Nobuo Funabiki received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mathematical engineering and information physics from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1984 and 1993, respectively. He received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, USA, in 1991. From 1984 to 1994, he was with the System Engineering Division, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Japan. In 1994, he joined the Department of Information and Computer Sciences at Osaka University, Japan, as an assistant professor, and became an associate professor in 1995. He stayed at University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2000-2001, as a visiting researcher. In 2001, he moved to the Department of Communication Network Engineering (currently, Department of Information and Communication Systems) at Okayama University as a professor. His research interests include computer networks, optimization algorithms, educational technology, and web application systems. He is a member of IEEE, IEICE, and IPSJ. He was the chairman at IEEE Hiroshima Section in 2015 and 2016, and a vice president at IEEE Consumer Technology Society in 2023 and 2024.
"FPLAS: Flutter Programming Learning Assistant System for Multiplatform UI Application Development"
Flutter framework with Dart programming (Flutter/Dart) allows developers to effortlessly build user interface (UI) applications for multiplatform including Android, iOS, web, and desktop from a single codebase. Since utilizing a wide range of widgets in Flutter/Dart ensures consistent experiences on various devices for users, it becomes crucial in programming education by providing a unified environment for learning UI application development while reducing the need for platform-specific knowledge. In this talk, I introduce a web-based Flutter Programming Learning Assistant System (FPLAS) for offering a self-learning environment of Flutter/Dart programing.
First, I present a Docker-based platform for Flutter application developments across Windows, Linux, and Mac through Visual Studio Code, ensuring a unified learning experience. To support independent learning by novices, a simple setup of the platform is essential with user-friendly instructions and automating tools. I also present an image-based UI testing method for this platform, which automates UI testing made by the answer code. It produces the UI image by running the answer code and compares it with the image made by the model code for the assignment using ORB and SIFT algorithms in the OpenCV library. A Python-Flask framework is adopted for its implementation as a web application.
Second, I present Integrated Introductory Problem (INT) and Code Modification Problem (CMP) as contents of FPLAS. INT is designed to encourage conceptual understanding of Flutter/Dart programming fundamentals by integrating documentation, source code, output screenshots, and two exercise types, namely, Grammar Understanding Problem (GUP) and Element Fill-in-Blank Problem (EFP). CMP is designed to offer practice in reading and revising a code, requesting modification of a source code so that the UI would match a target screenshot when executed.
Over the course of the last 40 years, I have been fortunate to have a varied, and engaging career. I began as a special education teacher in Rockville, Md in 1983, and since that time I have held a range of positions including psychology associate, high school English teacher, special education consultant, and university professor of educational psychology and special education. I served in a variety of administrative capacities, including as the Interim Dean of the School of Education at Roger Williams University, and as the Coordinator of Graduate Education at Johnson State College.
Throughout my career, I have also been actively involved in research, writing, and public speaking. I am the co-author of Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom (2005), and the co-editor of three additional books: Educational Psychology in Context (2006); The Wiley International Handbook of Educational Foundations (2019); and Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings (2021). I am also the author of 11 book chapters or forewords, twenty periodicals in academic publications, and the co-author of a six-part video series titled Creating the Constructivist Classroom. I have presented my work at conferences throughout the United States, as well as internationally at academic conclaves in Finland, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Malta, Italy, and France.
In addition to my work as department chair, I currently teach Observation and Analysis, Foundations of American Education, Classroom Organization and Management, and Introduction to the Exceptional Learner.
"TBA"
TBA