Application Frameworks for Collaborative Learning. We will pioneer the use of key software engineering techniques - design patterns and application frameworks - to reduce the cost and improve the quality of online collaborative learning activities. For the first time, we will combine software engineering and educational knowledge to use design patterns to describe best practice for these activities in engineering terms; we will use application frameworks to aggregate these patterns and implement ....Application Frameworks for Collaborative Learning. We will pioneer the use of key software engineering techniques - design patterns and application frameworks - to reduce the cost and improve the quality of online collaborative learning activities. For the first time, we will combine software engineering and educational knowledge to use design patterns to describe best practice for these activities in engineering terms; we will use application frameworks to aggregate these patterns and implement them as a readily usable tool. The result will be a powerful new generation of stable collaborative eLearning tools with enhanced scalability, interoperability and adaptability.Read moreRead less
Towards a social theory of semiotic technology: Exploring PowerPoint's design and its use in higher education and corporate settings. PowerPoint has become the dominant technology for designing and delivering presentations in many important settings and skills in the use of PowerPoint have become essential for professional and academic success. This study will investigate the use of PowerPoint in higher education and corporate settings in order to discover what these skills are and how the desig ....Towards a social theory of semiotic technology: Exploring PowerPoint's design and its use in higher education and corporate settings. PowerPoint has become the dominant technology for designing and delivering presentations in many important settings and skills in the use of PowerPoint have become essential for professional and academic success. This study will investigate the use of PowerPoint in higher education and corporate settings in order to discover what these skills are and how the design of PowerPoint supports or hinders the achievement of a range of communicative purposes. The study will provide guidelines for evaluating and improving the design and use of PowerPoint and other, similar presentation software.Read moreRead less