Transdisciplinarity seen through Information, Communication, Computation, (Inter-)Action and Cognition

Similar to oil that acted as a basic raw material and key driving force of industrial society, information acts as a raw material and principal mover of knowledge society in the knowledge production, propagation and application. New developments in information processing and information communication technologies allow increasingly complex and accurate descriptions, representations and models, which are often multi-parameter, multi-perspective, multi-level and multidimensional. This leads to the necessity of collaborative work between different domains with corresponding specialist competences, sciences and research traditions. We present several major transdisciplinary unification projects for information and knowledge, which proceed on the descriptive, logical and the level of generative mechanisms. Parallel process of boundary crossing and transdisciplinary activity is going on in the applied domains. Technological artifacts are becoming increasingly complex and their design is strongly user-centered, which brings in not only the function and various technological qualities but also other aspects including esthetic, user experience, ethics and sustainability with social and environmental dimensions. When integrating knowledge from a variety of fields, with contributions from different groups of stakeholders, numerous challenges are met in establishing common view and common course of action. In this context, information is our environment, and informational ecology determines both epistemology and spaces for action. We present some insights into the current state of the art of transdisciplinary theory and practice of information studies and informatics. We depict different facets of transdisciplinarity as we see it from our different research fields that include information studies, computability, human-computer interaction, multi-operating-systems environments and philosophy.Comment: Chapter in a forthcoming book: Information Studies and the Quest for Transdisciplinarity - Forthcoming book in World Scientific. Mark Burgin and Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Editor

Creationism and evolution

In Tower of Babel, Robert Pennock wrote that “defenders of evolution would help their case immeasurably if they would reassure their audience that morality, purpose, and meaning are not lost by accepting the truth of evolution.” We first consider the thesis that the creationists’ movement exploits moral concerns to spread its ideas against the theory of evolution. We analyze their arguments and possible reasons why they are easily accepted. Creationists usually employ two contradictive strategies to expose the purported moral degradation that comes with accepting the theory of evolution. On the one hand they claim that evolutionary theory is immoral. On the other hand creationists think of evolutionary theory as amoral. Both objections come naturally in a monotheistic view. But we can find similar conclusions about the supposed moral aspects of evolution in non-religiously inspired discussions. Meanwhile, the creationism-evolution debate mainly focuses — understandably — on what constitutes good science. We consider the need for moral reassurance and analyze reassuring arguments from philosophers. Philosophers may stress that science does not prescribe and is therefore not immoral, but this reaction opens the door for the objection of amorality that evolution — as a naturalistic world view at least — supposedly endorses. We consider that the topic of morality and its relation to the acceptance of evolution may need more empirical research

An Investigation of Case-Based Instruction with Feedback in a Research Methods Module

Case-based instruction (CBI) is a strategy that has shown positive outcomes for promoting learner engagement, improving attitudes toward instruction, and increasing measures of learning. Research methods courses are an area for which CBI may effectively improve learning performance and attitudes. Studies have shown that research methods is a topic that students often find especially difficult and stressful. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students who received online CBI with feedback would score higher on a posttest and satisfaction questionnaire, compared to students who received the same CBI without feedback. The sample used for this study included students that were enrolled in a psychology graduate course in research methods; an interdisciplinary graduate course in educational research methods; and an undergraduate course in educational technology. The independent variable was online case-based instruction, with two levels: with feedback, and without feedback. The dependent variables were student knowledge performance, and student satisfaction. Student knowledge performance was measured by a multiple-choice posttest, and student satisfaction was measured by a 11-item questionnaire. viii The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for performance and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for satisfaction, with the alpha level set at .05. No statistically significant differences were found for test performance nor satisfaction with the instruction. Given this finding of no statistically significant differences, follow-up analyses were conducted on categories of question topics (independent/dependent variables; experimental/non-experimental research designs; and causation). No statistically significant differences were found when results were examined by question topic. Further follow-up analyses were conducted on question topic categories for each of the three courses in the study. No statistically significant differences were found in the psychology and research methods courses. The sample size for the educational technology course was not large enough for statistical analysis. Several factors may have contributed to this finding of no statistically significant difference. These factors include preexisting knowledge and insufficient difference between the control and treatment conditions. Further research is suggested, including investigation of the effects of CBI with feedback on reflective thinking, and the enhanced use of multimedia to deliver CB

Exploring the topology of the plausible: Fs/QCA counterfactual analysis and the plausible fit of unobserved organizational configurations

The main aim of this contribution is to expand the dominant rationale of organizational design research by including solutions and possibilities not observed in reality. We believe that the counterfactual approach to configurations responds to an open call in organization theory and strategy to move the modelling of fit towards a more robust and theory-based specification. With this new approach we propose to rediscover the roots of organization design as a distinct normative discipline that ‘should stand approximately in relation to the basic social sciences as engineering stands with respect to physical sciences or medicine to the biological’. At a more general level, our view implies an expansion of the dominant meaning of the concept of ‘relevance’ in management research. While we agree with Gulati (2007: 780) that we as scholars should probe ‘more deeply into the problems and other issues that managers care about’, we also believe that relevance does not necessarily mean that researchers have to use an ex-post rationality by studying only empirically frequent phenomena. In contrast, we think that any management esearcher should bring with her or himself a fragment of the spirit of the great Greek philosopher Anaximander (c. 610–c. 546 BC), who foresaw the concept of the infinite universe without the support of any empirical observation and against the predominant wisdom of the time. Not by chance, Karl Popper (1998) onsidered Anaximander’s intuitions among the most vivid demonstrations of the power of human thought and logic

A Systematic Review of the Impact on Students and Teachers of the Use of ICT for Assessment of Creative and Critical Thinking Skills

First paragraph: The review reported here was prompted by the rapid changes associated with the ‘information age’. New technologies have created both the need for education toprovide students with what are described as ‘higher level thinking skills’ and the opportunity to teach and assess these skills. There is also evidence from two previous reviews of assessment (Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2002; Black and Wiliam, 1998) that, on the one hand, what is assessed for summative purposes is what is valued in the curriculum, and, on the other hand, that formative assessment of what is taught leads to improved learning. It follows that, if valued goals of education are to be taught effectively, they need to be assessed effectively for both formative and summative purposes. The reported neglect of creative and critical thinking in assessment (Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2000) is therefore a cause for concern, given the prominence it is accorded in currentdiscussion of the education that students need in preparation for life in a rapidly changing society and for life long learning

Better, Nicer, Clearer, Fairer: A Critical Assessment of the Movement for Ethical Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

This paper uses frame analysis to examine recent high-profile values statements endorsing ethical design for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). Guided by insights from values in design and the sociology of business ethics, we uncover the grounding assumptions and terms of debate that make some conversations about ethical design possible while forestalling alternative visions. Vision statements for ethical AI/ML co-opt the language of some critics, folding them into a limited, technologically deterministic, expert-driven view of what ethical AI/ML means and how it might work

Scientific inquiry and the causes of civil war : the feasibility thesis and beyond

This Master's Thesis uses Collier, Hoeffler, and Rohner's (2009) Feasibility Thesis as a field for a thorough inquiry into the question of how we can best study the causes of civil war. We advocate a pluralist research strategy, with set-theoretic (especially fuzzy-set) methods as a key component, as the most promising strategy for the study of the causes of civil war

Differential Perceptions of Teachers and Students About the Teaching and Learning of History in Secondary Schools of Trinidad and Tobago

Problem. Students at the upper secondary-school level sometimes experience difficulties understanding basic historical concepts as well as appreciating the relevance of history as a subject in the school\u27s curriculum. While these students are capable of formulating perspectives of their own, teachers often find it necessary to guide students\u27 thinking toward an accepted paradigm (scholarly concept) of history. The problem is that there are mismatched paradigms that teachers need to bring together in order to establish a foundation for a scholarly approach to history. This study seeks to identify different conceptual frameworks that exist in students\u27 thinking about history. It also probes into teachers\u27 perceptions of history and their opinions about students\u27 understanding of historical concepts. Method. This study employed a mixed-method research design aimed at triangulating quantitative and qualitative data obtained from questionnaires and focus group interviews. Participants were randomly drawn from selected secondary schools in Tobago and the east/west corridor of Trinidad. Four hundred and fifteen history students and 17 history teachers of the Fifth and Sixth Form classes participated in the study. Findings. Analysis of the findings revealed the following: (1) Students generally rejected the notion that history is boring and irrelevant to everyday life. However, those in the Fifth Form were more likely than those in the Lower and Upper Sixth Forms to view history as boring. (2) Although students were able to identify appropriate responses on the surveys regarding the question of multiple causation, they were unable to adequately defend their position in a focus group setting. (3) There were no significant differences between teachers\u27 and students\u27 perceptions of the scope of the history syllabus, students\u27 ability to understand texts used in history classes, and the role of the teacher in the teaching and learning process. Conclusions. This study has highlighted the ability reflective thinking, and to formulate perceptions of their own. While these conceptual paradigms may require some adjustment, it is important for teachers to recognize the potency of students\u27 perceptions as critical factors in influencing how and what they learn about history