The Advantages of using mind map for lea

The Advantages of Using Mind

Map for Learning Web Dynpro

ANA DANIELA CRISTEA, ADELA DIANA BERDIE, MIHAELA OSACI, DANIEL CHIRTOC

Politehnica University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania

Received 30 June 2008; accepted 26 September 2008

ABSTRACT: This article presents an easy study technique, based on a complex and modern informational technology, the Web programming on integrated systems, in particular Web Dynpro Java. The project developed for this learning technique is realised in Mind Map and combines an assembly of utilities, from the transparent presentation of complex concepts to comparative studies and tests used to verify the knowledge, all these being based on a rich collection of applications. Using this learning technique, it is possible to receive either an assembly image on the technology, or to deeply get into the subtlest details. ß2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 201 207, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20285

Keywords: e-learning instrument; presentation software; graphical technology; design technique

INTRODUCTION

The new integrated platform ERP SAP is NetWeaver. The SAP integrated system is multilingual, multitasking, based on the client server technology. Besides software, in the Application Server environmental are created and organised all the develop-ment objects required for an application.

SAP NetWeaver Application Server (http://help. sap.com/ ) represents the central part of the SAP software stack that makes possible the development of the ABAP and/or Java applications for data storing and processing. It supports J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition) complete standard. SAP NetWeaver Application Server is developed also for Web applications. The two programming environmental communi-cate through a SAP JCo (SAP Java Connector), RFC interface (Remote Function Call).

The AS SAP NetWeaver (http://help.sap.com/) architec-ture includes three levels: the presentation level, responsible for everything related to data presentation and users’ entries reception, the applications level, where the software ABAP and/or Java are executed and the persistence level, where the persistence data are stored in the data base. ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is a programming lan-guage that was developed by SAP for developing commercial applications in the SAP environment [1].

Over the course of three decades, SAP has evolved from a small, regional enterprise into a world-class international com-pany. Today, SAP is the global market leader in collaborative, inter-enterprise business solutions. With enterprise services-oriented architecture and the underlying integration and application platform, SAP NetWeaver, SAP is providing customers with solutions for end-to-end business processes

(http://www.sap.com/company/history.epx). Web Dynpro ABAP and Web Dynpro Java are the SAP technology to create web business application base on Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern. To build Web Dynpro application we use two independent Web Dynpro development environments: one for Java and one for ABAP.

The strongest influence on Web Dynpro architecture was the design pattern called MVC [2]. According to a study performed in 2007 [3], the Web Dynpro technology represents a top web technology on SAP integrated systems (Fig. 1). The SAP Web Dynpro concept is now based on establishing a model-driver framework that facilitates the development of quickly reusable and combinable applications [4].

In full development, Web Dynpro combines a series of complex concepts. The project realised in Mind Map and presented in this article comes as an efficient technique for concept understanding and application.

The father of Mind Map is considered to be Tony Buzan, because he promoted the Mind Map as a tool for thinking and learning, a graphical technique for representing the ideas through images, words, symbols, and colours.

The human brain differs very much from a computer, the association playing an important role in the human brain. A Mind Map is similar to a semantic network or to a cognitive map (http://www.imindmap.com/).

When realising a Mind Map, Tony Buzan suggests [5]:

* To start with a central image of the topic, using at least three colours.

* To use images, symbols, etc.

* To use keywords, written with capital and small letters.

* Each word and image should be alone and located in its own line.

* To develop the own personal style.

* To keep the Mind Map clear.

Correspondence to A. D. Cristea (anadaniela05@yahoo.com).

ß2009 Wiley Periodicals Inc.

A Mind Map has many applications in fields like: educa-tion, family, business, management, etc. In order to realize them, we can use the classical method (pencil and paper) or the software that offers this facility.

The software used to realize Mind Map are presented in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mind_Mapping_software.

TOPIC DESIGN PRESENTATION

The central starting point is Web Dynpro Java. From this point, the arrows are going to every keyword that refers to this subject. Using this Mind Map, we want to realise a synthesis of everything is important to remind, exemplifying in Web Dynpro

Java, and, where there are differences, in Web Dynpro ABAP also. This is the reason why the topic Web Dynpro ABAP is connected with the main topic only by dotted lines.

The scheme presented in Figure 2 describes the concepts of Web Dynpro Java technology along with the connections existing between them, a comparison between Web Dynpro ABAP and Web Dynpro Java (differences and similarities), a test (used to verify the acquired knowledge) and a terminology file (containing a vast specialty vocabulary along with the respective explanations and additional references).

In order to realise this topic, we created 61 text files, 3 folders and 48 archives containing explanations. The folders Buttons, Controller, etc. contain multiple explanations (Fig. 3). For a better understanding of the technologies, we start from the simple question: What is Web Dynpro? So, we reached the relevant elements: components re-usage and MVC.

In order to personalise the Mind Map, suggestive images have been used, mostly taken from the afferent software (https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/downloads). For example, the User Interface (UI) elements were classified according to their complexity, creating a subtopic with the afferent images, for each element. In this way, it can be memorised either their name or design.

MODALITY OF REALISING THE COMPONENT PARTS OF THE TOPIC

In Web Dynpro, the User Interface (UI) elements, used to create the interfaces with the user, are distributed on categories. Figure 1 SAP applications developed by framework evolution [5].

Figure 2 The main topic. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]

For a more detailed exemplification, we presented one of the topics.

For example, the topic LinkToURL is an UI element, type Simple Standard (Fig. 4).

It has associated the corresponding image, a file that contains the description of the main proprieties and application modalities. To grave this UI element and its characteristics in the memory of the person who studies this scheme, we attached cogent examples that can be rapidly imported and run on the system (Fig. 5).

Each UI element has specific or common proprieties for all the UI elements. The common proprieties are presented in the main topic ‘UI Elements’, and the specific proprieties are presented separately for each element. The principle of dynamically usage of these proprieties remains the same, indifferent of the used element, being described in the main topic, too. So, a clearer structure is obtained, and the one who studies the scheme is able to imagine this subject. In the same time, he knows what is common for all the presented elements and how to dynamically use the proprieties, without being necessary to previously study each element.

Hereinafter, we present the content of the text file attached to the above-mentioned topic, file that opens when this attach-ment is accessed.

As can be seen, this file is distributed in two parts: in the first part, the elements that make the difference are schemati-cally and in-point presented and, in the second part, the explanations for the chosen example are presented. We should specify that all the topics have the same structure in realising the files and only the elements important for the chosen subject are presented, keeping simple examples to rapidly deducing the essential. The purpose is not to show how complex we know to programme, but to catch the essential, through simple examples, and to bring it to the person who is looking for the necessary information (Figs. 6 and 7).

Another aspect regarding the Mind Map is to mark out the importance of the topics. The colour is a basic element. So, certain topics are intensely coloured, which means they are important for the main element (Fig. 8).

The topic MVC is considered to have a primary impor-tance, either due to the theory or to the implementation mode, because this one is the basic element of Web Dynpro. Figure 3 The source folders and files of the main topic.

The second important topic is considered the Hook Methods, representing the interface between the application and the Web Dynpro framework. The Hook Methods can be properly used only when their role and importance are well known.

As mentioned above, an important role in realising Mind Maps is played by the images and icons. The icon representing the knowledge verification test is marked with a red flag, which means ‘Caution, danger!’ (Fig. 9).

Figure 5 Download options for LinkToURL topic.

Figure 6 File structure part I.

Figure 7 File structure part II.

In order to point out the specific mode Web Dynpro, used to distribute the component elements in units that can be easily re-used, the ‘1’ priority has been attached to the respective topic (Fig. 10).

To show that the topic ‘ABAP-JAVA Parallel’ represents a synthesis of differences and similarities of the two worlds Web Dynpro, a special ‘caution icon’ has been used (Fig. 11).

A great advantage is the fact that the created Mind Map can easily extend, because the one who is studying can add his own notes or topics related with this subject. In case someone wants to remind a topic or forgotten information, it is sufficient to look at the scheme or, eventually, at the information stored in the file containing the afferent description. So, Mind Map is not only a tool used to structure ideas or to improve the learning process, but it is also an aid to rapidly remember forgotten information.

This learning instrument together with others learning instruments, for example references [6,7], help us to accelerate the learning process.

Lastly, we have to specify that there are on-line Mind Maps libraries, where one can upload his own schemes, in order

to put at others’ disposal ideas regarding a certain subject. Such a library can be found at http://mappio.com/.

CONCLUSIONS

In this article, we presented an efficient learning instrument, based on the Web Dynpro technology, realised in Mind Map. The schemes realised in Mind Map help to: accelerate the learning process, present the ideas in a simple mode, improve the thinking quality, accelerate the planning process, present complex information in an accessible manner and, of course, to improve the individual or the team productivity.

And, finally, not only the time is an important element of the learning process, but also the quality of thinking:‘‘Of one thing we can be sure. The quality of our life in the future will be determined by the quality of our thinking.’’—Edward de Bono.

REFERENCES

[1] H. Keller and S. Kruger, ABAP objects, Galileo Press, Bonn, Germany, 2007.

[2] C. Whealy, Inside Web Dynpro for Java, Galileo Press, Bonn, Germany, 2007.

[3] K. H. Sub, SAP WebDynpro ABAP and Java, WD$A vs WD4J, 17.10.2007, http://www.sapforum.co.kr/TECHDAY07/download/ 9.%20SAP%20WebDynpro_%EA%B9%80%ED%98%9C%EC% 84%AD.pdf.

[4] U. Hoffmann, Web Dynpro for ABAP, Galileo Press, Bonn, Germany, 2006.

[5] T. Buzan and B. Buzan, The mind map book: How to use radiant thinking to maximize your brain’s untapped potential, Penguin Group, 1996.

[6] C. Maiorana, L. Sgarbossa, and V. Salomoni, New methodologies in teaching e-structural mechanics using WWW, Comput Appl Eng Educ 16 (2008), 189 210.

[7] H. Y. K. Lau, K. L. Mak, and H. Ma, IMELS: An e-learning platform for industrial engineering, Comput Appl Eng Educ 14 (2006), 53 63.

BIOGRAPHIES

Ana Daniela Cristea(Drd. Ing.) was born in Petrosani, Romania in 1976. She studied at Technical University of Petrosani, engineer in science of computer and systems, for 5 years. For 4 years (October 2003 October 2007), she was an assistant at University of Timisoara, faculty of Engineering of Hune-doara, author and coauthor of many articles, and author and coauthor of three books: Computer utilization, Interface and peripheral, and Computer Programming. From October 2006, drd. of University Politehnica Timisoara where she studied ABAP POO, ABAP POO, Web Dynpro ABAP and Web Dynpro Java.

Adela Diana Berdie(Drd. Ing.) was born in Hunedoara, Romania in 1968. She studied at Technical University of Timisoara (UPT)-Engineering Faculty of Hunedoara, engineer in electrotechnique for 8 years. She graduated from Postgraduate School in Data Processing and Computers from UPT-Engineering Faculty of Hunedoara. From October 2001, she worked as assistant at UPT, Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara. She was author and coauthor of many articles and coauthor of two books: Computer utilization and Computer Programming. From October 2002, drd. of UPT she studied ABAP POO and Web Dynpro ABAP.

Figure 10 The topic ‘Component re-use’.

Figure 11 The topic ‘ABAP- JAVA Parallel’.

Dr. Mihaela Osaciwas born in Hunedoara, in 1968. She graduated from Faculty of Physics at West University-Timisoara. She obtained her doctorate in physics in 2003. Also she graduated from the Postgraduate School in Data Processing and Computers from Politehnica University-Timisoara-Engineering Faculty-Hunedoara, where she worked as a lecturer. She was author and co-author of four books. She wrote more than 40 articles in reviews and in conference proceedings, four of these articles being I.S.I. From October 2006, she studied ABAP POO and Web Dynpro ABAP at University Politehnica Timisoara.