Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Exercises Integrating High School Mathematics With Robot Motion Planning, Ronald I. Greenberg, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper presents progress in developing exercises for high school students incorporating level-appropriate mathematics into robotics activities. We assume mathematical foundations ranging from algebra to precalculus, whereas most prior work on integrating mathematics into robotics uses only very elementary mathematical reasoning or, at the other extreme, is comprised of technical papers or books using calculus and other advanced mathematics. The exercises suggested are relevant to any differerential-drive robot, which is an appropriate model for many different varieties of educational robots. They guide students towards comparing a variety of natural navigational strategies making use of typical movement primitives. The exercises align …

Soul Of Cafecs, Lucia Dettori, Steven Mcgee, Ron Greenberg, Dale Reed, Don Yanek, Andrew Rasmussen

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Tests As Maintainable Assets Via Auto-Generated Spies: A Case Study Involving The Scala Collections Library's Iterator Trait, Konstantin Läufer, John O'Sullivan, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In testing stateful abstractions, it is often necessary to record interactions, such as method invocations, and express assertions over these interactions. Following the Test Spy design pattern, we can reify such interactions programmatically through additional mutable state. Alternatively, a mocking framework, such as Mockito, can automatically generate test spies that allow us to record the interactions and express our expectations in a declarative domain-specific language. According to our study of the test code for Scala’s Iterator trait, the latter approach can lead to a significant reduction of test code complexity in terms of metrics such as code size (in some …

Mathematics And Programming Exercises For Educational Robot Navigation, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper points students towards ideas they can use towards developing a convenient library for robot navigation, with examples based on Botball primitives, and points educators towards mathematics and programming exercises they can suggest to students, especially advanced high school students.

Efficient, Effective, And Realistic Website Fingerprinting Mitigation, Weiqi Cui, Jiangmin Yu, Yanmin Gong, David Chan-Tin

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Website fingerprinting attacks have been shown to be able to predict the website visited even if the network connection is encrypted and anonymized. These attacks have achieved accuracies as high as 92%. Mitigations to these attacks are using cover/decoy network traffic to add noise, padding to ensure all the network packets are the same size, and introducing network delays to confuse an adversary. Although these mitigations have been shown to be effective, reducing the accuracy to 10%, the overhead is high. The latency overhead is above 100% and the bandwidth overhead is at least 30%. We introduce a new realistic …

Use Of Software Process In Research Software Development:A Survey, Nasir U. Eisty, George K. Thiruvathukal, Jeffrey C. Carver

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: Developers face challenges in building high-quality research software due to its inherent complexity. These challenges can reduce the confidence users have in the quality of the result produced by the software. Use of a defined software development process, which divides the development into distinct phases, results in improved design, more trustworthy results, and better project management. Aims: This paper focuses on gaining a better understanding of the use of software development process for research software. Method: We surveyed research software developers to collect information about their use of software development processes. We analyze whether and demographic factors influence the …

"Study Of Access And Outcomes From Advanced Computer Science Coursework In The Chicago Public Schools'' Poster In Structured Poster Session Cs For All: An Intersectional Approach To Unpacking Equity In Computer Science Education, Steven Mcgee, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Lucia Dettori, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Erica Wheeler, Ronald Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has taken a unique approach to broadening participation of low-income students, students of color, and girls by establishing Computer Science (CS) as a high school graduation requirement. This policy ensures that all CPS high school students will take a CS course, starting with the class of 2020. However, equity is more than just access. We define equity as equivalence in both the quality and outcomes of CS experiences. Exploring Computer Science (ECS) is the foundational course that fulfills the CPS requirement. Through ECS professional development, the number of qualified ECS teachers has grown. Two years …

Integrating Mathematics And Educational Robotics: Simple Motion Planning, Ronald I. Greenberg, George K. Thiruvathukal, Sara T. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper shows how students can be guided to integrate elementary mathematical analyses with motion planning for typical educational robots. Rather than using calculus as in comprehensive works on motion planning, we show students can achieve interesting results using just simple linear regression tools and trigonometric analyses. Experiments with one robotics platform show that use of these tools can lead to passable navigation through dead reckoning even if students have limited experience with use of sensors, programming, and mathematics.

Chicago Alliance For Equity In Computer Science (Cafecs): Cycles Of Improvement, Steven Mcgee, Lucia Dettori, Don Yanek, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Ronald I. Greenberg, Dale F. Reed, Erin Henrick

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Factors Correlating With Course Failure In A High School Computer Science Course, Steven Mcgee, Ronald I. Greenberg, Lucia Dettori, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Erica Wheeler, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Correlation Of Exploring Computer Science Course Performance And The Development Of Programming Expertise, Steven Mcgee, Ronald I. Greenberg, Randi Mcgee-Tekula, Jennifer Duck, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Lucia Dettori, Dale F. Reed

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study investigated patterns in the development of computational thinking and programming expertise in the context of the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program, a high school introductory CS course and professional development program designed to foster deep engagement through equitable inquiry around CS concepts. Prior research on programming expertise has identified three general areas of development --- program comprehension, program planning, and program generation. The pedagogical practices in ECS are consistent with problem solving approaches that support the development of programming expertise. The study took place in a large urban district during the 2016--17 school year with 28 ECS teachers …

"Chicago Alliance For Equity In Computer Science (Cafecs): Cycles Of Improvement'' Poster In Special Session: A Discussion Of Research Practice Partnerships In Cs Education, Steven Mcgee, Lucia Dettori, Don Yanek, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Ronald I. Greenberg, Dale F. Reed, Erin Henrick

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

CAFECS builds upon a long-term partnership between Chicago Public Schools (CPS), The Learning Partnership, Depaul University, Loyola University, and the University of Illinois Chicago. It was formed to support CPS in the enactment of it's high school CS grad requirement. This poster will describe the formation of CAFECS, how the partnership has evolved after formalizing as an RPP, its research agenda, and the process of assessing the progress of CAFECS.

Standardizing Facilitator Development For Exploring Computer Science Professional Development, Steven Mcgee, John Wachen, Lucia Dettori, Don Yanek, Faythe Brannon, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Dale F. Reed, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

A key strategy for broadening CS participation

in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has been the enactment

of a high school CS graduation requirement. The Exploring

Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and professional development

(PD) program serve as a core foundation for supporting

enactment of this policy. The CAFE´CS researcher-practitioner

partnership provides support for ECS implementation in CPS.

An important part of the sustainability of the ECS PD model in

CPS is the development of local workshop facilitators. Potential

facilitators have generally been selected based on the CAFE´CS

team’s personal familiarity with active ECS teachers. Once

selected, teachers engage in a …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Computer Science Rpps: The Case Of Cafecs, Erin Henrick, Steven Mcgee, Ronald I. Greenberg, Lucia Dettori, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Don Yanek, Dale F. Reed

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Research Practice Partnerships (RPPs) are a relatively

recent development as a potential strategy to address the

complex challenges in computer science education. Consequently,

there is little guidance available for assessing the effectiveness of

RPPs. This paper describes the formative evaluation approach

used to assess the progress of the first year of the formalized RPP,

Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFE´CS).

This paper contributes to the RPP literature by providing a case

study of how an RPP effectiveness framework can be adapted

and used to inform partnership improvement efforts in computer

science education.

Cloud Resource Optimization For Processing Multiple Streams Of Visual Data, Zohar Kapach, Andrew Ulmer, Daniel Merrick, Arshad Alikhan, Yung-Hsiang Lu, Anup Mohan, Ahmed S. Kaseb, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Hundreds of millions of network cameras have been installed throughout the world. Each is capable of providing a vast amount of real-time data. Analyzing the massive data generated by these cameras requires significant computational resources and the demands may vary over time. Cloud computing shows the most promise to provide the needed resources on demand. In this article, we investigate how to allocate cloud resources when analyzing real-time data streams from network cameras. A resource manager considers many factors that affect its decisions, including the types of analysis, the number of data streams, and the locations of the cameras. The …