IS480 Team wiki: 2010T1 Flexperts
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Type | Student group |
Area | Interactive Learning Material |
Industry | Computer Software |
Web-based Applications | |
Product | E-learning Resource System |
Team members | Bryan Cheong Wen Cai |
George Chen Kaidi | |
Harjani Bharat Gobindram | |
Urmila Mandapaka | |
Yohann Yezdi Engineer | |
Faculty Supervisor | Kevin Steppe |
Client | Soo Wai Man |
(CTE, SMU) |
Our project involves developing an e-learning resource system that easily generates and manages e-learning Flash objects using our pre-loaded, re-usable templates. We are working closely with the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE), SMU, to give the Professors a more efficient method of communicating certain learning materials that they could not during class, in a more interactive and dynamic method than PowerPoint presentations. This helps to increase the understandability of materials that are not taught in class specifically. This is achieved by allowing students to work with the objects and see for themselves how the theory might apply. Tapping on the concept of cloud computing (Platform as a Service), users can enjoy the additional benefit of lightweight web applications with no need for installations or storage.
Contents
Project Description
Pedagogy Project (e-Learning)
Our project comes under a bigger umbrella project called The Pedagogy Project. This scheme provides support for full-time faculty seeking assistance to develop electronic teaching and/or learning resources.
In consultation with faculty and administrative teams, we have articulated a process for supporting Pedagogy Projects (e-Learning). The process provides guidelines for budgeting, proposal submission, project scoping, approval, design, development and pilot testing.
Terms Definition
- Flash-Learning-Object : A digital resource that can be re-used to support learning (Beck, Robert J., 2009).
- Pedagogy Project (e-Learning): Development of an electronic teaching/learning resource that is pedagogically sound, interactive and engaging to supplement a challenging area/topic of classroom teaching (SMU, 2009).
- 5 types of content: Facts, Concepts, Processes, Procedures, and Principles (Clark & Chopeta, 2004).
Objectives
Upon completion, our team will have delivered a full working system based on our client’s requirements. The system will be hosted on our school’s server, running 24x7, and we will provide necessary maintenance. Our client and users will be able to efficiently generate new learning objects based on re-usable templates.
Scope
A system which houses:
- Flash-Object-Generating-Portal, which includes the re-usable templates, Flex SDK, user account management
- Database containing the content of all the flash objects created
- Online repository to store our clip art and generated flash objects
- Development Server, which we will use to host the portal
- Live Application, a real-time whiteboard sharing application for students in class
Part of the development of our portal takes off where George left in his internship. To view more details, visit his page.
Assumptions
- Solution can be hosted on the school server permanently, and maintained by us.
Mitigation: Seek approval once proposal is accepted. Maintenance period is 1 to 1.5 years, will a retainer fee for the team. After which, project will be handed over to either external vendor or student to perform upgrade. - Users will know how to use our system.
Mitigation: Conduct a User-Acceptance Test on a small pool of faculty. - Users will be comfortable with our system.
Mitigation: Market research and comparison with other related commercial products.
System
Flash-Object-Generating-Portal
Objectives
- Deliver interactive, self-learning learning objects to students that is aligned to SMU's interactive teaching pedagogy.
- A simple, easy-to-use platform that facilitates the creation of flash learning objects with relative ease, using our Flash-object generator and in-built re-usable templates.
- Cultivate structured teaching/learning through using templates, according to the 5 instructional design content types.
- Quick building of learning objects of higher interactivity which keeping cost at minimum.
Key Features
No setup required
Simple yet powerful
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Crosses all boundaries
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When it comes to the matter of compatibility, our solution fits right in and bridges the gap. It is platform independent. All you need is a flash compatible browser. | ![]() |
Live Application - White-board Sharing
Objectives
- An easy platform to facilitate class assignments for students and faculty alike
- View of all submitted assignments at a single glance
- No requirement of downloading software, like
- Reduction of the use of paper
- Convenient storage of all class assignments for future use
- Dynamic to allow students to make changes
Key Features
Easy method to do class assignments
Students no longer need to do their class assignments in the conventional method. Now, using the same system, students can do their class assignments on their computer itself and with a single click, can upload their assignment on to the server, which will then be stored in the repository, for Faculty to pull out whenever they want to.
Single view of all submissions
Dynamic Application
One of the features of this system is that since students are submitting files online, they can make changes and keep uploading to the server and this will keep replacing the older version, thus allowing students to make changes on the spot and thereby learn better.
Live Application - Quiz
Objectives
- Prepare interactive quizzes quickly and easily.
- The built in template chooser will help you get started.
- They will be hosted on the our portal from and to a stipulated time.
- This will make grading the quiz a mere click.
- Identify areas of weakness in student's understanding of course material.
Key Features
Professional quizzes from start to finish
Get Started right away
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The template chooser makes it easy to choose from a wide range of quiz types. |
Question of the day
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Students will receive a question in their mail which should be prepared by Professors in advance. The professor may choose the frequency at which these questions are sent. |
Users
Non-end-users (Custom Users)
Faculty
End-users
Students
Use
A flash learning object is defined as a self-contained, digital resource that can be used to support learning. While flash learning objects are aimed for students to do self-learning outside class, the live application is targetted to be used in class as a whiteboard sharing application.
Sampling?ground study?marketing research? (i dont know what to call this?)
Other than meeting our client's requirements, we also want to know how we can further cater and tailor our product for our users. With our proof of concept, we surveyed xxxx faculty members.....
Incentives
Applying for SMUIA
Project Management
Milestones
Software Setup
- Adobe Flash Builder (Flex)
- Flex SDK
- Microsoft Project / Merlin(Mac equivalent)
- Eclipse
- Microsoft Visio
Resource and reference
For the purpose of our development in the proposed solution, our client has put together a mini-library of 20 technical help books, covering topics from Flex to XML to databases. We are also using Proquest e-books for reference purpose.
For software, our client has provided us the entire Adobe Master Suite Collection for project development. We have also each obtained an educational copy of licensed Adobe Flash Builder (Flex). The SDK is open-source. We have also obtained budget to purchase an online clip art resource for our repository. For the purpose of comparison, we have also purchased several licenses of related commercial software to better leverage our product.
Server will either be hosted on the SMU Library development server, IS server (yet to seek permission), or on CIT’s server (maintained by us). On top of that, we are in the midst of negotiating with the Vista Team, IITS, on how we can use a prototype of their new LMS to test out our system.