The experience as a document: designing for the future of collaborative remembering in digital archives

How does it feel when we remember together on-line? Who gets to say what it is worth to be remembered? To understand how the user experience of participation is affecting the formation of collective memories in the context of online environments, first it is important to take into consideration how the notion of memory has been transformed under the influence of the digital revolution. I aim to contribute to the field of User Experience (UX) research theorizing on the felt experience of users from a memory perspective, taking into consideration aspects linked to both personal and collective memories in the context of connected environments.Harassment and hate speech in connected conversational environments are specially targeted to women and underprivileged communities, which has become a problem for digital archives of vernacular creativity (Burgess, J. E. 2007) such as YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and Wikipedia. An evaluation of the user experience of underprivileged communities in creative archives such as Wikipedia indicates the urgency for building a feminist space where women and queer folks can focus on knowledge production and learning without being harassed. The theoretical models and designs that I propose are a result of a series of prototype testing and case studies focused on cognitive tools for a mediated human memory operating inside transactive memory systems. With them, aims to imagine the means by which feminist protocols for UX design and research can assist in the building and maintenance of the archive as a safe/brave space.Working with perspectives from media theory, memory theory and gender studies and centering the user experience of participation for women, queer folks, people of colour (POC) and other vulnerable and underrepresented communities as the main focus of inquiring, my research takes an interdisciplinary approach to interrogate how online misogyny and other forms of abuse are perceived by communities placed outside the center of the hegemonic normativity, and how the user experience of online abuse is affecting the formation of collective memories in the context of online environments

Communities of practice and virtual learning communities : benefits, barriers and success factors

A virtual Community of Practice (CoP) is a network of individuals who share a domain of interest about which they communicate online. The practitioners share resources (for example experiences, problems and solutions, tools, methodologies). Such communication results in the improvement of the knowledge of each participant in the community and contributes to the development of the knowledge within the domain. A virtual learning community may involve the conduct of original research but it is more likely that its main purpose is to increase the knowledge of participants, via formal education or professional development. Virtual learning communities could have learning as their main goal or the elearning could be generated as a side effect. Virtual communities of practice (CoPs) and virtual learning communities are becoming widespread within higher education institutions (HEIs) thanks to technological developments which enable increased communication, interactivity among participants and incorporation of collaborative pedagogical models, specifically through information communications technologies (ICTs) They afford the potential for the combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication, access to -and from- geographically isolated communities and international information sharing. Clearly there are benefits to be derived from sharing and learning within and outwith HEIs. There is a sense of connectedness, of shared passion and a deepening of knowledge to be derived from ongoing interaction. Knowledge development can be continuous, cyclical and fluid. However, barriers exist in virtual CoPs and these are defined by the authors and illustrated with quotes from academic staff who have been involved in CoPs. Critical success factors (CSFs) for a virtual CoP are discussed. These include usability of technology; trust in, and acceptance of, ICTs in communication; a sense of belonging among members; paying attention to cross-national and cross-cultural dimensions of the CoP; shared understandings; a common sense of purpose; use of netiquette and user-friendly language and longevity. The authors recognise the enormous potential for the development of CoPs through e-mail discussion lists and discussion boards but have themselves experienced the difficulties inherent in initiating such a community. These are corroborated and illustrated with text from interviews with academic staff. Much of the literature on CoPs emanates from outside Europe, despite the fact that e-learning articles have a large diffusion around Europe. The authors suggest further exploration of this topic by identifying and studying CoPs and virtual learning communities across EU countries

The Effect of Role Specialization And Transactive Memory Systems On Performance in Data Science Teams

Teamwork is an integral part of data science work. Data science work requires knowledge from many different disciplines including statistics, information visualization, programming, and subject matter knowledge related to a given set of data sets (e.g., politics, education). Data science teams are often formed by individuals who have different areas of knowledge and expertise and, as a result, may take on different functional roles within a team. Due to their distinctive expertise, members in data science teams may take on specialized task roles matching their expertise, and such division of labor could increase coordination cost among team members. As data science work is often open-ended and dynamic by nature, high coordination costs could deteriorate performance in data science teams. In this research, I argued that developing shared cognition on who-knows-what (i.e., transactive memory system, abbreviated as TMS) in data science teams would be beneficial for team performance, especially when the members have specialized roles. I conducted two studies to understand the effect of role specialization and transactive memory systems on team performance with a goal to identify and test a lever to facilitate transactive memory system in data science teams. I collected data from two consecutive Data Challenge events; Data Challenge is an week-long data science competition hosted annually as a university-wide event. In Study 1, I conducted an observational study by collecting survey data from 74 individuals in 36 teams in Data Challenge 2019. In Study 2, I conducted a field experiment to examine the effectiveness of an experimental intervention designed to facilitate transactive memory system in data science teams by highlighting any inaccuracies in the perceived expertise between members

How does a successful Norwegian incubator practice learning? - A case study of Validé

Incubators have a purpose of increasing the success rate of start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Several countries, including Norway, have invested in the development of innovation as this is acknowledged to be a key contributing factor to nations’ economies. Studying successful incubators may provide useful information on how other incubators can improve. As research has shown, incubators may function differently depending on the culture they operate in. Little research has been done on learning within incubators in a Norwegian context. Therefore, this thesis studies a successful Norwegian incubator and how they practice learning with the purpose of identifying key factors for their success. This single case study compares existing literature on knowledge, learning, and incubation with findings from qualitative interviews with employees working in the incubator department in the Norwegian innovation company Validé. Seven business advisors, a fund director, and the CEO of the company were interviewed. Comparisons between literature and findings from the interviews showed that learning takes place in a variety of different ways in Validé. This study suggests that key factors to Validé's success include close collaboration between colleagues, openness and transparency in the organization, low internal competitiveness, engaged and active leadership, and a strong organizational culture. This study also points out other factors that are difficult for other incubators to copy. Findings show that factors such as current resources, historical point in time, and location may have an effect on the incubator's success.Incubators have a purpose of increasing the success rate of start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Several countries, including Norway, have invested in the development of innovation as this is acknowledged to be a key contributing factor to nations’ economies. Studying successful incubators may provide useful information on how other incubators can improve. As research has shown, incubators may function differently depending on the culture they operate in. Little research has been done on learning within incubators in a Norwegian context. Therefore, this thesis studies a successful Norwegian incubator and how they practice learning with the purpose of identifying key factors for their success. This single case study compares existing literature on knowledge, learning, and incubation with findings from qualitative interviews with employees working in the incubator department in the Norwegian innovation company Validé. Seven business advisors, a fund director, and the CEO of the company were interviewed. Comparisons between literature and findings from the interviews showed that learning takes place in a variety of different ways in Validé. This study suggests that key factors to Validé's success include close collaboration between colleagues, openness and transparency in the organization, low internal competitiveness, engaged and active leadership, and a strong organizational culture. This study also points out other factors that are difficult for other incubators to copy. Findings show that factors such as current resources, historical point in time, and location may have an effect on the incubator's success

Team adaptation in complex work environments

A adaptação é fundamental para a eficácia do trabalho em equipa em ambientes complexos. A literatura sugere que as características dos membros da equipa, os processos episódicos e os estados emergentes contribuem para a capacidade de as equipas se comportarem de forma adaptativa. No entanto, as causas e condições em que estas variáveis se relacionam e contribuem para a adaptação em ambientes de trabalho complexos exige mais investigação. Nesta dissertação, vamos concentrar-nos nas dinâmicas multinível, transversais e longitudinais que caracterizam o processo adaptativo. Os participantes dos estudos feitos nesta dissertação foram estudantes universitários, e trabalhadores de diversos contextos organizacionais (e.g. gestão; saúde hospitalar; policia). O teste das hipóteses de investigação foi feito através de metodologias de regressão e equações estruturais. A metodologia de regressão foi utilizada para estimar os efeitos diretos, indiretos e condicionados. A modelagem com equações estruturais foi utilizada para estimar os efeitos indiretos, multinível e longitudinais. No geral, os resultados sugerem que a performance adaptativa contribui para a eficácia das equipas em ambientes de trabalho complexos. Os nossos resultados também clarificam a natureza das relações entre as características dos membros das equipas, os processos e estados emergentes. Esta dissertação contribui para a teoria e a prática, uma vez que amplia o conhecimento prévio sobre as dinâmicas de adaptação do trabalho em equipa, e tece recomendações de como e por que razões as práticas de GRH devem incorporar os resultados desta dissertação na gestão de pessoas.Team adaptation is paramount for effective teamwork in complex work environments. Literature suggests that team member characteristics, episodic team processes, and emergent states contribute to collective ability to behave adaptively. However, we know very little about the causes and conditions under which these constructs relate to predict adaptation and effectiveness in complex work environments requires further clarification. In this dissertation, we focus on the multilevel, cross-level and longitudinal examination of the dynamics of team member characteristics, episodic team processes, and emergent states driving team adaptation in the work place. In this dissertation data collection was done in simulated and field settings. Participants were university students and professional workers from diverse organizational settings (e.g. business; healthcare; police). Hypotheses testing were done through regression and structural equations modelling. Regression was used to estimate direct, indirect, and conditioned effects. Structural equations modelling were used to estimate indirect, multilevel and longitudinal effects. Overall, the results suggest that team adaptation contributes to team effectiveness in complex work environments. Our results also contribute to clarify the entanglement between team member characteristics, processes and emergent states in teams. This dissertation contributes to theory and practice as it extends previous knowledge on the dynamics of team adaptation, and it makes recommendations of why and how HRM practices should incorporate our findings in people management

Three essays on problem-solving in collaborative open productions

The term “open production” is frequently used to describe production systems that rely on volunteer participants who are willing to participate, produce, and bear private costs in order to provide a public good. Examples of open production are becoming increasingly common in many industries. What make these productions possible? How may they be sustained in a world of organizations in which the evolutionary products of economic selection are elaborate hierarchical forms of organization? One way to address these questions is to look at how open productions solve problems that are common to all production organizations such as, for example, problems in the division of labor, allocation of tasks, collaboration, coordination, and maintaining balance between inducement and contributions. Under the conditions of extreme decentralization that are the defining feature of open productions, this approach implies a detailed observation of individual problem solving practices. This is the approach I develop in my dissertation. Unlike much of the prior literature on open productions, I deemphasize motivational elements, status-seeking motives, and allocation of property rights issues. I focus instead on actual work practices as revealed by the day-by-day problem solving activities that qualify open productions projects as production organizations despite the absence of formal contractual arrangements to regulate principal-agent relations. What my work adds to the extensive, informative, and well-developed discipline-based explanations that are currently available, is a focus on the emergence of micro-organizational mechanisms through which problem assignment (Chapter 2), problem resolution (Chapter 3), and sustained participation (Chapter 4) are obtained in open productions. In my essays, I draw from organizational sociology and the behavioral theory of the firm to specify models that relate individual problem-solving activities to structured patterns of action through emergent work practices. In the models that I specify and test, I emphasize processes of attention allocation (Chapter 2), repeated collaboration and group diversity (Chapter 3) and identity construction (Chapter 4) as central to our understanding of the dynamics of problem-solving in organizations. One element of novelty in my study is that my research design makes these work practices directly observable at a level of detail, completeness, and precision that was inaccessible in the past. To illustrate the empirical value of the view that I develop I examine problem-solving activities – i.e., bug fixing and code production – within two Free/Open Source Software (F/OSS) projects during their entire life span. Readers of my work will know more about how organizational micro-mechanisms emerge in open productions

A novel multi-level and community-based agent ecosystem to support customers dynamic decision-making in smart grids

Electrical systems have evolved at a fast pace over the past years, particularly in response to the current environmental and climate challenges. Consequently, the European Union and the United Nations have encouraged the development of a more sustainable energy strategy. This strategy triggered a paradigm shift in energy consumption and production, which becoming increasingly distributed, resulted in the development and emergence of smart energy grids. Multi-agent systems are one of the most widely used artificial intelligence concepts in smart grids. Both multi-agent systems and smart grids are distributed, so there is correspondence between the used technology and the network's complex reality. Due to the wide variety of multi-agent systems applied to smart grids, which typically have very specific goals, the ability to model the network as a whole may be compromised, as communication between systems is typically non-existent. This dissertation, therefore, proposes an agent-based ecosystem to model smart grids in which different agent-based systems can coexist. This dissertation aims to conceive, implement, test, and validate a new agent-based ecosystem, entitled A4SG (agent-based ecosystem for smart grids modelling), which combines the concepts of multi-agent systems and agent communities to enable the modelling and representation of smart grids and the entities that compose them. The proposed ecosystem employs an innovative methodology for managing static or dynamic interactions present in smart grids. The creation of a solution that allows the integration of existing systems into an ecosystem, enables the representation of smart grids in a realistic and comprehensive manner. A4SG integrates several functionalities that support the ecosystem's management, also conceived, implemented, tested, and validated in this dissertation. Two mobility functionalities are proposed: one that allows agents to move between physical machines and another that allows "virtual" mobility, where agents move between agent communities to improve the context for the achievement of their objectives. In order to prevent an agent from becoming overloaded, a novel functionality is proposed to enable the creation of agents that function as extensions of the main agent (i.e., branch agents), allowing the distribution of objectives among the various extensions of the main agent. Several case studies, which test the proposed services and functionalities individually and the ecosystem as a whole, were used to test and validate the proposed solution. These case studies were conducted in realistic contexts using data from multiple sources, including energy communities. The results indicate that the used methodologies can increase participation in demand response events, increasing the fitting between consumers and aggregators from 12 % to 69 %, and improve the strategies used in energy transaction markets, allowing an energy community of 50 customers to save 77.0 EUR per week.Os últimos anos têm sido de mudança nos sistemas elétricos, especialmente devido aos atuais desafios ambientais e climáticos. A procura por uma estratégia mais sustentável para o domínio da energia tem sido promovida pela União Europeia e pela Organização das Nações Unidas. A mudança de paradigma no que toca ao consumo e produção de energia, que acontece, cada vez mais, de forma distribuída, tem levado à emergência das redes elétricas inteligentes. Os sistemas multi-agente são um dos conceitos, no domínio da inteligência artificial, mais aplicados em redes inteligentes. Tanto os sistemas multi-agente como as redes inteligentes têm uma natureza distribuída, existindo por isso um alinhamento entre a tecnologia usada e a realidade complexa da rede. Devido a existir uma vasta oferta de sistemas multi-agente aplicados a redes inteligentes, normalmente com objetivos bastante específicos, a capacidade de modelar a rede como um todo pode ficar comprometida, porque a comunicação entre sistemas é, geralmente, inexistente. Por isso, esta dissertação propõe um ecossistema baseado em agentes para modelar as redes inteligentes, onde vários sistemas de agentes coexistem. Esta dissertação pretende conceber, implementar, testar, e validar um novo ecossistema multiagente, intitulado A4SG (agent-based ecosystem for smart grids modelling), que combina os conceitos de sistemas multi-agente e comunidades de agentes, permitindo a modelação e representação de redes inteligentes e das suas entidades. O ecossistema proposto utiliza uma metodologia inovadora para gerir as interações presentes nas redes inteligentes, sejam elas estáticas ou dinâmicas. A criação de um ecossistema que permite a integração de sistemas já existentes, cria a possibilidade de uma representação realista e detalhada das redes de energia. O A4SG integra diversas funcionalidades, também estas concebidas, implementadas, testadas, e validadas nesta dissertação, que suportam a gestão do próprio ecossistema. São propostas duas funcionalidades de mobilidade, uma que permite aos agentes mover-se entre máquinas físicas, e uma que permite uma mobilidade “virtual”, onde os agentes se movem entre comunidades de agentes, de forma a melhorar o contexto para a execução dos seus objetivos. É também proposta uma nova funcionalidade que permite a criação de agentes que funcionam como uma extensão de um agente principal, com o objetivo de evitar a sobrecarga de um agente, permitindo a distribuição de objetivos entre as várias extensões do agente principal. A solução proposta foi testada e validada por vários casos de estudo, que testam os serviços e funcionalidades propostas individualmente, e o ecossistema como um todo. Estes casos de estudo foram executados em contextos realistas, usando dados provenientes de diversas fontes, tais como comunidades de energia. Os resultados demonstram que as metodologias utilizadas podem melhorar a participação em eventos de demand response, subindo a adequação entre consumidores e agregadores de 12 % para 69 %, e melhorar as estratégias utilizadas em mercados de transações de energia, permitindo a uma comunidade de energia com 50 consumidores poupar 77,0 EUR por semana

Performance analysis of static agent architecture with centralized matchmaking

Text in English; Abstract: English and TurkishIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 46-50)ix, 50 leavesLarge- scale network environments such as the internet possess the characteristics of distributed data, distributed access and distributed control. This gives users a powerful mechanism for building and integrating large amounts of distributed information from diverse resources. However few support tools have been developed for users to sift through this vast amount of information. In this thesis, we advocate the integration of two entities; Static agents to create a user profile, and information integration architecture to provide the desired information. Text-Based information is the main concern due to its high significance in our daily lives. Thus, information integration architecture will gather and intelligently combine information from multiple agents and present the user with combined information using a task agent.İnternet ve ona benzer büyük boyuttaki ağ yapıları dağıtık veri, dağıtık erişim ve dağıtık kontrol imkanları sağlar. Bu sayede kullanıcılar, büyük miktarlardaki veriyi farklı kaynaklardan alıp birleştirme ve yapılandırma şansına sahip olurlar. Ancak bu büyük boyutlardaki veriyi belli bir amaca göre eleyebilecek destek araçları sınırlı sayıdadır. Bu tezde iki varlığın bir araya getirilmesi savunulmaktadır. Durağan ajanlar ile kullanıcı profili yaratmak ve bilgi entegrasyon mimarisi ile gerekli bilgiyi kullanıcılara sağlamak hedeflenmiştir. Karakter tabanlı bilgi günlük hayatımızdaki öneminden dolayı tezin ürettiği çözüm içinde yer almaktadır. Böylece bilgi entegrasyon mimarisi farklı durağan ajanlardan bilgi toplayıp, derleyip talep eden diğer ajanlara sunacaktır. Bunu yaparken görev ajanı kullanılacaktır