Browsing by Author "Quigley, Donna"
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    E-Assessment: an E-Business Enabler in Higher Education
    ( 2016-11-17) Masouras, Panicos ; Poonsri Vate-U-Lan
    In the context of higher education, e-business can be viewed as the series of interconnected processes initiated with student application for entry and completed upon graduation. While e-learning is an integral component of this process, the assessment component remains primarily manual. This leads to an educational paradox whereby students are encouraged to e-learn, on one hand, while they are imposed in old-fashioned assessment practices, on the other. It also establishes a business paradox whereby universities strive to maximize their financial incomes through research funding but still do not exploit ICTs to minimize their costs in the pillar of assessment. As ICT skills span the requirements of university students horizontally and across departments, developing an e-Assessment System for ICT skills could address both paradoxes. This paper presents an e-Assessment system implemented within a nursing university department setting with 79 participants in Cyprus. Findings of a quasi-experimental design that validated the system’s effectiveness indicate that performance of students who used the system were significantly different than those students who followed a traditional learning process.
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    Internet of things in agriculture: a case study of smart dairy farming in Ontario, Canada
    ( 2017) Poonsri Vate-U-Lan ; Quigley, Donna ; Masouras, Panicos
    The objective of this paper is to report a case study of smart dairy farming in Ontario, Canada which is the future of food production and ways that advancements related to the Internet of Things (IoT). It is impacting upon agricultural practice in the form of smart farming. Smart farming is the practice of intelligent agricultural management based upon technological data gathering farm practice for the purpose of increased levels of quality, production, and environmental protection. This paper will illustrate one example whereby partnerships among the academic world, government agencies and local food producing communities in Canada are adapting innovative thinking and smart technologies to address the need to implement the more effective agricultural practice. Food From Thought is a Canadian research project, based upon high-tech information systems to produce enough food for a growing human population while sustaining the Earth’s ecosystems. The paper will outline how one dairy farmer in Ontario has been able to apply smart farming technologies to increase milk production while maintaining the health of his cattle and preserving the environment. The review of applications of smart farming in Ontario such as digital tracking for a cow, genomic testing, digitally signaled birth, sensor driven crop management and data driven dairy production also details in this article.
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    Phygital Learning Concept: From Big to Smart Data
    ( 2016-12-15) Poonsri Vate-U-Lan ; Quigley, Donna ; Masouras, Panicos
    ‘Phygital’ or physical plus digital, is a combination of a physical circumstances or tangible objects and digital or online technology-driven experience. This paper introduces a challenge on potential phygital learning environments that may induce superior learning experiences for students as compared to experienced realized through either physical or digital experiences. ‘Phygital learning’ is a novel design concept to induce a new dimension of learning experiences while students interact with the physical context simultaneously as the digital information similarly enhances levels of competence. The authors also illustrate a conceptual idea of phygital learning which transforms theory to practice. Finally, the paper argues that the new concept of phygital can elevate learning outcomes in alignment with 21st Century technology by adding a form of smart data as opposed to big data into the mix to address a broader array of learning styles.
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    Smart Dairy Farming through the Internet of Things (IoT)
    ( 2016) Poonsri Vate-U-Lan ; Quigley, Donna ; Masouras, Panicos
    The objective of this paper is to report a smart dairy farming in Ontario, Canada, which is a case study for future of food production, and ways that advancements related to the Internet of Things (IoT). It is impacting upon agricultural practice in the form of smart farming. Smart farming is the practice of intelligent agricultural management based upon technological data gathering farm practice for the purpose of increased levels of quality, production, and environmental protection. This paper will illustrate one example whereby partnerships among the academic world, government agencies and local food producing communities in Canada are adapting innovative thinking and smart technologies to address the need to implement the more effective agricultural practice. Food from Thought is a Canadian research project, based upon high-tech information systems to produce enough food for a growing human population while sustaining the Earth’s ecosystems. The paper will outline how one dairy farmer in Ontario has been able to apply smart farming technologies to increase milk production while maintaining the health of his cattle and preserving the environment. The review of applications of smart farming in Ontario such as digital tracking for a cow, genomic testing, digitally signaled birth, sensor driven crop management and data driven dairy production also details in this article.