Service-oriented control architecture for reconfigurable production systems

Evolvable and collaborative production systems are becoming an emergent paradigm towards flexibility and automatic re-configurability. The reconfiguration of those systems requires the existence of distributed and modular control components that interact in order to accomplish control activities. This paper focuses on service-oriented production systems, which behavior is regulated by the coordination of services that are provided and required by control components with different roles. Internally, these components are independent of the implementations, but an internal modular and event based structure is presented. Individual control and interaction is achieved by using embedded or inter-service control processes for which High-Level Petri Nets are proposed. Supporting the predefined control, decision support systems are used to provide conflict resolution and other decision-making functions

Medication Management: The Macrocognitive Workflow of Older Adults With Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Older adults with chronic disease struggle to manage complex medication regimens. Health information technology has the potential to improve medication management, but only if it is based on a thorough understanding of the complexity of medication management workflow as it occurs in natural settings. Prior research reveals that patient work related to medication management is complex, cognitive, and collaborative. Macrocognitive processes are theorized as how people individually and collaboratively think in complex, adaptive, and messy nonlaboratory settings supported by artifacts. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research was to describe and analyze the work of medication management by older adults with heart failure, using a macrocognitive workflow framework. METHODS: We interviewed and observed 61 older patients along with 30 informal caregivers about self-care practices including medication management. Descriptive qualitative content analysis methods were used to develop categories, subcategories, and themes about macrocognitive processes used in medication management workflow. RESULTS: We identified 5 high-level macrocognitive processes affecting medication management-sensemaking, planning, coordination, monitoring, and decision making-and 15 subprocesses. Data revealed workflow as occurring in a highly collaborative, fragile system of interacting people, artifacts, time, and space. Process breakdowns were common and patients had little support for macrocognitive workflow from current tools. CONCLUSIONS: Macrocognitive processes affected medication management performance. Describing and analyzing this performance produced recommendations for technology supporting collaboration and sensemaking, decision making and problem detection, and planning and implementation

Supporting collaborative writing in secondary Language Arts: A revision decision method intervention

Much of the research on digital collaborative writing focuses on undergraduate and graduate writers, yet under-studied high school students also need 21st century literacies for academic and workplace success. To meet this need, educators require interventions supporting high school students’ collaborative writing skills development. A substantial body of research has established the efficacy of scripting during digital collaborative tasks. Yet less is known about the effect of digital collaborative writing scripts upon high school students. In this quasi-experimental study, one high school Language Arts class engaged in a revision decision method intervention script for collaborative writing. This treatment group was compared with students writing collaboratively with a business-as-usual control approach. Using a mixed methods design, this study investigated and found that the revision decision method increased the treatment group students’ revision depth, but that it did not affect their metacognitive regulation, and ownership feelings. Self-generated scripts used by high school students under the control condition represented a more cooperative approach to collaborative writing that was dominated by superficial revision targets. Implications include that scaffolding high school collaborative writers may benefit from providing metalanguage for reflection, as well as the possibility that high school collaborative writing might promote success at peer review processes that transfer to other writing modes. The study’s strengths and weaknesses in overall design may help to provide additional direction in future research on strategies to support high school collaborative writers’ success

Space Launch and Reentry Operations Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) Concept

The Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Organization manages the National Airspace System (NAS) for all users. Demand for this airspace is growing as space launch and reentry (L/R) operations increase in number, vehicle and mission types, and locations. Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) is a well-established practice for resolving airspace demand issues among multiple NAS users as it considers multiple stakeholders’ perspectives to make informed decisions. The MITRE Corporation is conducting research on how CDM principles can be applied to L/R operations and has developed an initial Space CDM concept. Our paper describes this concept, including high-level operational elements and supporting technology capabilities. In the concept, collaboration and data exchange inform decision-making during preliminary mission planning, airspace scheduling, airspace management, and real-time operations. Post-operations analysis is performed and feedback provided to improve decision making. This gives L/R operators information on airspace congestion as they consider options for launch and reentry locations and times. Airspace management planning to address airspace congestion considers mission flexibilities and constraints provided by operators. Real-time air traffic management is more dynamic due to increased certainty provided by L/R operational status updates. Through CDM participation, L/R operators have a voice in how airspace demand is managed and in prioritizing processes, information sharing, and capabilities to improve operations. NAS users experience less uncertainty and more predictability of access and schedules through new information exchanges and collaborative processes. This research began in fiscal year (FY) 2018 and continues in FY19 with concept socialization, feedback, expansion, and refinement

Context-aware emotion-based model for group decision making

Involving groups in important management processes such as decision making has several advantages. By discussing and combining ideas, counter ideas, critical opinions, identified constraints, and alternatives, a group of individuals can test potentially better solutions, sometimes in the form of new products, services, and plans. In the past few decades, operations research, AI, and computer science have had tremendous success creating software systems that can achieve optimal solutions, even for complex problems. The only drawback is that people don’t always agree with these solutions. Sometimes this dissatisfaction is due to an incorrect parameterization of the problem. Nevertheless, the reasons people don’t like a solution might not be quantifiable, because those reasons are often based on aspects such as emotion, mood, and personality. At the same time, monolithic individual decisionsupport systems centered on optimizing solutions are being replaced by collaborative systems and group decision-support systems (GDSSs) that focus more on establishing connections between people in organizations. These systems follow a kind of social paradigm. Combining both optimization- and socialcentered approaches is a topic of current research. However, even if such a hybrid approach can be developed, it will still miss an essential point: the emotional nature of group participants in decision-making tasks. We’ve developed a context-aware emotion based model to design intelligent agents for group decision-making processes. To evaluate this model, we’ve incorporated it in an agent-based simulator called ABS4GD (Agent-Based Simulation for Group Decision), which we developed. This multiagent simulator considers emotion- and argument based factors while supporting group decision-making processes. Experiments show that agents endowed with emotional awareness achieve agreements more quickly than those without such awareness. Hence, participant agents that integrate emotional factors in their judgments can be more successful because, in exchanging arguments with other agents, they consider the emotional nature of group decision making

Rich environments for active learning in action: Problem‐based learning

Rich Environments for Active Learning (REALs) are comprehensive instructional systems that are consistent with constructivist theories. They promote study and investigation within authentic contexts; encourage the growth of student responsibility, initiative, decision making and intentional learning; cultivate collaboration among students and teachers; utilize dynamic, interdisciplinary, generative learning activities that promote higher‐order thinking processes to help students develop rich and complex knowledge structures; and assess student progress in content and learning‐to‐learn within authentic contexts using realistic tasks and performances. Problem‐Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional methodology that can be used to create REALs. PBL's student‐centred approach engages students in a continuous collaborative process of building and reshaping understanding as a natural consequence of their experiences and interactions within learning environments that authentically reflect the world around them. In this way, PBL and REALs are a response to teacher‐centred educational practices that promote the development of inert knowledge, such as conventional teacher‐to‐student knowledge dissemination activities. In this article, we compare existing assumptions underlying teacher‐directed educational practice with new assumptions that promote problem solving and higher‐level thinking by putting students at the centre of learning activities. We also examine the theoretical foundation that supports these new assumptions and the need for REALs. Finally, we describe each REAL characteristic and provide supporting examples of REALs in action using PB

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

Planning and implementation of effective collaboration in construction projects

The 21st century is now seen as the time for the construction industry to embrace new ways of working if it is to continue to be competitive and meet the needs of its ever demanding clients. Collaborative working is considered by many to be essential if design and construction teams are to consider the whole lifecycle of the construction product. Much of the recent work on collaborative working has focused on the delivery of technological solutions with a focus on web (extranets), CAD (visualisation), and knowledge management technologies. However, it is now recognised that good collaboration does not result from the implementation of information technology solutions alone. The organisational and people issues, which are not readily solved by pure technical systems, need to be resolved. However, approaches that exclusively focus on organisational and people issues will not reap the benefits derived from the use of technology, especially in the context of distributed teams which are the norm in construction. Work currently being undertaken at Loughborough University aims to bring together the benefits enabled by the technology, with the organisational, and its people issues to provide a framework enabling high level strategic decisions to be made to implement effective collaboration. This paper reports on the initial stages of the project: the background to the project, the methodology used, and findings from the literature survey and the requirements capture survey conducted as part of the project