In the era of mobile learning and digital native students, concepts like seamless learning, situated learning and rhizomatic learning gain importance as the current technology is able to support them by developing new kinds of applications for mobile devices. At the same time, social network platforms like Twitter are also being studied as a way to boost communication supporting collaborative knowledge construction since they are available everywhere and students are familiar with their use. This paper highlights an experience in which a mobile application called FeedbackApp was developed and used for these purposes. The main characteristic of this application is that it uses various ways to explore the information generated while searching and sharing information and discussing the learning topics, using concept maps, geographical maps and text lists. A preliminary experience shows that this application might encourage students to be more participative in discussions and exchange of ideas.

Learning evaluation in larger online university courses has become a challenge, especially in those cases when learning focuses on the development of professional skills. The objective of this article is to analyze how "authentic Assessment" applied by students correlate with the judgment of the teaching team, in the framework of a course for business and administration students. The results show that the correlation between pairs and the teaching team increases as the experience is repeated during the course, achieving an average positive correlation at the end of a semester. This opens the possibility of using evaluations with greater professional relevance in online courses, complementing traditional online initiatives.

The wide availability of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets among students as well as the included positioning technologies, high definition cameras and other sensors, together with continuous Internet access bring many new opportunities for developing mobile applications supporting learning activities. However, there is an immense fragmentation of operating systems for mobile devices. HTML5 is a promising approach to tackle this challenge. Mobile web applications run within browsers and nowadays, most mobile devices possess a browser that interprets HTML5. Nevertheless, the educational domain seems to ignore this potential and relies on the development of native applications. In this paper, we analyze the opportunities, advantages and drawbacks of developing mobile applications supporting learning activities with HTML5 compared with developing them natively. To illustrate our ideas, we present a couple of showcases that already rely on HTML5, which allow us to further review the development opportunities for mobile HTML5 applications in general, as well as specifically in educational settings.

There are currently a growing number of people using smartphones or tablets, thus being potentially online at every moment. There are many useful applications using people's context data, to provide services to mobile telephony/internet subscribers. Location data is particularly interesting. These applications use location data assuming it is correct, which is sometimes not the case. In this work we propose a methodology for using incomplete/uncertain information to answer questions which include uncertainty like: “Which is the probability of finding exactly N persons within the geographic area A from time Tl to time T2?”, or “Which is the probability of having a traffic jam on street S between times Tl and T2?”. We also consider some logical constraints on the data. For instance: “Exclude counting people on the subway or inside buildings because the advertising will be on screens at open air”. Our approach uses Dempster-Shafer theory combined with an ontological definition of variable types sharing similar probabilistic behavior. The whole process and the results are explained using an example case based in one of the busiest areas of the world (the Shibuya Station in Tokyo, Japan), consisting of underground train lines, surface transportation, large avenues and shopping centers. A language to describe the fuzzy scenarios is also introduced along with an application which allows users to generate and visualize 2D and 3D suitability maps using this language.

This paper describes an application framework supporting collaborative handheld decision-making (CHDM). The main characteristics of the framework are: (1) extensive usage of visual elements and gestures; and (2) independence from specific decision-making methods, processes and tasks. The research departed from the analysis and systematisation of several CHDM scenarios, highlighting repeatable behaviour across multiple decision-making contexts. From these scenarios, we distilled a coherent set of common functional requirements organised in three main categories: process, macro- and micro-functionality. The proposed framework has been validated at length through the development of several CHDM tools. Six different tools are described in the paper. The main contribution of this work is a common foundation for developing CHDM tools.

One of the main issues when developing distributed collaborative systems is to support synchronization processes. The Coupled Objects paradigm has emerged as a way to easily support these processes by dynamically coupling arbitrary user interface objects between heterogeneous applications. In this article we present an architecture for developing distributed collaborative applications using HTML5 and we show its usage through the design and implementation of a series of collaborative systems in different scenarios. The experience of developing and using this architecture has shown that it is easy to use, robust and has good performance.

Systems supporting collaborative geo-referencing of data and information activities are increasingly being used for various purposes like urban planning, risk management, geological prospection, by engineers, city planners, policemen, firefighters, geologists, architects, etc. These systems commonly implement processes and functionalities supporting decision making as well as design and planning. The various visualization metaphors which can be applied to geo-referenced data and information on an interactive map allow their users to perform tasks and activities in an intuitive and efficient way. In order to help people in the designing and programming these kinds of applications we developed a platform implementing a core of common functionalities geo-collaborative application share, supporting collaborative work over a shared workspace displaying a map. The application developer using this platform has to program only the elements which will be placed over the map in order to instantiate a particular application. These elements can range from simple graphic labels up to complex agents implementing some behavior, generating data for a simulation and interacting with the user and other agents on the map. The paper describes this architecture and three examples of using the platform for the development of applications in field of 1) wireless network planning, 2) real time spatial data analysis from an external source, and 3) satellite image processing. Since planners must often work in the field the architecture allows the development of applications for using them in desktop as well as mobile computers.

Today, millions of users around the world log into Web platforms to participate in online communities. Some of these communities group people that interact frequently in a face-to-face manner, such as the community of a course or a neighborhood. These communities are partially virtual because their members interact through both, a physical and a virtual space. These partially virtual communities have particular features and needs, and to the best of our knowledge, there are no guidelines concerning their modeling and evolution. This paper addresses the challenge of supporting the design of partially virtual communities. In particular, the article proposes a conceptual model to help design these communities, based on a literature review, a previous field study and the authors' experience. This model is expected to help designers and community managers establish the basis for developing and maintaining sustainable communities in order to ensure a certain level of activity through time.

Teaching and learning the principles of wireless communication is a challenging issue mainly because it is difficult for students to translate the theoretical models that are commonly used in this area into practical knowledge. In order to address this challenge, we explore how to design and implement novel teaching and learning activities that integrate the principles of situated learning supported by mobile, positioning and web technologies. In this paper we present the results of our on-going efforts in this direction describing the rationale of our approach, an application supporting a learning activity designed under this approach and the outcomes of an evaluation we conducted with 28 engineering students. Obtained results show that the proposed approach offers the students new possibilities to combine theoretical and practical knowledge in a variety of collaborative situations in which mobile and web technologies played a central role.

Situated learning stresses the importance of the context in which learning takes place. It has been therefore frequently associated with informal learning or learning outside the classroom. Mobile technologies can play an important role supporting this type of learning, since it mainly occurs on the field. In this paper we present a learning system and a methodology based on the use of patterns. Students learn about patterns by finding instances of them on the field, or by recognizing new patterns unknown to them so far. The teacher proposes tasks to the students consisting on finding instances of patterns or discovering new ones along a path or inside a pre defined area on a map. This work illustrates the role that geo-referenced data collected on the field can play in supporting situated learning activities.

Group support systems are becoming quite popular. They are also instigating large groups of people into collaborative practices. But research on large group collaborations is still very scarce, making it difficult to assess the benefits and drawbacks. This paper describes an empirical study with a group of 48 participants who used Google Maps to accomplish a collaborative design task. The main research goal was to obtain quantitative and qualitative insights about large group collaborations. Various dimensions of group collaboration were studied, including group size, shared awareness, task monitoring, and coordination. The obtained results indicate that large groups face very significant coordination problems and difficulties converging and handling the volume of information. But the study also points out that large group collaborations stimulate participation and task synergy through positive reinforcements, constant feedback and peer pressure.

Collaborative techniques for business process design are generally supported by groupware tools that allow process actors to interact collecting their knowledge about the activities performed. Despite success reports, challenges are still observed due to the complexity of this task. We propose to gather benefits of interviews, collaboration and visual methods in eliciting business processes in order to deal with problems identified in literature. We present an approach based on a collaborative mobile application which analysts should use while interviewing process stakeholders. The information is collected through a simple BPMN diagram through which they exchange information and build parts of the models.

Nowadays computers and networks are everywhere. They take different shapes varying from big electronic whiteboards to small mobile devices. Perhaps all of them have been already used to support some kind of learning activity. Although the literature claims they have been very successful supporting certain, often isolated type of learning activity they can seldom be combined with other systems to enable more consistent and comprehensive support. Researchers have already noted the necessity to develop learning methodologies and systems which can support learners along a continuous flow of different learning settings. In this paper we present a learning system and a methodology based on the use of patterns. Students learn about design and architectural patterns by finding instances of them on the field, or by recognizing new patterns unknown to them so far. This work illustrates how computer technology can support the students in a continuous way without technological or methodological disruptions.

A key feature of knowledge creation is its association with a certain location. This is often referred as situated knowledge creation. Although this has been recognized as an important characteristic, there are few computer supported knowledge management systems that explicitly incorporate location as part of the knowledge being managed. In this work we present a prototype of a mobile, collaborative application supporting geo-referenced knowledge creation and management. The system supports group decision making activities on the field, where location information is paramount importance in face-to-face scenarios using Tablet-PCs and GPS in order to geo-reference data. We first start by making a literature revision on knowledge creation and geo-collaboration systems. Then we define the requirements for a system combining knowledge creation with geo-collaboration. After that, prototype implementation is described and the results of a pre-evaluation activity are presented.

Social competency training, as part of psychotherapy, for children and teenagers, requires them to engage on outdoor activities in which they have to complete tasks such as talking to someone or visiting a specific place. Currently, the inability for therapists to monitor their patients, to promote collaborative efforts and to reinforce positive attitudes is a major issue that affects both the therapy process and its results.

Computers have been used to present a wide variety of digital learning material. However, most of the times computers are used for presenting learning material in a linear, pre-arranged sequence, using a one-to-many communication model between teacher and students. This single-speaker paradigm limits the students' participation and hinders the interaction with the teacher. The teacher is unable to properly assess the students' knowledge in order to give proper feedback and/or adapt the teaching style and content to the class. We propose a system that runs on PDAs and tablet-PCs having a human-computer interaction model based on gestures and free-hand sketching. The system functionalities allow the teacher to easily create presentation objects and decide the order in which they will be presented to the students and create problems which the students have to solve on the fly during the presentation. It also allows the teacher to manage permissions in order to allow students to annotate the learning material being presented. The collaborative annotation of the learning material scaffolds the teacher-student and student-student interactions.

Mobile computing has experienced a rapid growth and there are nowadays many applications being developed. According to the literature, many of these applications are designed for collaborative work or learning and share the same requirements: they implement a peer-to-peer communication architecture, there are subgroups inside the group of participants which have to work together and coordinate with the rest of the groups and they need to implement a proper human-computer interaction paradigm since they have a reduced area to interact with the application's interface. It is then quite natural to think about the development of a framework supporting this kind of applications. In this paper we present such a framework and an example of its application.

Knowledge management (KM) is gaining more an more interest among high-ranked executives in organizations of diverse kind. Consequently, many systems have been developed claiming they are knowledge management systems (KMS). In this work we present a KMS that tackles some problems most existing KMSs sit have not: ubiquity, collaborative knowledge management, context-sensitivity. It also tackles the problem about privacy and fears people may have to reveal the knowledge they posses. The system supports its user in the processes of knowledge creation, validation, distribution and use.

This paper reports about the development of a system supporting problem-based learning in the classroom Its principal design principles are the combination of computer mediated and face-to-face interaction and mobility to ensure a high level of motivation. The main contributions of this solution are: (a) being a full peer-to-peer application it can be used in any situation, inside the classroom, in labs, museum or even in the open air; (b) the teacher can create new problems "on the fly" and send them to the students anytime; and (c) provides the teacher with powerful assessment and feedback possibilities. The paper also reports about a first evaluation of the system called MCI-Supporter.

The identification and construction of patterns play a fundamental role in learning, but to date design patterns have been used for communication between professionals, rather than for learning purposes. We adapt the design pattern approach and develop software for mobile and other touch-sensitive devices in order to support design students to learn with patterns. We describe the multi-platform system and its gesture-based interaction for formal and informal environments, and present some application scenarios.

Middleware supporting the development of distributed systems has been produced since the beginnings of the Internet. With the emergence of mobile computing new requirements for this kind of middleware arise since the scenario for mobile computing is very different from the desktop computing one. Nowadays, because increasing ubiquitous computing, new scenarios in which desktop computing application should communicate with mobile application are becoming more and more frequent. In this paper we present a platform which apart of being lightweight and easy to use has also the advantage that it enables the communication of software objects between the most used two platforms for mobile devices: JME using the Java language and .Net using C#.

Several research efforts suggest that collaborative participatory simulations improve teaching and learning, increasing motivation inside the classroom. Currently, it has been mainly applied with students of primary and secondary educational levels, leaving higher level students aside. This paper presents a framework for implementing Participatory Simulations, where social interactions and motivational effects are the main facilitators. An instance of this framework was implemented for business school undergraduate students. Its implementation is simple, lightweight, fully based on pen-based, and designed to work with handhelds over an ad-hoc wireless network.

Even though handhelds have been discussed as an ideal means to support "learning in the wild", a seamless integration with classroom technologies is usually missing. This paper discusses a system for students called MCPresenter that facilitates both performing and documenting learning experiences outside the classroom and bringing them into more formal settings for discussion and further development. It supports collaborative learning and applies the same gesture-based interaction principles as software for interactive whiteboards, enabling seamless transition between inside and outside as well as facilitating individual work, peer-to-peer interaction and group discussions.

This paper presents MCSketcher, a system that enables face-to-face collaborative design based on sketches using handheld devices equipped for spontaneous wireless peer-to-peer networking. It is especially targeted for supporting preliminary, in-the-field work, allowing designers to exchange ideas through sketches on empty sheets or over a recently taken photograph of the object being worked on, in a brainstorming-like working style. Pen-based designed human-computer interaction is the key to supporting collaborative work