Helping Everday Users Establish Confidence for Everyday Applications

End users obtain their desired results by combining elements of information and computation from different applications. Software engineering provides little support for identifying, selecting, or combining these elements – that is, for helping end users to design computational support for their own tasks. Software engineering provides even less support to help end users to decide whether the resulting system is sufficiently dependable –whether it will meet their expectations. Many users, especially end users, base judgments about software on informal and undependable information, and they draw conclusions with informal rather than rational decision methods. We have been developing support for everyday dependability, with an emphasis on expressing expectations in abstractions familiar to the user and on obtaining software behavior that reasonably satisfies those expectations. In this Dagstuhl I would like to explore the differences between everyday informal reasoning and the rational processes of computer science in order to develop means for establishing credible indications of confidence for end users. Everyday Dependability for Everyday Users “Dependability ” is an overarching property of software systems that includes, to various viewers and to various extents, elements of correctness, reliability, fault-tolerance, performance, security

The correlates of computer use and academic achievement among college students from low income backgrounds

The following is a mixed method research study that explores the correlates between computer use and academic achievement among low-income college students at James Madison University. A sample of 42 sophomore, junior and senior students served as participants in this study. All participants were members of the university’s Centennial Scholars Program, an initiative created by the university in 2004 to give high school students from low-income backgrounds the opportunity to go to college on full-tuition scholarship. Using a theoretical framework that incorporated situated cognition theory (Brown, Duguid & Collins, 1989), communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) and the digital divide (Attewell, 2001) the research conducted explored how students from low-income backgrounds engaged with computers for academic and non-academic purposes and how this engagement relates to academic achievement (GPA). Quantitative research returned evidence that a correlation exists between academic achievement and social networking for academic purposes among this population, while qualitative research further explored how this population engaged with computer for academic and non-academic purposes

Use of Drawing as a Communication Tool for alleviating digital anxiety: Exploring digital anxiety in smart mobile users

The ever-present smart mobile device has changed the everyday life of users in both positive and negative ways, and connects users’ lives online and offline. The existence of fewer gaps between online and offline worlds has shaped a new form of social relationship, new ways of thinking, and had sparked changes in smart mobile users’ behaviour. This thesis investigates the problem of digital anxiety among smart mobile users. The aim of this research project is to investigate how digital drawing affects digital anxiety in the smart mobile user. The research is based on the premise that drawing is a communication tool, and it investigates what types of digital drawing content help the smart mobile user relieve their digital anxiety. This research proposes guidelines for the use of drawing to help the smart mobile user who is experiencing digital anxiety. First, I established digital anxiety as a theoretical construct, and then conducted exploratory studies to investigate the practical problems faced by the smart mobile user. I determined the meaning of digital anxiety, and the precise symptoms experienced by the user suffering from digital anxiety, through a theoretical framework and an exploratory study. Lastly, I conducted empirical studies aimed at designing a method of measuring the level of digital anxiety. This method was tested with hundreds of participants, and was used for conducting the digital drawing experiment at the end of my research project. Overall, this thesis establishes the scope for determining digital anxiety, provides a method of quantifying digital anxiety, and demonstrates the use of digital drawing to relieve digital anxiety in the smart mobile user. I conclude that my research investigates the use of drawing as a communication tool for smart mobile users as a way of improving their memory, emotional wellbeing, and social relationships. I hope my research can serve as a guideline or a methodology in the design of an educational programme or high-tech industries on the basis of a cognition-mediated model

Bringing Learning to Life: Evaluation of <i>Everyday Skills in maths and English</i>

This report describes and analyses survey data responses, web analytics and other data relating to the Bringing Learning to Life project. Bringing Learning to Life was funded by the Department for Education’s Flexible Learning Fund to offer functional skills courses in English and Mathematics through the OpenLearn online learning platform. OpenLearn is The Open University (UK) repository for openly licensed learning materials that supports flexible delivery of structured content. The Bedford College Group, Middlesbrough College and West Herts College worked with The Open University to develop the online courses and offer validation of learning through qualifications. Data gathered about the learners on Essential Skills reveal that they have diverse experiences and expectations. More than a third indicated a desire to go on to formal higher education, but these learners often have no qualifications (or are unsure how to navigate a pathway towards their goal). Supporting these learners in finding their pathway to skills and education – especially when they have taken a step towards formal learning – is crucial. Bringing Learning to Life has shown that there is much potential to further engage adult learners thorough flexible, open delivery. Working in conjunction with college partners has been extremely effective for establishing a shared approach and body of knowledge. The report includes a discussion and interpretation of results as a whole along with recommendations for further activity in this area

The impact of the level of literacy on access to information by urban black women in Zimbabwe: the case of Kariba town

This report lays out the findings of an investigation undertaken to determine the impact of literacy on access to information by urban black women in Zimbabwe. Kariba, a small town located at the Zimbabwe’s North-eastern boarder with Zambia was used as the study site. Document study supported by interviews and observations were used as methods of data collection. Key informants and selected women were respondents for the self administered interviews and focus group discussions. Representatives, each from, the local Catholic Church, the local clinic and the Department of Social welfare were the key informants. The Central Statistics Office in Zimbabwe was approached to get national statistics on women, literacy and development while the National Library of Zimbabwe (NLZ) provided data on the country’s information policy and the general nature of information provision. Snowball sampling was used to select a sample of 40 women between the ages of 18 and 60 drawn from the various residential areas of Kariba. Data collected was analyzed into themes and coded for statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) The results of this study may be generalized to the ecumenical information situation of urban black women in Zimbabwe. Findings show that the women in Zimbabwe experience information needs have limited access to information sources due to inappropriate levels of literacy, inter-alia other factors. This leaves the urban black woman uninformed or with inadequate information that she may not access or process due to insufficient levels of literacy. The study established that the major reasons for seeking information for the urban black woman in Zimbabwe are meeting personal and family needs. Areas of interest include education, health, childcare, politics, security, consumer issues and income generating projects. There is need to develop an information gateway characterized by accessibility and flexibility, which will be of real value to a women user community in Zimbabwe. Women’s access to education and information should be enhanced. This calls decision-makers to develop strategies for action to boost literacy for women, manage available information resources and harness effort towards making them accessible particularly to the urban black women in Zimbabwe. While interventions may be multi-sectoral, the role of government is stressed in this report

Digital Practices at Home and School: A Case Study Approach

The study illustrates children’s digital practices in the Malaysian context. The 21st century has witnessed an unprecedented expansion of and access to information for people who can use technology. Nowadays, information can be reached in the blink of an eye and is accessible at our fingertips. Since the 1990s, the internet revolution has helped people to search for information through their networked computers, and mobile gadgets have more recently made this even easier as people can carry information in their own pockets. However, this steady increase in internet usage and mobile device ownership, particularly among schoolchildren in Malaysia over the last few years, has been creating fear, anxiety and frustration. Due to a moral panic in Malaysia regarding children’s online safety, to date the majority of the extant studies carried out in Malaysia are focusing on E-Safety instead of seeking a deeper understanding of the current digital practices among Malaysian children. Little research has been conducted to specifically investigate and understand the online experience dimensions of Malaysian children’s lives and social worlds. This descriptive case-study based research explores a small group of Malaysian children’s digital practices and their management in the school (computer lab) and at home, and in both the communal area and personal spaces of the latter. This research examines five 16 year olds’ engagements with online technology across formal and informal settings at school and at home using a mixed methods approach, specifically questionnaires, interviews, observations and focus group discussion. The findings reveal that participating children enjoy online benefits through a range of online activities with the usage of several digital devices. This study also provides insights into the roles and influences of parental, teacher, older siblings and peer mediation in developing children’s digital literacy skills. Furthermore, children’s perceptions of online opportunities and risks, and what kind of learning is involved through their online activities are also analysed and discussed

The effects of mental simulation on attitudes and motivations towards exercise

The World Health Organisation (WHO; 2018a) suggests that regular exercise may help to prevent diseases such as, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Currently, it is estimated that inactivity costs the National Health Service (NHS) £7.4 billion each year (Public Health England, 2019a). Therefore, interventions need to be developed to help inactive individuals to become more physically active. This study looked at the effects of different mental simulation tasks as a method to improve both exercise attitudes and motivations in non-exercisers. It investigated whether positive exercise mental simulations could improve both exercise attitudes and motivations, compared to the positive or neutral simulation tasks. Fifty-six participants that identified as non-exercisers were recruited in the two-part study. The first part of the study, participants were required to answer a range of different questionnaires asking them about their behaviour, attitudes, and motivations towards exercise and studying, and general optimism. Participants returned the next day, where they completed one of the three simulation tasks (neutral, positive, or positive exercise), before repeating the questionnaires, they completed in the first part of the study. The results showed that for autonomous regulation there was a main effect of time, and a simulation task x time interaction. There was also a main effect of simulation task, and time for amotivation. The results are discussed in the context of the implications of these findings. This study found that a single mental simulation session, did not improve exercise attitudes, motivations, nor general optimism in non-exercisers. However, it may be feasible that repeated mental simulations are more effective when the individual has been presented with them over a longer duration (e.g. one- week, two- weeks, or four- weeks). Future research needs to investigate the duration of which repeated mental simulations interventions may improve exercise attitudes and motivations in non-exercisers

Facilitating immersion, engagement and flow in multi-user virtual environments

Virtual worlds are providing myriad opportunities for the development of innovative curricula for tertiary educators. They provide a virtual meeting space for those students and lecturers who are geographically remote from one another, rendering distance irrelevant and facilitating the formation of community. This paper will look at those factors - physical, social, virtual and those related to pedagogy - which facilitate immersion in virtual worlds; that suspension of disbelief which generates the feeling of presence or 'being there', crucial to promoting student engagement and ultimately, flow

The Lumberjack, April 22, 2009

The student newspaper of Humboldt State University.https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/studentnewspaper/2466/thumbnail.jp

The impact of the level of literacy on access to information by urban black women in Zimbabwe: the case of Kariba town

This report lays out the findings of an investigation undertaken to determine the impact of literacy on access to information by urban black women in Zimbabwe. Kariba, a small town located at the Zimbabwe’s North-eastern boarder with Zambia was used as the study site. Document study supported by interviews and observations were used as methods of data collection. Key informants and selected women were respondents for the self administered interviews and focus group discussions. Representatives, each from, the local Catholic Church, the local clinic and the Department of Social welfare were the key informants. The Central Statistics Office in Zimbabwe was approached to get national statistics on women, literacy and development while the National Library of Zimbabwe (NLZ) provided data on the country’s information policy and the general nature of information provision. Snowball sampling was used to select a sample of 40 women between the ages of 18 and 60 drawn from the various residential areas of Kariba. Data collected was analyzed into themes and coded for statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) The results of this study may be generalized to the ecumenical information situation of urban black women in Zimbabwe. Findings show that the women in Zimbabwe experience information needs have limited access to information sources due to inappropriate levels of literacy, inter-alia other factors. This leaves the urban black woman uninformed or with inadequate information that she may not access or process due to insufficient levels of literacy. The study established that the major reasons for seeking information for the urban black woman in Zimbabwe are meeting personal and family needs. Areas of interest include education, health, childcare, politics, security, consumer issues and income generating projects. There is need to develop an information gateway characterized by accessibility and flexibility, which will be of real value to a women user community in Zimbabwe. Women’s access to education and information should be enhanced. This calls decision-makers to develop strategies for action to boost literacy for women, manage available information resources and harness effort towards making them accessible particularly to the urban black women in Zimbabwe. While interventions may be multi-sectoral, the role of government is stressed in this report