68 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Towards computer supported cooperative design
This thesis first reviews the literature about the nature of cooperative design activity and its technological support. It is noted that knowledge of how designers work together in real-world settings is less than complete. Moreover, after over a decade of developments in Computer Supported Cooperative Work, the state-of-the-art in collaborative technology does not fully support such activities. Two substantial case studies are presented. The first draws upon fieldwork with designers at a large, distributed engineering design company, where a pilot study of collaborative technologies was carried out, focusing on the organisational context for such interventions and the reasons behind the qualified success of the experimental technology. In the light of the lack of use of synchronous tools in particular, a second case study was carried out. This was a complementary analysis of face-to-face co-working in a series of meetings held by a small design group. The results of both pieces of fieldwork are analysed in the context of existing studies of designers in both real-world and laboratory settings. This leads to the identification of a number of important characteristics of cooperative design, some newly identified, others confirming or extending the results of existing work. They include the identification of tension between traditional engineering design culture and the underlying assumptions of new technology; the intrinsic difficulties in sharing some types of design artefacts; and the way in which design entails an interweaving of individual and group activity, with consequences for resource exploitation, distributed cognition and workspace navigation in group sessions. The findings are integrated into an organising framework for cooperative design, with emphasis on the support of coworking designers distributed across multiple sites. Current technologies are reviewed against scenarios based on the framework and recommendations are made for further work
Textual Space and Metafiction in Mark Z Danielewski's House of Leaves
The thesis presents an argument that through employing metafictional techniques, experimentation with textual and graphic space and allusions to hypertextual devices, Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves seeks to remind the reader of the presence of the book in print fiction.
Danielewski dispenses with traditional textual formats in order to provoke the reader to realise the presence of the physical book in their hands. This is mirrored in the narrative as two of the main characters both obtain a copy of the very same book that the reader is holding. The author employs metafictional characteristics such as characters that acknowledge their fictional status whilst writing a book within a book. The first chapter of the thesis examines the potential of metatexts and criticism in the twenty-first century and a questioning of its continued relevance.
Danielewski challenges textual space that potentially distances the reader from the narrative. There is an overwhelming amount of blank space in the text where there could have been narrative. The reader is told on several occasions that parts of the narrative are missing. Chapter Two is concerned with references to the book and the unconventional page aesthetics that encourage the reader to initially look at the page before actually 'looking through the page'.
The final chapter compares House of Leaves with the hypertext fictions that it so often mirrors. The two forms of literature, whilst initially seeming quite different are actually very similar in narrative and form. House of Leaves appears to draw on some of the conventions associated with hypertext fiction in order to provide the reader a more active role in the reading of the text, whilst allowing them to understand the conventions of the writing.
The experimentation with conventional textual space, metatextual techniques and references to electronic literature in House of Leaves challenge the nature of the physical book and its presence in contemporary prose fiction
The Legitimacy of Experiential Learning in Research Universities
The goal of this historical and exploratory study was to describe and analyze the spread and legitimacy of experiential learning to and within Cornell University and Stanford University. Using an institutional and political framework, this analysis focused on understanding how elements of legitimacy from the academy, the experiential learning field and the external environment intersected to shape the diffusion, forms and purposes of experiential learning within Cornell and Stanford. The constructions of legitimacy within these three different contexts shifted over time, influencing the extent to which experiential learning was adopted; and once adopted, the extent to which it was adapted, co-opted or rejected
'Sand in the hand': young people's relationships with commercial media in the digital age
This thesis explores young people's experiences of contemporary, commercial media.
It aims to provide a holistic understanding of new and more traditional media use.The study draws its theoretical framework from the fields of communication studies,
consumer behaviour, cultural studies, marketing, sociology and social psychology.
Despite several studies investigating young people and new media, a richer
understanding of media consumption is needed, located within an ever more
commercialised landscape. Assumptions of new media participation are frequently
taken for granted, with limited critical analysis of the consumer experience. Studies
from a marketing perspective have focused exclusively on managerial effectiveness to
the detriment of consumer realities. Moving beyond media effects, it takes an active
consumer-centered approach, contextualising new media consumption within the
everyday lives of young people. It compares and contrasts practitioner tactics with
young people's lived experiences of new and traditional media.Multiple methods of enquiry were used, informed by an interpretive approach. The
initial fieldwork consisted of 15 interviews with 'expert' agency practitioners,
investigating perceptions of youth marketing and the tactics deployed. Following a
pilot study, the main consumer phase explored the mediated experiences of
adolescents aged 13-17. A total of 175 secondary school pupils from three diverse
school settings participated. Each completed a self-completion questionnaire, a
smaller sample also contributing a time-based diary. 45 pupils participated in the
qualitative phase, guided by the principles of phenomenology. Photo-elicitation and
psycho-drawing techniques were utilised to enrichen discussions.The new media experiences of young people in this study were indeed bound up in
their everyday lives. Young people were found to have a complex range of 'newmedia'
experiences, embedded in their 'in home' and 'out of home' lifestyles. Their
active use of the internet, for mood enhancement, experiential learning, escapism and
communication, rarely encompassed commercial motivations. Of several barriers to
new media use, online practitioner tactics caused the greatest concern. For many
young people, such actions were deeply de-motivating, constituting an unwanted
intrusion, in contrast to the symbiotic relationship synonymous with traditional
advertising. Their consequent elusiveness is epitomised through the metaphor "sand
in the hand"
Supporting employees with common mental health problems at work:A realist approach
Handreiking voor leidinggeven verbetert steun aan medewerkers met psychische klachten:De steun van leidinggevenden voor werknemers met psychische klachten kan verbeterd worden door een nieuwe, wetenschappelijk onderbouwde aanpak. Deze gaat over signaleren en bespreekbaar maken van psychische klachten bij medewerkers en het tijdig inzetten van werkaanpassingen voordat verzuim optreedt. Dat blijkt uit de onderzoeken van promovenda Suzanne van Hees. Zij promoveert op vrijdag 30 juni 2023 aan Tilburg University. Eén op de vijf personen krijgt in het werkzame leven te maken met veel voorkomende psychische problemen, zoals stress, angst, depressie of mentale vermoeidheid. Er ontstaat dan meer kans op verminderde productiviteit of ziekteverzuim. De werkcontext is complex en de praktijk leert dat het moeilijk is om grip te krijgen op het voorkomen van verzuim. Waarom blijft de ene medewerker wel werken bij psychische problemen en de andere medewerker niet? En hoe kan de werkgever, met name de direct leidinggevende, werkbehoud bevorderen en psychisch verzuim voorkomen? Focus op mogelijkheden:De onderzoeksresultaten laten zien dat er meer focus mag liggen op wat een werknemer belangrijk vindt en op diens mogelijkheden, juist ook als het minder goed gaat op het werk. Een veilig werkklimaat, waar gesproken mag worden over psychische gezondheid, vormt een fundamentele basis van waaruit werkbehoud bevorderd kan worden. De relatie met de leidinggevende, gebaseerd op wederzijds vertrouwen, blijkt hierin van groot belang te zijn. Bijvoorbeeld om te zoeken naar de juiste werkaanpassingen om uitval te voorkomen.Preventie psychisch verzuim:Vanuit deze resultaten heeft Van Hees, samen met haar collega’s, een preventieve, gedragsgerichte aanpak voor leidinggevenden ontwikkeld, om medewerkers beter te kunnen ondersteunen. Deze kan worden ingezet in de vorm van coachende gesprekken tussen leidinggevende en arbeidsdeskundige, bij voorkeur voordat verzuim heeft plaatsgevonden. De aanpak werd gebruikt in gesprekken tussen 92 leidinggevenden en arbeidsdeskundigen over medewerkers met risico op verzuim. Hierin werden thema’s zoals signaleren van veranderend gedrag, voeren van moeilijke gesprekken en stimuleren van eigen regie besproken. Uit de evaluatie wordt duidelijk dat de nieuwe aanpak bewustzijn, eigen vertrouwen, vaardigheden en steunend gedrag van leidinggevenden versterkt. Waar leidinggevenden vanwege de privacy niet naar de medische toestand mogen vragen, kunnen zij wel in gesprek gaan over wat de medewerker belangrijk vindt in werk, en goed uitvragen wat iemand wél kan ondanks de psychische klachten. Hierbij zijn regelmogelijkheden, tijdelijke werkaanpassingen en steun van collega’s essentieel. Financiering:Dit onderzoek is gefinancierd door Instituut GAK en is uitgevoerd door HAN University of Applied Sciences, Lectoraat Arbeidsdeskundigheid en TRANZO, Tilburg University, Academische werkplaats arbeid en gezondheid.Meer informatie:Download hier de wetenschappelijk onderbouwde handreiking voor leidinggevenden Blijven werken met psychische klachten (han.nl)Suzanne van Hees MSc Suzanne van Hees MSc | Tilburg University (departement Tranzo, Tilburg School for Social and Behavioral Sciences en Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen) promoveert op vrijdag 30 juni om 13.30 in de aula van Tilburg University. Titel proefschrift: Supporting employees with common mental health problems at work: a realist approach. Promotoren: prof. dr. R.W.B. Blonk, Co-promotores: dr. S. Oomens en dr. B.E. Carlier. De promotie is ook te volgen via livestream Promotie G.M. van Hees MSc | Tilburg UniversityNeem voor meer informatie contact op met persvoorlichting Tilburg University via 013-466 4000 of [email protected]
- …