Demographic Data for Development Decisionmaking: Case Studies From Ethiopia and Uganda

Analyzes the lack of demographic and socioeconomic data, limited access to and use of existing data, and insufficient demand for their application in policy making and resource allocation. Makes recommendations for greater access, demand, and use of data

Chata Sia “I am Choctaw”. Using Images as a Methodology for Cultural and Technological Discourse

Unlike positivist quantitative designs, many qualitative researchers tend to dive right into data collection without benefit of an exploratory study or other pilot study. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to share an image-based methodology adapted from a community strategic planning process and applied to an exploratory study of one native American tribes reaction to cultural images and\ud ICT’s, and (2) to share the many benefits of a pilot study in advance of a larger qualitative research study, including opportunities for discourse around ICT’s in relation to local culture

From pattern to practice: evaluation of a design pattern fostering trust in Virtual teams

Rusman, E., Van Bruggen, J., Cörvers, R., Sloep, P. B., & Koper, R. (2009). From pattern to practice: evaluation of a design pattern fostering trust in Virtual teams. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(5), 1010-1019.This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a design pattern that fosters trust in mediated collaborative settings. The pattern proposed here should provide a profile with static and/or dynamic information about the participants of a collaborative environment. It aims to foster initial (in the first two to three weeks) trust in situations in which people don’t know each other and don’t have a chance to meet, but need to collaborate. A simple and low cost implementation of this pattern was realized by conducting a case study with participants of the European Virtual Seminar on Sustainable Development (EVS). They were asked to fill in a template with personal information about themselves. In the EVS, students collaboratively have to address sustainable development problems. Afterwards, students were questioned on the use of this template, called PEXPI, and their impressions of each other during and after the EVS; questionnaires and a semi-structured interview were used. The results show that the implementation of the static profile, derived from the pattern, initially helped students to form an impression of each other. After this initial period, however, students base their impression on factors such as the quality of work-related contributions, behaviour during collaboration (e.g. responsiveness), and communication style. This case study also shows that the pattern could easily be applied and transferred to a new context, as long as the conditions described in the ‘context’-section of the pattern, were met. The case study provided a means for evaluation of the pattern and a source for its refinement. We are also grateful for the collaboration with colleagues in the E-LEN project, which provided ample opportunities to learn about and elaborate on design patterns as a design construct. Last, but not least, we would like to thank the three anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback, which helped us to improve this article.We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the COOPER Project, that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority 2 IST. Contract no.: 027073 (www.cooper-project.org ) and which has part-funded this work

Teaching and Professional Fellowship Report 2007-2008 : Make the Numbers Count, Improving students' learning experiences through an analysis of Library and Learning Resources data

Feedback on Library and Learning Resources (LLR) services and support at the University of the Arts London (UAL) is received from a very extensive range of sources. However, although a considerable quantity of information is available for analysis, it remains very difficult for LLR staff to extract meaningful data from these numerous sources, which can reveal, in depth, the true, individual student experience of LLR services. LLR is aware that there is a lot that is not known, or is not being asked of our students, about their individual experience, which could prove extremely helpful for effective decision-making and service design and delivery. In particular, LLR is interested in identifying and resolving issues of access and support for students currently studying at UAL who are from under represented groups in higher education. Make the numbers counts has enabled the Fellowship Team to move beyond looking at usage figures, gate counts, numbers of issue and renewal transactions, borrower numbers and percentage satisfaction levels, and to extend and add to our knowledge-base of what students at UAL really think and feel about academic libraries. It has enabled us to explore how individual students make use of the services and support provided by LLR. The qualitative data collected through this project has been compared to existing sources of information and to staff experience and understanding of the issues raised, to see if the findings of our research challenge or correlate with other evidence which relates to LLR use and non-use. The focus of the Fellowship has been to explore the particular experience of students who are the first in their family to go to university and who are currently studying at Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon (CCW) and the London College of Communication. Research has shown that this group of students is important amongst the range of students who are now entering higher education through the expansion of participation in university and tertiary-level study. Talking to first generation students was a key element of the project and the greatest source of learning for the Project Team

E Is for Everyone: The Case for Inclusive Game Design

Part of the Volume on the Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning In this chapter I examine the accessibility of today's games, or rather the lack of. Even common medical conditions such as arthritis, repetitive stress injuries, and diminished vision may prevent individuals from playing today's top software titles, not to speak of the barriers that these titles pose to the blind, deaf, and immobile. The clearest and most disheartening manifestation can be found when examining the special-needs sector. There we find children who cannot partake in their most coveted play activities, due to inconsiderate (and therefore inflexible) game design. I chose this sector to both define the problem and explore its solutions. Written from the perspective of a designer, the chapter first describes the lack-of-play and its residual impact as perceived in a school that caters to over 200 children with special needs. In an attempt to create the "ultimate-accessible" game, I demonstrate how games can be designed to be intrinsically accessible while retaining their original playability. Lastly, I show how normalization-of-play may improve upon the social, educational, and therapeutic aspects of the children's daily lives. Tying this fringe-case with the grander ecology of games, I discusses how better accessibility may encourage more people to enjoy games -- be they gamers, students, or patients

Analysing the Role of Interactivity in User Experience

An experimental investigation into the role of interaction in user experience (UX) with a controlled manipulation of interactivity features (e.g. avatars, interactive video) in a university information website is reported. The more interactive version had better affect and hedonic ratings, even though its perceived usability was worse. Analysis of qualitative data showed users were attracted to the interactive features, although they complained about poor usability. The results of the experiments are discussed to consider the role of interactivity in user experience and the differences between users’ quantitative judgements of UX and their comments on interactive features which reveal different perspectives

The role of perceived proximity in video-mediated communication

As technology for remote communication continues to advance and become more widespread, there is a need for research to attempt to understand the manner in which such technology may most suitably support human communication. This thesis describes a series of experiments which investigated the role of proximity within video-mediated communication. Proximity is one of the most fundamental forms of non-verbal communication used in a face-to-face interaction. Even subtle changes in interpersonal positioning are rich in information which people use to attempt to regulate the behaviour of themselves and others. At present it is unknown whether this type of non-verbal communication is preserved in video-mediated interactions. The aim of the present research project was to investigate whether impressions of proximity could be conveyed across a video link. In addition the research attempts to illuminate the physical parameters which may underpin the perception of proximity and to explore the impact upon users that any changes in perceived proximity may cause. The research uses a wide range of approaches to study the potential impact of proximity including analyses of the structure and content of dialogue, objective and subjective task outcome measures. The research demonstrates that perceptions of proximity can exist in a video-mediated environment and when they do, they can lead to differences in the communication behaviour of individuals communicating across a video link. It is found that when participants interact with a remote interlocutor who appears to be close, they tend to be more interactive. The research goes on to investigate the perceptual basis behind this effect and also considers how this relates to other variables which are known to affect communication, most notably familiarity

Aporia-triggered knowledge construction: the use of interviews and a focus group to further assess Science Writing Heuristic impact on participating teachers

This study stems from an examination of writing samples generated by the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH)---a multi-year longitudinal study that employs a teaching methodology meant to investigate the impact of connecting science learning with literacy---with additional insight generated by discourse analysis of teacher interviews and a focus group.;Among this study\u27s goals are the investigation of the role of these writing samples within the practice of education, the use of writing as vehicle for the construction of knowledge, and the role of these samples within the larger SWH. More specifically, this study hopes to unlock connections between its own theoretical framework of knowledge construction, the writing samples examined, the teachers in the classrooms that generated the samples, and the methodology behind their teaching practice