Robust Mechanism Design

The mechanism design literature assumes too much common knowledge of the environment among the players and planner. We relax this assumption by studying implementation on richer type spaces. We ask when ex post implementation is equivalent to interim (or Bayesian) implementation for all possible type spaces. The equivalence holds in the case of separable environments; examples of separable environments arise (1) when the planner is implementing a social choice function (not correspondence); and (2) in a quasilinear environment with no restrictions on transfers. The equivalence fails in general, including in some quasilinear environments with budget balance. In private value environments, ex post implementation is equivalent to dominant strategies implementation. The private value versions of our results offer new insights into the relation between dominant strategy implementation and Bayesian implementation.Mechanism design, Common knowledge, Universal type space, Interim equilibrium, Ex-post equilibrium, Dominant strategies

The design of smart educational environments

This paper discusses the key characteristics of smart learning and the main challenges to be overcome when designing smart educational environments to support personalisation. In order to integrate smart learning environments into the learning ecosystem and educational contexts, innovative uses and new pedagogical approaches need to be implemented to orchestrate formal and informal learning. This contribution describes the main characteristics of smart learning and smart learning environments and sustains the relevance of taking the participation of future users into account during the design process to increase knowledge of the design and the implementation of new pedagogical approaches in smart learning environments

Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people

Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design in Caring Environments Study (DICE) collected cross-sectional data on building design and quality of life in 38 care homes in and near Sheffield, Yorkshire. Quality of life was assessed using methods which included all residents regardless of their frailty, and staff morale was also assessed. The physical environment was measured on 11 user-related domains using a new tool, the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (SCEAM). Significant positive associations were found between several aspects of the built environment and the residents' quality of life. There was evidence that a focus on safety and health requirements could be creating risk-averse environments which act against quality of life, particularly for the least frail residents. Staff morale was associated with attributes of a non-institutional environment for residents rather than with the facilities provided for the staff. The new tool for assessing building design has potential applications in further research and for care providers

Imageability and Intelligibility in 3D Game Environments Examining Experiential and Cultural Influence on the Design Process

The games industry has developed online multiplayer three-dimensional game worlds that allow players from different geographical locations to engage in competitive and cooperative gameplay together. This has enabled players from different cultures to inhabit the same virtual game world, bypassing any geographical or cultural boundaries found in the real world. These 3D game worlds ask the player to use the basic principles of spatial awareness and movement from the real world, and are often virtual representations of real world environments. These spaces are designed for players from all nationalities to inhabit concurrently. There is now a need to determine design considerations for these multicultural multiplayer game worlds but any investigation must consider the historical evidence from the games industry of cultural differences in gameplay preferences. This thesis discusses the effect of cultural knowledge on the spatial design and interpretation of three-dimensional game environments that are based on real world affordances. A new methodology for the comparative analysis of the design of three-dimensional game environments is established using Space Syntax metrics. This facilitates the discussion of cultural models applied to design thinking for the implementation and interpretation of game environments. Through spatial metrics the analysis of the intelligibility underlying three-dimensional game environments is correlated to the imageability of the projected two-dimensional screen image. The application of this methodology to internationally popular, and culturally specific, game environments establishes new knowledge on tacit cultural influences within game design processes. The analysed intelligibility of the environments indicates cognitive differences between Eastern and Western cultures, already recognised in the interpretation of two-dimensional imagery, also exist within the design and interpretation of three-dimensional game spaces. This study establishes a new methodology through the analysis of intelligibility for design research into game environments. The resulting evaluation of tacit cultural influences within the design of the environments establishes new cultural differences and commonalities. These design characteristics can inform future game design methodologies within industry for the design and implementation of multicultural game environments

Baghera Assessment Project, designing an hybrid and emergent educational society

Edited by Sophie Soury-Lavergne ; Available at: http://www-leibniz.imag.fr/LesCahiers/2003/Cahier81/BAP_CahiersLaboLeibniz.PDFResearch reportThe Baghera Assessment Project (BAP) has the objective to ex plore a new avenue for the design of e-Learning environments. The key features of BAP's approach are: (i) the concept of emergence in multi-agents systems as modelling framework, (ii) the shaping of a new theoretic al framework for modelling student knowledge, namely the cK¢ model. This new model has been constructed, based on the current research in cognitive science and education, to bridge research on education and research on the design of learning environments

Knowledge Work in Campus Environment - Opportunities of New Technologies in Working and Learning Spaces

Learning and research environments in academic campus context are undergoing fast changes. The changes are occurring both on the level of technology implemented to the environment and the space itself as the traditional cellular offices are increasingly being replaced by open work environments. Knowledge workers, such as the researchers, are at the core of creativity and innovation. The ideal working and learning environments support both creative thinking and collaborative interaction. This article explores the current understanding of the requirements of high quality research and learning environments, and it aims to examine the link between creativity and space. In doing so, I wish to highlight how the architecture of the workspace can respond to the requirements of a successful working environment and how immaterial elements, such as lighting for instance, can induce creative thought,  achievement, and innovation and importantly enhance the well-being of the occupants of the space. Furthermore, I will look into how the architecture and technology of the space affect the dissemination of tacit and explicit knowledge amongst individuals and within groups. As part of my research project, aimed to provide new scientific information of the real user needs in academic working and learning environments and create concepts of hybrid multi-spaces, I will discuss in this paper how architecture and lighting design can support knowledge sharing, peer-to-peer interactions, creativity and innovation, which are imperative for success in knowledge work. Hence, the findings could inform the design of new learning and working environments suitable for both user expectations and knowledge production

Learning through prefabrication

The use of prefabrication in design exemplar houses has escalated in Australia in the past decade. The same level of design quality has not been applied to the design of prefabricated school buildings. As CADCAM technology becomes more prevalent within the construction industry and greener, smarter materials are developed, new opportunities arise in the design of learning spaces. What can be learnt from bespoke prefabrication techniques being developed in other industries and overseas in order to advance the design and delivery of learning spaces within Australia? This research investigates whether industrial design methodologies might be strategically adopted into architectural design in order to incorporate mass production techniques. Learning environments need to be designed to be environmentally efficient, place specific and better suited to user needs. By including both macro and micro oriented scenarios, the research aims to clarify the challenges for using prefabrication in the design of learning environments. While this ambitious research is in its infancy, the complex framework and support from industry is relevant for other researchers who are seeking to have an impact on design practice using an action research methodology. The research is timely. Following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom, Australian state and federal governments have committed to reinvigorate our aging school stock. This research led by an interdisciplinary team is being developed in partnership with Departments of Education in three Australian states. The aim is to align designers with experts in prefabricated construction and delivery. The research proposal is positioned within current knowledge as demonstrated through a literature review. Its focus is in response to needs expressed by providers of school buildings in three Australian states. The key innovation is to undertake research concurrently as micro and macro scale in order to capture the potential for industry wide change. Keywords: Learning spaces, school design, bespoke prefabrication, prefabrication in architecture, design research, CADCAM.</p

Data mining technology for the evaluation of web-based teaching and learning systems

Instructional design for Web-based teaching and learning environments causes problems for two reasons. Firstly, virtual forms of teaching and learning result in little or no direct contact between instructor and learner, making the evaluation of course effectiveness difficult. Secondly, the Web as a relatively new teaching and learning medium still requires more research into learning processes with this technology. We propose data mining – techniques to discover and extract knowledge from a database – as a tool to support the analysis of student learning processes and the evaluation of the effectiveness and usability of Web-based courses. We present and illustrate different data mining techniques for the evaluation of Web-based teaching and learning systems

Sociotechnical systems as applied to knowledge work

This study examines the logic behind choosing variances and the design of forums during the planning of deliberations in non-routine work environments using a Sociotechnical System design approach. This study was accomplished through review and comparison of literature on sociotechnical applications of non-routine, knowledge work environments. The traditional sociotechnical application applied to factory settings with linear and routine work tasks analyzes unit operations within an open system, identifying technical variances that contribute to problems and social roles that control the variances. A new sociotechnical approach has been developed for systems involved in non-routine, knowledge work environments. This approach focuses on deliberations formed around topics, establishes variances that lead to poor deliberations, designs forums that minimize variances and gives control of variances to discretionary coalitions. These results generally support that variances contributing to poor deliberations are well established and that organizations need only identify the key variances that contribute to problems in their system. Organizations need to understand how the key variances affect the development of knowledge and how forums can be designed to enhance deliberations. This study places specific focus on the design of information technology forums that enhance knowledge developmenthttp://www.archive.org/details/sociotechnicalsy00oswaLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Designing for change: mash-up personal learning environments

Institutions for formal education and most work places are equipped today with at least some kind of tools that bring together people and content artefacts in learning activities to support them in constructing and processing information and knowledge. For almost half a century, science and practice have been discussing models on how to bring personalisation through digital means to these environments. Learning environments and their construction as well as maintenance makes up the most crucial part of the learning process and the desired learning outcomes and theories should take this into account. Instruction itself as the predominant paradigm has to step down. The learning environment is an (if not 'the�) important outcome of a learning process, not just a stage to perform a 'learning play'. For these good reasons, we therefore consider instructional design theories to be flawed. In this article we first clarify key concepts and assumptions for personalised learning environments. Afterwards, we summarise our critique on the contemporary models for personalised adaptive learning. Subsequently, we propose our alternative, i.e. the concept of a mash-up personal learning environment that provides adaptation mechanisms for learning environment construction and maintenance. The web application mash-up solution allows learners to reuse existing (web-based) tools plus services. Our alternative, LISL is a design language model for creating, managing, maintaining, and learning about learning environment design; it is complemented by a proof of concept, the MUPPLE platform. We demonstrate this approach with a prototypical implementation and a – we think – comprehensible example. Finally, we round up the article with a discussion on possible extensions of this new model and open problems