In this paper we describe lessons we have learnt from building up a webserver with reliable infor... more In this paper we describe lessons we have learnt from building up a webserver with reliable information over a period of ten years. We show how we have tried to overcome often encountered weaknesses and thus encourage the community to follow our suggestions. We also point out that much research and development work remains to be carried out.
2008 Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2008
The advances in technology have made academic cheating far too easy for learners. Furthermore, th... more The advances in technology have made academic cheating far too easy for learners. Furthermore, the WorldWide Web has brought about a widespread culture of easy-access to all sorts of information, thus reducing the need for learners to perform diligent research or study. E-learning systems would then need to incorporate the monitoring and checking for student expressions of reading and writing, while guiding them towards learning the rightful skills. This paper describes the architecture and design of an integrated Copy-Paste system aimed at addressing these concerns.
Introduction "If we teach today's students, as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of... more Introduction "If we teach today's students, as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow"--John Dewey (1915) Technology in education has been on upsurge during recent years. The modern advancement in educational technologies has given different opportunities to educational establishments for embracing new types of learning. The improvement of effective learning in a computer or technology mediated learning environment is an exciting challenge. The major challenge postulated by the technology in education is that students who are born in this computerized and versatile digital age participate in learning from an exceptionally assorted point of view than their forerunners (Pollara, 2011). These types of students were called by Prensky (2001) as "'digital natives,' who are at low compatibility with faculty called as 'digital immigrants'." The low compatibility between the teacher and students brought by new educational technologies, stre...
The increase in digitization of conventional books and other forms of print media suggests that d... more The increase in digitization of conventional books and other forms of print media suggests that digital or e-books are not a passing phenomenon. Present day digital library systems may have transformed the conventional processes into digital environment, however little development work has been done for the progression of traditional library business model in digital domain. Users of digital books want a more open environment where contents from different sources are made available seamlessly. Interoperability at device level, sharing, and a possibility of a convenient and useful annotation system are also general expectations from the standard user prospective. Publishers also need a system with efficient process workflow for the transformation of contents and its online availability. Besides the interoperability, the security and digital rights management is also a matter of concern for the digital content distributors. We started off our efforts by establishing system to present ...
3 Abstract: In educational institutions and corporate environments e-learning is becoming an incr... more 3 Abstract: In educational institutions and corporate environments e-learning is becoming an increasingly important teaching and learning mode. The quality evaluation in e-learning is very important for making courses taught in this mode at par with that of formal education. This paper comprises of different dimensions of e-learning and explains how quality management plays a vital role in the success of e-learning. It also examines the practices and trends in quality assurance on the basis of case studies conducted at national and international universities. E-learning approaches used in Pakistan and efforts of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in order to make improvements in the process of providing quality e-learning have also been discussed. This paper presents quality assurance model used at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Virtual campus along with its performance indicators and implementation.
As part of higher education, universities have been increasing their efforts to promote learning ... more As part of higher education, universities have been increasing their efforts to promote learning growth and innovation. In Pakistan private and public institutions of higher educations have undertaken eLearning initiatives. This article draws from the research literature and a preliminary descriptive study to describe the current status of eLearning systems in a few universities within Pakistan, and discusses the challenges faced in implementing eLearning projects in Pakistan. In order to play an important role in democratizing education and contributing toward creating knowledge workers, higher education needs to play a more active role in promoting and supporting eLearning initiatives.
2008 International Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2008
In subjects, where a major part of the education is based on visual information, like geosciences... more In subjects, where a major part of the education is based on visual information, like geosciences, architecture or civil engineering, this information is often tied to a specific location. Field studies and excursions are thus an essential part of the education in such ...
Communications in Computer and Information Science
When we read a printed paper, document or book we sometimes come to points that we do not underst... more When we read a printed paper, document or book we sometimes come to points that we do not understand or where we feel important information is missing, or plain wrong, as we can show by examining a particularly reliable collection of data. Yet we can just shrug our shoulders, since contacting the source of the information is at least very cumbersome. This has changed surprisingly little even if the information does not come in a printed version, but as a digitized book, a Web-page or a PDF File. Usually, there is no easy way to point out mistakes or missing information or asking for more extensive explanations. It seems that the possibilities provided by digitized information, particularly if it is on the Internet, are not used in most environments. In this paper we argue that it is strange that the power of networks is not used to allow all kinds of interaction, involving authors, readers and the information at issue, in collections of digital documents, while communication is often considered to be over boarding in some social networks. We discuss one concrete solution for alleviating this problem in collections of digital documents. Note: This paper is based on [10] and particularly the paper [18], but puts more emphasis on the real reason for NID (as already hinted at in the abstract), and on usability and application aspects. Note that basic ideas of NID were already addressed in [19].
Abstract The economies of virtual worlds are driven by the exchange of virtual good and services... more Abstract The economies of virtual worlds are driven by the exchange of virtual good and services. These goods are available in the form of image textures, 3D objects, and scripts. The theft or unauthorized use of these goods was and still is a serious problem for virtual ...
Journal of Information Science and Engineering, 2009
This paper explains how collaborative efforts in terms of technology and content, can help improv... more This paper explains how collaborative efforts in terms of technology and content, can help improve plagiarism detection and prevention. It presents a web service oriented architecture, which utilizes the collective strength of various search engines, context matching algorithms and ...
Plagiarism in the sense of "theft of intellectual property" has been around for as long... more Plagiarism in the sense of "theft of intellectual property" has been around for as long as humans have produced work of art and research. However, easy access to the Web, large databases, and telecommunication in general, has turned plagiarism into a serious problem for publishers, researchers and educational institutions. In this paper, we concentrate on textual plagiarism (as opposed to
We present two probabilistic leader election algorithms for anonymous unidirectional rings with F... more We present two probabilistic leader election algorithms for anonymous unidirectional rings with FIFO channels, based on an algorithm from Itai and Rodeh [Itai and Rodeh 1981]. In contrast to the Itai-Rodeh algorithm, our algorithms are finite-state. So they can be analyzed using explicit state space exploration; we used the probabilistic model checker PRISM to verify, for rings up to size four, that eventually a unique leader is elected with probability one. Furthermore, we give a manual correctness proof for each algorithm.
Large collections of learning content, developed using applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint ... more Large collections of learning content, developed using applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint can be found in numerous institutions and organizations. The reusability of such custom-made learning content are however not supported in traditional applications. There is a need to annotate the available learning objects with suitable meta-data at various level of granularity. This paper investigates the provision of a tool that allows users to compare and efficiently repurpose presentations collected in some institution's content repository. Our preliminary experiments have shown that it is indeed possible to extend the reusability of learning objects beyond its originally intended usage. By adopting a layered approach of similarity checking, topic-centered content aggregation and repurposing has been achieved. The prototype system has also shed insights on the much-needed support mechanisms for the on-the-job, incremental elicitation of metadata.
The constant rise in demand for higher education has become the biggest challenge for educational... more The constant rise in demand for higher education has become the biggest challenge for educational planners. This high demand has paved a way for distance education across the globe. This article innovatively analyzes the policy documentation of a major distance education initiative in Pakistan for validity that will identify the utility of policy linkages. The study adopted a qualitative research design that consisted of two steps. In the first step, a content analysis of distance learning policy framework was made. For this purpose, two documents were accessed titled "Framework for Launching Distance Learning Programs in HEIs of Pakistan" and "Guideline on Quality of Distance Education for External Students at the HEIs of Pakistan." In the second step, the policy guidelines mentioned in these two documents were evaluated at two levels. At the first level, the overall policy documents were assessed against a criterion proposed by Cheung, Mirzaei, and Leeder. At the second level, the proposed program of distance learning was assessed against a criterion set by Gellman-Danley and Fetzner and Berge. The distance education program initiative in Pakistan is of promising nature which needs to be assessed regularly. This study has made an initial attempt to assess the policy document against a criterion identified from literature. The analysis shows that the current policy documents do offer some strengths at this initial level, however, they cannot be considered a comprehensive policy guide. The inclusion or correction of missing or vague areas identified in this study would make this policy guideline document a treasured tool for Higher Education Commission (HEC). For distance education policy makers, this distance education policy framework model recognizes several fundamental areas with which they should be concerned. The findings of this study in the light of two different policy framework measures highlight certain opportunities that can help strengthening the distance education policies. The criteria and findings are useful for the reviewers of policy proposals to identify the gaps where policy documents can be improved to bring the desired outcomes.
In this paper we describe lessons we have learnt from building up a webserver with reliable infor... more In this paper we describe lessons we have learnt from building up a webserver with reliable information over a period of ten years. We show how we have tried to overcome often encountered weaknesses and thus encourage the community to follow our suggestions. We also point out that much research and development work remains to be carried out.
2008 Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2008
The advances in technology have made academic cheating far too easy for learners. Furthermore, th... more The advances in technology have made academic cheating far too easy for learners. Furthermore, the WorldWide Web has brought about a widespread culture of easy-access to all sorts of information, thus reducing the need for learners to perform diligent research or study. E-learning systems would then need to incorporate the monitoring and checking for student expressions of reading and writing, while guiding them towards learning the rightful skills. This paper describes the architecture and design of an integrated Copy-Paste system aimed at addressing these concerns.
Introduction "If we teach today's students, as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of... more Introduction "If we teach today's students, as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow"--John Dewey (1915) Technology in education has been on upsurge during recent years. The modern advancement in educational technologies has given different opportunities to educational establishments for embracing new types of learning. The improvement of effective learning in a computer or technology mediated learning environment is an exciting challenge. The major challenge postulated by the technology in education is that students who are born in this computerized and versatile digital age participate in learning from an exceptionally assorted point of view than their forerunners (Pollara, 2011). These types of students were called by Prensky (2001) as "'digital natives,' who are at low compatibility with faculty called as 'digital immigrants'." The low compatibility between the teacher and students brought by new educational technologies, stre...
The increase in digitization of conventional books and other forms of print media suggests that d... more The increase in digitization of conventional books and other forms of print media suggests that digital or e-books are not a passing phenomenon. Present day digital library systems may have transformed the conventional processes into digital environment, however little development work has been done for the progression of traditional library business model in digital domain. Users of digital books want a more open environment where contents from different sources are made available seamlessly. Interoperability at device level, sharing, and a possibility of a convenient and useful annotation system are also general expectations from the standard user prospective. Publishers also need a system with efficient process workflow for the transformation of contents and its online availability. Besides the interoperability, the security and digital rights management is also a matter of concern for the digital content distributors. We started off our efforts by establishing system to present ...
3 Abstract: In educational institutions and corporate environments e-learning is becoming an incr... more 3 Abstract: In educational institutions and corporate environments e-learning is becoming an increasingly important teaching and learning mode. The quality evaluation in e-learning is very important for making courses taught in this mode at par with that of formal education. This paper comprises of different dimensions of e-learning and explains how quality management plays a vital role in the success of e-learning. It also examines the practices and trends in quality assurance on the basis of case studies conducted at national and international universities. E-learning approaches used in Pakistan and efforts of Higher Education Commission (HEC) in order to make improvements in the process of providing quality e-learning have also been discussed. This paper presents quality assurance model used at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Virtual campus along with its performance indicators and implementation.
As part of higher education, universities have been increasing their efforts to promote learning ... more As part of higher education, universities have been increasing their efforts to promote learning growth and innovation. In Pakistan private and public institutions of higher educations have undertaken eLearning initiatives. This article draws from the research literature and a preliminary descriptive study to describe the current status of eLearning systems in a few universities within Pakistan, and discusses the challenges faced in implementing eLearning projects in Pakistan. In order to play an important role in democratizing education and contributing toward creating knowledge workers, higher education needs to play a more active role in promoting and supporting eLearning initiatives.
2008 International Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2008
In subjects, where a major part of the education is based on visual information, like geosciences... more In subjects, where a major part of the education is based on visual information, like geosciences, architecture or civil engineering, this information is often tied to a specific location. Field studies and excursions are thus an essential part of the education in such ...
Communications in Computer and Information Science
When we read a printed paper, document or book we sometimes come to points that we do not underst... more When we read a printed paper, document or book we sometimes come to points that we do not understand or where we feel important information is missing, or plain wrong, as we can show by examining a particularly reliable collection of data. Yet we can just shrug our shoulders, since contacting the source of the information is at least very cumbersome. This has changed surprisingly little even if the information does not come in a printed version, but as a digitized book, a Web-page or a PDF File. Usually, there is no easy way to point out mistakes or missing information or asking for more extensive explanations. It seems that the possibilities provided by digitized information, particularly if it is on the Internet, are not used in most environments. In this paper we argue that it is strange that the power of networks is not used to allow all kinds of interaction, involving authors, readers and the information at issue, in collections of digital documents, while communication is often considered to be over boarding in some social networks. We discuss one concrete solution for alleviating this problem in collections of digital documents. Note: This paper is based on [10] and particularly the paper [18], but puts more emphasis on the real reason for NID (as already hinted at in the abstract), and on usability and application aspects. Note that basic ideas of NID were already addressed in [19].
Abstract The economies of virtual worlds are driven by the exchange of virtual good and services... more Abstract The economies of virtual worlds are driven by the exchange of virtual good and services. These goods are available in the form of image textures, 3D objects, and scripts. The theft or unauthorized use of these goods was and still is a serious problem for virtual ...
Journal of Information Science and Engineering, 2009
This paper explains how collaborative efforts in terms of technology and content, can help improv... more This paper explains how collaborative efforts in terms of technology and content, can help improve plagiarism detection and prevention. It presents a web service oriented architecture, which utilizes the collective strength of various search engines, context matching algorithms and ...
Plagiarism in the sense of "theft of intellectual property" has been around for as long... more Plagiarism in the sense of "theft of intellectual property" has been around for as long as humans have produced work of art and research. However, easy access to the Web, large databases, and telecommunication in general, has turned plagiarism into a serious problem for publishers, researchers and educational institutions. In this paper, we concentrate on textual plagiarism (as opposed to
We present two probabilistic leader election algorithms for anonymous unidirectional rings with F... more We present two probabilistic leader election algorithms for anonymous unidirectional rings with FIFO channels, based on an algorithm from Itai and Rodeh [Itai and Rodeh 1981]. In contrast to the Itai-Rodeh algorithm, our algorithms are finite-state. So they can be analyzed using explicit state space exploration; we used the probabilistic model checker PRISM to verify, for rings up to size four, that eventually a unique leader is elected with probability one. Furthermore, we give a manual correctness proof for each algorithm.
Large collections of learning content, developed using applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint ... more Large collections of learning content, developed using applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint can be found in numerous institutions and organizations. The reusability of such custom-made learning content are however not supported in traditional applications. There is a need to annotate the available learning objects with suitable meta-data at various level of granularity. This paper investigates the provision of a tool that allows users to compare and efficiently repurpose presentations collected in some institution's content repository. Our preliminary experiments have shown that it is indeed possible to extend the reusability of learning objects beyond its originally intended usage. By adopting a layered approach of similarity checking, topic-centered content aggregation and repurposing has been achieved. The prototype system has also shed insights on the much-needed support mechanisms for the on-the-job, incremental elicitation of metadata.
The constant rise in demand for higher education has become the biggest challenge for educational... more The constant rise in demand for higher education has become the biggest challenge for educational planners. This high demand has paved a way for distance education across the globe. This article innovatively analyzes the policy documentation of a major distance education initiative in Pakistan for validity that will identify the utility of policy linkages. The study adopted a qualitative research design that consisted of two steps. In the first step, a content analysis of distance learning policy framework was made. For this purpose, two documents were accessed titled "Framework for Launching Distance Learning Programs in HEIs of Pakistan" and "Guideline on Quality of Distance Education for External Students at the HEIs of Pakistan." In the second step, the policy guidelines mentioned in these two documents were evaluated at two levels. At the first level, the overall policy documents were assessed against a criterion proposed by Cheung, Mirzaei, and Leeder. At the second level, the proposed program of distance learning was assessed against a criterion set by Gellman-Danley and Fetzner and Berge. The distance education program initiative in Pakistan is of promising nature which needs to be assessed regularly. This study has made an initial attempt to assess the policy document against a criterion identified from literature. The analysis shows that the current policy documents do offer some strengths at this initial level, however, they cannot be considered a comprehensive policy guide. The inclusion or correction of missing or vague areas identified in this study would make this policy guideline document a treasured tool for Higher Education Commission (HEC). For distance education policy makers, this distance education policy framework model recognizes several fundamental areas with which they should be concerned. The findings of this study in the light of two different policy framework measures highlight certain opportunities that can help strengthening the distance education policies. The criteria and findings are useful for the reviewers of policy proposals to identify the gaps where policy documents can be improved to bring the desired outcomes.
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Papers by Bilal Zaka