Identifying core knowledge and skill sets for model curricula: update

This deliverable presents state of the art in curriculum development work, and compares IDCnet to it. Next it discusses the methodology followed to identify key knowledge and skill sets for Design for All. The categories of knowledge thus identified are organised into a taxonomy with examples given for each category and subcategory along with a set of learning outcomes. The purpose of the taxonomy is to structure the knowledge. As this deliverable was a ‘living’ document, and as further activities have taken place since this deliverable was first submitted, this version includes a substantially expanded chapter 5, incorporating comments from: the project review process; the new members of IDCnet; the second IDCnet workshop; as well as comments received from colleagues in response to dissemination activities at conferences. The categories and subcategories of the taxonomy remain unchanged, but further topics and examples have been added to illustrate and clarify the use and range of each category. Finally, the next steps in the IDCnet WP3 strategy are briefly described

Annual Report 2016-2017

The College of Computing and Digital Media has always prided itself on curriculum, creative work, and research that stays current with changes in our various fields of instruction. As we looked back on our 2016-17 academic year, the need to chronicle the breadth and excellence of this work became clear. We are pleased to share with you this annual report, our first, highlighting our accomplishments. Last year, we began offering three new graduate programs and two new certificate programs. We also planned six degree programs and three new certificate programs for implementation in the current academic year. CDM faculty were published more than 100 times, had their films screened more than 200 times, and participated in over two dozen exhibitions. Our students were recognized for their scholarly and creative work, and our alumni accomplished amazing things, from winning a Student Academy Award to receiving a Pulitzer. We are proud of all the work we have done together. One notable priority for us in 2016-17 was creating and strengthening relationships with industry—including expanding our footprint at Cinespace and developing the iD Lab—as well as with the community, through partnerships with the Chicago Housing Authority, Wabash Lights, and other nonprofit organizations. We look forward to continuing to provide innovative programs and spaces this academic year. Two areas in particular we’ve been watching closely are makerspaces and the “internet of things.” We’ve already made significant commitments to these areas through the creation of our 4,500 square foot makerspace, the Idea Realization Lab, and our new cyber-physical systems bachelor’s program and lab. We are excited to continue providing the opportunities, curriculum, and facilities to support our remarkable students. David MillerDean, College of Computing and Digital Mediahttps://via.library.depaul.edu/cdmannual/1000/thumbnail.jp

Core-SL-SW-generator : gerador automático da escrita da libras a partir de um modelo de especificação formal dos sinais

Orientadora: Laura Sánchez GarcíaCoorientadora: Tanya Amara FelipeTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Exatas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Informática . Defesa : Curitiba, 10/12/2018Inclui referências: p. 79-82Resumo: Os seres humanos são capazes de interagir com outras pessoas, acessar o conhecimento e desenvolver seu intelecto por meio da sua língua preferencial. Sendo assim, as pessoas que não utilizam essa forma de comunicação estão às margens da própria sociedade.Os usuários que usam como forma de comunicação um tipo diferente da língua oral de seu país, acabam sendo privados de direitos e do pleno exercício da cidadania. Mais do que o convívio social, não utilizar a língua preferencial para uma comunidade também tem outros reflexos. Um dos exemplos de comunidade que sofre com estas barreiras é a Comunidade Surda. A escrita na língua natural ou preferencial é um pré-requisito para a formação do ser humano, pois quem pouco lê, pouco escreve e isso atinge diretamente os Surdos. Apesar das Línguas de Sinais (LS) já estarem consolidadas na sociedade há um certo tempo e no Brasil, e a Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras) ser lei desde 2002, é escasso o fornecimento de qualquer material na forma escrita das Línguas de Sinais, ou seja, na língua preferencial dos membros dessa comunidade. Isso tem distintas consequências para os surdos, incluindo cultural, social e de letramento. Esta tese está inserida no contexto de uma Arquitetura de Interação Humano-Computador em Língua de Sinais (HCI-SL) que tem o intuito de dar suporte à criação de ferramentas e de aplicações para o usuário final que ofereçam uma interação de qualidade por meio das Línguas de Sinais e no Modelo Computacional para a representação de sinais das LS (CORE-SL), seu módulo principal, que permite a resolução de questões como armazenamento, indexação, recuperação, reconhecimento, reprodução, síntese, entre outras. SignWriting é um sistema de escrita que tem a capacidade de representar graficamente qualquer LS. Essa propriedade leva à sua complexidade intrínseca, que, consequentemente, faz com que seu uso não alcance uma ampla aceitação. Na literatura relacionada, são encontradas diversas ferramentas que têm intuito de fornecer apoio aos Surdos que desejam utilizar o SignWriting, mas essas ferramentas apresentam diversos problemas que levam ao baixo uso das mesmas. A geração automática dos Sinais em SignWriting é uma alternativa de solução apropriada capaz de para proporcionar o acesso à informação e ao conhecimento, assim como a sua apropriação para a produção textual, na língua preferencial de forma escrita para as comunidades Surdas. Palavras-chave: SignWriting, Libras, Geração Automática.Abstract: Human beings are able to interact with other people, access knowledge and develop their intellect through their preferred language. Thus, people who do not use this form of communication are left on the edge of society. Users of a different form of communication than the official oral language of their country end up being deprived of rights and of full exercise of citizenship. More than social interaction, not using the preferred language for a community also has other reflexes. One example of a community that suffers from these barriers is the Deaf Community. Writing in the natural or preferential language is a prerequisite for the formation of the human being, for whoever reads little, writes little and this directly affects the Deaf. Although Sign Languages (LS) have been consolidated in society for some time and in Brazil, the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) has been a law since 2002, there is a scarcity of material in the written form of Sign Language, that is, in the preferred language of the members of that community. This has distinct consequences for the deaf, including cultural, social and literacy implications. This PhD Thesis belongs in the context of a Human-Computer Interaction Architecture in Sign Language (HCI-SL) that aims to support the creation of tools and end-user applications that offer proper interaction through Sign Language (SL). It also belongs in the Computational Model for the representation of the signs of Sign Language (CORE-SL), its main module, which allows the resolution of issues such as signs storage, indexing, retrieval, recognition, reproduction, synthesis, among others. SignWriting is a writing system that has the ability to represent, in graphical form, any SL. This property leads to its intrinsic complexity, which consequently makes its use not to be wide accepted. There are several tools, in related literature, that intend to provide support to Deaf people who wish to use SignWriting, but these tools present several problems, which lead to their low usage. We believe that the automatic generation of SignWriting signs is an appropriate solution, capable of providing access to information and knowledge, as well as its appropriation for textual production, in the preferred written form of language for the Deaf communities. Keywords: SignWriting, Libras, Automatic Generation

Using Media Equation Theory to Assess the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Technology in Organizational Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Training

The emergence of immersive virtual reality media technology is providing human beings with a new communication platform to engage beyond the traditional frameworks of video media, audio media, and static webpages on the Internet. These communication media technologies offer users an immersive environment in which they are able to communicate and interact with fellow human beings and non-human entities in life-like mannerisms. Most importantly, this technology also has the potential to bridge gaps and solve problems within the context of certain cultural and societal issues. The issue of communication deficiencies surrounding the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is one that holds significant value for many individuals, organizations, and institutions. This research study explores how the use of virtual reality media in the form of a DEIB training module can aid in more efficient and meaningful organizational training related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging communication strategies

CARE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF HACKER IDENTITIES, COMMUNITIES, AND SOCIETY

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Informatics and Computing, 2016Recent scholarship in Human-Computer Interaction, science and technology studies, and design research has focused on hacker communities as sites of innovation and entrepreneurship, novel forms of education, and the democratization of technological production. However, hacking practices are more than new technical practices; they are also political, value-laden, and ideological practices. The significances of these underlying commitments is less understood not only in academic research, but also within the communities themselves, which tend to profess a libertarian ethos often articulated as apolitical. In this dissertation, I investigate how the process of developing a hacker identity within a hacker community is influenced not only by technical skill, but also by care and community maintenance practices. By studying their projects, community interactions, and social policies, I explore how the broader hackerspace movement unintentionally but systematically excludes broader participation. I leverage several qualitative methods to create a well-rounded account of the hacker identity development process, including: an interview study of hackers’ projects; a 19-month ethnography in a hackerspace; and an analysis of the most-discussed issues on the international hackerspaces.org Discuss listserv. I analyzed these data through a lens informed by care ethics, foregrounding the interdependent, nurturing relationships hackers develop, and explicating the duties to care that are felt and acted on—but rarely discussed—in these spaces. I present results suggesting that developing a hacker identity can be a vulnerable process, and is both supported and made difficult by the social environment in these communities. While critical to a hackerspace’s success, care and maintenance practices are often overshadowed by rhetoric of self-empowerment and independence. As a result, it becomes difficult for women and minorities to join and fit in, despite members’ best intentions. These results have implications for research on hackerspaces, for hackerspaces themselves, and for analyses of care in such communities

Integrating the internet

This Article argues that the paradigmatic right of people with disabilities “to live in the world” naturally encompasses the right “to live in the Internet.” It further argues that the Internet is rightly understood as a place of public accommodation under antidiscrimination law. Because public accommodations are indispensable to integration, civil rights advocates have long argued that marginalized groups must have equal access to the physical institutions that enable one to learn, socialize, transact business, find jobs, and attend school. The Web now provides all of these opportunities and more, but people with disabilities are unable to traverse vast stretches of its interface. This virtual embargo is indefensible, especially when one recalls that the entire Web was constructed over the last twenty-five years and is further constructed every day. Exclusion from the Internet will cast an even wider shadow as an aging U.S. population with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments increasingly faces barriers to access. Unless immediate attention is given, the virtual exclusion of people with disabilities—and others, such as elders and non-native English speakers—will quickly overshadow the ADA’s previous achievements in the physical sphere.http://www.gwlr.orgam2016Centre for Human Right