Eduardo Gómez Sánchez | Universidad de Valladolid (original) (raw)

Papers by Eduardo Gómez Sánchez

Research paper thumbnail of A Linked Data approach for the discovery of educational ICT tools in the Web of Data

Computers & Education, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of An Approach to Build in situ Models for the Prediction of the Decrease of Academic Engagement Indicators in Massive Open Online Courses

The early detection of learners who are expected to disengage with typical MOOC tasks such as wat... more The early detection of learners who are expected to disengage with typical MOOC tasks such as watching lecture videos or submitting assignments is necessary to enable timely interventions aimed at preventing it. This can be done by predicting the decrease of academic engagement indicators that can be derived for different MOOC tasks and computed for each learner. A posteriori prediction models can yield a good performance but cannot be built using the information that is available in an ongoing course at the moment the predictions are required. This paper proposes an approach to build in situ prediction models using such information. Models were derived following both approaches and employed to predict the decrease of three indicators that quantify the engagement of learners with the main tasks typically proposed in a MOOC: watching lectures, solving finger exercises, and submitting assignments. The results show that in situ models yielded a good performance for the prediction of all engagement indicators, thus showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. This performance was very similar to that of a posteriori models, which have the clear disadvantage that they cannot be used to make predictions in an ongoing course based on its data.

Research paper thumbnail of SLEek: An Ontology For Smart Learning in the Web of Data

2021 International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT), 2021

This paper presents SLEek, an ontology for the context-aware recommendation of learning activitie... more This paper presents SLEek, an ontology for the context-aware recommendation of learning activities in Smart Learning Environments (SLEs). SLEek relates students, activities, and topics. Thus, it creates an actor-artifact network that is especially suitable for the context-aware recommendation of activities across contexts in formal and informal environments. SLEek implementation reuses vocabularies from the Web of Data, so it facilitates the reuse of data-and data structures-from third parties. SLEek is currently used in [Anonymized application], which includes a dataset of nearly 17K learning activities related to 2K physical and virtual contexts, and 16K topics obtained from DBpedia. All these data are available as Linked Open Data.

Research paper thumbnail of Theory-based learning analytics to explore student engagement patterns in a peer review activity

LAK21: 11th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference, 2021

Peer reviews offer many learning benefits. Understanding students' engagement in them can help de... more Peer reviews offer many learning benefits. Understanding students' engagement in them can help design effective practices. Although learning analytics can be effective in generating such insights, its application in peer reviews is scarce. Theory can provide the necessary foundations to inform the design of learning analytics research and the interpretation of its results. In this paper, we followed a theory-based learning analytics approach to identifying students' engagement patterns in a peer review activity facilitated via a webbased tool called Synergy. Process mining was applied on temporal learning data, traced by Synergy. The theory about peer review helped determine relevant data points and guided the top-down approach employed for their analysis: moving from the global phases to regulation of learning, and then to micro-level actions. The results suggest that theory and learning analytics should mutually relate with each other. Mainly, theory played a critical role in identifying a priori engagement patterns, which provided an informed perspective when interpreting the results. In return, the results of the learning analytics offered critical insights about student behavior that was not expected by the theory (i.e., low levels of co-regulation). The findings provided important implications for refining the grounding theory and its operationalization in Synergy.

Research paper thumbnail of Incremental Rule Pruning for Fuzzy ARTMAP Neural Network

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

Fuzzy ARTMAP [1] is the most popular supervised architecture based on the Adaptive Resonance Theo... more Fuzzy ARTMAP [1] is the most popular supervised architecture based on the Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART). One of its most appealing features is its capability for incremental learning: it can learn new patterns without forgetting previous knowledge, and without the need to ...

Research paper thumbnail of Demonstration of SCARLETT: A Smart Learning Environment to Support Learners Across Formal and Informal Contexts

Technology-Enhanced Learning for a Free, Safe, and Sustainable World, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Magnetic Resonance Simulation in Education: Quantitative Evaluation of an Actual Classroom Experience

Sensors, 2021

Magnetic resonance is an imaging modality that implies a high complexity for radiographers. Despi... more Magnetic resonance is an imaging modality that implies a high complexity for radiographers. Despite some simulators having been developed for training purposes, we are not aware of any attempt to quantitatively measure their educational performance. The present study gives an answer to the question: Does an MRI simulator built on specific functional and non-functional requirements help radiographers learn MRI theoretical and practical concepts better than traditional educational method based on lectures? Our study was carried out in a single day by a total of 60 students of a main hospital in Madrid, Spain. The experiment followed a randomized pre-test post-test design with a control group that used a traditional educational method, and an experimental group that used our simulator. Knowledge level was assessed by means of an instrument with evidence of validity in its format and content, while its reliability was analyzed after the experiment. Statistical differences between both g...

Research paper thumbnail of A Web-Based Educational Magnetic Resonance Simulator: Design, Implementation and Testing

Journal of Medical Systems, 2019

A new web-based education-oriented magnetic resonance (MR) simulator is presented. We have identi... more A new web-based education-oriented magnetic resonance (MR) simulator is presented. We have identified the main requirements that this simulator should comply with, so that trainees can face useful practical tasks such as setting the exact slice position and its properties, selecting the correct protocol or fitting the parameters to acquire an image. The tool follows the client-server model. The client contains the interface that mimics the console of a real machine and several of its features. The server stores anatomical models and executes the bulk of the simulation. This cross-platform simulator has been used in two real educational scenarios. The acceptance of the tool has been measured using two criteria, namely, the System Usability Scale and the Likelihood to Recommend, both with satisfactory results. Therefore, we conclude that given the potential of the tool, it may play a relevant role for the training of MRI operators and other involved personnel.

Research paper thumbnail of Studying social aspects of computer-supported collaboration with a mixed evaluation approach

Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning Foundations for a CSCL Community - CSCL '02, 2002

Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a cruc... more Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a crucial field in CSCL. Major issues that remain unsolved deal with the merging of qualitative and quantitative methods and data, especially in educational settings that involve both physical and computer-supported collaboration. In this paper we present an evaluation in a university course of Computer Architecture that took place during the last two academic years. Such a study was performed using a new tool that allows an automatic processing of computer logs using social network analysis, as well as the Nud*IST qualitative research tool. Extensive experimental results allow us to reflect and draw conclusions on the changes of attitudes towards collaboration, as well as the limitations and necessities for successful CSCL systems in such settings.

Research paper thumbnail of MicroARTMAP: use of mutual information for category reduction in fuzzy ARTMAP

Proceedings of the IEEE-INNS-ENNS International Joint Conference on Neural Networks. IJCNN 2000. Neural Computing: New Challenges and Perspectives for the New Millennium, 2000

Abstract A new architecture, called MicroARTMAP, is proposed to impact the category proliferation... more Abstract A new architecture, called MicroARTMAP, is proposed to impact the category proliferation problem present in Fuzzy ARTMAP It handles probabilistic information through the optimization of the mutual information between the input and output spaces, but allowing a small training error, thus avoiding over tting While reducing the number of categories used by Fuzzy ARTMAP, it holds several desirable properties,

Research paper thumbnail of From face-to-face to distance LMS-mediated collaborative learning situations with GLUE!

Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 2015

ABSTRACT GLUE! is an integration architecture that allows teachers to easily set up an LMS enviro... more ABSTRACT GLUE! is an integration architecture that allows teachers to easily set up an LMS environment with several external tools to carry out complex collaborative learning situations in distance settings. Though its effectiveness in alleviating the burden on teachers of deploying and enacting such situations has been studied elsewhere, there are no studies in the literature analyzing the impact, in terms of learning achievement, of turning traditional face-to-face collaborative learning situations into distance LMS-mediated ones with the support of integration approaches such as the GLUE! architecture. This paper compares the learning achievement in a distance LMS-mediated collaborative learning situation supported by GLUE! and in the equivalent face-to-face in a non-technological setting. The conclusions of this comparison, along with the fact that GLUE! significantly reduces the set up effort, suggest that GLUE! is a good choice for turning traditional face-to-face collaborative learning situations into distance LMS-mediated ones without significant negative effects in the learning achievement.

Research paper thumbnail of Prototype-Based Handwriting Recognition Using Shape and Execution Prototypes

Sarfraz/Computer-Aided Intelligent Recognition Techniques and Applications, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Learning grid technologies in a project-based computer architecture course

IEEE International Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid, 2004. CCGrid 2004.

This paper describes the integration of the grid topic within a Computer Architecture engineering... more This paper describes the integration of the grid topic within a Computer Architecture engineering course. Students are engaged in a project of design and evaluation of computing systems for a specific customer/market sector. The contents of the course and the case studies have been adapted in order to motivate the study of the grid. In particular, two case studies have been analyzed: one concerns an Internet-based music distribution enterprise, while the other is related to the assembly of genome sequences. A preliminar analysis of this experience shows that most of the students chose to evaluate the suitability of the grid for their case study, and were able to argue on the benefits and drawbacks of this and other alternatives. In the future, we plan to set up a grid-based learning environment so the grid is not only the object of study, but also a tool for learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Middleware for CSCL: Software Components Framework and Grid Technology Support

INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL, 2004

Resumen El Aprendizaje Colaborativo Apoyado por Ordenador (CSCL) viene siendo en los últimos años... more Resumen El Aprendizaje Colaborativo Apoyado por Ordenador (CSCL) viene siendo en los últimos años un campo de investigación y práctica educativa muy activo. Sin embargo, siguen existiendo serios problemas que impiden el uso eficiente de las tecnologías emergentes y el establecimiento de un canal fluido de comunicación entre los distintos actores de la comunidad (tecnólogos y educadores). Este artículo presenta la trayectoria del grupo interdisciplinar EMIC (Educación, Medios, Informática y Cultura) de la Universidad de Valladolid en un intento por remediar estos problemas. En este sentido, se plantean los esfuerzos y lecciones aprendidas en el proceso de conseguir un marco de componentes software para CSCL así como el uso eficiente de tecnologías Grid. El proceso se analiza también a través de varias aplicaciones cuya puesta en marcha y evaluación permiten la validación de las propuestas.

Research paper thumbnail of Control of the penicillin production using fuzzy neural networks

This paper addresses the control of a penicillin fermentation pilot plant using IMC strategies wi... more This paper addresses the control of a penicillin fermentation pilot plant using IMC strategies with modules based on FasArt neurofuzzy system. FasArt features fast stable learning and shows good MIMO identification, which makes it suitable for development of the modules in IMC. Experiments have been done training FasArt on real data and applying the controller to the pilot plant, and show that the trend of reference is captured, thus allowing high penicillin production. Other experiments have been aimed towards development of soft sensors of important variables using FasArt. Biomass, viscosity and penicillin production predictors are very accurate, and reveal that FasArt modules could be employed for fault detection, control with constraints or predictive control.

Research paper thumbnail of Automatic extraction of human-recognizable shape and execution prototypes of handwritten characters

Pattern Recognition, 2003

The novel prototype extraction method presented in this paper aims to advancing in the comprehens... more The novel prototype extraction method presented in this paper aims to advancing in the comprehension of handwriting generation and improving on-line recognition systems. The extraction process is performed in two stages. First, using Fuzzy ARTMAP we group ...

Research paper thumbnail of Bouncing between the dark and bright sides: Can technology help qualitative research?

Qualitative Inquiry, 2008

The authors carried out a 4-year qualitative analysis of a case study in higher education. An und... more The authors carried out a 4-year qualitative analysis of a case study in higher education. An undergraduate course based on the principles of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The process was developed by a community of practice, formed by quite a number of researchers coming from the information and communication technology and education fields. All of them belong to the Intelligent & Cooperative Systems Research Group—Education, Media, Informatics and Culture transdisciplinary group. The case provided many “tasty” partial results that were used to develop and improve three ad hoc supporting tools: Quest, Samsa, and Iloca. In this article, the authors offer a set of reflections about how the aforementioned tools were fed by the ethnographical analysis carried out, helping to overcome problems of flexibility and contextualization that are typical of the generic supporting tools generally used in the evaluation of higher education innovations.

Research paper thumbnail of Integration of External Tools in VLEs with the GLUE! Architecture: A Case Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of the usage of GLUE!, a loosely-coupled architecture t... more ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of the usage of GLUE!, a loosely-coupled architecture that enables the integration of external tools in VLEs. The case study is a collaborative learning situation carried out through a VLE, but involving several external tools. GLUE! is used to instantiate and enact this situation in two authentic experiments. Evaluation results show that GLUE! alleviated educators in the instantiation process, and facilitated the effective collaboration among students. These results are relevant as this is a real situation with a complex structure and groups that change over time.

Research paper thumbnail of Demonstration of the Integration of External Tools in VLEs with the GLUE! Architecture

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the instantiation and enactment of a c... more ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the instantiation and enactment of a collaborative learning situation that requires the integration of three external tools, in two different VLEs (Moodle and LAMS), with GLUE!. GLUE! facilitates the instantiation of collaborative activities, reducing the time and effort educators need for the creation, configuration and assignment of external tool instances for each group. In particular, this paper details how GLUE! allows for each VLE to use its own group management routines with external tools, in the same seamless way as done with built-in tools. The GLUE! web site complements this paper, showing videos of these and other integrations.

Research paper thumbnail of Grid Characteristics and Uses: A Grid Definition

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2004

This paper discusses the concept of grid towards achieving a complete definition using main grid ... more This paper discusses the concept of grid towards achieving a complete definition using main grid characteristics and uses found in literature. Ten definitions extracted from main literature sources have been studied allowing the extraction of grid characteristics while grid uses are defined in terms of the different types of application support provided by grids. A grid definition is proposed using these characteristics and uses. This definition may be very useful to determine the limits of the grid concept as well as to explore new application fields in grid computing. In this sense, the extracted characteristics are employed to determine the potential benefits a grid infrastructure may provide to Computer Supported Collaborative Learning applications.

Research paper thumbnail of A Linked Data approach for the discovery of educational ICT tools in the Web of Data

Computers & Education, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of An Approach to Build in situ Models for the Prediction of the Decrease of Academic Engagement Indicators in Massive Open Online Courses

The early detection of learners who are expected to disengage with typical MOOC tasks such as wat... more The early detection of learners who are expected to disengage with typical MOOC tasks such as watching lecture videos or submitting assignments is necessary to enable timely interventions aimed at preventing it. This can be done by predicting the decrease of academic engagement indicators that can be derived for different MOOC tasks and computed for each learner. A posteriori prediction models can yield a good performance but cannot be built using the information that is available in an ongoing course at the moment the predictions are required. This paper proposes an approach to build in situ prediction models using such information. Models were derived following both approaches and employed to predict the decrease of three indicators that quantify the engagement of learners with the main tasks typically proposed in a MOOC: watching lectures, solving finger exercises, and submitting assignments. The results show that in situ models yielded a good performance for the prediction of all engagement indicators, thus showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. This performance was very similar to that of a posteriori models, which have the clear disadvantage that they cannot be used to make predictions in an ongoing course based on its data.

Research paper thumbnail of SLEek: An Ontology For Smart Learning in the Web of Data

2021 International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT), 2021

This paper presents SLEek, an ontology for the context-aware recommendation of learning activitie... more This paper presents SLEek, an ontology for the context-aware recommendation of learning activities in Smart Learning Environments (SLEs). SLEek relates students, activities, and topics. Thus, it creates an actor-artifact network that is especially suitable for the context-aware recommendation of activities across contexts in formal and informal environments. SLEek implementation reuses vocabularies from the Web of Data, so it facilitates the reuse of data-and data structures-from third parties. SLEek is currently used in [Anonymized application], which includes a dataset of nearly 17K learning activities related to 2K physical and virtual contexts, and 16K topics obtained from DBpedia. All these data are available as Linked Open Data.

Research paper thumbnail of Theory-based learning analytics to explore student engagement patterns in a peer review activity

LAK21: 11th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference, 2021

Peer reviews offer many learning benefits. Understanding students' engagement in them can help de... more Peer reviews offer many learning benefits. Understanding students' engagement in them can help design effective practices. Although learning analytics can be effective in generating such insights, its application in peer reviews is scarce. Theory can provide the necessary foundations to inform the design of learning analytics research and the interpretation of its results. In this paper, we followed a theory-based learning analytics approach to identifying students' engagement patterns in a peer review activity facilitated via a webbased tool called Synergy. Process mining was applied on temporal learning data, traced by Synergy. The theory about peer review helped determine relevant data points and guided the top-down approach employed for their analysis: moving from the global phases to regulation of learning, and then to micro-level actions. The results suggest that theory and learning analytics should mutually relate with each other. Mainly, theory played a critical role in identifying a priori engagement patterns, which provided an informed perspective when interpreting the results. In return, the results of the learning analytics offered critical insights about student behavior that was not expected by the theory (i.e., low levels of co-regulation). The findings provided important implications for refining the grounding theory and its operationalization in Synergy.

Research paper thumbnail of Incremental Rule Pruning for Fuzzy ARTMAP Neural Network

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

Fuzzy ARTMAP [1] is the most popular supervised architecture based on the Adaptive Resonance Theo... more Fuzzy ARTMAP [1] is the most popular supervised architecture based on the Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART). One of its most appealing features is its capability for incremental learning: it can learn new patterns without forgetting previous knowledge, and without the need to ...

Research paper thumbnail of Demonstration of SCARLETT: A Smart Learning Environment to Support Learners Across Formal and Informal Contexts

Technology-Enhanced Learning for a Free, Safe, and Sustainable World, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Magnetic Resonance Simulation in Education: Quantitative Evaluation of an Actual Classroom Experience

Sensors, 2021

Magnetic resonance is an imaging modality that implies a high complexity for radiographers. Despi... more Magnetic resonance is an imaging modality that implies a high complexity for radiographers. Despite some simulators having been developed for training purposes, we are not aware of any attempt to quantitatively measure their educational performance. The present study gives an answer to the question: Does an MRI simulator built on specific functional and non-functional requirements help radiographers learn MRI theoretical and practical concepts better than traditional educational method based on lectures? Our study was carried out in a single day by a total of 60 students of a main hospital in Madrid, Spain. The experiment followed a randomized pre-test post-test design with a control group that used a traditional educational method, and an experimental group that used our simulator. Knowledge level was assessed by means of an instrument with evidence of validity in its format and content, while its reliability was analyzed after the experiment. Statistical differences between both g...

Research paper thumbnail of A Web-Based Educational Magnetic Resonance Simulator: Design, Implementation and Testing

Journal of Medical Systems, 2019

A new web-based education-oriented magnetic resonance (MR) simulator is presented. We have identi... more A new web-based education-oriented magnetic resonance (MR) simulator is presented. We have identified the main requirements that this simulator should comply with, so that trainees can face useful practical tasks such as setting the exact slice position and its properties, selecting the correct protocol or fitting the parameters to acquire an image. The tool follows the client-server model. The client contains the interface that mimics the console of a real machine and several of its features. The server stores anatomical models and executes the bulk of the simulation. This cross-platform simulator has been used in two real educational scenarios. The acceptance of the tool has been measured using two criteria, namely, the System Usability Scale and the Likelihood to Recommend, both with satisfactory results. Therefore, we conclude that given the potential of the tool, it may play a relevant role for the training of MRI operators and other involved personnel.

Research paper thumbnail of Studying social aspects of computer-supported collaboration with a mixed evaluation approach

Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning Foundations for a CSCL Community - CSCL '02, 2002

Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a cruc... more Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a crucial field in CSCL. Major issues that remain unsolved deal with the merging of qualitative and quantitative methods and data, especially in educational settings that involve both physical and computer-supported collaboration. In this paper we present an evaluation in a university course of Computer Architecture that took place during the last two academic years. Such a study was performed using a new tool that allows an automatic processing of computer logs using social network analysis, as well as the Nud*IST qualitative research tool. Extensive experimental results allow us to reflect and draw conclusions on the changes of attitudes towards collaboration, as well as the limitations and necessities for successful CSCL systems in such settings.

Research paper thumbnail of MicroARTMAP: use of mutual information for category reduction in fuzzy ARTMAP

Proceedings of the IEEE-INNS-ENNS International Joint Conference on Neural Networks. IJCNN 2000. Neural Computing: New Challenges and Perspectives for the New Millennium, 2000

Abstract A new architecture, called MicroARTMAP, is proposed to impact the category proliferation... more Abstract A new architecture, called MicroARTMAP, is proposed to impact the category proliferation problem present in Fuzzy ARTMAP It handles probabilistic information through the optimization of the mutual information between the input and output spaces, but allowing a small training error, thus avoiding over tting While reducing the number of categories used by Fuzzy ARTMAP, it holds several desirable properties,

Research paper thumbnail of From face-to-face to distance LMS-mediated collaborative learning situations with GLUE!

Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 2015

ABSTRACT GLUE! is an integration architecture that allows teachers to easily set up an LMS enviro... more ABSTRACT GLUE! is an integration architecture that allows teachers to easily set up an LMS environment with several external tools to carry out complex collaborative learning situations in distance settings. Though its effectiveness in alleviating the burden on teachers of deploying and enacting such situations has been studied elsewhere, there are no studies in the literature analyzing the impact, in terms of learning achievement, of turning traditional face-to-face collaborative learning situations into distance LMS-mediated ones with the support of integration approaches such as the GLUE! architecture. This paper compares the learning achievement in a distance LMS-mediated collaborative learning situation supported by GLUE! and in the equivalent face-to-face in a non-technological setting. The conclusions of this comparison, along with the fact that GLUE! significantly reduces the set up effort, suggest that GLUE! is a good choice for turning traditional face-to-face collaborative learning situations into distance LMS-mediated ones without significant negative effects in the learning achievement.

Research paper thumbnail of Prototype-Based Handwriting Recognition Using Shape and Execution Prototypes

Sarfraz/Computer-Aided Intelligent Recognition Techniques and Applications, 2005

Research paper thumbnail of Learning grid technologies in a project-based computer architecture course

IEEE International Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid, 2004. CCGrid 2004.

This paper describes the integration of the grid topic within a Computer Architecture engineering... more This paper describes the integration of the grid topic within a Computer Architecture engineering course. Students are engaged in a project of design and evaluation of computing systems for a specific customer/market sector. The contents of the course and the case studies have been adapted in order to motivate the study of the grid. In particular, two case studies have been analyzed: one concerns an Internet-based music distribution enterprise, while the other is related to the assembly of genome sequences. A preliminar analysis of this experience shows that most of the students chose to evaluate the suitability of the grid for their case study, and were able to argue on the benefits and drawbacks of this and other alternatives. In the future, we plan to set up a grid-based learning environment so the grid is not only the object of study, but also a tool for learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Middleware for CSCL: Software Components Framework and Grid Technology Support

INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL, 2004

Resumen El Aprendizaje Colaborativo Apoyado por Ordenador (CSCL) viene siendo en los últimos años... more Resumen El Aprendizaje Colaborativo Apoyado por Ordenador (CSCL) viene siendo en los últimos años un campo de investigación y práctica educativa muy activo. Sin embargo, siguen existiendo serios problemas que impiden el uso eficiente de las tecnologías emergentes y el establecimiento de un canal fluido de comunicación entre los distintos actores de la comunidad (tecnólogos y educadores). Este artículo presenta la trayectoria del grupo interdisciplinar EMIC (Educación, Medios, Informática y Cultura) de la Universidad de Valladolid en un intento por remediar estos problemas. En este sentido, se plantean los esfuerzos y lecciones aprendidas en el proceso de conseguir un marco de componentes software para CSCL así como el uso eficiente de tecnologías Grid. El proceso se analiza también a través de varias aplicaciones cuya puesta en marcha y evaluación permiten la validación de las propuestas.

Research paper thumbnail of Control of the penicillin production using fuzzy neural networks

This paper addresses the control of a penicillin fermentation pilot plant using IMC strategies wi... more This paper addresses the control of a penicillin fermentation pilot plant using IMC strategies with modules based on FasArt neurofuzzy system. FasArt features fast stable learning and shows good MIMO identification, which makes it suitable for development of the modules in IMC. Experiments have been done training FasArt on real data and applying the controller to the pilot plant, and show that the trend of reference is captured, thus allowing high penicillin production. Other experiments have been aimed towards development of soft sensors of important variables using FasArt. Biomass, viscosity and penicillin production predictors are very accurate, and reveal that FasArt modules could be employed for fault detection, control with constraints or predictive control.

Research paper thumbnail of Automatic extraction of human-recognizable shape and execution prototypes of handwritten characters

Pattern Recognition, 2003

The novel prototype extraction method presented in this paper aims to advancing in the comprehens... more The novel prototype extraction method presented in this paper aims to advancing in the comprehension of handwriting generation and improving on-line recognition systems. The extraction process is performed in two stages. First, using Fuzzy ARTMAP we group ...

Research paper thumbnail of Bouncing between the dark and bright sides: Can technology help qualitative research?

Qualitative Inquiry, 2008

The authors carried out a 4-year qualitative analysis of a case study in higher education. An und... more The authors carried out a 4-year qualitative analysis of a case study in higher education. An undergraduate course based on the principles of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The process was developed by a community of practice, formed by quite a number of researchers coming from the information and communication technology and education fields. All of them belong to the Intelligent & Cooperative Systems Research Group—Education, Media, Informatics and Culture transdisciplinary group. The case provided many “tasty” partial results that were used to develop and improve three ad hoc supporting tools: Quest, Samsa, and Iloca. In this article, the authors offer a set of reflections about how the aforementioned tools were fed by the ethnographical analysis carried out, helping to overcome problems of flexibility and contextualization that are typical of the generic supporting tools generally used in the evaluation of higher education innovations.

Research paper thumbnail of Integration of External Tools in VLEs with the GLUE! Architecture: A Case Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of the usage of GLUE!, a loosely-coupled architecture t... more ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of the usage of GLUE!, a loosely-coupled architecture that enables the integration of external tools in VLEs. The case study is a collaborative learning situation carried out through a VLE, but involving several external tools. GLUE! is used to instantiate and enact this situation in two authentic experiments. Evaluation results show that GLUE! alleviated educators in the instantiation process, and facilitated the effective collaboration among students. These results are relevant as this is a real situation with a complex structure and groups that change over time.

Research paper thumbnail of Demonstration of the Integration of External Tools in VLEs with the GLUE! Architecture

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the instantiation and enactment of a c... more ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the instantiation and enactment of a collaborative learning situation that requires the integration of three external tools, in two different VLEs (Moodle and LAMS), with GLUE!. GLUE! facilitates the instantiation of collaborative activities, reducing the time and effort educators need for the creation, configuration and assignment of external tool instances for each group. In particular, this paper details how GLUE! allows for each VLE to use its own group management routines with external tools, in the same seamless way as done with built-in tools. The GLUE! web site complements this paper, showing videos of these and other integrations.

Research paper thumbnail of Grid Characteristics and Uses: A Grid Definition

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2004

This paper discusses the concept of grid towards achieving a complete definition using main grid ... more This paper discusses the concept of grid towards achieving a complete definition using main grid characteristics and uses found in literature. Ten definitions extracted from main literature sources have been studied allowing the extraction of grid characteristics while grid uses are defined in terms of the different types of application support provided by grids. A grid definition is proposed using these characteristics and uses. This definition may be very useful to determine the limits of the grid concept as well as to explore new application fields in grid computing. In this sense, the extracted characteristics are employed to determine the potential benefits a grid infrastructure may provide to Computer Supported Collaborative Learning applications.