PeerJ Computer Science Preprints: Computer Educationhttps://peerj.com/preprints/index.atom?journal=cs&subject=9100Computer Education articles published in PeerJ Computer Science PreprintsA research institution framework for publishing open code to enable reproducible sciencehttps://peerj.com/preprints/277622019-05-282019-05-28Thomas R EtheringtonBen JollyJan ZörnerNick Spencer
Reproducible science is greatly aided by open publishing of scientific computer code. There are also many institutional benefits for encouraging the publication of scientific code, but there are also institutional considerations around intellectual property and risk. We discuss questions around scientific code publishing from the perspective of a research organisation asking: who will be involved, how should code be licensed, where should code be published, how to get credit, what standards, and what costs? In reviewing advice and evidence relevant to these questions we propose a research institution framework for publishing open scientific code to enable reproducible science.
Reproducible science is greatly aided by open publishing of scientific computer code. There are also many institutional benefits for encouraging the publication of scientific code, but there are also institutional considerations around intellectual property and risk. We discuss questions around scientific code publishing from the perspective of a research organisation asking: who will be involved, how should code be licensed, where should code be published, how to get credit, what standards, and what costs? In reviewing advice and evidence relevant to these questions we propose a research institution framework for publishing open scientific code to enable reproducible science.Automated language essay scoring systems: A literature reviewhttps://peerj.com/preprints/277152019-05-092019-05-09Mohamed Abdellatif HusseinHesham Ahmed HassanMohamed Nassef
Background. Writing composition is a significant factor for measuring test-takers’ ability in any language exam. However, the assessment (scoring) of these writing compositions or essays is a very challenging process in terms of reliability and time. The need for objective and quick scores has raised the need for a computer system that can automatically grade essay questions targeting specific prompt. Automated Essay Scoring (AES) systems are used to overcome the challenges of scoring writing tasks by using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature for the AES systems used for grading the essay questions.
Methodology. We have reviewed the existing literature using Google Scholar, EBSCO and ERIC to search the terms “AES”, “Automated Essay Scoring”, “Automated Essay Grading”, or “Automatic Essay”, and two categories have been identified: handcrafted features and automatic featuring AES systems. The systems of the first category are closely bonded to the quality of the designed features. On the other hand, the systems of the other category are based on the automatic learning of the features and relations between an essay and its score without any handcrafted features. We reviewed the systems of the two categories in terms of system primary focus, technique(s) used in the system, training data (y/n), instructional application (feedback system), and the correlation between e-scores and human scores. The paper is composed of three main sections. Firstly, we present a structured literature review of the available Handcrafted Features AES systems. Secondly, we present a structured literature review of the available Automatic Featuring AES systems. Finally, we draw a set of discussions and conclusions.
Results. AES models have been found to utilize a broad range of manually-tuned shallow and deep linguistic features. AES systems have many strengths in reducing labour-intensive marking activities, ensuring a consistent application of marking criteria, and facilitating equity in scoring. Although many techniques have been implemented to improve the AES systems, three primary challenges have been concluded: they lack the sense of the rater as a person, they can be tricked into assigning a lower or higher score to an essay than it deserved or not, and they cannot assess the creativity of the ideas and propositions and evaluating their practicality. Many techniques have been used to address the first two challenges only.
Background. Writing composition is a significant factor for measuring test-takers’ ability in any language exam. However, the assessment (scoring) of these writing compositions or essays is a very challenging process in terms of reliability and time. The need for objective and quick scores has raised the need for a computer system that can automatically grade essay questions targeting specific prompt. Automated Essay Scoring (AES) systems are used to overcome the challenges of scoring writing tasks by using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature for the AES systems used for grading the essay questions.Methodology. We have reviewed the existing literature using Google Scholar, EBSCO and ERIC to search the terms “AES”, “Automated Essay Scoring”, “Automated Essay Grading”, or “Automatic Essay”, and two categories have been identified: handcrafted features and automatic featuring AES systems. The systems of the first category are closely bonded to the quality of the designed features. On the other hand, the systems of the other category are based on the automatic learning of the features and relations between an essay and its score without any handcrafted features. We reviewed the systems of the two categories in terms of system primary focus, technique(s) used in the system, training data (y/n), instructional application (feedback system), and the correlation between e-scores and human scores. The paper is composed of three main sections. Firstly, we present a structured literature review of the available Handcrafted Features AES systems. Secondly, we present a structured literature review of the available Automatic Featuring AES systems. Finally, we draw a set of discussions and conclusions.Results. AES models have been found to utilize a broad range of manually-tuned shallow and deep linguistic features. AES systems have many strengths in reducing labour-intensive marking activities, ensuring a consistent application of marking criteria, and facilitating equity in scoring. Although many techniques have been implemented to improve the AES systems, three primary challenges have been concluded: they lack the sense of the rater as a person, they can be tricked into assigning a lower or higher score to an essay than it deserved or not, and they cannot assess the creativity of the ideas and propositions and evaluating their practicality. Many techniques have been used to address the first two challenges only.Prioritizing computer security controls for home usershttps://peerj.com/preprints/275402019-02-152019-02-15Justin FanelliJohn Waxler
Hundreds of thousands of home users are victimized by cyber-attacks every year. Most experts agree that average home users are not doing enough to protect their computers and their information from cyber-attacks. Improperly managed home computers can lead to individuals losing data, systems performing slowly, loss of identity, and ransom payments; en masse attacks can act in concert to infect personal computers in business and government. Currently, home users receive conflicting guidance for a complicated terrain, often in the form of anecdotal 'Top 10' lists, that is not appropriate for their specific needs, and in many instances, users ignore all guidance. Often, these popular ‘Top 10’ lists appear to be based solely on opinion. Ultimately, we asked ourselves the following: how can we provide home users with better guidance for determining and applying appropriate security controls that meet their needs and can be verified by the cyber security community? In this paper, we propose a methodology for determining and prioritizing the most appropriate security controls for home computing. Using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and subject matter expertise, we identify, analyze and prioritize security controls used by government and industry to determine which controls can substantively improve home computing security. We apply our methodology using examples to demonstrate its benefits.
Hundreds of thousands of home users are victimized by cyber-attacks every year. Most experts agree that average home users are not doing enough to protect their computers and their information from cyber-attacks. Improperly managed home computers can lead to individuals losing data, systems performing slowly, loss of identity, and ransom payments; en masse attacks can act in concert to infect personal computers in business and government. Currently, home users receive conflicting guidance for a complicated terrain, often in the form of anecdotal 'Top 10' lists, that is not appropriate for their specific needs, and in many instances, users ignore all guidance. Often, these popular ‘Top 10’ lists appear to be based solely on opinion. Ultimately, we asked ourselves the following: how can we provide home users with better guidance for determining and applying appropriate security controls that meet their needs and can be verified by the cyber security community? In this paper, we propose a methodology for determining and prioritizing the most appropriate security controls for home computing. Using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and subject matter expertise, we identify, analyze and prioritize security controls used by government and industry to determine which controls can substantively improve home computing security. We apply our methodology using examples to demonstrate its benefits.Open educational resources for validation of global high-resolution land cover mapshttps://peerj.com/preprints/272142019-01-022019-01-02Candan E KilsedarGorica BraticMonia E MolinariMarco MinghiniMaria A Brovelli
Land cover (LC) maps are crucial to analyze and understand several phenomena, including urbanization, deforestation and climate change. This elevates the importance of their accuracy, which is assessed through a validation process. However, we observed that knowledge on the importance of LC maps and their validation is limited. Hence, a set of educational resources has been created to assist in the validation of LC maps. These resources, available under an open access license, focus on validation through open source and easy-to-use software. Moreover, addressing the lack of accurate and up-to-date reference LC data, an application has been developed that provides users a means to collect LC data.
Land cover (LC) maps are crucial to analyze and understand several phenomena, including urbanization, deforestation and climate change. This elevates the importance of their accuracy, which is assessed through a validation process. However, we observed that knowledge on the importance of LC maps and their validation is limited. Hence, a set of educational resources has been created to assist in the validation of LC maps. These resources, available under an open access license, focus on validation through open source and easy-to-use software. Moreover, addressing the lack of accurate and up-to-date reference LC data, an application has been developed that provides users a means to collect LC data.A comment on computational biology and connecting the dots.https://peerj.com/preprints/274082018-12-052018-12-05Christopher J Lortie
Increasingly, big data, coding, and quantitative methods contribute to contemporary ecological and evolutionary endeavours. This is not in opposition to effective ideation nor does it play to the false dichotomy of theory versus data. Computational expeditions with data, models, simulations or any other number of approaches both expand the toolkit of science and promote more structured reasoning. The implications of computational biology integrated with scientific pursuits such as experiments and theory development include the following positive outcomes: enhanced open science, better reproducibility, data literacy, author inclusivity, social good, and novel ideation opportunities. We face a climate apocalypse and unprecedented ecological challenges of collapsing ecosystem functions. Computation coupled with ideation is one mechanism to align the hearts and heads of scientists and decision makers alike.
Increasingly, big data, coding, and quantitative methods contribute to contemporary ecological and evolutionary endeavours. This is not in opposition to effective ideation nor does it play to the false dichotomy of theory versus data. Computational expeditions with data, models, simulations or any other number of approaches both expand the toolkit of science and promote more structured reasoning. The implications of computational biology integrated with scientific pursuits such as experiments and theory development include the following positive outcomes: enhanced open science, better reproducibility, data literacy, author inclusivity, social good, and novel ideation opportunities. We face a climate apocalypse and unprecedented ecological challenges of collapsing ecosystem functions. Computation coupled with ideation is one mechanism to align the hearts and heads of scientists and decision makers alike.GeoSQL Journey - A gamified learning experience to introduce (or demystify) geospatial SQL querieshttps://peerj.com/preprints/272472018-10-022018-10-02Romain SandozSarah CompostoSandrine DivorneOlivier ErtzJens Ingensand
In a digital world in the making, digital natives develop new learning profiles, interests, and way of working. Simultaneously teachers are facing students with lack of engagement and motivation with quite traditional learning process that has probably to be reframed considering the effects of digital transformation in the education sector. This issue is acute when it comes to complex subject of study, such as SQL geospatial to manipulate the geospatial characteristic of data. Indeed, some common difficulties have been identified by teachers from HEIG-VD university both in Media Engineering and Geomatics fields of study. The user-centered approach aims at creating digital products highly responding to the user’s needs through techniques improving the user experience. Various aspects have to be considered, including emotions. In education, gamification, along with user experience, interface design and usability best practices is one promising approach able to increase the learner's engagement, interest and motivation. It aims to implement game mechanics within non-game context, in order to motivate the learner to accomplish a task and increase the ability to learn new skills. Using a gamification layer within a given context, being digital or not, act as a motivational trigger. It helps giving meaningful, enjoyable and empowering experience. SQL Island is a project from Kaiserslautern University of Technology which illustrates very well a gamified learning experience of the SQL special-purpose programming language. The GeoSQL Journey project goes further, tackling SQL geospatial to learn in a fun way how to manipulate the geospatial characteristic of data. It is a gamified pedagogical application to introduce the students to the practice of SQL geospatial during the first hours or days of the course. Serving as an initiation, it is designed to focus on intrinsic motivation (personal development, quest, challenge and fulfillment) with learning objectives determined and integrated with an engaging and coherent game world and narrative. This paper describes the early work of conceptual design of the GeoSQL Journey project. Game mechanics and game interface has been conceived and brought together according to the literature in the domain and best practices on this matter. The following step for this project is to elaborate a testing method without yet having to develop an application prototype (e.g. organizing a fairly raw tabletop game associated with a classic SQL console) so as to challenge the design with students and teachers to get their feedbacks. Also, it is envisioned to evaluate how existing open source gamification tools and frameworks would be suitable to develop the first prototype planned for the 2019-2020 academic year.
In a digital world in the making, digital natives develop new learning profiles, interests, and way of working. Simultaneously teachers are facing students with lack of engagement and motivation with quite traditional learning process that has probably to be reframed considering the effects of digital transformation in the education sector. This issue is acute when it comes to complex subject of study, such as SQL geospatial to manipulate the geospatial characteristic of data. Indeed, some common difficulties have been identified by teachers from HEIG-VD university both in Media Engineering and Geomatics fields of study. The user-centered approach aims at creating digital products highly responding to the user’s needs through techniques improving the user experience. Various aspects have to be considered, including emotions. In education, gamification, along with user experience, interface design and usability best practices is one promising approach able to increase the learner's engagement, interest and motivation. It aims to implement game mechanics within non-game context, in order to motivate the learner to accomplish a task and increase the ability to learn new skills. Using a gamification layer within a given context, being digital or not, act as a motivational trigger. It helps giving meaningful, enjoyable and empowering experience. SQL Island is a project from Kaiserslautern University of Technology which illustrates very well a gamified learning experience of the SQL special-purpose programming language. The GeoSQL Journey project goes further, tackling SQL geospatial to learn in a fun way how to manipulate the geospatial characteristic of data. It is a gamified pedagogical application to introduce the students to the practice of SQL geospatial during the first hours or days of the course. Serving as an initiation, it is designed to focus on intrinsic motivation (personal development, quest, challenge and fulfillment) with learning objectives determined and integrated with an engaging and coherent game world and narrative. This paper describes the early work of conceptual design of the GeoSQL Journey project. Game mechanics and game interface has been conceived and brought together according to the literature in the domain and best practices on this matter. The following step for this project is to elaborate a testing method without yet having to develop an application prototype (e.g. organizing a fairly raw tabletop game associated with a classic SQL console) so as to challenge the design with students and teachers to get their feedbacks. Also, it is envisioned to evaluate how existing open source gamification tools and frameworks would be suitable to develop the first prototype planned for the 2019-2020 academic year.Crossing SSH and STEM approaches in a MapDesign course using open data and softwarehttps://peerj.com/preprints/272372018-09-262018-09-26Massimiliano CannataGiovanni ProfetaMichela VoegeliManuel LüscherLaura Morandi
This paper presents the design, realization and evaluation of a Map Design course conducted using an open source GIS (QGIS) to students of the bachelor in Visual Communication. The specific challenge was teaching approaches from Social Science and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to integrate rigorous cartographic methodologies for map production with aesthetic visual aspects. This was successfully addressed with an hybridization approach that discuss themes from the two disciplines point of view and a goal-oriented course organization that produced as an output real map products. The general evaluation of this new course by students and teachers was positive. Despite the main criticism was related to the complexity of the used tools with respect to the course duration, the quality of the outputs demonstrated a very good capacity of students in learning and fusing of STEM and SSH concepts.
This paper presents the design, realization and evaluation of a Map Design course conducted using an open source GIS (QGIS) to students of the bachelor in Visual Communication. The specific challenge was teaching approaches from Social Science and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines to integrate rigorous cartographic methodologies for map production with aesthetic visual aspects. This was successfully addressed with an hybridization approach that discuss themes from the two disciplines point of view and a goal-oriented course organization that produced as an output real map products. The general evaluation of this new course by students and teachers was positive. Despite the main criticism was related to the complexity of the used tools with respect to the course duration, the quality of the outputs demonstrated a very good capacity of students in learning and fusing of STEM and SSH concepts.Development and operation of GIS exercise materials for undergraduate studentshttps://peerj.com/preprints/272192018-09-162018-09-16Hiroyuki YamauchiTakashi OguchiYuichi S HayakawaToshikazu Seto
Since around 2000, GIS researchers in Japan have collaborated to provide materials for GIS lecture classes for university undergraduates. As a result, a GIS core curriculum, a Japanese version of GIS Body of Knowledge (BoK), and a series of PowerPoint presentation files were developed. These materials are online and available to anybody with free of charge. However, they have not yet published free-access online materials for GIS exercises using software and spatial data. Therefore, we launched a new project in 2015 to produce such materials. The learning topics in the materials were selected based on products from the previous projects. Software packages used for GIS operations are free open-source ones. The materials have been provided as open educational resources with a Creative Commons license on the GitHub platform. The materials were used in a university class of GIS exercises to verify whether they are effective for undergraduate students. In this paper, we introduce the developed materials and show the results of their applications.
Since around 2000, GIS researchers in Japan have collaborated to provide materials for GIS lecture classes for university undergraduates. As a result, a GIS core curriculum, a Japanese version of GIS Body of Knowledge (BoK), and a series of PowerPoint presentation files were developed. These materials are online and available to anybody with free of charge. However, they have not yet published free-access online materials for GIS exercises using software and spatial data. Therefore, we launched a new project in 2015 to produce such materials. The learning topics in the materials were selected based on products from the previous projects. Software packages used for GIS operations are free open-source ones. The materials have been provided as open educational resources with a Creative Commons license on the GitHub platform. The materials were used in a university class of GIS exercises to verify whether they are effective for undergraduate students. In this paper, we introduce the developed materials and show the results of their applications.E-Foto: an educational photogrammetric workstationhttps://peerj.com/preprints/272102018-09-152018-09-15João Araujo RibeiroJorge Silva BritoOrlando BernardoIrving BadolatoRodrigo DacomeGuilherme Abelha Mota
This paper shows our experience at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), in Brazil, developing and using the E-Foto software, one of the main achievements of the E-Foto project that aims to built-up a software tool for teaching digital photogrammetry and software development, to both graduate and undergraduate students, in the fields of Cartographic and Computer Engineering.
E-Foto main objective is to diminish the gap that exists nowadays between the teaching of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in universities and Research Institutions of developing countries and the high-tech expensive systems that are used under the production environment.
This paper shows our experience at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), in Brazil, developing and using the E-Foto software, one of the main achievements of the E-Foto project that aims to built-up a software tool for teaching digital photogrammetry and software development, to both graduate and undergraduate students, in the fields of Cartographic and Computer Engineering.E-Foto main objective is to diminish the gap that exists nowadays between the teaching of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing in universities and Research Institutions of developing countries and the high-tech expensive systems that are used under the production environment.A semi-automatic tool to georeference historical landscape imageshttps://peerj.com/preprints/272042018-09-142018-09-14Nicolas BlancTimothée ProduitJens Ingensand
Smapshot is a web-based participatory virtual globe where users can georeference historical images of the landscape by clicking a minimum of six well identifiable correspondence points between the image and a 3D virtual globe. The images database is expected to grow exponentially. In a near future, the work of the web users will no longer be enough.
To tackle this issue, we developed a semi-automatic process to georeference images. The volunteers will be shown only images having a maximum number of neighbour images in the matching graph. These neighbour images are the ones with which they share some overlay. This overlap is detected using the SIFT algorithm in a pairewise matching process.
For an image pair made of a reference image with a known pose and a query image we want to georeference, we extracted the 3D world coordinates of the tie points from a digital elevation model.
Then, by running a perspective-n-point algorithm after having geometrically tested the resulting homography between the two images, we compute the 6 degree of freedom pose, i.e. the position (X,Y,Z) and orientation (azimuth, tilt and roll angles) of the query image. The query image then becomes a reference and the georeference computation can be propagated more deeply in the graph structure.
Smapshot is a web-based participatory virtual globe where users can georeference historical images of the landscape by clicking a minimum of six well identifiable correspondence points between the image and a 3D virtual globe. The images database is expected to grow exponentially. In a near future, the work of the web users will no longer be enough.To tackle this issue, we developed a semi-automatic process to georeference images. The volunteers will be shown only images having a maximum number of neighbour images in the matching graph. These neighbour images are the ones with which they share some overlay. This overlap is detected using the SIFT algorithm in a pairewise matching process.For an image pair made of a reference image with a known pose and a query image we want to georeference, we extracted the 3D world coordinates of the tie points from a digital elevation model.Then, by running a perspective-n-point algorithm after having geometrically tested the resulting homography between the two images, we compute the 6 degree of freedom pose, i.e. the position (X,Y,Z) and orientation (azimuth, tilt and roll angles) of the query image. The query image then becomes a reference and the georeference computation can be propagated more deeply in the graph structure.