progressive development of productive collaboration and the establishment and growth of community. Finally, the study highlights a revised model for learner support in text-based online learning environments which is informed by the development of learning communities and understanding of mediated social processes.

No description available.

This study conducted to examine the distribution of problem-solving tasks in mathematics textbook related to mathematical literacy. The aim of the study was to analyze the extent to which mathematical literacy is addressed through problem-solving tasks in two grade 4 mathematics textbooks. To analyze the types and distribution of problem-solving tasks within the textbooks the study employed a quantitative approach where the analysis tool was based on four main components that contribute to development of mathematical literacy. The findings revealed that the distribution of problem-solving tasks over had overall was similar with a few differences in percentage in both textbooks. The textbook Matte Direkt 4A provided a greater emphasis on mathematical literacy through problem-solving tasks compared to Koll på matematik 4A. The results also indicated that problem-solving tasks who had a context within the real-world were more prevalent than others in the materials analyzed. These findings implicate the need for a more balanced and comprehensive approach to incorporating problem-solving tasks that promote mathematical literacy in educational materials.

No description available.

The Swedish government decided in 2017 that Sweden should be the best country in theworld to use the benefits of digitalization, and concluded that education plays a hugerole in reaching their vision. From autumn semester 2022 text-based programming willbe a mandatory part (in mathematics, grade 7-9) in Sweden. Previous research showsthat many teachers feel uncomfortable teaching programming and that text-basedprogramming has a steep learning curve. This leads us to check if there are gaps to fillin the software provided for educational purposes available today. To get an overview ofthe current situation a survey using questionnaires was conducted. To what extent hadthe teachers used the tools and resources recommended by the Swedish NationalAgency for Education, to develop their skills within text-based programming? How didthe view differ for teachers on using complements to the tools and resources providedby the Swedish National Agency for education today, based on their characteristics?Very few teachers had used the available material and tools, or had the time needed todevelop their skills to feel comfortable teaching text-based programming. Most of theteachers within the survey would find complements to the material provided by theSwedish National Agency for Education useful.