Ubuntulive Case Studies Panel

Ubuntu in the Academic Context
Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Information Systems Department
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA 94132 USA
Ubuntu in Education: Case Studies Panel

About Me
teach: those of us who can't do...
research: diffusion and adoption (open source, mobility)
fun: ubuntu, maemo/nokia770, olpc, mythtv, nocat...

Courses I Teach
ISYS 573 - Managing Open Source
Information Systems elective
FOSS in general
Collaborative software development
Licensing
Business models
Software maturity models

FOSS in general
Introduction to FOSS on Windows
The Open CD
Introduction to Ubuntu
Live CD + voluntary installs
Linux Lab with Ubuntu
Introduction to the Open Source “community”
Field study: Attend a LUG meeting
Guest Speakers

Courses I Teach
ISYS 568 – Multimedia Business Application Development
Information Systems elective
Use of multimedia applications
Graphics, Animation, Desktop Publishing, Audio, Video, Web
Content creation and licensing
Business models

Multimedia Applications
The experiment
Software needed for the class: Approx. $200
Will a student at a public university spend $200 on software for a semester?
Can FOSS tools adequately fill the need?
Important: Choice of tool should be based on the curriculum and not the other way around.

Applications
GIMP – Bitmapped graphics
Blender – 3D rendering
Inkscape – Scalable Vector Graphics
Audacity – Audio editing and manipulation
Scribus – Desktop Publishing
Tux paint – Fun for kids...and grown ups!
Kino – Non-linear Digital Video Editor
Drupal * – Web 2.0 CMS
*Server-side

Examples
Elephant's Dream
CG animation made entirely with FOSS

Assignment
ccmixter.org
Audio assignment based on ccmixter.org samples and loops
Students download vocals, drum loops, effects, etc. and use Audacity to mix and recreate tracks.
Learn audio tools and legal aspects via Creative Commons licenses

Lab
Communication and Advanced Computing Lab
Limited/specialty software lab
Dual-boot Windows XP and Linux
Windows XP
Simulation
Statistical Analysis
Linux
GIMP, Inkscape, Audacity, etc.

Lab
Dual boot Ubuntu Edgy (upgraded from Dapper) and Windows XP.
Installation and upgrades are labor-intensive.
Actively exploring LTSP on Edubuntu platform
Multiboot environment: PXE boot for Linux with Windows XP on local disk
Target date: Fall 2007
More details at: http://opensource.sfsu.edu/medusa

Adoption
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1973). Attitudinal and normative variables as predictors of specific behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 41- 57.
Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovation. New York, NY: New York: Free Press.
Moore, G. C. and I. Benbasat (1991). Development of an instrument to measure the perceptions of adopting an information technology innovation. Information Systems Research Vol 2 No 3 pp 173-191.
Adoption & Use Intent Beliefs Perceptions

Perceptions influence Adoption
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1973). Attitudinal and normative variables as predictors of specific behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 41- 57.
Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovation. New York, NY: New York: Free Press.
Moore, G. C. and I. Benbasat (1991). Development of an instrument to measure the perceptions of adopting an information technology innovation. Information Systems Research Vol 2 No 3 pp 173-191.
Perceived Attributes Adoption & Use Perceptions Trialability Observability Compatibility Ease-of-use Relative Advantages Voluntariness

Relative Advantages
Virus? What virus?
Guilt-free is better than just “free”.
Concept of “free as in $0.00” does not sell well.
There is no such thing as “borrowing software”.
Do you steal software?
Keeping up with the times.
New skill set.
Improves marketability.

Ease-of-Use
Live CDs are a boon.
Try all you want and install when you are ready.
Open CD as an introduction to FOSS on Windows.
Synaptic rocks!!!
Problems:
Wireless does not work.
Cannot display via projectors out of the box.
Suspend/Hibernate not reliable.

Compatibility
Yes, but does it run Word ™ ?
Support for different formats in OpenOffice.
Introduce the topic of Open Document Format.
Homework & assignments may not be compatible with FOSS platforms.
Example: Microsoft Access
Lack of tutorial books
Spreadsheets do not support statistical analysis

Observability
Practice what you preach
I use Ubuntu on my laptop for all my presentations.
Showcase cool apps/features
Beryl
“Save as PDF” in OpenOffice
PDFCreator
Showcase “linux only” apps
GRAMPS, Kino

Trialability
Live CDs are good, but slow.
VMware images + player works well.
Downloading via bittorrent became an interesting exercise.

Voluntariness
How voluntary is the adoption?
Classroom use can be perceived as mandatory
Assignment focuses on concepts, not tools
Use Photoshop or GIMP. Just make sure your copy of Photoshop is legit!
Repeated use of good FOSS tools improves acceptance.

Assessment
Are students really satisfied with a FOSS platform?
We are conducting a survey using a “user satisfaction” instrument.
Warning: Our sample is not representative!!!
SF State > Business > Information Systems > Elective
External validity weak.
Repeat studies with other samples may help.
Interested? Contact: [email_address]

Lessons learned
FOSS apps/platform/distros must meet curriculum needs.
Advocacy works. Evangelism does not. Show them yet another option. Let them choose.
Demonstrate new technology more transparently.
Study collaborative software development.
Examine business ethics.
Have a lot more fun!!!

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Ubuntulive Case Studies Panel

by Sameer Verma

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