Globey’s World K-6 Teaching Application Support and Software Ongo-08b Project Information End-Product Description Team Members Faculty Advisors Client Leanne Bihn* CprE Dr. John Lamont Ames Community School David Haila CprE Professor Ralph Patterson District Brett Gwinn CprE Kiat-Ee Hui CprE *denotes sub-team leader At project completion, the end product will be a web application that teachers can use as a supplement when educating students about world geography. The application will have an extensive help system and full quizzing functionality. Globey’s World will also integrate with the Mathematical Teaching System Software and Uncle Sam’s America by utilizing the framework currently being developed by another sub-team. Students will be able to log in and use any of the three applications. Globey’s World will allow them to first learn about geography, and then solve problems based on selected topics. Teachers will be able to access student statistics in order to gauge student performance and also add to the applications by creating additional problems for students to solve. Abstract Ames Community Schools (ACS) has been concerned with the performance of their students in problem solving on a nationally standardized exam. The purpose of Globey’s World is to provide software that supplements classroom learning in the area of geography while stressing the improvement of problem solving skills. To this end, Globey’s World will complement a suite of web applications currently under development by the remaining sub-teams of the Ongo-08 senior design team. The final product will give students an opportunity to enhance their geographic skills by interacting with the provided content. Through utilization of the software, the students should be better prepared for problem solving on standardized tests, resulting in an improved performance. Requirements Design Objectives Simple to use interface Intuitive country selection scheme Dynamic help system Measurable Milestones User specific pages developed Implementation of single sign-on Quizzing functionality Full implementation of framework Automatic country database update daemon fixed Functional Requirements Select a region and country from the world map Display facts on chosen country Compare facts between countries (2 up to 10) Integrate mathematics problem solving Design Constraints Multiple platform use (PC, Mac, etc.) Intuitive for K-6 students Basic help assisting students unfamiliar with computer operation Introduction General Background One of three applications for Ongo-08 Mathematical Teaching Software System (MTSS) Globey’s World (World geography) Uncle Sam’s America (US geography) Problem Statement ACS wants to increase their students’ performance in problem solving on a nationally standardized exam. Globey’s World will be an easy to use Internet based application that helps students learn about world geography while building problem solving skills. Operating Environment Host: Linux-based Apache server Backend database: MySQL Web application code: PHP Intended Users Students (grades K-6) Teachers and administrators Intended Uses Teaching aid to supplement classroom instruction Monitor each student’s progress Assumptions Client uses Internet Explorer or Netscape 6.0 or greater Client computers have access to the Internet Limitations Product development Unfamiliar programming languages for developers (PHP, MySQL) Information integrity across semesters Product implementation Speed and bandwidth of client computers Students that lack computer experience Expected End Product Fully functional application Interactive maps Country comparisons Dynamic help Quizzing functionality Utilizes Ongo-08d framework Compatibility with Ongo-08a and Ongo-08c applications Proposed Approach Technologies Considered Graphical user interface Coding (PHP, HTML) Graphical design (Adobe applications) Database (MySQL) Framework integration (code structure provided by Ongo-08d) Project Specialization Team experts oversee development in their area of expertise Team leader responsible for distribution of additional tasks Testing Approach External Ongo-08 Prototype testing Bug/error reporting Ames Community Schools Internal Globey’s World sub-team testing Development unit testing Positive functional testing Boundary (negative) testing Usability Globey’s World Screenshots Budgets Personnel Effort (340 hrs.) Financial Resources ($65) Brett Gwinn Leanne Bihn Printing & (80 hrs.) Binding ($5) (90 hrs.) Copying ($10) David Haila Kiat-Ee Hui (90 hrs.) (80 hrs.) Poster ($60) Figure 1: World View Figure 2: Region View Schedule Figure 3: Country Page Figure 4: Comparison Page