Computer-mediated collaboration and the transitioning of intercultural spaces

The following implementation of computer-mediated collaboration\ud aims to help international students improve the quality of their intercultural experiences by applying strategies for synthesizing and applying knowledge obtained\ud through cross-cultural interactions. It does this by engaging learners in computermediated collaborative activities that help increase their factual knowledge in\ud areas of individual relevance, develop personally effective retrieval and application frameworks and improve their ability to monitor their own thinking and\ud learning

Culture and concept design : a study of international teams

This paper explores the relationship between culture and performance in concept design. Economic globalisation has meant that the management of global teams has become of strategic importance in product development. Cultural diversity is a key factor in such teams, and this work seeks to better understand the effect this can have on two key aspects of the concept design process: concept generation and concept selection. To this end, a group of 32 students from 17 countries all over the world were divided into culturally diverse teams and asked to perform a short design exercise. A version of the Gallery Method allowed two kinds of activity to be monitored – the individual development of concepts and the collective filtering and selection of them. The effect of culture on these processes was the focus of the work. Using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the output from the sessions were reviewed according to national boundaries. The results indicate that individualism and masculinity had the most discernable effect on concept generation and concept selection respectively

Does Collectivism Inhibit Individual Creativity? The Effects of Collectivism and Perceived Diversity on Individual Creativity and Satisfaction in Virtual Ideation Teams

One particular problem CSCW and HCI scholars have sought to address through the design of collaborative systems is the issues associated with diversity and creativity. Diversity can promote creativity by exposing individuals to different perspectives and at the same time make it difficultfor teams to leverage their differences to be more creative. This paper asserts that through the promotion of cooperation, collectivism will help ideation team members overcome the challenges associated with diversity and promote creativity. To examine this assertion, we conducted an experimental study involving 107 individuals in 33 idea-generation teams. Collectivism was promoted through priming. The results confirm our assertion: collectivism created conditions that facilitated creativity when teams were high in perceived diversity. Collectivism also facilitated more satisfaction among teammates by offsetting negative perceptions of diversity. These results offer new insights on collectivism, perceived diversity and creativity.National Science Foundation CHS-1617820UM Rackham Graduate SchoolPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133953/1/CSCW356-revision Sep 27 2016 -final.pd

Remote brainstorming: Methodological interventions in designing from a distance

This paper examines the immediate effects of group methods in facilitating remote team collaboration. We recruited seven teams with prior experience working together. All teams completed two current, complex, and open-ended design challenges using remote tools. We examined design activities before and after teams were given a design method intervention. The interventions were a Brainstorming Method to promote divergent thinking and the Five-Whys method to promote analytical thinking. Using OpenFace, we observed changes in emotion by examining facial expressions. We found that the brainstorming intervention did not have a change in ideation performance and the problem analysis intervention had a decrease in ideation performance. Teams used digital media to facilitate communication but were constrained by the media\u27s tools. Our results can inform teams in organizations interested in promoting divergent thinking to not expect immediate improvements in ideation performance following the introduction of a design method. Future research is required to identify relevant abilities and social skills needed to facilitate remote ideation through design methods

Improve your teaching: publication for academic teachers

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Team Igniter: an adaptive toolkit to guide and leverage collaboration in teams seeking to problem-solve and innovate

Even though interdisciplinarity has been constantly debated and supported during faculty meetings at RIT, still, academic programs confine themselves into silos, hampering student integration. The struggle to effectively collaborate becomes evident in the existent on campus initiatives that challenge students from different disciplines to work together. The consequence is the under-utilization of the students\u27 potential which leads to mediocre outcomes. This thesis investigated main collaboration problems typical of groups seeking to problem-solve such as groupthink, production blocking, social loafing and social anxiety. These issues were studied in the academic context through a user-centered methodology that involved observations and interviews with college students. The proposed solution integrated user experience (UX) methods with social psychology’s research findings and game design dynamics into a toolkit constituted of both digital and tangible components that complemented each other to offer an interactive and immersive experience. The purpose of the toolkit was to provide a fluid framework to guide teams seeking innovation in order to leverage student collaborations and thus promote a truly academic synergy that is likely to lead to more innovative ideas and solutions

Effective Virtual Teams for New Product Development

At present, the existing literature shows that the factors which influence the effectiveness of virtual teams for new product development are still ambiguous. To address this problem, a research design was developed, which includes detailed literature review, preliminary model and field survey. From literature review, the factors which influence the effectiveness of virtual teams are identified and these factors are modified using a field survey. The relationship between knowledge workers (people), process and technology in virtual teams is explored in this study. The results of the study suggest that technology and process are tightly correlated and need to be considered early in virtual teams. The use of software as a service, web solution, report generator and tracking system should be incorporated for effectiveness virtual teams

Effect of Lateral Thinking Dispositions on Groupwork

The aim of this study is to compare the effect of lateral thinking dispositions on groupwork ---- in a collaborative learning environment from different angles as quantitatively and qualitatively in line with methodological pluralism. The population of the study included freshmen students studying Gastronomy and Culinary Arts in Tourism Faculty of a state university. The study was conducted in three samples within the scope of methodological pluralism including data triangulation (for SPSS analysis: N= 83- all the students in the study universe-; for thematic analysis: N= 66- selected on a voluntary basis depending on voluntary response sampling-; and for the Rasch analysis: N= 16 students accepting to participate this aspect of the study voluntarily and 3 faculty members who have the responsibilities of the groupwork of the students). In the quantitative phase, descriptive analysis was performed through the Rasch Measurement Model and SPSS program while in the qualitative part of the study, the case study approach was conducted under the checklist of COREQ Statement. Rasch results indicated the LATD (Lateral Thinking Dispositions) scores of the students graduating from tourism or cooking related vocational high schools and having work experience were higher than their counterparts not graduating from tourism related high schools and had no work experience beforehand. Qualitative results showed consistency with the quantitative results. Teachers are suggested to be trained so that lateral thinking skills can be implemented in class environment

Using group dynamics and personality characteristics to form learning groups in high school multimedia courses

The purpose of this study was to provide insights into Emergenetics® STEPTM personality profiling as a selection and placement strategy to enhance process and performance in high school learning groups. An explanatory case study was conducted in a private high school currently subscribing to the Emergenetics® STEPTM program. Emergenetics® STEPTM Profile results of students enrolled in the school’s six Multimedia Productions courses were analyzed as the basis for learning group construction. Key individual thinking preferences (Analytical, Structural, Social, Conceptual) identified by the STEPTM Profile was the main variable of analysis. One learning group from each of the six classes (n = 30) served as the unit of analysis. Data were collected from learning group observations, student journals, project assessments, and student and teacher interviews. Results of the study indicated Emergenetics® personality profiling may be a useful approach for grouping students. In particular, grouping students in WEteam® combinations, where all Thinking Attributes are adequately represented, may produce stronger, more creative, and productive learning groups, as Emergenetics® theory suggests (The Browning Group International Inc., n.d.). Groups where all Thinking Attributes were present also tended to adopt teamwork as their primary leadership style. The adoption of this participative leadership style, whether by an individual leader or through shared group leadership, appeared to generate a more successful and enjoyable group learning experience than other leadership styles. This is consistent with previous research (Chen & Lawson, 1996; French, Waas, Stright, & Baker, 1986; Mueller & Fleming, 2001; M.R. Myers & Slavin, 1990). Factors possibly contributing to lower member participation were also identified. These factors included lack of or flawed prior relationships, adverse perception of group learning, and presence of specific levels of Behavioral Attributes. Specific levels of Behavioral Attributes associated with diminished participation included first-third Expressives, first-third Assertiveness, and third-third Flexibles. However, this should not be taken to imply people with these preferences would always participate less than those holding other levels of these Behavioral Attributes. Instead, these Behavioral Attributes offer insight into why some people in certain circumstances participate less in group work