The phenomenon of control is an essential component of our everyday natural, social, and artifici... more The phenomenon of control is an essential component of our everyday natural, social, and artificial environment. Control-related concepts have become a central component of many core topics in modern technology education. Our knowledge about students’ abilities to understand (analysis) and design (synthesis) controlled systems, however, is stili poor. Evidence already collected shows that students have serious difficulties in transcending the phenomenal or behavioral understanding of a system’s functioning toward more formal definitions of the control process. In this paper a framework to start dealing with these and related issues is proposed. First, the nature of controlled systems is discussed. Then a conceptual framework encompassing a variety of perspectives on and approaches to control is presented. The framework consists of two main components: the process component and the representational component. The first relates to the stages in the process of defining and implementing...
The paper deals with a problem of linearization of multi-output logic functions. Specifically, th... more The paper deals with a problem of linearization of multi-output logic functions. Specifically, the case is discussed, when the functions have a large number of variables and cannot be efficiently linearized by using known techniques. For solution of the problem a so-called piecewise linearization is proposed. The piecewise linearization comprises decomposition of an initial multi-output function into a network of components, followed by independent linearization of the components. The decomposition is based on the theory of D-polynomials described in the paper. The resulting piecewise linearized network is directly mapable onto a special type of a binary graph called Parallel Multi Terminal BDD. An efficient heuristic algorithm for the piecewise linearization is provided. The presented benchmarks results demonstrate high efficiency of the proposed method in comparison with known linearization approaches. The results also show that integrating linearization techniques with the descri...
The paper deals with transformations of science education inspired by integrating emerging techno... more The paper deals with transformations of science education inspired by integrating emerging technologies in inquiry-based educational practices. Specifically, transformations of practices associated with microcomputer-based laboratories (MBLs) are discussed. A new exposition of known SAMR (Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition) model is proposed for above purposes. According to the proposed approach, the sequence of the SAMR levels is considered as a progressive advancement from the traditional instrumental interpretation of technology (Substitution) to its transformational interpretation (Redefinition). Particularly, a number of innovative educational practices have been associated with the Redefinition level of MBLs. Among them: a) augmentedreality based laboratories equipped with mobile and wearable technologies; b) cloud computing based remote science laboratories; c) laboratories equipped with cyber-physical systems. It is shown that the Redefinition level reflects...
Change is perhaps the most persistent aspect of product development. It could arise from external... more Change is perhaps the most persistent aspect of product development. It could arise from external input that must be overcome but also from an explicit choice for improvement. In spite of this general appreciation, the management of engineering changes in development processes is lacking. Only recently this subject has started to attract a growing number of studies attempting to tame the impact of change on development processes. We propose that a plan for addressing change must include the use of carefully designed collection of design methods, termed design methodology. Such methodology must be tailored to the particular design context. We demonstrate through a case study, in the context of a high school mechatronics design course, that such a methodology leads to highly effective engineering change management. We conjecture that similar practices would be effective in industrial settings.
Problems and questions exact and technical sciences, 2018
In the paper, we consider the issues of performance improvement of reconfigurable computer system... more In the paper, we consider the issues of performance improvement of reconfigurable computer systems by optimization of the computational structure of the application task. We suggest a method of logical functions optimization, which provides reduction of the occupied resource of FPGAs and describe its structure. In addition, we present results of experimental research which prove efficiency of the developed method for logical functions optimization.
The article deals with the evolution of the constructionist learning approach from the beginning ... more The article deals with the evolution of the constructionist learning approach from the beginning of the era of information technologies through the digital age. The evolution of constructionism is demonstrated in connection with two associated processes: changes in the human worldview related to the digital shift, and the corresponding transformations in human society. The study examines the evolution of basic constructionist ideas: 1) "microworlds" as "incubators of knowledge"; 2) a child as "the architect of his [or her] intelligent structures"; 3) the computer as "a machine that brings back a natural character to learning"; 4) coding as a "universal learning activity" that enables the study of fundamental scientific ideas. The constructionist ideas are analyzed in the context of today's digital reality. The main contribution of the study is formulating the changes in classical constructionism as transformations that correspond to worldview components: activating the perception of self; democratization of the mutual interactions with others; virtualization of the conception of reality; integration the subject and object in their interaction with reality.
Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, 2017
Wearable technologies represent a rapidly expanding category of consumer information and communic... more Wearable technologies represent a rapidly expanding category of consumer information and communications technologies. From smartwatches to activity tracking devices, wearables are finding their way into many aspects of our lives, changing the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. The rapid adoption of these tools in everyday life hints at the possibilities these devices may hold in school and other educational settings. Drawing on examples taken from a five-year study using wearable fitness tracking devices in elementary and middle school classrooms, this paper presents two examples of how wearable devices can be appropriated for use in school settings. These examples focus on instances where students turned activity trackers into objects of inquiry using data from familiar activities.
This paper deals with the problem of learning in a new digital or networked society. Specifically... more This paper deals with the problem of learning in a new digital or networked society. Specifically, the study is focused on the development of students' network awareness by constructing and investigating the network learning environment. An environment comprising the spreadsheet EXCEL and the visualization tool NodeXL is introduced. Students construct their own models of the network and are able to observe the behavior of the constructed network in the form of a dynamically evolving graph. Models are defined by simple algorithms. The algorithms correspond to different rules of network evolution. Specifically, rules for attaching the next vertex to the existing network are presented. A number of network examples, constructed and studied by using the proposed approach, are presented and discussed.
The paper deals with functional testing of Boolean systems in cases when the functionality of the... more The paper deals with functional testing of Boolean systems in cases when the functionality of the system is unknown. Constructions of optimal linear-checks for testing such systems that have an acceptable representation as low order polynomials are presented. The linear checks determine a set of binary test vectors that form a relatively small subgroup of Cn 2 (Cn 2 consists of all the n-bit binary vectors with addition modulo two). The paper shows that for Walsh-transform-based implementations it is possible to ...
Assessing the level of complexity of Boolean problems takes into account factors of: a) complexit... more Assessing the level of complexity of Boolean problems takes into account factors of: a) complexity of an initial representation of a Boolean concept; b) characteristics of a specific type of basic blocks used for implementing the Boolean concept; and c) optimization criteria (such as: hardware minimization, power minimization, testability, security etc.). While the above factors are widely known and well studied, cognitive complexity of Boolean problems was never considered as a factor. At the same time, the problem of human concept ...
Proceedings of Fourteenth International Workshop on Logic and Synthesis, Lake Arrowhead, California, 2005
In VLSI design, crossings of interconnections occupy space and cause delay. In particular, it is ... more In VLSI design, crossings of interconnections occupy space and cause delay. In particular, it is desirable to have planar networks for FPGA synthesis and sub-micron LSIs, since delays in the interconnections and crossings are comparable to the delays for logic circuits. Binary decision diagrams (BDDs) provide a simple technology mapping, and planar DDs result in planar networks. Two different approaches for constructing the planar BDDs are presented in the paper. The first approach is oriented to constructing a linearly ...
Abstract:-It is offered to implement fuzzy devices as multi-valued logic functions, using directl... more Abstract:-It is offered to implement fuzzy devices as multi-valued logic functions, using directly analog input variables and forming the output variables as analog ones as well. It is offered to use CMOS summing amplifiers as basic elements for designing appropriate circuits. It has been proved that a CMOS summing amplifier is a functionally complete element in arbitrary-valued logic. In a plenty of cases this approach enables principally simplification of fuzzy logic controllers for a broad class of applications. All mentioned ...
Abstract:-The subject of the study is design of multi-valued (analog) CMOS fuzzy controllers. A f... more Abstract:-The subject of the study is design of multi-valued (analog) CMOS fuzzy controllers. A functional completeness of summing amplifier with saturation in a multivalued logic of an arbitrary value proven in previous works gives a theoretical background for analog implementation of fuzzy devices. Compared with the traditional approach based on explicit fuzzification/defuzzification procedures analog fuzzy implementation has the advantages of higher speed, lower power consumption, smaller die area and more. In the present paper, ...
Historically, human beings, living in a complex and unknown world, learnt to survive by using rul... more Historically, human beings, living in a complex and unknown world, learnt to survive by using rules, which were essentially simpler than the reality around them. The fact that human beings have survived for many hundreds of years in this complex and changing world, speaks for their ability to simplify rules for functioning in the surrounding reality according to their perception.
Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology
The main goal of the research presented in the paper is to study the Electrical Engineering (EE) ... more The main goal of the research presented in the paper is to study the Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CE) curriculum in order to improve its coverage, with the goal of better preparing graduates to pursue a wider range of professional careers. The research deals with the differences in studying subjects related to computer architecture by two groups of students having different prior knowledge: EE students and CE students. This research establishes the implications of hands-on studies and considers the gap in knowledge, and whether these studies reduce the gaps. This research was conducted for the same "Microprocessors practicum" course. The first group (CE students) acquired a large body of knowledge in computer architecture, while the second group (EE students) acquired knowledge mainly in "Introduction to programming" prior to the practicum course, and this fact was reflected in a pretest conducted for the two groups. The official test that was taken at the end of the semester, which examined the knowledge that was acquired during the course's lectures, revealed no difference between the two groups. However, a posttest, specifically arranged for the purpose of this study, strongly indicated that the Computer Engineering students have an advantage over the Electrical Engineering students. Regarding the objective that the lab should provide students with an understanding of computing processes, it seems that lack of prior knowledge hinders it. The lab is meaningful provided that the students are exposed to prior studies, in which case, the lab serves to reinforce the subject matter. At the university in which the research took place, suitable changes in the curriculum have already been made.
Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, 2000
The chapter deals with a new research field that has arisen at the intersection of scientific exp... more The chapter deals with a new research field that has arisen at the intersection of scientific experiment and emerging digital technologies. The classical triad of experimental research 'subject-instrument-object' and its implementation in science education are in the focus of the chapter. The triad is studied in its evolution to a so-called digital triad corresponding to the experimental science of digital society. In the digital triad, each of the three components are transformed. The knowing subject-researcher is transformed to the digital scholar; the experimental instrument is transformed on the base of emerging cloud and mobile technologies; the research object comprising hybrid natural-artificial components emerges. The digital transformations of the experimental research triad and educational practices based on the digital triad are manifested in a number of pioneer inquiry-based projects analyzed in the chapter.
The phenomenon of control is an essential component of our everyday natural, social, and artifici... more The phenomenon of control is an essential component of our everyday natural, social, and artificial environment. Control-related concepts have become a central component of many core topics in modern technology education. Our knowledge about students’ abilities to understand (analysis) and design (synthesis) controlled systems, however, is stili poor. Evidence already collected shows that students have serious difficulties in transcending the phenomenal or behavioral understanding of a system’s functioning toward more formal definitions of the control process. In this paper a framework to start dealing with these and related issues is proposed. First, the nature of controlled systems is discussed. Then a conceptual framework encompassing a variety of perspectives on and approaches to control is presented. The framework consists of two main components: the process component and the representational component. The first relates to the stages in the process of defining and implementing...
The paper deals with a problem of linearization of multi-output logic functions. Specifically, th... more The paper deals with a problem of linearization of multi-output logic functions. Specifically, the case is discussed, when the functions have a large number of variables and cannot be efficiently linearized by using known techniques. For solution of the problem a so-called piecewise linearization is proposed. The piecewise linearization comprises decomposition of an initial multi-output function into a network of components, followed by independent linearization of the components. The decomposition is based on the theory of D-polynomials described in the paper. The resulting piecewise linearized network is directly mapable onto a special type of a binary graph called Parallel Multi Terminal BDD. An efficient heuristic algorithm for the piecewise linearization is provided. The presented benchmarks results demonstrate high efficiency of the proposed method in comparison with known linearization approaches. The results also show that integrating linearization techniques with the descri...
The paper deals with transformations of science education inspired by integrating emerging techno... more The paper deals with transformations of science education inspired by integrating emerging technologies in inquiry-based educational practices. Specifically, transformations of practices associated with microcomputer-based laboratories (MBLs) are discussed. A new exposition of known SAMR (Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition) model is proposed for above purposes. According to the proposed approach, the sequence of the SAMR levels is considered as a progressive advancement from the traditional instrumental interpretation of technology (Substitution) to its transformational interpretation (Redefinition). Particularly, a number of innovative educational practices have been associated with the Redefinition level of MBLs. Among them: a) augmentedreality based laboratories equipped with mobile and wearable technologies; b) cloud computing based remote science laboratories; c) laboratories equipped with cyber-physical systems. It is shown that the Redefinition level reflects...
Change is perhaps the most persistent aspect of product development. It could arise from external... more Change is perhaps the most persistent aspect of product development. It could arise from external input that must be overcome but also from an explicit choice for improvement. In spite of this general appreciation, the management of engineering changes in development processes is lacking. Only recently this subject has started to attract a growing number of studies attempting to tame the impact of change on development processes. We propose that a plan for addressing change must include the use of carefully designed collection of design methods, termed design methodology. Such methodology must be tailored to the particular design context. We demonstrate through a case study, in the context of a high school mechatronics design course, that such a methodology leads to highly effective engineering change management. We conjecture that similar practices would be effective in industrial settings.
Problems and questions exact and technical sciences, 2018
In the paper, we consider the issues of performance improvement of reconfigurable computer system... more In the paper, we consider the issues of performance improvement of reconfigurable computer systems by optimization of the computational structure of the application task. We suggest a method of logical functions optimization, which provides reduction of the occupied resource of FPGAs and describe its structure. In addition, we present results of experimental research which prove efficiency of the developed method for logical functions optimization.
The article deals with the evolution of the constructionist learning approach from the beginning ... more The article deals with the evolution of the constructionist learning approach from the beginning of the era of information technologies through the digital age. The evolution of constructionism is demonstrated in connection with two associated processes: changes in the human worldview related to the digital shift, and the corresponding transformations in human society. The study examines the evolution of basic constructionist ideas: 1) "microworlds" as "incubators of knowledge"; 2) a child as "the architect of his [or her] intelligent structures"; 3) the computer as "a machine that brings back a natural character to learning"; 4) coding as a "universal learning activity" that enables the study of fundamental scientific ideas. The constructionist ideas are analyzed in the context of today's digital reality. The main contribution of the study is formulating the changes in classical constructionism as transformations that correspond to worldview components: activating the perception of self; democratization of the mutual interactions with others; virtualization of the conception of reality; integration the subject and object in their interaction with reality.
Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, 2017
Wearable technologies represent a rapidly expanding category of consumer information and communic... more Wearable technologies represent a rapidly expanding category of consumer information and communications technologies. From smartwatches to activity tracking devices, wearables are finding their way into many aspects of our lives, changing the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. The rapid adoption of these tools in everyday life hints at the possibilities these devices may hold in school and other educational settings. Drawing on examples taken from a five-year study using wearable fitness tracking devices in elementary and middle school classrooms, this paper presents two examples of how wearable devices can be appropriated for use in school settings. These examples focus on instances where students turned activity trackers into objects of inquiry using data from familiar activities.
This paper deals with the problem of learning in a new digital or networked society. Specifically... more This paper deals with the problem of learning in a new digital or networked society. Specifically, the study is focused on the development of students' network awareness by constructing and investigating the network learning environment. An environment comprising the spreadsheet EXCEL and the visualization tool NodeXL is introduced. Students construct their own models of the network and are able to observe the behavior of the constructed network in the form of a dynamically evolving graph. Models are defined by simple algorithms. The algorithms correspond to different rules of network evolution. Specifically, rules for attaching the next vertex to the existing network are presented. A number of network examples, constructed and studied by using the proposed approach, are presented and discussed.
The paper deals with functional testing of Boolean systems in cases when the functionality of the... more The paper deals with functional testing of Boolean systems in cases when the functionality of the system is unknown. Constructions of optimal linear-checks for testing such systems that have an acceptable representation as low order polynomials are presented. The linear checks determine a set of binary test vectors that form a relatively small subgroup of Cn 2 (Cn 2 consists of all the n-bit binary vectors with addition modulo two). The paper shows that for Walsh-transform-based implementations it is possible to ...
Assessing the level of complexity of Boolean problems takes into account factors of: a) complexit... more Assessing the level of complexity of Boolean problems takes into account factors of: a) complexity of an initial representation of a Boolean concept; b) characteristics of a specific type of basic blocks used for implementing the Boolean concept; and c) optimization criteria (such as: hardware minimization, power minimization, testability, security etc.). While the above factors are widely known and well studied, cognitive complexity of Boolean problems was never considered as a factor. At the same time, the problem of human concept ...
Proceedings of Fourteenth International Workshop on Logic and Synthesis, Lake Arrowhead, California, 2005
In VLSI design, crossings of interconnections occupy space and cause delay. In particular, it is ... more In VLSI design, crossings of interconnections occupy space and cause delay. In particular, it is desirable to have planar networks for FPGA synthesis and sub-micron LSIs, since delays in the interconnections and crossings are comparable to the delays for logic circuits. Binary decision diagrams (BDDs) provide a simple technology mapping, and planar DDs result in planar networks. Two different approaches for constructing the planar BDDs are presented in the paper. The first approach is oriented to constructing a linearly ...
Abstract:-It is offered to implement fuzzy devices as multi-valued logic functions, using directl... more Abstract:-It is offered to implement fuzzy devices as multi-valued logic functions, using directly analog input variables and forming the output variables as analog ones as well. It is offered to use CMOS summing amplifiers as basic elements for designing appropriate circuits. It has been proved that a CMOS summing amplifier is a functionally complete element in arbitrary-valued logic. In a plenty of cases this approach enables principally simplification of fuzzy logic controllers for a broad class of applications. All mentioned ...
Abstract:-The subject of the study is design of multi-valued (analog) CMOS fuzzy controllers. A f... more Abstract:-The subject of the study is design of multi-valued (analog) CMOS fuzzy controllers. A functional completeness of summing amplifier with saturation in a multivalued logic of an arbitrary value proven in previous works gives a theoretical background for analog implementation of fuzzy devices. Compared with the traditional approach based on explicit fuzzification/defuzzification procedures analog fuzzy implementation has the advantages of higher speed, lower power consumption, smaller die area and more. In the present paper, ...
Historically, human beings, living in a complex and unknown world, learnt to survive by using rul... more Historically, human beings, living in a complex and unknown world, learnt to survive by using rules, which were essentially simpler than the reality around them. The fact that human beings have survived for many hundreds of years in this complex and changing world, speaks for their ability to simplify rules for functioning in the surrounding reality according to their perception.
Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology
The main goal of the research presented in the paper is to study the Electrical Engineering (EE) ... more The main goal of the research presented in the paper is to study the Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CE) curriculum in order to improve its coverage, with the goal of better preparing graduates to pursue a wider range of professional careers. The research deals with the differences in studying subjects related to computer architecture by two groups of students having different prior knowledge: EE students and CE students. This research establishes the implications of hands-on studies and considers the gap in knowledge, and whether these studies reduce the gaps. This research was conducted for the same "Microprocessors practicum" course. The first group (CE students) acquired a large body of knowledge in computer architecture, while the second group (EE students) acquired knowledge mainly in "Introduction to programming" prior to the practicum course, and this fact was reflected in a pretest conducted for the two groups. The official test that was taken at the end of the semester, which examined the knowledge that was acquired during the course's lectures, revealed no difference between the two groups. However, a posttest, specifically arranged for the purpose of this study, strongly indicated that the Computer Engineering students have an advantage over the Electrical Engineering students. Regarding the objective that the lab should provide students with an understanding of computing processes, it seems that lack of prior knowledge hinders it. The lab is meaningful provided that the students are exposed to prior studies, in which case, the lab serves to reinforce the subject matter. At the university in which the research took place, suitable changes in the curriculum have already been made.
Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, 2000
The chapter deals with a new research field that has arisen at the intersection of scientific exp... more The chapter deals with a new research field that has arisen at the intersection of scientific experiment and emerging digital technologies. The classical triad of experimental research 'subject-instrument-object' and its implementation in science education are in the focus of the chapter. The triad is studied in its evolution to a so-called digital triad corresponding to the experimental science of digital society. In the digital triad, each of the three components are transformed. The knowing subject-researcher is transformed to the digital scholar; the experimental instrument is transformed on the base of emerging cloud and mobile technologies; the research object comprising hybrid natural-artificial components emerges. The digital transformations of the experimental research triad and educational practices based on the digital triad are manifested in a number of pioneer inquiry-based projects analyzed in the chapter.
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Papers by Ilya Levin