Helen Sharp
The Open University, Computing, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This research explores the potential for using technology to support the delivery of novel environmental enrichment experiences for elephants housed in captivity. In particular, it aims to enhance their welfare by providing them with... more
This research explores the potential for using technology to support the delivery of novel environmental enrichment experiences for elephants housed in captivity. In particular, it aims to enhance their welfare by providing them with meaningful choices and opportunities to control environmental features, thereby offering cognitive and sensory enrichment. Our work falls into the area of Animal-Computer Interaction, whose aim is designing interactive technology to improve animal welfare and human-animal relations.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Ten years ago very few universities or colleges ran courses in object technology, but nowadays, the object-oriented paradigm is taught in most computer science curricula. Transitioning to object-oriented problem solving and programming... more
Ten years ago very few universities or colleges ran courses in object technology, but nowadays, the object-oriented paradigm is taught in most computer science curricula. Transitioning to object-oriented problem solving and programming has, however, proved ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract Recent research suggests that the motivating factors in software engineering are evolving and that our current understanding of motivation in software engineering might be out of date. This paper presents an analysis of... more
Abstract Recent research suggests that the motivating factors in software engineering are evolving and that our current understanding of motivation in software engineering might be out of date. This paper presents an analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 professional software engineers. The data suggests that'the work'continues to be enjoyable and that'people'are important, but that'obstacles' really sap the energy of software engineers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Concurrent Engineering, Abstraction, Knowledge Representation, and 11 moreArtificial Intelligence for User Interface Design, Conceptual Design, Levels of Abstraction, Object Oriented Model, Visual Representation, Design Representation, Flow Models, Knowledge Representation for Engineering Design, Representation Politics, Springer Ebooks, and Mechatronic systems
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The author discusses the use of the blackboard model of control for design evaluation and refinement, and describes KDA (knowledge-based design assistant), which has been built to demonstrate that applicability of this idea. The... more
The author discusses the use of the blackboard model of control for design evaluation and refinement, and describes KDA (knowledge-based design assistant), which has been built to demonstrate that applicability of this idea. The tool's architecture and example sessions are included and explained. The examples indicate the applicability of this architecture to the evaluation and refinement problem.<<ETX>>
Research Interests:
Page 1. Jl. of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching (1999) 18(3), 245-265 The Effect of Previous Software Development Experience on Understanding the Object-Oriented Paradigm HELEN SHARP1 Centre for HCI ...
Research Interests:
This report investigates current applications of Intelligent Knowledgebased Systems (IKBS) technology to the problem of software design measurement and improvement, and provides a comparative evaluation of six different approaches to this... more
This report investigates current applications of Intelligent Knowledgebased Systems (IKBS) technology to the problem of software design measurement and improvement, and provides a comparative evaluation of six different approaches to this area, based on a common framework of technical and business criteria. Although there are few applications of IKBS in this area, those which do exist illustrate the different directions which future research could follow, and are encouraging enough for such paths to be explored. INTRODUCTION The importance of producing a quality design for a software system has been recognised for many years, and ideas of what a 'quality design' is have matured considerably since the notions of information hiding and structured programming were first introduced. One approach to improving the quality of designs is to provide quality measures which can be used to pinpoint weaknesses and deficiencies and therefore to judge how 'good' a design is. Unfort...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This pattern language in progress proposes some successful techniques to assist with teaching and learning. For professional educators, these patterns may seem obvious, even trivial, because they have used them so often. But for those... more
This pattern language in progress proposes some successful techniques to assist with teaching and learning. For professional educators, these patterns may seem obvious, even trivial, because they have used them so often. But for those newer to teaching, they offer a way for ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
<p>The figure shows the factor loadings for mothers' reports of stroking at 5 and 9 weeks, and IBQ negative emotionality (Distress to Limitations and Fear) at 29 weeks. The values of λ (direct effect of stroking on IBQ), δ and β... more
<p>The figure shows the factor loadings for mothers' reports of stroking at 5 and 9 weeks, and IBQ negative emotionality (Distress to Limitations and Fear) at 29 weeks. The values of λ (direct effect of stroking on IBQ), δ and β (associations of risks and confounders with stroking and IBQ respectively), and γ (interaction between maternal stroking and prenatal maternal depression), are shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0045446#pone-0045446-t004" target="_blank">Table 4</a>.</p
Research Interests:
<p>The figure shows the factor loadings for mothers' reports of stroking at 5 and 9 weeks, and RSA at 29 weeks. The values of λ (direct effect of stroking on vagal withdrawal), δ<sub>1</sub>,... more
<p>The figure shows the factor loadings for mothers' reports of stroking at 5 and 9 weeks, and RSA at 29 weeks. The values of λ (direct effect of stroking on vagal withdrawal), δ<sub>1</sub>, δ<sub>2</sub>, and β (associations of risks and confounders with stroking, vagal tone and vagal withdrawal respectively), and γ (interaction between maternal stroking and prenatal maternal depression), are shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0045446#pone.0045446-t003" target="_blank">Table 3</a>.</p
Research Interests:
Strategic agility enables an organisation to sense and seize opportunities, manage uncertainty and adapt to changes. This paper presents one case study of a traditional charitable organisation taking a strategy-focused approach to agile... more
Strategic agility enables an organisation to sense and seize opportunities, manage uncertainty and adapt to changes. This paper presents one case study of a traditional charitable organisation taking a strategy-focused approach to agile transformation. Interview data was collected over a 13-month period through interviews at different stages and with different members of the transformation team and Heads of Department. This case study illustrates the challenges faced in such a transformation, and shows that strategic agility requires different time horizons to co-exist: a future vision, a medium term set of objectives and a short term performance monitoring perspective.
Research Interests:
Differences in infant caregiving behavior between cultures have long been noted, although the quantified comparison of touch-based caregiving using uniform standardized methodology has been much more limited. The Parent-Infant Caregiving... more
Differences in infant caregiving behavior between cultures have long been noted, although the quantified comparison of touch-based caregiving using uniform standardized methodology has been much more limited. The Parent-Infant Caregiving Touch scale (PICTS) was developed for this purpose and programming effects of early parental tactile stimulation (stroking) on infant hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA)-axis functioning (stress-response system), cardiovascular regulation and behavioral outcomes, similar to that reported in animals, have now been demonstrated. In order to inform future studies examining such programming effects in India, we first aimed to describe and examine, using parametric and non-parametric item-response methods, the item-response frequencies and characteristics of responses on the PICTS, and evidence for cross-cultural differential item functioning (DIF) in the United Kingdom (UK) and India. Second, in the context of a cultural favoring of male children in In...
Research Interests:
This research explores the potential for using technology to support the delivery of novel environmental enrichment experiences for elephants housed in captivity. In particular, it aims to enhance their welfare by providing them with... more
This research explores the potential for using technology to support the delivery of novel environmental enrichment experiences for elephants housed in captivity. In particular, it aims to enhance their welfare by providing them with meaningful choices and opportunities to control environmental features, thereby offering cognitive and sensory enrichment. Our work falls into the area of Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI: Mancini, 2011), whose aim is designing interactive technology to improve animal welfare and human-animal relations.