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A Collaborative Idea Sharing ool Based on

Online Solution or Mobile Application

Assoc.

Pro. Dr Sulaiman Mohd Nor1,

Assoc. Pro. Zamani Md Zain2 ,

Mr Muhammad Haikal Satria3

Tis research is unded under the Instructional Develoment Grant (no 6016),

Universiti eknologi malaysia

1. Research Fellow, Centre or Inormation and Communicationechnology, Universiti eknologi Malaysia, Lecturer Faculty o

Electrical Engineering, Universiti eknologi Malaysia

2. Lecturer, Faculty o Electrical Engineering, Universiti eknologi

Malaysia

3. h.D candidate, Faculty o Electrical Engineering, Universiti

eknologi Malaysia


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2 3rd International Conference For e-learning & Distance Education

Abstract

Idea sharing ability in educational institutions is one o the most intangible assets or innovating

and sustaining competitive advantages. Idea sharing capability when integrated with the existing

e-learning systems available in an educational institution will enhance knowledge cognitively

through the social interaction between peers and teachers. However, problems in communication

in time and space create barriers o communicating ideas between the involved entities. Tere

is a need to provide support by removing the time and space barrier and representing ideas as

structured inormation. Based on the theory o Social and Collaborative Constructionism,

weintroduce an Idea Sharing Application with enriched mind mapping eatures as an asynchronous

collaborative tool to solve the need on knowledge and idea sharing. Tis tool visualizes ideas or

other inormation organized around a central key idea. It structures the knowledge in a hierarchical

connection and provides tracking o changes and history rom each involved entities. Relevant

documents, pictures and related links can be embedded within the ramework to support the ideas.

It is based on online solution or mobile application which could be accessed anywhere with one-

to-one or one-to-many access. Tis tool has been tested to support research ideas and ramework

between students and supervisors,

especially at the postgraduate level in UM. Initial incubatedideas and inormation are processed collaboratively between researchers and supervisors.

INRODUCION

Nowadays, the acceptance o teaching and learning through the electronic media has been

common amongst students and teachers. A study conducted by Universiti eknologi Malaysia

discovered that most second year undergraduate Education course majoring in Computer and

Science have a high level o knowledge or their readiness in using e-learning with a min o 4.14.

Te attitude o students in their readiness towards e-learning is also positive with a min o 3.67.However, the study also showed that the students motivation is low with a min o around 3.38[1].

Te existing e-learning system can be urther enhanced with new technologies to enhance the

experience o learning through online. Tis includes lectures which can be recorded by students and the

contents uploaded to a content server (an example being UM video server, http://utmmotion.utm.my).

Te purpose o this paper is to share on the development o an enhanced collaborative on-line

mind map system or idea sharing and problem solving. Te application can be used anytime and

anywhere by groups o registered users. Tis system can be augmented into the existing e-learning

system used at the university.

Te motivation o the research centres on these questions;


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weblogs as online learning logs can aect students learning perormance.

As an initial step towards realizing the project, a study on existing mind map system which are

used has been done. Te purpose o the study is as such to see whether any o the existing systemcan be used instead o having to build the system rom scratch. Sixteen idea sharing applications

have been identied as a reerence to study. Tese applications are either online or oine system,

most o which are based on fash using asynchronous group transaction. Te table 1.0 below shows

the list with the development technology and the type o licensing.

No Name Developed Platorm Authentication License Group ransaction

1 MindMeister Java, VML

Browser based,

agent (standalone,

mobile)

Signup,

crosssitecommercial synchronous

2Mindjet,

MindManagerFlash, .Net

Agent standalone,

(Windows)Sign up commercial

Asynchronous

(push/pop)

3 Bubblus Flash Browser based Sign up commercialAsynchronous

(push)

4 Mindomo Flash

Browser based,

agent,(Windows,

Apple)

Signup,

crosssitecommercial

Asynchronous

(push/pop)

5 Mind42 Java Browser based Sign up Free Realtime

6 Dabbleboard Flash,

Ajax

Browser based Sign up commercial Realtime

7 WiseMappingJava, SVG,

VLBrowser based Sign up Open source

asynchronous

(push/pop)

8 Ekpenso FlashWeb browser,

standalone agent

Sign up,

OpenIDFree

asynchronous

(push/pop)

9 XMind Java Agent standalone Sign up commercial asynchronous(push/pop)


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5

A Collaborative Idea Sharing Tool Based on

Online Solution for Mobile Application

10 iMindMap Flash

Browser based,

agent (standalone,

mobile)

Sign up commercial synchronous

11 SpicyNodes Flash Browser based Sign up commercialasynchronous

(push/pop)

12 MAPMYsel.Net,

Silverlight

Browser based

SignupSign up commercial

asynchronous

(push)

13 Spider scribe FlashBrowser based

Signup

Sign up Free synchronous

14 Comapping FlashBrowser based,

standalone agentSign up commercial synchronous

15

3D opicscape

mindmaps.Net

Standalone

agent (Winbase

OpenGL)

License commercial Oine

16

Seavus

DropMindFlash

Web browser,

standalone

agent

Signup,

crosssitecommercial synchronous

able 1.0

Available Mind map applications

Based on the study done, it was discovered that the way orward is to develop a customized

idea sharing system that can be easily integrated with the existing inrastructure.

MEHODOLOGYTis project is divided into two phases. Te rst phase is to do a comprehensive requirement

analysis, to develop a prototype system that can be deployed in a controlled environment with

identied group o users. Te second phase is to study the eectiveness o the project in the light

o Social Constructionism and Collaborative Constructionism theory complemented by Creative

Problem Solving Process (CPS). Sets o questionnaires will be developed to the identied targetgroups using the system and the results analyzed with the given ramework as stated beore.


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Sotware Requirements Specifcation or UM Idea Sharing SystemTe Sotware Requirement Specication provides a complete description o all the unctions

and specications o UM Idea Sharing system. It explains the purpose and eatures o the system,

the interaces o system, what the system will do and the constraints under which it must operate.

Te purpose o UM Idea Sharing system is to develop a web based and online application o

management and idea mapping between students, lecturers or amongst them, augmenting the

current UM elearning system. Modeling o requirement analysis, system designs and ramework

design is based on Unied Modeling Language (UML) version 2.1. Te system was designed

and developed to augment UM e-learning system and to allow users to login using ACID ,

add / create the idea, update the idea, manage the idea and share the ideas either by One to

One sharing or One to Many sharing. ACID or Academic Computing ID (Identication) o

UM is a centralized user account and password management system or all academic users in the

university. Te description o ACID can be obtained rom http://acid.utm.my/ino.php. Te idea

sharing data will be deployed in a server provided by Computer Centre. Te system also provides

Add/Delete Object on childparent object, AutoSave workspace, Cut and Copy Object, Export/

Import enable, viewing with Navigator, Print Enable, Relation Generator with AutoBackup

unction. Te group transaction type is asynchronous

Requirement Analysis

Functional Requirements are those that reer to the unctionality o the system, i.e., what

services it will provide to the user. Te requirements can be broken up into three distinctive

measureable sub unctional requirement o the application.

Te rst sub requirement Asynchronous Online Application

Te UM idea sharing application will be implemented as an online web based application.

Te server application will be placed in UM intranet, and ollows the networking rule o UM.

Te application is a crossmajor web browser platorm as an attribute conerred to computersotware or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and interoperate on multiple

web browser platorms. Platorms identied as major web browsers are Mozilla, Google Chrome

and Saari. Te users login is provided by ACID login, where application are provided with scripts

to pass login message rom or to Academic Computing ID (Identication) o UM.

Te second sub requirement Idea mapping

Te UM idea sharing application will be implemented as a mind map diagram. Te diagram

starts with the display o a (center) parent with an oval shape containing a key text o the topic.

Tis is typical in any mind map program. Te diagram is a hierarchical tree map o child node rom

the center parent. Te child node is a key text with no shape and contains note. A note contains a


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paragraph based description text, image and hyperlink.

Te third sub requirement Project Management

A project is a single generated mind map diagram created by a user. Te user can delete savedmap, generate new map, alter saved map and share saved map to other user. Each o users could see

the list o saved or shared projects generated by him/her and shared project provided by other users.

able 2.0

summarizes these requirements

Sub Requirement Online System:

Cross Platorm browser : Mozilla,

Google,

Chrome and Saari

Server side script to provide client side interace

Provide Login and security based on ACID UM

Sub Requirement Idea Mapping

Center parent as rectangular shape

Extensible size o child node tree

Notes inside each child node

Notes provides test, image and hyperlink text

Add/Delete child node

Auto arrange child node tree

ext Sizing and ormatting

Hide/Unhide child node.

Teme selection

Sub Requirement Project Management

List o project belong to User

List o project shared by other user to a User

Description o each project

Snapshot o project


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able 2.0

Summary o requirements

Te use case scenario or newproject depicts many o the use case scenarios in developing

the application.

Figure 1.0 Use case or new project scenario

able 3.0

summarizes the steps in the case o a new project being created by the user.

Brie Description Te creation o a new project and sharing mechanism

Initial Steps

For this use case to be initialized, students must be connected to the internet and connected

to the application website with authenticated credential rom the authentication process.

One o the student has already initialized / create new project at project management page

Steps Description

1. A Student creates new project or alter an available saved project created by they own

authentication account.

2. Student then proceed to save the new project or alter the project then proceed to the projectmanagement page

3. Student click the project and get the project description at the ino panel

4. At the ino panel, the student clicks share button and the system displays a message box with

text input.

5. Student flls up the text input with some username (email address) separated by semiolon.

6. When the student clicks the OK button, all o listed students get notifcation via their account

and shared project at their project list page.

7. For every alteration, amendments done by a user, notifcation will be send to other users in

the group.

able 3.0 Steps based on the use case or new project


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RESULS AND DISCUSSION

Te gure 2.0,

3.0 and 4.0 shows typical display o the system.

Figure 2.0 User login interace

Once a user goes to UM idea sharing page,

the page as shown in gure 2.0 is displayed. Inthe specication, user account management will be integrated with UM ACID system. However,

or the prototype, user account is created via an interace not shown here.

Figure 3.0 User management interace

Once a user has successully login, the user management interace is displayed. Here, the user


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can open an existing (or create) a project, delete an existing one or share with other members the

project. By clicking on the panel, the ollowing display will be shown (gure 4.0).

Te user can now rename the New Mind Map with an appropriate title. Te bubble representsnodes which can be added or deleted as needed. It can be moved accordingly and links, documents

and images inserted.

Figure 4.0 User idea interace

As mentioned earlier, the system can unction as an on-line mind map system with multiple

users sharing and collaborating ideas. Tis reduces having local physical interaction. Tus a student

(or lecturer/supervisor) can initiate a project and share with his/her peers. raditionally the group

have to meet to initiate this sort o activity. Now it can be initiated by anyone with invitation to other

participants via e-mail. Te session might not be interactive in real time as needed in the traditional

method. Whenever an idea crops up, the participant can put the idea with the ramework, update the

idea etc provided he or she is on line. With the current version,

the idea can also be viewed o-line.Also as mentioned earlier, images can also be inserted in the nodes to enrich the ideas.

Te prototype system has been successully implemented on a Dell Poweredge 1U rack

mounted server with Windows 2003 operating system, single CPU and 2 GB RAM. Te database

uses MySQL with Apache omcat as the servlet and JSP Web Server.


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CONCLUSION AND FUURE WORK

Te system developed is not ully complete. Te login part is still not integrated with UM

ACID system so as to allow all users in the university to use the system without having to create

an account. Te system has also to be ully tested according to all the eatures mentioned with the

ability to support a maximum number o users concurrently. Tus the supporting hardware, the

tools must be able to do so. In essence, perormance consideration has to be really taken care o.

From experience, users tend to nd alternatives once the system starts to degrade in perormance,

no matter how good and extensive the eatures are. In addition,

the eectiveness o the system basedon the aorementioned theories has to be established. Based on the current practice still carried

out by many students and project supervisors, the system is expected to enhance the learning

experience through the collaborative on-line mind map system.


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REFERENCESYahaya ,Noraandy and Ling, Ning Ning, Te readiness to use e-learning amongst second year

Education degree students majoring in Science and Computer, Faculty o Education, Universiti

eknologi Malaysia A study (Kesediaan Penggunaan E-Learning Di Kalangan Pelajar ahun

Kedua Kursus Sarjana Muda Sains, Komputer Serta Pendidikan, Fakulti Pendidikan, Universiti

eknologi Malaysia - Satu injauan), (2010) accesible through http://eprints.utm.my/10960/

http://creativeproblemsolving.com/ accessed on 24th April 2011

Vivekananthamoorthy, N et. al, An eective E-learning ramework model - a case study ,

Proceedings 2009 Seventh International Conerence on IC and Knowledge Engineering, pages

8 14, 1-2 Dec 2009

H. S. Du dan C. Wagner, Learning With Weblogs: Enhancing Cognitive and Social

Knowledge Construction, pages 1-18, IEEE RANSACIONS ON PROFESSIONAL

COMMUNICAION, VOL. 50, NO. 1, MARCH 2007

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