Supporting Computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) in conceptual design

In order to gain a better understanding of online conceptual collaborative design processes this paper investigates how student designers make use of a shared virtual synchronous environment when engaged in conceptual design. The software enables users to talk to each other and share sketches when they are remotely located. The paper describes a novel methodology for observing and analysing collaborative design processes by adapting the concepts of grounded theory. Rather than concentrating on narrow aspects of the final artefacts, emerging “themes” are generated that provide a broader picture of collaborative design process and context descriptions. Findings on the themes of “grounding – mutual understanding” and “support creativity” complement findings from other research, while important themes associated with “near-synchrony” have not been emphasised in other research. From the study, a series of design recommendations are made for the development of tools to support online computer-supported collaborative work in design using a shared virtual environment

Sketch-Based Interfaces to Support Collaborative Conceptual Design Learning

In order to gain a better understanding of online collaborative conceptual design processes this paper investigates how student designers make use of Lyceum, a shared virtual synchronous environment when engaged in conceptual design. The software enables users to talk to each other and share sketches when they are remotely located. The paper describes a novel methodology for observing and analysing collaborative design processes by adapting the concepts of grounded theory. Rather than concentrating on narrow aspects of the final artefacts, emerging 'themes' are generated that provide a broader picture of collaborative design process and context descriptions. Findings on the themes of 'grounding – mutual understanding' and 'support creativity' complement findings from other research, while important themes associated with 'near-synchrony' have not been emphasised in other research. From the study, a series of design recommendations are made for the development of tools to support online computer-supported collaborative work in design using a shared virtual environment

Designing Awareness Support for Distributed Cooperative Design Teams

Motivation – Awareness is an integral part of remote collaborative work and has been an important theme within the CSCW research. Our project aims at understanding and mediating non-verbal cues between remote participants involved in a design project. \ud Research approach – Within the AMIDA1 project we focus on distributed ‘cooperative design’ teams. We especially focus on the 'material' signals – signals in which people communicate through material artefacts, locations and their embodied actions. We apply an ethnographic approach to understand the role of physical artefacts in co-located naturalistic design setting. Based on the results we will generate important implications to support remote design work. We plan to develop a mixed-reality interface supported by a shared awareness display. This awareness display will provide information about the activities happening in the design room to remotely located participants.\ud Findings/Design – Our preliminary investigation with real-world design teams suggests that both the materiality of designers’ work settings and their social practices play an important role in understanding these material signals that are at play. \ud Originality/Value – Most research supporting computer mediated communication have focused on either face-to-face or linguistically oriented communication paradigms. Our research focuses on mediating the non-verbal, material cues for supporting collaborative activities without impoverishing what designers do in their day to day working lives.\ud Take away message – An ethnographic approach allows us to understand the naturalistic practices of design teams, which can lead to designing effective technologies to support group work. In that respect, the findings of our research will have a generic value beyond the application domain chosen (design teams).\u

Facilitating Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning with Question-Asking Scripting Activity and its Effects on Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Critical Thinking in Science

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) provides an environment that enhances social interaction and shared knowledge construction among students. However, limited research has examined CSCL reinforced by question-asking scripting activity. This research investigated the effects of CSCL with question-asking scripting activity on the development of conceptual understanding and critical thinking in science. Moreover, the research design was a three-group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study in which the research sample were 106 Grade 7 students. The only difference between the control and the experimental groups was the exposure to CSCL. The experimental groups were exposed to CSCL approaches: one without scripting while one was exposed with question-asking scripting activity. Results revealed that CSCL approaches significantly affected the development of students’ conceptual understanding and critical thinking. Specifically, CSCL with scripting stimulated more intellectual discussion which allowed learners to deepen lesson comprehension and improve their critical thinking skills. Insights on the innovations through technology integration, collaborative inquiry learning, and question-asking activity to enhance science education were also discussed. The findings of this study have important implications for future practice

Synchronous communication in PLM environments using annotated CAD models

The connection of resources, data, and knowledge through communication technology plays a vital role in current collaborative design methodologies and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, as these elements act as channels for information and meaning. Despite significant advances in the area of PLM, most communication tools are used as separate services that are disconnected from existing development environments. Consequently, during a communication session, the specific elements being discussed are usually not linked to the context of the discussion, which may result in important information getting lost or becoming difficult to access. In this paper, we present a method to add synchronous communication functionality to a PLM system based on annotated information embedded in the CAD model. 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Good Issues and bad tidying: what GitHub can tell us about agency in project-based group modelling work for higher education

Collaborative project work in technology-enabled environments at university is essential for learners to become ready for an increasingly global, complex, and virtualised workplace. Research on effective pedagogical and technical design for computer supported collaborative learning in higher education (CSCL) has often taken place in synchronous contexts, using specialised technology platforms. However, large-scale changes to work and education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic necessitate the development of pedagogical and research approaches that support students working asynchronously, in distributed teams, using collaboration platforms that extend beyond institutional infrastructure. Within the field of CSCL, knowledge building research has shown collaboration to be a complex systems phenomenon, involving the intersection of individual and collective efforts to actively advance the group’s shared knowledge, but studies analysing interaction data have been resource-intensive to conduct. Contemporary workplace platforms such as professional knowledge environments have multiple design affordances consistent with knowledge building principles, as well as the capacity to generate rich data about user activity. However, we have little understanding to date as to how these environments can support knowledge building pedagogies and facilitate associated research. This study uses a case study approach and thematic analysis to investigate the activity of three university groups engaged in a collaborative modelling task over time. It investigates how agency emerges during project work in professional knowledge environments, and how the system interaction data can extend our understanding of effective collaboration processes. The results show that the GitHub platform can support knowledge building pedagogical designs in facilitating individual and collective agency in higher education group work, and provide insights into epistemic, regulative and relational aspects of learner behaviour at individual and group levels. These findings extend our understanding of effective learning design to novel environments of a type likely to be used by our students in the workplace, and make design and methodological contributions to research on computer-supported collaborative learning

Computer support for collaborative learning environments

This paper deals with computer support for collaborative learning environments. Our analysis is based on a moderate constructivist view on learning, which emphasizes the need to support learners instructionally in their collaborative knowledge construction. We will first illustrate the extent to which the computer can provide tools for supporting collaborative knowledge construction. Secondly, we will focus on instruction itself and show the kinds of advanced instructional methods that computer tools may provide for the learners. Furthermore, we will discuss the learners’ prerequisites and how they must be considered when constructing learning environments.Dieser Bericht behandelt die Unterstützung kooperativer Lernumgebungen durch den Einsatz von Computern. Der theoretische Hintergrund greift auf einen moderaten Konstruktivismus zurück, der die Notwendigkeit einer instruktionalen Unterstützung für die gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion betont. Darauf aufbauend beschreibt der Bericht in einem ersten Schritt, wie der Computer Werkzeuge zur gemeinsamen Wissenskonstruktion bereitstellen kann. Im zweiten Teil steht die Instruktion für das kooperative Lernen im Vordergrund. Dabei werden Methoden instruktionaler Unterstützung vorgestellt, die computerbasierte Werkzeuge für die gemeinsame Wissenskonstruktion bereitstellen, insbesondere Skripts und inhaltliche Strukturvorgaben. Darüber hinaus beschreibt der Bericht, inwieweit individuelle Lernereigenschaften, wie z.B. das Vorwissen, einen Einfluss auf die Realisierung von Lernumgebungen haben

A review of the empirical studies of computer supported human-to-human communication

This paper presents a review of the empirical studies of human-to-human communication which have been carried out over the last three decades. Although this review is primarily concerned with the empirical studies of computer supported human-to-human communication, a number of studies dealing with group work in non-computer-based collaborative environments, which form the basis of many of the empirical studies of the recent years in the area of CSCW, are also discussed. The concept of person and task spaces is introduced and then subsequently used to categorise the large volume of studies reported in this review. This paper also gives a comparative analysis of the findings of these studies, and draws a number of general conclusions to guide the design and evaluation of future CSCW systems

Collaborative design : managing task interdependencies and multiple perspectives

This paper focuses on two characteristics of collaborative design with respect to cooperative work: the importance of work interdependencies linked to the nature of design problems; and the fundamental function of design cooperative work arrangement which is the confrontation and combination of perspectives. These two intrinsic characteristics of the design work stress specific cooperative processes: coordination processes in order to manage task interdependencies, establishment of common ground and negotiation mechanisms in order to manage the integration of multiple perspectives in design