The document outlines plans for the School of Digital Technologies at Tallinn University. It discusses the scope and focus areas of applied informatics, including digital safety, language technology, data analysis, smart houses, and ICT curriculum development. It provides details on specific projects and research in these areas, led by staff members. It also proposes the development of a software laboratory to support interdisciplinary project work and software development. In summary, the document presents an overview of the research, teaching, and development activities of the School of Digital Technologies across various domains of applied informatics.

1. 1
School of Digital Technologies
Academic direction – Applied informatics
18.11.2015

2. 2
Plan
1. Scope definition
2. Staff
3. Digital safety – Edmund Laugasson
4. Language technology – Jaagup Kippar
5. Data analysis – Katrin Niglas
6. Smart house – Peeter Normak
7. ICT curricula and course development – Peeter Normak

3. 3
Applied informatics – the scope (formal definition)
Applied informatics = Complement (DLE ∪ HCI ∪ ISci ∪ Math) =
Complement (DLE) ∩ Complement (HCI) ∩ Complement (ISci) ∩
Complement (Math),
where
DLE – digital learning ecosystems
HCI – human-computer interaction
ISci – Information sciences
Math – mathematics and didactics of mathematics

4. 4
Applied informatics – the scope (graphical definition)
MathMath HCIHCI
ISciISci DLEDLE
Applied informatics

5. 5
Applied informatics – the scope (verbal definition)
• Digital safety
• Language technology
• Data analysis
• Emerging – smart house
• Curriculum development and application of computing in other
areas

6. 6
Staff – basic competence
Kaido Kikkas – digital safety, free and open-source software
Edmund Laugasson – digital safety, free and open-source software
Birgy Lorenz – digital safety
Kairi Osula – data analysis
Triinu Jesmin – data analysis
Taivo Tuuling – data analysis
Andrus Rinde – multimedia development
Pille Eslon – language technology
Jaagup Kippar – software engineering
Inga Petuhhov – software engineering
Jaanika Meigas – software applications
Kalle Kivi – 3D modeling
Tanel Toova – smart house

7. 7
Language technology

8. 8
Scope
The scope: Development of Estonian Interlanguage Corpus (Eesti
Vahekeele Korpus, http://evkk.tlu.ee, EIC) and services based on it.
EIC – collection of written texts produced by the learners of the
Estonian as a second and foreign language.
Size: 12 000 texts, 3 400 000 tokens
Links to EIC:
• ICLE – The International Corpus of Learner English, Université
catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium); Learner corpora
around the worldhttps://www.uclouvain.be/en-cecl-lcworld.html
• Centre of Estonian Language Resources,
https://keeleressursid.ee/et/keeleressursid

9. 9
Seminar 18. november
2015

10. 10
Sub-corpora
1. L2 State examination works
2. L2 Olympiad writings
3. L2 Academic learner language
4. L1 Academic Estonian
5. L1 Russian (referent corpus)
6. L3 Russian (referent corpus)
Texts are validated on the proficiency level by experts.

11. 11
Research topics/questions
1. Comparative empirical study of L2 Estonian and standard Estonian;
automatic processing of written texts of Estonian learner language.
2. Constraints on lexical, morphological and morpho-syntactic
variability.
3. Morpho-syntactic complexity of language use and lexical richness
of learners in order to develop CEFR proficiency level
characterizations, and study how the second language proficiency
develops from one level to the next.
4. Linguistic and language technology modeling of language
proficiency levels, gross-linguistics influence.
5. Written Estonian analysis and it’s perspectives for pedagogical
purposes.

12. 12
The major technical problems currently
1. Some inefficient algorithms and queries for big data.
2. Weak server for bigger use.
3. Relatively slow web access to text analysing tool Estmorf.
Possible solution:
Complete rewriting the code, redesigning the user interface and data
structures.

13. 13
Planned: development of EIC 2.0
1. Self-learning and text analysing platform: statistics, similarities,
groupings, word ordering, faulty text recognition, patterns finding.
2. Connections to learning environments and speller.
3. Training materials and exercises preparation and analyse.
4. Language level analyse, metadata guessing.
5. Interoperability with other language resources.
Additionally: Further development of software applications that are
currently on prototype level – Robust Lemmatizer, Word Order
Finder and Cluster Catcher – and integrating them into an
interoperable web service for determining and testing the linguistic
profile of the language proficiency level, as well for instructing the
independent users.

14. 14
R&D projects
1. Development of language software and language technology
resource of the Estonian interlanguage corpus (2008–2010). The
Estonian language technology national programme (2006–2010),.
2. Digitalising of State Examination and Qualification Centre’s
manuscript materials (2009-2013) & Centre for Academic Estonian
(2009–2013). The state-financed programme Estonian Language and
Cultural Memory (2009–2013),
3. Cross-linguistic influence and second language acquisition: corpus-
based research (2010–2013). Est. Research Council (ERC).
4. Idiomatic phrases in Estonian language corpora (2010-2013). ERC.
5. Consistent treatment of the Estonian learner language (2015–2018).
The national programme Estonian Language and Cultural Memory II
(2014–2018).

15. 15
Summary
Articles:
• 1.1 – 5
• 1.2 – 11
Defended theses:
• 5 master theses
• 6 bachelor theses
• 4 seminary works

16. 16
Digital safety
http://www.tlu.ee/dsl
https://www.facebook.com/digitalsafety

17. 17
The team and areas of interest
Kaido Kikkas – Free and open software, security practices,
Edmund Laugasson – Technology acceptance as a factor of
free/libre and open-source software implementation
Birgy Lorenz – safety strategies of teenagers, schools e-safety policy,
mobile learning and digital turn.
Involved:
Aare Klooster – Prevention of Social Engineering in Corporate Cyber
Defense Strategy (currently in academic leave)
Andro Kull – information security risks management - not employed at
TLU anymore, but we can use him as an external expert

18. 18
Research directions
1. Internet user's safety behaviour.
2. Social manipulation in corporate cyber security strategies.
3. Implementation of FLOSS in secure and sustainable administration
of ICT and related infrastructures (including education, economy,
military defense etc).
4. Safety rules and standards in the process of equipping educational
institutions with information technology.
5. E-safety assurance and protection of critical infrastructure.

19. 19
Outputs (examples)

20. 20
Summary
Articles:
• 1.1 – 2
• 1.2 – 2
• 3.1 – 17
Defended Theses:
• 16 master theses
• 3 bachelor theses
• 4 seminary works

21. 21
Current and forthcoming activitiesResearch:
• E-safety survey of Master students of Tallinn University of Technology;
• software as a technology acceptance factors in educational institutions.
Other:
• Development of video clips and tutorials about internet safety – educate
teachers, students, pupils and others (cooperation with Targaltnetis.ee,
http://www.targaltinternetis.ee/en/)
• Offering training modules to schools, government sector and
small/medium businesses about security, ethics, social manipulation
topics
• Translate the Digital Safety Game into Estonian language.
• Organizing JTEL summer school and HCII2016 session Digital turn at
schools - changes in leadership, teaching and learning.
• Offering training modules to schools, government sector and
small/medium businesses about security, ethics, social manipulation
topics, self assessment, software as a technology exchange.

22. 22
Possible forthcoming developments/implementations
• WebRTC (http://www.webrtc.org/) based secure lecture broadcast
system with recording feature.
• BigBlueButton (http://bigbluebutton.org/) based secure web
conferencing with recording feature.
• virtual laboratory system developed based on free and open-source
software available in GitHub (https://github.com/magavdraakon/i-tee).
• Digital safety/security aspects of smart houses (especially in the
context of Internet of Things).
• …

23. 23
Data analysis

24. 24
Teaching
Current situation:
• Descriptive statistics (IFI7041.DT, IFI6081.DT)
• Inferential statistics (IFI7044.DT, IFI7070.DT, IFI6082.DT)
• Multivariate statistics (IFI7071.DT, IFI8004.DT, IFI8005.DT)
Curricula development:
• General courses are area specific and they give basic knowledges
for academic learning
• Descriptive statistics IFI7041.DT -> Scientific thinking (general
course)
• More scientific thinking and less software

25. 25
Research
• Katrin Niglas - professorship stopped until 15.05.2016
Involved in IUT in Educational Sciences
• Google Scholar citations
Citation indices All Since 2010
Citations 612 392
h-index 13 11
i10-index 16 13

26. 26
Cooperation with DTI people:
• Kaipainen, M.; Normak, P.; Niglas, K.; Kippar, J.; Laanpere, M.
(2008). Soft ontologies, spatial representations and multi-
perspective explorability. Expert Systems, 25(5), 474 – 483.
• Niglas, K.; Kaipainen, M.; Kippar, J. (2008). Multi-perspective
exploration as a tool for mixed methods research. . M.M. Bergman
(Toim.). Advances in Mixed Methods Research: Theories and
Applications (172 - 187).Sage Publications Ltd
• Niglas, Katrin; Osula, Kairi; Tuuling, Taivo (2007). Kaks keelt ja
tõlkimine - püüd leida teid suurendamaks (üli)õpilaste sisulist
arusaamist statistikast. In: Eesti Statistikaseltsi Teabevihik 18: Eesti
Statistikaseltsi 19. konverents. Statistiline kirjaoskus. 25.-26. jaanuar
2007, Tallinna Ülikool. Tallinn:, (18), 20 - 31.

27. 27
Cooperation with research teams in other subject fields
• A Ugaste, M Tuul, K Niglas, E Neudorf (2014) Estonian preschool
teachers' views on learning in preschool. Early Child Development
and Care 184 (3), 370-385
• E Eisenschmidt, K Niglas (2014) Implementing a design research
approach and facilitating networking in the process of educational
change. International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches 8
(2), 221-232
• R Alas, K Niglas, A Kraus (2009) Manufacturing strategies and
choices in cultural contexts. Journal of Business Economics and
Management, 279-289
• M Ehala, K Niglas (2007) Empirical evaluation of a mathematical
model of ethnolinguistic vitality: The case of Võro. Journal of
Multilingual and Multicultural Development 28 (6), 427-444

28. 28
Smart house

29. 29
Background
Tallinn University is among the founders of Rakvere Smart House
Competence Centre (Targa Maja Kompetentsikeskus –
http://www.rakveretarkmaja.ee).
Opening of the building
9.10.2015.
Address: Lai 20
Name: SA Virumaa
Kompetentsikeskus
DTI is represented
In the Council.

30. 30
The request for cooperation
1. Compose an overview of the current stand of R&D in smart houses
(SH).
2. Propose possible joint – between TLU and the CC – R&D activities.
3. Compose an overview of SH solutions currently offered by Estonian
enterprises, and of their possible development trends.
4. Propose ideas/topics to the enterprises for possible joint – TLU,
CC, enterprises – development projects.
5. Propose principles for experimenting and testing new SH solutions.

31. 31
Our approach
Current definition: A smart house (SH) is a house that has highly
advanced automatic systems for lighting, temperature control, multi-
media, security, window and door operations, and many other
functions.
A SH is considered as a technical/technological system (domotics =
home automation).
We consider a SH as a socio-technical system which includes both the
technological systems, as well as people and their interactions.
NB! The focus of the people and on their needs.

32. 32
Our possible contribution
1. Analysis of the development trends and development of new SH
solutions.
2. Adaptation of workplace-based learning solutions for SH context,
taking also into account telework/telecommuting/remote work
(kaugtöö) aspects.
3. Development of interactive solutions that react on behavior (inc
gestures) and physiological data of persons – extension of human-
computer interaction to human-house interaction (HCI  HHI).
4. …

33. 33
Curriculum development and application of
computing in other areas

34. 34
Current and recent projects
1. Implementation of the three curricula for IT Master's Studies in the
Faculty of Informatics at Kabul University.
2. Doctoral studies for the faculty members of the Computer Science
Faculty of Kabul University based on the Information Society
Technologies curriculum of the IT Institute at Tallinn University.
3. INCOMING – Interdisciplinary Curricula in Computing to Meet
Labour Market Needs.
Development of interdisciplinary study programmes related to
computing for Serbian universities.
1. Assessment of ICT university curricula in Kosovo, Lithuania and
Russia.

35. 35
From the Development Plan of the school
1. Development of modules for all focus areas that integrate subject-
specific knowledge with competences in digital technologies.
2. Development and implementation of the principles for composing
interdisciplinary final theses with the involvement of students from
other institutes.
3. Students from other institutes will be offered opportunity to work in
the software laboratory.
4. Development and implementation of the conception of enterprise-
based bachelor studies.

36. 36
Software laboratory – the purpose and tasks
Possible location: A-303 + A-304
The purpose. Offering an experience for working in a professional work
environment:
• to IT students for enhancing their software development skills,
• to non-IT students for working in interdisciplinary software
development teams.
The main tasks:
• supporting the implementation of the Interdisciplinary Project and
other relevant courses (including Software Development Project I)
• Development of software on contractual basis for a wide variety of
institutions.

37. 37
Software laboratory – main activities
1. Finding clients and resources for software development.
2. Development of software prototypes.
3. Development of full-featured software.
4. Conducting action research and design-based research.
5. Conducting software development seminary for students.

38. 38
Software laboratory – initial equipment
1. PC desktop computers – 12
2. iMac computers – 4
3. TV sets – 4
4. Android-tablets – 4
5. iOS-tablets – 4
6. Windows-tablets – 4
7. Android-smartphones – 4
8. iOS-smartphones – 4
9. Windows-smartphones
10. Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements
11. …

39. 39
Questions/Comments/Discussion