Modeling the successes and failures of content-based platforms

Online platforms, such as Quora, Reddit, and Stack Exchange, provide substantial value to society through their original content. Content from these platforms informs many spheres of life—software development, finance, and academic research, among many others. Motivated by their content's powerful applications, we refer to these platforms as content-based platforms and study their successes and failures. The most common avenue of studying online platforms' successes and failures is to examine user growth. However, growth can be misleading. While many platforms initially attract a massive user base, a large fraction later exhibit post-growth failures. For example, despite their enormous growth, content-based platforms like Stack Exchange and Reddit have struggled with retaining users and generating high-quality content. Motivated by these post-growth failures, we ask: when are content-based platforms sustainable? This thesis aims to develop explanatory models that can shed light on the long-term successes and failures of content-based platforms. To this end, we conduct a series of large-scale empirical studies by developing explanatory and causal models. In the first study, we analyze the community question answering websites in Stack Exchange through the economic lens of a "market". We discover a curious phenomenon: in many Stack Exchange sites, platform success measures, such as the percentage of the answered questions, decline with an increase in the number of users. In the second study, we identify the causal factors that contribute to this decline. Specifically, we show that impression signals such as contributing user's reputation, aggregate vote thus far, and position of content significantly affect the votes on content in Stack Exchange sites. These unintended effects are known as voter biases, which in turn affect the future participation of users. In the third study, we develop a methodology for reasoning about alternative voting norms, specifically how they impact user retention. We show that if the Stack Exchange community members had voted based upon content-based criteria, such as length, readability, objectivity, and polarity, the platform would have attained higher user retention. In the fourth study, we examine the effect of user roles on the health of content-based platforms. We reveal that the composition of Stack Exchange communities (based on user roles) varies across topical categories. Further, these communities exhibit statistically significant differences in health metrics. Altogether, this thesis offers some fresh insights into understanding the successes and failures of content-based platforms

HARNESSING ONLINE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA: ORDINARY USERS AND INFLUENTIAL USERS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Gamification of e-Learning: an investigation into the influence of gamification on student motivation.

Master of Commerce in Information Systems & Technology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2017.Traditional teacher-centred learning is being confronted by an increasing awareness of the value of student-centred learning. E-learning, despite its limitations, is often presented as a solution to learning challenges prevalent in teacher-centred learning since it affords students greater control of the learning process. Combined with this, academics are increasingly competing for students’ attention and struggle to motivate students. However, students, when confronted with the array of games and social media platforms available, willingly dedicate several hours glued to their screens socialising, engaging and gaming. Such willingness to engage these so-called distractions whilst displaying reluctance to engage their academic work may be attributed to a lack of motivation. This is even more prevalent in the domain of e-learning. Adopting an embedded mixed methods case study design, this study explored the influence of gamification of e-learning on motivation. Herein, expectations and factors influencing experiences of gamification of e-learning were explored. Furthermore, through Self-Determination Theory (SDT) & Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) as theoretical lenses, this study explored how gamification of e-learning influences motivation. Gamification is conceptualised as an objective-driven user-centred technique which integrates game mechanics, dynamics and game aesthetics into real-world contexts to motivate behaviour. Gartner envisages that by 2020, gamification will be deeply integrated into the prevalent higher education structures. Whilst many applications of gamification aim towards enhancing classroom-based learning, the exploration of gamification of e-learning in higher education, particularly in a developing country, remains an emerging domain of research. This research found that participants experienced gamification and various game elements differently, based on their BrainHex gamer profiles. In terms of SDT, whilst progression through the gamified course was guided and consistent, with all participants progressing as a single group, they experienced a sense of autonomy. Participants also experienced a greater sense of competence and relatedness in engaging with the gamified course. In the context of IMI, participants’ experiences suggest that gamification was valuable, increased curiosity and was effective for learning. However, they reported experiencing tension and a high degree of effort required by the gamified course. Students expected transparency in terms of scoring and raised queries where required. They generally preferred visual cues whilst engaging with the gamified course, expected almost real-time feedback in terms of scoring and resolution of queries, but had varying views on which game elements motivated them. Essentially, it was found that gamification positively influenced participants’ motivation. However, it must be noted that whilst gamification motivated students, some experienced demotivation. Contributing factors include not understanding the game from the outset, being demotivated by not earning frequent rewards and losing progress in the game due to external factors

The rise of motivational information systems: A review of gamification research

Today, our reality and lives are increasingly game-like, not only because games have become a pervasive part of our lives, but also because activities, systems and services are increasingly gamified. Gamification refers to designing information systems to afford similar experiences and motivations as games do, and consequently, attempting to affect user behavior. In recent years, popularity of gamification has skyrocketed and manifested in growing numbers of gamified applications, as well as a rapidly increasing amount of research. However, this vein of research has mainly advanced without an agenda, theoretical guidance or a clear picture of the field.To make the picture more coherent, we provide a comprehensive review of the gamification research (N = 819 studies) and analyze the research models and results in empirical studies on gamification. While the results in general lean towards positive findings about the effectiveness of gamification, the amount of mixed results is remarkable. Furthermore, education, health and crowdsourcing as well as points, badges and leaderboards persist as the most common contexts and ways of implementing gamification. Concurrently, gamification research still lacks coherence in research models, and a consistency in the variables and theoretical foundations. As a final contribution of the review, we provide a comprehensive discussion, consisting of 15 future research trajectories, on future agenda for the growing vein of literature on gamification and gameful systems within the information system science field.</p

Open Education

"This insightful collection of essays explores the ways in which open education can democratise access to education for all. It is a rich resource that offers both research and case studies to relate the application of open technologies and approaches in education settings around the world. Global in perspective, this book argues strongly for the value of open education in both the developed and developing worlds. Through a mixture of theoretical and practical approaches, it demonstrates that open education promotes ideals of inclusion, diversity, and social justice to achieve the vision of education as a fundamental human right. A must-read for practitioners, policy-makers, scholars and students in the field of education.

The Elements of Big Data Value

This open access book presents the foundations of the Big Data research and innovation ecosystem and the associated enablers that facilitate delivering value from data for business and society. It provides insights into the key elements for research and innovation, technical architectures, business models, skills, and best practices to support the creation of data-driven solutions and organizations. The book is a compilation of selected high-quality chapters covering best practices, technologies, experiences, and practical recommendations on research and innovation for big data. The contributions are grouped into four parts: · Part I: Ecosystem Elements of Big Data Value focuses on establishing the big data value ecosystem using a holistic approach to make it attractive and valuable to all stakeholders. · Part II: Research and Innovation Elements of Big Data Value details the key technical and capability challenges to be addressed for delivering big data value. · Part III: Business, Policy, and Societal Elements of Big Data Value investigates the need to make more efficient use of big data and understanding that data is an asset that has significant potential for the economy and society. · Part IV: Emerging Elements of Big Data Value explores the critical elements to maximizing the future potential of big data value. Overall, readers are provided with insights which can support them in creating data-driven solutions, organizations, and productive data ecosystems. The material represents the results of a collective effort undertaken by the European data community as part of the Big Data Value Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the European Commission and the Big Data Value Association (BDVA) to boost data-driven digital transformation