Imagine you could instantly upload images taken with your cellphone to a website where your friends could comment on your pictures. Think of video conferencing software that could make your dreadful commute to school obsolete.
Or, even better, how about a program that would make marking errors on assignments a thing of the past?
Dream no more-these ideas are well on their way to becoming reality.
A wide range of research projects by U of T faculty and students were on display at the Bahen Centre last Thursday as part of the first Research in Action Showcase, hosted by U of T’s department of computer science. Research in Action showcases enthusiastic, inventive students displaying their technological innovations.
Craig Boutilier, the chair of the DCS, was in attendance.
“We want to facilitate connections between our researchers, students and faculty members and the community,” he explained. “[Researchers] are keen to see their research make an impact.”
Connectivity and communication were major themes among the various displays. Some novel projects harness the internet’s information-sharing ability in ways that could benefit U of T students in the near future.
For example, a project called ePresence Interactive Media allows students to view lectures from home with live video streaming. Students can watch past lectures, search for subjects using keywords and even participate in live class discussions with a headset and a microphone.
Computers can also make grading assignments more efficient and less error-prone. The Online Marking Tool, created by fourth-year computer science student Andrey Petrov, is already being used in four computer science classes this semester. It allows TAs to mark submitted assignments on the computer, reducing both paper usage and the mistakes that sometimes occur while tallying up a grade.
Built-in rubrics help ensure that marking guidelines are followed correctly, and students can log on to the internet to see their grades and comments.
“The nicest thing is that you can see the entire [grading] process in one place,” said Petrov. “It allows for more consistency in marking.”
