Collaborative information finding in smaller communities: The case of research talks

Social navigation and social tagging technologies enable user communities to assemble the collective wisdom, and use it to help community members in finding the right information. However, it takes a significantly-sized community to make a social system truly useful. The question addressed in this paper is whether collaborative information finding is feasible in the context of smaller communities. To answer this question, we developed two social systems specifically focused on smaller communities - CoMeT and Conference Navigator II - and explored several techniques to increase the volume of user contributions. This paper reviews the explored techniques and presents empirical evidence that demonstrate their effectiveness. © 2010 ICST

Peer to Peer Adult Learning Engagement in Online Collaborative Learning: Characteristics and Learning Outcomes

The purpose of this study is to investigate an under-researched area of adult learning in informal and unstructured online spaces. The first phase of the project involved a systematic review of 31 studies on adult learners’ peer-to-peer (P2P) interactions in online learning environments. The aspects explored were: (1), the characteristics of adult P2P engagement in online collaborative learning environments; (2), the impacts of that engagement on the learning outcomes of adult learners; and (3), the factors that could facilitate or hinder adult engagement in such environments. The review revealed that most studies investigated the broad effects of P2P adult learning on learning outcomes. These effects suggest that: (1) the adult learning efficiency could be improved through the application of more specialized approaches; and (2), that various unexplored factors may be important in facilitating P2P adult learning. This research will allow for better consideration of adult learning processes and activities

EXPLORING EYES-FREE USER MOTIVATION AND PREDICTING MENTAL WORKLOAD IN MOBILE HCI

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Τα αρχεία και η διαχείριση γνώσης στην κοινωνία της γνώσης.

Διπλωματική εργασία--Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2011.Μέσα από μια συγκριτική παρουσίαση της διαχείρισης της πληροφορίας (Ιnformation Μanagement- IM) και της διαχείρισης της γνώσης (Knowledge Management- KM), δύο βασικών εννοιών της τεχνολογίας της πληροφορίας (Ιnformation Technology- ΙΤ), η μελέτη -με τη διαπίστωση των διαφορών τους- αναδεικνύει την ιδιαίτερη φύση της δεύτερης και τη συμβολή της στη σημασιολογική προσπέλαση και παράσταση εννοιών στον αρχειακό χώρο. Αναπτύσσεται μια στρατηγική δύο φάσεων για την αξιοποίηση της αρχειακής γνώσης στο σύγχρονο ηλεκτρονικό περιβάλλον, βασισμένη στη διερεύνηση των δυνατοτήτων που προσφέρει η σύγχρονη τεχνολογία. Η πρώτη φάση της στρατηγικής (Κεφάλαιο 1, Κεφάλαιο 2) εστιάζεται στην ανάλυση των υπό εξέταση εννοιών και στηρίζεται στο τρίπτυχο «αξιολόγηση της πληροφορίας > ανίχνευση της λανθάνουσας γνώσης > αξιοποίηση της γνώσης». Οι εξελίξεις της τεχνολογίας στις δύο τελευταίες δεκαετίες, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της ανάπτυξης του διαδικτύου και ιδιαίτερα του Web 2.0, με τη δημιουργία κοινοτήτων δράσης και τη χρήση μεταδεδομένων, έχουν δημιουργήσει νέους προβληματισμούς και προκλήσεις για τους αρχειακούς οργανισμούς, ως διαχειριστές των αρχείων. Το ενδιαφέρον έχει μόλις πρόσφατα αρχίζει να εστιάζεται στην οργάνωση και όχι μόνο στην περιγραφή του περιεχομένου των πληροφοριών που τα αρχεία παρέχουν, με τη δόμηση μετα-βιβλιοθηκών αρχείων. Η αρχειονομική κοινότητα συνειδητοποιεί πλέον ότι οι τεχνολογικές δυνατότητες του σύγχρονου παρελθόντος- όπως η πλοήγηση, η αναζήτηση και η ανάκτηση μέσα από πίνακες και ευρετήρια αρχείων στον παγκόσμιο ιστό (World Wide Web- WWW)- δεν επαρκούν για να εξυπηρετήσουν τις ανάγκες των χρηστών της, εάν τα δεδομένα και οι πληροφορίες που προκύπτουν από την ΙΜ/ KM δεν αξιοποιούνται πλήρως. Με συστημική προσέγγιση η δεύτερη φάση της στρατηγικής (Kεφάλαιο 3, Κεφάλαιο 4) επικεντρώνεται στην αποτίμηση των ωφελειών στον αρχειακό χώρο από τη δημιουργία οντολογικών σχημάτων και τη χρήση μεταδεδομένων, ως εργαλείων διαχείρισης της γνώσης. Υπό το πρίσμα της εστίασης στο χρήστη, η γνώση που εμπεριέχεται στα αρχεία πρέπει όχι μόνο να διαφυλαχθεί, αλλά και να οργανωθεί, εάν πρώτιστος στόχος της λειτουργίας των αρχειακών οργανισμών είναι η αναβάθμιση του δείκτη αποδοτικότητάς τους στο σύγχρονο διεθνές περιβάλλον. Τα αρχεία οφείλουν να παρέχουν στους χρήστες τους όχι μόνο μια πλήρη περιγραφή του υλικού τους σε ηλεκτρονικό περιβάλλον, αλλά και τη δυνατότητα μιας εξατομικευμένης και εξ αποστάσεως προσέγγισης του περιεχομένου τους, ανταποκρινόμενα στο μέγιστο δυνατό βαθμό στις προσωπικές αναζητήσεις των χρηστών. Η συνεχής παρουσίαση νέων μεθοδολογιών για την αξιοποίηση του Web 2.0 στη διαχείριση αρχείων εκφράζει σαφώς τη συγκεκριμένη φιλοσοφία. Ταυτόχρονα με τη διαπιστωμένη τάση για προαγωγή της έρευνας στον τομέα αυτό διαμορφώνεται η συνείδηση ότι επαρκώς δομημένες ad hoc θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις και κατά περίπτωση καλά σχεδιασμένες πρακτικές μπορούν να προσφέρουν σημαντικά πλεονεκτήματα και σε καθολικές εφαρμογές

Parametric Design within an Atomic Design Process (ADP) applied to Spacecraft Design.

This thesis describes research investigating the development of a model for the initial design of complex systems, with application to spacecraft design. The design model is called an atomic design process (ADP) and contains four fundamental stages (specifications, configurations, trade studies and drivers) that constitute the minimum steps of an iterative process that helps designers find a feasible solution. Representative design models from the aerospace industry are reviewed and are compared with the proposed model. The design model’s relevance, adaptability and scalability features are evaluated through a focused design task exercise with two undergraduate teams and a long-term design exercise performed by a spacecraft payload team. The implementation of the design model is explained in the context in which the model has been researched. This context includes the organization (a student-run research laboratory at the University of Michigan), its culture (academically oriented), members that have used the design model and the description of the information technology elements meant to provide support while using the model. This support includes a custom-built information management system that consolidates relevant information that is currently being used in the organization. The information is divided in three domains: personnel development history, technical knowledge base and laboratory operations. The focused study with teams making use of the design model to complete an engineering design exercise consists of the conceptual design of an autonomous system, including a carrier and a deployable lander that form the payload of a rocket with an altitude range of over 1000 meters. Detailed results from each of the stages of the design process while implementing the model are presented, and an increase in awareness of good design practices in the teams while using the model are explained. A long-term investigation using the design model consisting of the successful characterization of an imaging system for a spacecraft is presented. The spacecraft is designed to take digital color images from low Earth orbit. The dominant drivers from each stage of the design process are indicated as they were identified, with the accompanying hardware development leading to the final configuration that comprises the flight spacecraft.Ph.D.Design ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86382/1/arramos_1.pd

Answerers' Motivations and Strategies for Providing Information and Social Support in Social Q&A: An Investigation of Health Question Answering

Social Q&A allows people to ask and answer questions for each other and to solve problems in everyday life collaboratively. The purpose of the current study is to understand the motivations and strategies of answerers in social Q&A. Thus, three research questions were investigated: 1)Why do answerers participate and contribute in social Q&A? 2)What strategies do they use to provide effective answers in social Q&A? 3)What are the relationships between motivations and strategies? The domain of health is chosen because health is one of the most popular topics that people search information and support online. A model of answering behaviors has been proposed with a composition of 10 motivations and 32 strategies related to five steps of answering behaviors - question selection, question interpretation, information seeking, answer creation and answer evaluation. Two research methods - a survey and content analysis - were used. A survey questionnaire was distributed to top answerers and recent answerers in the health category of Yahoo! Answers. Answers of the survey participants were additionally collected in order to analyze the types of health messages and the sources of the answers. Altruism was found to be the most influential motivation, followed closely by Enjoyment and Efficacy. Answerers select questions based on their confidence or interest in the topic of the question. When interpreting questions, answerers believe that they understand the question most of the time. When seeking information for answers, most of the sources of answers are from the answerers' own information and experiences. When creating answers, accuracy and completeness are the most frequently used criteria for evaluating information sources. When evaluating answers, answerers review responses to their answers from questioners, other answerers, and other members in Yahoo! Answers. Additionally, motivations and strategies of all participants, top answerers, and health experts and the relationship between motivations and strategies are reported. Findings from the current study have practical implications for promoting the use of social Q&A as well as other similar Q&A services. The other important research implication is its contributions to the body of knowledge on information providing behaviors

Role of social networks in consulting engineers' collaborative information behaviour

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the role of social networks in the information behaviour of consulting engineers. Wilson’s (1999; 2000) encapsulating information behaviour definition, and the contribution other researchers made to it, was used to develop an information behaviour framework for the study. In an in depth literature review it was learnt that engineering work is about team work and that engineers rely on their personal knowledge and expertise, as well as the knowledge and expertise of other experts in the field. This was confirmed by the findings of the empirical study. Throughout the literature review it was shown that the interaction between elements in the context and the personal dimension gives rise to information needs, which in turn prompt certain information behaviour activities. Narrative inquiry, a relatively new information behaviour data collection and analysis technique, guided the study. Fifteen consulting engineers who are involved in building projects participated in the study. Two chapters were dedicated to data analysis where the engineers’ stories of an engineering project were re-storied to learn more about the context of engineering work and how engineers operate. The findings revealed that the team members of projects involving consulting engineers come from different organisations. It was found that consulting engineers collaboratively seek, gather, use, communicate and share information. Interdependency emerged as a prominent element in the effective structures of consulting engineers’ personal dimension and evidently plays an important role in collaborative information behaviour in consulting engineers’ team work. It serves as a contributing factor in the natural forming of their social networks, which proved to be important sources of engineering information. The findings contributed to the refinement of the information behaviour framework developed for the purpose of this study. The framework graphically illustrates consulting engineers’ information behaviour. This study contributes to an understanding of the important role social networks play in consulting engineers’ successful accomplishment of engineering projects in everyday lifeInformation ScienceD.Litt. et Phil. (Information Science