The effect of WWW document structure on students' information retrieval

This experiment investigated the effect the structure of a WWW document has on the amount of information retained by a reader. Three structures common on the Internet were tested: one long page; a table of contents leading to individual sections; and short sections of text on separate pages with revision questions. Participants read information structured in one of these ways and were then tested on recall of that information. A further experiment investigated the effect that 'browsing' - moving between pages - has on retrieval. There was no difference between the structures for overall amount of information retained. The single page version was best for recall of facts, while the short sections of text with revision questions led to the most accurate inferences from the material. Browsing on its own had no significant impact on information retrieval. Revision questions rather than structure per se were therefore the key factor

The design of speech-based automated mobile phone services using interface metaphors

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Interface metaphor is a widely used design technique for interactive computer systems. The advantages of using interface metaphors derive from their ability to promote active learning, which enables a user to transfer knowledge from a familiar real world domain, to an unfamiliar computing domain. Interface metaphor is not currently used for the design of automated phone services, and it was the aim of this thesis to examine whether interface metaphor could improve the usability of speech-activated automated mobile phone services. A human-centred design methodology was followed to generate, select, and develop potential metaphors, which were used to implement metaphor-based phone services. An experimental methodology was then used to compare the usability of the metaphor-based services with the usability of currently available number-based phone services. The first experiment examined the effect of three different interface metaphors on the usability of a mobile city guide service. Usability was measured as a range of performance and attitude measures, and was supplemented by telephone interview data. After three consecutive days of usage, participants both preferred, and performed better with, the service that was based on an office filing system metaphor. Experiment two was conducted over a six week period, and investigated the effect of users' individual differences, and the context of use, on the usability of both the office filing system metaphor-based service, and a non-metaphor service. The results showed that performance with the metaphor-based service was significantly better than performance with the non-metaphor service. The usability of the metaphor-based service was not significantly affected by users' individual characteristics and aptitudes, whereas the number-based service was, suggesting that metaphor-based services may be more usable for a wider range of potential users. Usability levels for both services were found to be consistent across both private and public locations of use, suggesting that speech-activated mobile phone services provide a flexible means of information access. Experiment three investigated the strategies used by participants when interacting with mobile phone services, specifically the visualisation strategy that was used by two thirds of the metaphor-based service participants in experiment two. In addition to the attitude and performance measures used for experiments one and two, face-to face interviews were conducted with participants. The results indicated that significantly more participants visualised the metaphor-based services relative to a non-metaphor service, and that visualisation of the service structure led to significant performance improvements. This thesis has demonstrated the usability benefits of interface metaphor as a design technique for speech-based mobile phone services. These benefits of metaphor appear to derive from their ability to provide a mental model of the phone service that can be visualised, and their ability to accommodate the individual differences of users

Voice Navigation of Structured Web Spaces

Voice Navigation of web spaces has become a reality in the last few years, partly due to the rapid adoption of VoiceXML and the increase in communication quality and computing power of cell-phones. This report discusses some of the approaches on how to convert the web content to a way that could be used from a voice-enabled phone. These approaches have different pros and cons when it comes to the usability of the voice-navigation of web spaces. This report discusses our work to produce voice navigation of web spaces placing usability as the highest criteria. We have designed of a voice user interface for pages with a fixed structure and user-specified content, such as My Yahoo! pages. For these types of pages, we have defined the voice navigation strategy that we will use and conducted an initial usability study on this navigation strategy. From the usability study we have obtained validation for some of our approaches, and learned some new concepts in voice navigation as well. With our findings, we are defining annotation tags that can be used to produce highly usable web pages over a phone user interface. In this paper we describe our initial study and the findings of the study

From Text to Self: Users' Perceptions of Potential of AI on Interpersonal Communication and Self

In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-mediated communication (AIMC), tools powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming integral to interpersonal communication. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted a one-week diary and interview study to explore users' perceptions of these tools' ability to: 1) support interpersonal communication in the short-term, and 2) lead to potential long-term effects. Our findings indicate that participants view AIMC support favorably, citing benefits such as increased communication confidence, and finding precise language to express their thoughts, navigating linguistic and cultural barriers. However, the study also uncovers current limitations of AIMC tools, including verbosity, unnatural responses, and excessive emotional intensity. These shortcomings are further exacerbated by user concerns about inauthenticity and potential overreliance on the technology. Furthermore, we identified four key communication spaces delineated by communication stakes (high or low) and relationship dynamics (formal or informal) that differentially predict users' attitudes toward AIMC tools. Specifically, participants found the tool is more suitable for communicating in formal relationships than informal ones and more beneficial in high-stakes than low-stakes communication

Reading and Math Explorers Website

Paralleling nationwide trends to implement effective technology-in-education initiatives as part of the plan to increase academic proficiency and improve quality of education for America\u27s students, this project team designed and developed an interactive Website as a technological component of Reading & Math Explorers for elementary school supplementary curriculum. Utilizing focus groups with elementary school teachers and WPI Office of K-12 Outreach professional staff, this project team designed a fun, child-user-friendly, interactive reading and mathematics Website for elementary school students

Bridging the Gulf of Envisioning: Cognitive Design Challenges in LLM Interfaces

Large language models (LLMs) exhibit dynamic capabilities and appear to comprehend complex and ambiguous natural language prompts. However, calibrating LLM interactions is challenging for interface designers and end-users alike. A central issue is our limited grasp of how human cognitive processes begin with a goal and form intentions for executing actions, a blindspot even in established interaction models such as Norman's gulfs of execution and evaluation. To address this gap, we theorize how end-users 'envision' translating their goals into clear intentions and craft prompts to obtain the desired LLM response. We define a process of Envisioning by highlighting three misalignments: (1) knowing whether LLMs can accomplish the task, (2) how to instruct the LLM to do the task, and (3) how to evaluate the success of the LLM's output in meeting the goal. Finally, we make recommendations to narrow the envisioning gulf in human-LLM interactions

Cooling Out in the Verification Process: A Mixed Methods Exploration into the Relevance of Racism in Community College Students’ Financial Aid Experiences

Through this dissertation, I seek to study the experiences of community college students in the financial aid verification process and to learn how this process may cool out these students. Utilizing Burton Clark’s concept of cooling out, a five-step process that lowers the aspirations of community college students, the dissertation makes the argument that the cooling out process is a function of racism. I seek to answer the following research questions: 1) What are the characteristics for community college students that are selected for financial aid verification? 2) To what extent does cooling out exist within the financial aid verification process? If so, how does the financial aid verification process cool out community college students? 3) How does systemic racism play out in the experiences of students in the financial aid verification process? In order to answer the research questions, I employ a mixed methodology that utilizes the analysis of institutional data and interviews in order to learn about the impact that verification has on students attending a community college in California. Based on the analyses of institutional data from the site where study was conducted, only 23% of students selected for verification had received their financial aid disbursement. From the qualitative interviews, student participants expressed their experiences with the financial aid process, shared their interactions with the financial aid staff and how they navigated the verification process. The interviews also discussed financial aid fraud and how students’ race influenced their experience in the financial aid process. The implications for this study provide insight to policy makers and practitioners through a better-informed understanding of the difficulties that students experience in the verification process, how they perceive the verification process, and how racism influences financial aid policies and practices as it pertains to verification

Self-Determination Skill Development: A Qualitative Exploration of College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

abstract: This study explored the influence of how the development of self-determination skills affected college students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Five college students who qualified for a university-based disabilities resource program under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participated in a five session mentoring program over the course of the first 12 weeks of the fall semester. The mentoring program was designed to develop specific self-determination skills, including, self-awareness, self-advocacy, and confidence. Participants engaged in an interactive dialogue, discussing specific skills and experiences, relative to the development of self-determination skills. Pre- and post-surveys, and a post intervention interview indicated that the students reported positive results in describing that mentoring experience, and found the protocol useful in their development of self-determination skills. Implications identified for further application into practice, include (a) a deeper appreciation and review of the participants’ background and experience, (b) the development and implementation of peer-to-peer mentoring, (c) the need for more intentional collaboration with high school partners, (d) the need to expand the skills being developed, and (e), the need to expand the number of services and resources discussed. This study will be used in the exploration of a broader collegiate mentoring program geared towards students with ASD with the purpose of increasing self-determination skills.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 201

Reading and Math Explorers™: Professional Development

The goal of this Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) was to design a professional development (PD) providing K-4 teachers with the expertise to navigate the Reading and Math Explorers™ (RME) website. The team researched learning, interactive technology, and professional developments, which helped them create a PD. Participants provided feedback stating the PD was effective. Teachers gained skills to utilize RME as a resource, which they plan to implement in their classrooms. Results of this IQP are beneficial to interactive PD facilitators