Laurence D Merkle | Air Force Institute of Technology (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Laurence D Merkle

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE TS 2022 report

SIGCSE bulletin, Apr 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2022 call for participation

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

The 2022 Technical Symposium is scheduled for March 2-5, 2022 at the Rhode Island Convention Cent... more The 2022 Technical Symposium is scheduled for March 2-5, 2022 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence (RICC), RI, USA, and we are excited to offer the conference for the first time ever in a hybrid modality. The theme is computing education's role in contributing to society's hope for a better future. There are a number of hotels within 0.1 miles (160 m) of the RICC, including the Omni Providence Hotel, which has skybridge access to the convention center.

Research paper thumbnail of What is beyond the laptop initiative? Perhaps: Tablet PCs and DyKnow Vision software

Proceedings. Frontiers in Education. 36th Annual Conference, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Work in progress - assessing the impact of penbased computing and collaboration-facilitating software in the classroom

2007 37th annual frontiers in education conference - global engineering: knowledge without borders, opportunities without passports, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Session 1447 Assessing the Impact of Pen-based Computing and Collaboration-facilitating Software in the Classroom

– Our project focuses on evaluating the impact of pen-based computing devices and collaboration-f... more – Our project focuses on evaluating the impact of pen-based computing devices and collaboration-facilitating software in the engineering, science, and technical communication classrooms. The faculty members engaged in the project are implementing pen-based devices (both HP tablet PCs and Wacom pen slates) in their courses. In order to take full advantage of the technology, these instructors are also using DyKnow Vision software to encourage students to work together, to reduce students’ time spent copying notes and problems on the whiteboard, and to encourage more efficient methods of studying for exams. The assessment component of the project includes both formative and summative methods deployed throughout the 2006-07 academic year. Index Terms – Pen-based computing, DyKnow Vision software, assessment.

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE 2021 technical symposium

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 2021

The 2021 Technical Symposium is quickly approaching and we could not be more excited to welcome y... more The 2021 Technical Symposium is quickly approaching and we could not be more excited to welcome you to the first-ever virtual Symposium! We are equally thrilled by the quality of the program that we have the honor to share with you. The schedule is available at https://sigcse2021.sigcse.org/schedule/.

Research paper thumbnail of Game Development for Computer Science Education, Part II

Educators have long used digital games as platforms for teaching. Games tend to have several qual... more Educators have long used digital games as platforms for teaching. Games tend to have several qualities that aren’t typically found in homework: they situate problems within a compelling alternate reality that unfolds through intriguing narrative, they draw more upon a player’s intrinsic motivations than extrinsic ones, they facilitate deliberate low intensity practice, and they emphasize a spirit of play instead of work. At ITiCSE 2016, this working group convened to survey the landscape of existing digital games that have been used to teach and learn computer science concepts. Our group discovered that these games lacked explicitly defined learning goals and even less evaluation of whether or not the games achieved these goals. As part of this process, we identified and played over 120 games that have been released or described in literature as means for learning computer science concepts. In our report, we classified how these games support the learning objectives outlined in the ...

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE 2021 technical symposium recap

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for everything that you... more We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for everything that you did to support the 52nd SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, our first (and hopefully only) fully-online Technical Symposium! From presenting papers and posters, to being session chairs, to simply participating, everyone engaged with the Symposium with a desire to make it work. And because of you - it did!

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2021 call for papers

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

The SIGCSE 2021 leadership team wants to express support for the movement in the United States an... more The SIGCSE 2021 leadership team wants to express support for the movement in the United States and around the world decrying racial inequality. The protests and conversations calling for reform rei...

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE --- who we are

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating the Symbiosis of DyKnow Software and Pen-Based Computing in the Rose-Hulman Classroom

Archana Chidanandan, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Rebecca DeVasher, Chemistry; Patr... more Archana Chidanandan, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Rebecca DeVasher, Chemistry; Patrick Ferro, Mechanical Engineering; David Fisher, Mechanical Engineering; Sudipa Mitra-Kirtley, Physics and Optical Engineering; Laurence D. Merkle, Computer Science and Software Engineering; David Mutchler, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Mario Simoni, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Shannon Sexton, Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment; Anneliese Watt, Humanities and Social Sciences; Julia M. Williams, Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment

Research paper thumbnail of What is beyond the laptop initiative? Perhaps: Tablet PCs and DyKnow Vision software

Frontiers in Education …

For over ten years Rose-Hulman has required all incoming students to purchase an institute-select... more For over ten years Rose-Hulman has required all incoming students to purchase an institute-selected laptop computer and an associated suite of software. Students use their laptops in classrooms on a daily basis. More recently, we have begun to ask: What is beyond the laptop initiative? One possible answer is a combination of penbased Tablet PCs and interaction-enhancing software like DyKnow Vision. This paper reports: our innovative use of DyKnow Vision software and Tablet PCs (hereafter, DyKnow/Tablets") to promote active learning in the classroom; similarities/differences in our approach across 7 courses covering engineering, humanities and science and involving more than 20% of Rose-Hulman's students; and studies that assess how DyKnow/Tablets affect student learning. Thus, the paper presents an innovative direction that engineering education may take as well as an assessment of some aspects of that direction.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing the Impact of a National Cybersecurity Competition on Students' Career Interests

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Research paper thumbnail of Session details: Poster Session #3

Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Research paper thumbnail of Cyberspace Odyssey: A Competitive Team-Oriented Serious Game in Computer Networking

IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies

Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by enga... more Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by engaging students in a race to successfully perform various cybersecurity tasks in order to collect clues and solve a puzzle in virtual near-Earth threedimensional space. Each team interacts with the game server through a dedicated client presenting a multimodal interface, using a game controller for navigation and various desktop computer networking tools of the trade for cybersecurity tasks on the game's physical network. Specifically, teams connect to wireless access points, use packet monitors to intercept network traffic, decrypt and reverse engineer that traffic, craft well-formed and meaningful responses, and transmit those responses. Successful completion of these physical network actions to solve a sequence of increasingly complex problems is necessary to progress through the virtual story-driven adventure. Use of the networking tools reinforces networking theory and offers hands-on practical training requisite for today's cyber operators. This article presents the learning outcomes targeted by a classroom intervention based on CSO, the design and implementation of the game, a pedagogical overview of the overall intervention, and four years of quantitative and qualitative data assessing its effectiveness.

Research paper thumbnail of Case Studies in Protein Structure Prediction with Real-valued Genetic Algorithms

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of linkage-friendly genetic algorithms

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--Air Force Institute of Technology, 1996. "AFIT/DS/ENG/96-11.&a... more ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--Air Force Institute of Technology, 1996. "AFIT/DS/ENG/96-11." Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Research paper thumbnail of Autonomous agents as air combat simulation adversaries

ABSTRACT An autonomous agent is a device (or being) that can cope effectively in a defined enviro... more ABSTRACT An autonomous agent is a device (or being) that can cope effectively in a defined environment, despite the fact that the environment is not completely controlled or even certainly known by the agent. If an autonomous agent is to be robust in such an environment, it must be able to plan its activities, react quickly to unforeseen events, and execute planned or modified behaviors to achieve goals. Building such agents is not trivial, but can yield high payoffs in environments such as air combat. We have begun to develop autonomous agents which exhibit appropriate behaviors for simulated air combat. Simulated air combat is a forgiving environment that allows us to study issues in building autonomous agents, but also meets real Air Force needs for training. In this paper, we outline the requirements of autonomous adversaries for air combat simulation and describe two prototype systems we have developed to lay the foundation for a multi-faceted research thrust in autonomous agent technology.

Research paper thumbnail of Hybrid Genetic Algorithms for

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of Parallel Messy Genetic Algorithm Data Distribution Strategies

Icga, 1993

... Comparison of Parallel Messy Genetic Algorithm Data Distribution Strategies. ...

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE TS 2022 report

SIGCSE bulletin, Apr 1, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2022 call for participation

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

The 2022 Technical Symposium is scheduled for March 2-5, 2022 at the Rhode Island Convention Cent... more The 2022 Technical Symposium is scheduled for March 2-5, 2022 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence (RICC), RI, USA, and we are excited to offer the conference for the first time ever in a hybrid modality. The theme is computing education's role in contributing to society's hope for a better future. There are a number of hotels within 0.1 miles (160 m) of the RICC, including the Omni Providence Hotel, which has skybridge access to the convention center.

Research paper thumbnail of What is beyond the laptop initiative? Perhaps: Tablet PCs and DyKnow Vision software

Proceedings. Frontiers in Education. 36th Annual Conference, 2006

Research paper thumbnail of Work in progress - assessing the impact of penbased computing and collaboration-facilitating software in the classroom

2007 37th annual frontiers in education conference - global engineering: knowledge without borders, opportunities without passports, 2007

Research paper thumbnail of Session 1447 Assessing the Impact of Pen-based Computing and Collaboration-facilitating Software in the Classroom

– Our project focuses on evaluating the impact of pen-based computing devices and collaboration-f... more – Our project focuses on evaluating the impact of pen-based computing devices and collaboration-facilitating software in the engineering, science, and technical communication classrooms. The faculty members engaged in the project are implementing pen-based devices (both HP tablet PCs and Wacom pen slates) in their courses. In order to take full advantage of the technology, these instructors are also using DyKnow Vision software to encourage students to work together, to reduce students’ time spent copying notes and problems on the whiteboard, and to encourage more efficient methods of studying for exams. The assessment component of the project includes both formative and summative methods deployed throughout the 2006-07 academic year. Index Terms – Pen-based computing, DyKnow Vision software, assessment.

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE 2021 technical symposium

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 2021

The 2021 Technical Symposium is quickly approaching and we could not be more excited to welcome y... more The 2021 Technical Symposium is quickly approaching and we could not be more excited to welcome you to the first-ever virtual Symposium! We are equally thrilled by the quality of the program that we have the honor to share with you. The schedule is available at https://sigcse2021.sigcse.org/schedule/.

Research paper thumbnail of Game Development for Computer Science Education, Part II

Educators have long used digital games as platforms for teaching. Games tend to have several qual... more Educators have long used digital games as platforms for teaching. Games tend to have several qualities that aren’t typically found in homework: they situate problems within a compelling alternate reality that unfolds through intriguing narrative, they draw more upon a player’s intrinsic motivations than extrinsic ones, they facilitate deliberate low intensity practice, and they emphasize a spirit of play instead of work. At ITiCSE 2016, this working group convened to survey the landscape of existing digital games that have been used to teach and learn computer science concepts. Our group discovered that these games lacked explicitly defined learning goals and even less evaluation of whether or not the games achieved these goals. As part of this process, we identified and played over 120 games that have been released or described in literature as means for learning computer science concepts. In our report, we classified how these games support the learning objectives outlined in the ...

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE 2021 technical symposium recap

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for everything that you... more We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for everything that you did to support the 52nd SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, our first (and hopefully only) fully-online Technical Symposium! From presenting papers and posters, to being session chairs, to simply participating, everyone engaged with the Symposium with a desire to make it work. And because of you - it did!

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2021 call for papers

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin

The SIGCSE 2021 leadership team wants to express support for the movement in the United States an... more The SIGCSE 2021 leadership team wants to express support for the movement in the United States and around the world decrying racial inequality. The protests and conversations calling for reform rei...

Research paper thumbnail of SIGCSE --- who we are

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluating the Symbiosis of DyKnow Software and Pen-Based Computing in the Rose-Hulman Classroom

Archana Chidanandan, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Rebecca DeVasher, Chemistry; Patr... more Archana Chidanandan, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Rebecca DeVasher, Chemistry; Patrick Ferro, Mechanical Engineering; David Fisher, Mechanical Engineering; Sudipa Mitra-Kirtley, Physics and Optical Engineering; Laurence D. Merkle, Computer Science and Software Engineering; David Mutchler, Computer Science and Software Engineering; Mario Simoni, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Shannon Sexton, Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment; Anneliese Watt, Humanities and Social Sciences; Julia M. Williams, Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment

Research paper thumbnail of What is beyond the laptop initiative? Perhaps: Tablet PCs and DyKnow Vision software

Frontiers in Education …

For over ten years Rose-Hulman has required all incoming students to purchase an institute-select... more For over ten years Rose-Hulman has required all incoming students to purchase an institute-selected laptop computer and an associated suite of software. Students use their laptops in classrooms on a daily basis. More recently, we have begun to ask: What is beyond the laptop initiative? One possible answer is a combination of penbased Tablet PCs and interaction-enhancing software like DyKnow Vision. This paper reports: our innovative use of DyKnow Vision software and Tablet PCs (hereafter, DyKnow/Tablets") to promote active learning in the classroom; similarities/differences in our approach across 7 courses covering engineering, humanities and science and involving more than 20% of Rose-Hulman's students; and studies that assess how DyKnow/Tablets affect student learning. Thus, the paper presents an innovative direction that engineering education may take as well as an assessment of some aspects of that direction.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing the Impact of a National Cybersecurity Competition on Students' Career Interests

Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Research paper thumbnail of Session details: Poster Session #3

Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

Research paper thumbnail of Cyberspace Odyssey: A Competitive Team-Oriented Serious Game in Computer Networking

IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies

Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by enga... more Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by engaging students in a race to successfully perform various cybersecurity tasks in order to collect clues and solve a puzzle in virtual near-Earth threedimensional space. Each team interacts with the game server through a dedicated client presenting a multimodal interface, using a game controller for navigation and various desktop computer networking tools of the trade for cybersecurity tasks on the game's physical network. Specifically, teams connect to wireless access points, use packet monitors to intercept network traffic, decrypt and reverse engineer that traffic, craft well-formed and meaningful responses, and transmit those responses. Successful completion of these physical network actions to solve a sequence of increasingly complex problems is necessary to progress through the virtual story-driven adventure. Use of the networking tools reinforces networking theory and offers hands-on practical training requisite for today's cyber operators. This article presents the learning outcomes targeted by a classroom intervention based on CSO, the design and implementation of the game, a pedagogical overview of the overall intervention, and four years of quantitative and qualitative data assessing its effectiveness.

Research paper thumbnail of Case Studies in Protein Structure Prediction with Real-valued Genetic Algorithms

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of linkage-friendly genetic algorithms

ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--Air Force Institute of Technology, 1996. "AFIT/DS/ENG/96-11.&a... more ABSTRACT Thesis (Ph. D.)--Air Force Institute of Technology, 1996. "AFIT/DS/ENG/96-11." Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Research paper thumbnail of Autonomous agents as air combat simulation adversaries

ABSTRACT An autonomous agent is a device (or being) that can cope effectively in a defined enviro... more ABSTRACT An autonomous agent is a device (or being) that can cope effectively in a defined environment, despite the fact that the environment is not completely controlled or even certainly known by the agent. If an autonomous agent is to be robust in such an environment, it must be able to plan its activities, react quickly to unforeseen events, and execute planned or modified behaviors to achieve goals. Building such agents is not trivial, but can yield high payoffs in environments such as air combat. We have begun to develop autonomous agents which exhibit appropriate behaviors for simulated air combat. Simulated air combat is a forgiving environment that allows us to study issues in building autonomous agents, but also meets real Air Force needs for training. In this paper, we outline the requirements of autonomous adversaries for air combat simulation and describe two prototype systems we have developed to lay the foundation for a multi-faceted research thrust in autonomous agent technology.

Research paper thumbnail of Hybrid Genetic Algorithms for

Research paper thumbnail of Comparison of Parallel Messy Genetic Algorithm Data Distribution Strategies

Icga, 1993

... Comparison of Parallel Messy Genetic Algorithm Data Distribution Strategies. ...