Hierarchical Audio Structure For Online Collaboration

As online communication is increasingly used for collaborative purposes, it is important to rethink some of the audio and text-based chat environments currently in use today. Popular online video conferencing tools like Zoom and Skype, and text-based tools like Discord offer a sleuth of features and allow users to interact and exchange ideas freely. However, they may not be well suited for certain types of tasks, namely a virtual classroom with hierarchical breakrooms for focused discussions in virtual spaces. This thesis develops a hierarchical-based communication system that is conducive for the aforementioned tasks. The audio structure is built within a virtual environment and implemented using the Unity game engine and the Dissonance Voice Chat package. Users can navigate in the virtual space as avatars and have access to increasingly private audio and text chat channels called audio regions. Users can communicate exclusively on these audio regions but may hear communication at dimmed volumes on parent channels. This allows them to hear announcements from public channels while still retaining focus of discussion on private channels. We performed a comparative analysis of our audio structure with popular online communication tools like Zoom, Skype and Discord on two types of activities or games

The Enterprise Telecommunication Network Design and its Implementation Using Technology PLC

This paper is focused on an enterprise telecommunication network design and its implementation using technology PLC (Power Line Communication) with ability of VoIP deployment. The design consists of two primary segments. Firstly, enterprise telecommunication network with software PBX based on Asterisk platform and secondly, telecommunication network with hardware IP PBX Panasonic KX-NS500, both networks based on backbone PLC technology. Important part of the solution is also implementation of connection of software Asterisk PBX and IP hardware Panasonic PBX KX/NS500

The Interactive Oral Assessment (IOA) project; using Talkback® for practice and assessment of listening and speaking skills in languages

The Open University has always sought to exploit new technologies to deliver its language modules more effectively. Although students are offered regular tutorials (face-to-face and online) and work through a series of speaking activities on DVD-ROMs, oral practice is a crucial issue in distance learning. In collaboration with Learnosity, we offered a 6-week free pilot module aimed at two groups of students who had just completed French Beginners or level 1 English for Academic Purposes (EAP). We designed activities practising oral competency by using Talkback® (powered by Learnosity). Students accessed them on their mobile, landline, Skype or through an iPhone App. Recordings were instantly available on the Learnosity website to both students and tutors, who could mark and provide feedback. Both groups reported weekly via short online questionnaires recording their experiences. This paper discusses the findings of the project and their implications

Communication Efficacy Using Technology within Virtual Teams

Technology has given businesses the flexibility to allow employees to collaborate beyond the limitations of geography. Today’s businesses are taking advantage of collaborative teams that are separated by distance, but work together as if they are in the same room

The New Network Compact: Making the IP Transition Work for Vulnerable Communities

The U.S. finds itself on the verge of a bold digital opportunity. The growing use of Internet protocol (IP)-enabled communications networks in this country could give every American -- regardless of zip code, race, disability or income -- a chance to tap into a world where voice, video and information are available faster and in more and better ways than ever before. However, ensuring that prospect exists for all remains a major hurdle.The Federal Communications Commission is now in the beginning stages of what will be a years-long process to improve the nation's infrastructure to better suit America's 21st century communications needs. But what will become of the tens of millions of Americans who already face hurdles in accessing existing telephone and broadband networks? How can we ensure them easy and affordable access to future networks? Will everyone be able to tap into robust, resilient, fast and affordable IP networks or have access to affordable and competitive voice and video services that take advantage of the IP network infrastructure? Eventually, all telecommunications infrastructure likely will be IP-based. In order to ensure that everyone will have access, policymakers will need to take pragmatic steps to understand the opportunities and barriers; ensure that everyone can access benefits; and ensure that our newest technologies continue to support some of our oldest values

E-Coaching in Organizations: A Study of Features, Practices, and Determinants of Use

Employee development in organizations is moving away from classroom instruction to more individualized, flexible forms of just-in-time learning and support, such as e-coaching. E-coaching, conducted partially or entirely at a distance, offers convenience, cost-savings, efficiency, and improved access to people and resources. However, research on e-coaching for work-related purposes is limited. This descriptive and exploratory study used mixed methods to examine e-coaching extent, technologies and practices, and factors that influence deployment and success in organizations. A web-based survey gathered opinions from over two hundred workforce learning and performance professionals. Semi-structured interviews gathered critical incidents from twenty e-coaches. The researcher used Chi-square, analyses of variance, and regression analyses to examine differences by e-coaching level and the influence of individual, organization, and innovation factors. Data showed that most coaching was delivered with little technology, with strong expectations for growth despite weak perceptions of coaching success and organizational support. E-coaching was more typically used as an alternative to face-to-face rather than as an opportunity to do something altogether new, and typically used to serve geographically dispersed employees, provide just-in-time support, address issues of scheduling, provide greater access to expertise and multiple perspectives, and reduce costs. E-coaching involved mostly e-mail, land line telephone, and sharing electronic files, with limited use of video conferencing, and was typically part of a formal and blended learning and development initiative rather than an ad hoc or standalone activity. Certain coaching purposes, topics, and beliefs about e-coaching usefulness as well as a supportive environment were strong predictors of e-coaching level, technology choices, and perceived efficacy. Coaches valued relative advantage, compatibility, and familiarity over media richness, and they used technology-based tools to increase presence, humanize the experience, connect proteges to peers and resources, and track client progress. Many respondents felt that face-to-face contact was necessary for sensitive feedback, physical interactions, or addressing deeper issues. Group and just-in-time coaching received enthusiasm which supports the importance of learning by doing and on-demand resources. Findings converge with the literature and suggest several practical implications for organizations, individual coaches, and others interested in the effective design, support, and implementation of e-coaching for development and performance support

Navigating Sociotechnical Power Structures: Dynamics of Conflict in World of Warcraft\u27s Player versus Player Events

As a result of technological advancement and exponential increases in global access, cross-disciplinary research has recently turned to digital online video games. Most anthropological research within this area has centered around player self-identification, gender construction, and gaming communities. Yet many interactions occur at nodes of dynamic conflict where agentic players navigate intersections of power, which are unaddressed in the scholarly corpus. By utilizing ethnographic methods in World of Warcraft\u27s player versus player events, I examine resources, relationships, and tools that underpin player actions and understandings. My findings reveal layered and dynamic patterns of sociotechnical conflict. Players\u27 geographical location impacts access to infrastructure while hardware and software constrain in-game action in fundamental and inescapable ways. Player versus player events add additional restrictions and create fluid situations where players continually negotiate fluctuating social tensions while event-dependent dispersions of power fluctuate between groups and individuals. Players become leaders by legitimizing power in contextually unique ways, and competing imaginaries generate conflicts that are interpreted through game-specific subjectivities. In exploring these occurrences and utilizing theoretical explanations within World of Warcraft contexts, this research contributes to disciplinary understandings and discussions addressing conflict, leadership, and power, and to methodological techniques utilized in virtual world study. By foregrounding how players navigate power differentials in conflict situations, this research informs broader conceptions of how individuals and groups manage social disputes within and outside digital social events, informs game design, and has policy implications for resolving virtual world conflicts in real world courts