Many discrete optimization problems are naturally modeled as an integer (linear) programming (ILP) problem. An ILP problem is of the form max cx Ax ≤ b x is an integer vector. (1) It is easy to show that ILP is NP-hard via a reduction from say SAT. The decision version of ILP is the following: Given rational matrix A and rational vector b, does Ax ≤ b have an integral solution x? Theorem 1 Deci...

Encryption in which “your name is your public key” is called Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). Shamir’s original motivation for identity-based encryption was to simplify the management of public keys. Frequently, this process can be unwieldy because of the following problem: if Bob obtains Alice’s public key over the network, how does Bob know that the key really belongs to Alice, and not to a m...

Figure 1: This is the example, illustrating the proof above. The black matching is M and the orange matching is M ′. The lists beside m,w shows their preference list. We know that m prefers his match in the black matching, w, to his match in the orange matching, w′. For purposes of contradiction, we assumed that w prefers m to m′. As you can see, this implies that the pair (m,w) is an instabili...

This article reviews research indicating that, under appropriate conditions, students' evaluations of teaching (SETs) are (a) multidimensional; (b) reliable and stable; (c) primarily a function of the instructor who teaches a course rather than the course that is taught; (d) relatively valid against a variety of indicators of effective teaching; (e) relatively unaffected by a variety of variabl...

The rapid growth of online learning environments in educational institutions of all sorts is leading to a search for effective methods of teaching in an online environment. Existing techniques, while adequate for most purposes, have some real limitations – one of which is the provision of effective learning while ensuring successful interaction among groups of people who may never see either th...

Classroom clickers, also called group response systems, represent a form of technology-enhanced learning. An instructor can pose a question to the class during a lecture, and students can use their clicker devices to submit their answers. The system immediately aggregates the submissions and presents feedback to the instructor (and possibly the

Concerns about a lack of face-to-face contact with students, a focus on grading rather than teaching, and limited expertise with technology or needed pedagogical strategies, may contribute to instructor reluctance to teach online. The interaction between the instructor and learner and among learners affects the quality and success of online learning, and the learner’s ability to master the outc...

This case study explores the role of the online instructor and how they influence student satisfaction. While there has been a substantial body of literature on what impacts on student satisfaction when students study online, there is far less literature focussing on how the instructor mediates this satisfaction, in particular satisfaction related to quality of feedback and teaching. This case ...