Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning using Augmented and Virtual Reality in Museum Education

Recent advancements in the cost, availability, and capability of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices and software are spurring their mass distribution to the public. This fundamental shift in the use of AR and VR predominantly from military and academic research laboratories to the public presents new opportunities and challenges for the design of instructional technology. While studies of AR and VR have been conducted to inform the design of individual instructional products, few studies have focused on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) products in which AR and VR learners work together toward shared learning goals. The museum education industry possesses unique and inherent characteristics that position it as a strong candidate for the development and deployment of CSCL-ARVR products. Tourism locations, such as museums, provide an exemplary environment for advanced learning technology experimentation in which information technology infrastructure and programs of instruction are often already in place and in which many tourists already possess smartphones and or tablets that may be used to mediate location-based educational experiences. The goal was to conduct formative research to develop a tentative instructional design theory that can be used to guide the creation of CSCL-ARVR instructional products. Instructional design theory and software engineering practices were applied to guide the design of a CSCL-ARVR instructional product prototype to support museum education. The prototype, named Co-Tour, was designed and developed to enable remotely-located VR participants to collaborate with AR participants located within a tourism location to jointly navigate the location, examine exhibits and answer questions about exhibits related to a problem-based learning instance. Formative data were collected and analyzed, and the results were used to develop a tentative instructional design theory. Mixed Reality Museum Co-Visit Theory is proposed to inform the design and development of CSCL-ARVR co-visitation experiences for museums. A theoretical framework was developed and was informed by CSCL, game-based learning, social constructivist theory, flow theory, and the construct of camaraderie. Five values supporting the goal were elaborated to guide theory methods production including fostering of collaboration, leveraging of informal learning activities, incorporation of motivational elements, favoring of loose organization, and provision an effective user interface. Future research should focus upon replication towards validation and generalizability of results and upon the broader museum going population

MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN THE VISIT PHASE THROUGH GUEST.NET - AN INDESTINATION, LOCATION-BASED SYSTEM AT MAISTRA HOTEL CHAIN IN CROATIA

Hoteliers have always endeavoured to retain guests within their facilities, to profit maximally by offering them additional services. Informing guests of various options is performed within in-house marketing techniques, whereas some are ICT based. Purpose. Hotel chain websites are aimed at the acquisition of guests and as such are inadequate for displaying detailed, service and current information that guests need during their stay in a tourist destination (e.g. happy hour offer at the lobby bar). What about information provided to guests once in the tourist destination? This paper will present one such solution: the Guest.net. It is an in-destination, location-based website accessible from all Maistra Inc. properties, representing a good solution for hotel chains with various nearby positioned tourism facilities aimed at retaining guests within chain facilities. Design/Methodology/Approach. The approach used in this paper is the case study method. Findings and Implications. Klante, Kroschel and Bolls theoretical information model (2004) was expanded by adding the planning in situ phase in tourism. Benefits of the application of similar guest services for hotel chains have been listed. Limitations. Limitations steam from the case study method and relate to the minor geographical area researched. Originality. There is an evident lack in research of customers in tourism during the visit phase, regarding their decision making process, especially in the evaluation of alternatives and their purchase decision in situ (Law, Buhalis, Cobanoglu, 2014), thus this paper broadens the identified gap in the information collection phase in the destination

Contextual mobile adaptation

Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) involves systems that attempt to fit in with users’ context and interaction. Researchers agree that system adaptation is a key issue in ubicomp because it can be hard to predict changes in contexts, needs and uses. Even with the best planning, it is impossible to foresee all uses of software at the design stage. In order for software to continue to be helpful and appropriate it should, ideally, be as dynamic as the environment in which it operates. Changes in user requirements, contexts of use and system resources mean software should also adapt to better support these changes. An area in which adaptation is clearly lacking is in ubicomp systems, especially those designed for mobile devices. By improving techniques and infrastructure to support adaptation it is possible for ubicomp systems to not only sense and adapt to the environments they are running in, but also retrieve and install new functionality so as to better support the dynamic context and needs of users in such environments. Dynamic adaptation of software refers to the act of changing the structure of some part of a software system as it executes, without stopping or restarting it. One of the core goals of this thesis is to discover if such adaptation is feasible, useful and appropriate in the mobile environment, and how designers can create more adaptive and flexible ubicomp systems and associated user experiences. Through a detailed study of existing literature and experience of several early systems, this thesis presents design issues and requirements for adaptive ubicomp systems. This thesis presents the Domino framework, and demonstrates that a mobile collaborative software adaptation framework is achievable. This system can recommend future adaptations based on a history of use. The framework demonstrates that wireless network connections between mobile devices can be used to transport usage logs and software components, with such connections made either in chance encounters or in designed multi–user interactions. Another aim of the thesis is to discover if users can comprehend and smoothly interact with systems that are adapting. To evaluate Domino, a multiplayer game called Castles has been developed, in which game buildings are in fact software modules that are recommended and transferred between players. This evaluation showed that people are comfortable receiving semi–automated software recommendations; these complement traditional recommendation methods such as word of mouth and online forums, with the system’s support freeing users to discuss more in–depth aspects of the system, such as tactics and strategies for use, rather than forcing them to discover, acquire and integrate software by themselves

When Mobile Phones are RFID-Equipped - Finding E.U.-U.S. Solutions to Protect Consumer Privacy and Facilitate Mobile Commerce

New mobile phones have been designed to include delivery of mobile advertising and other useful location-based services, but have they also been designed to protect consumers\u27 privacy? One of the key enabling technologies for these new types of phones and new mobile services is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a wireless communication technology that enables the unique identification of tagged objects. In the case of RFID-enabled mobile phones, the personal nature of the devices makes it very likely that, by locating a phone, businesses will also be able to locate its owner. Consumers are currently testing new RFID-enabled phones around the globe, but the phones are not yet in general use by consumers in the United States and Europe. The incorporation of RFID into cell phones in order to deliver mobile advertising and other location-based services raises a host of important privacy questions that urgently need to be addressed before the phones become widely available. Analyzing the risks to consumer privacy in this new context, this paper offers a comparative law analysis of the applicable regulatory frameworks and recent policy developments in the European Union and the United States and concludes that there are many privacy concerns not presently addressed by E.U. and U.S. laws. This article also offers specific ideas to protect consumers\u27 privacy through applications of fair information practices and privacy-enhancing technologies. When mobile phones are RFID-equipped, consumers will need new privacy protections in order to understand the risks and make knowledgeable decisions about their privacy

Contact Tracing in the Era of Covid-19: Implementation of Traditional Strategies in Novel Contexts and Innovative Approaches to Address Existing Barriers

Background: Contact tracing is an evidence-based intervention that became a core component of many COVID-19 response plans throughout the globe. Despite its demonstrated success within other disease contexts, early studies of COVID-19 contact tracing have reported mixed results regarding the effectiveness and impact of contact tracing on ultimate pandemic objectives such as case incidence or mortality. Yet, there remains a knowledge gap regarding contextual factors that influence implementation outcomes of contact tracing that may in turn influence its ultimate impact. The primary objective of this dissertation is to address this knowledge deficit by evaluating an emergency contact tracing program developed at the onset of the pandemic and evaluating the performance of various Bluetooth-assisted contact tracing technologies. Methods: The emergency contact tracing program evaluated throughout this dissertation was established in partnership between the New Haven Health Department and Yale School of Public Health in March, 2020. In Aim 1 (Chapter 2), I evaluate implementation outcomes including reach (proportion of cases and contacts interviewed), timeliness (time from case testing to subsequent contact tracing steps), and sustainability of volunteer workforces. Within this Aim, I use quantitative methods including descriptive cascades to identify common reasons for case and contact drop-out, descriptive time measurements to evaluate timeliness of cumulative and individual contact tracing steps, and multilevel regression analyses to evaluate factors associated with successfully reaching cases and contacts. In Aim 2, I first use focus groups with contact tracers (Chapter 3) to qualitatively explore contextual elements associated with successful delivery of contact tracing. I use thematic analysis to analyze transcripts and the RE-AIM implementation science framework to organize the identified themes. In the second half of Aim 2 (Chapter 4), I draw on interviews with COVID-19 cases and contacts to qualitatively explore elements that influence behaviors upon which the uptake of contact tracing relies. These behaviors include testing, answering phone calls, participating in interviews, and isolating/quarantining. I thematically analyze transcripts and use the COM-B model of behavior change to organize the findings. In Aim 3 (Chapter 5), I evaluate two Bluetooth technologies used in a contact tracing pilot on a university campus. The first technology is an app-based approach, while the second uses a small, portable device to record Bluetooth data. I measure the sensitivity and specificity of each technology by comparing Bluetooth contact records to daily self-report records. I then use a post-participation survey to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the experiences of technology users and explore their perspectives. Results: Of the 1,705 cases reported in Aim 1, 545 (32%) were not reached due to missing key information, and another 334 (20%) were not reached due to their declining the calls or interview invitations. Ultimately, only 826 (48%) were interviewed. Of the 2,437 contacts reported by interviewed cases, 1,597 (66%) were not reached due to missing information, and another 153 (6%) were not reached due to their declining calls or interview invitations. Ultimately, only 687 (28%) were notified of their exposure. Median time to case interview from testing was five days and time to contact notification was 8 days. Various individual-, program-, and case-cluster factors were associated with successful outreach. Support from public health nurses was needed to stabilize the emergency contact tracing workforce due to surging caseloads and limited sustainability of volunteers (median time from sign-up to retirement from program was four weeks). In Aim 2, contact tracers identified many challenges and successes of the program’s implementation and made recommendations for improvement. Successfully engaging cases and contacts (the group hereafter referred to as “clients”) appeared dependent on outreach preferences, tracer communication skills, and sources of community mistrust. Effectiveness of contact tracing appeared threatened by time delays and the difficulties of isolation and quarantine. Adoption of a volunteer workforce appeared to rely on volunteer motivations, collaborative training, and supervision. Last, implementation efficiency was influenced by available tools and coordination with other agencies, and program maintenance was threatened by the low sustainability of volunteer workforces. Interviews with clients shed light on additional elements influencing specific behaviors required in successful contact tracing, and these findings were categorized within the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) Model. Capability of clients to engage in tracing efforts was influenced by COVID-19 symptoms or baseline knowledge. Opportunities for engagement were influenced by structural and contextual resources and ties within social networks. Last, Motivation to engage in tracing efforts was influenced by symptoms, beliefs about deliverables and consequences of participating, trust in the health system, and emotional reactions of clients. In Aim 3, the portable device had higher sensitivity (94% vs 57%; p\u3c.001) and specificity (95% vs 87%; p=.02) compared to the app-only technology. Participants largely considered Bluetooth contact tracing to be appropriate on a university campus but felt less comfortable with using GPS or Wi-Fi technologies. Most preferred technology that was developed and managed by the university compared to a third party, and privacy concerns were common. Conclusions: This dissertation presents some of the earliest efforts to better understand the contextual factors influencing success of COVID-19 contact tracing implementation, and its use of multiple and mixed methods to explore the implementation of contact tracing allows for the triangulation of findings from each individual Aim. Lacking information required for outreach posed a major barrier to reaching cases and contacts, although individual, case-cluster, and program-level factors associated with implementation success were also noted. While volunteers appeared to be an appropriate solution to emergency workforce needs, sustainability poses a significant threat to volunteer-driven programs as demonstrated quantitatively and qualitatively. Focus group and interview participants identified many individual-, program- and systems-level contextual elements influencing contact tracing delivery and uptake. Potential solutions to barriers as well as potential intervention activities to implement are discussed within these chapters. Last, Bluetooth technologies offer promising solutions to some contact tracing barriers, but the preferences of potential technology users and feasibility of managing such hardware/software approaches will be critical for uptake and adherence

The influence of marketing communications on the youth's adoption of m-payments in KwaZulu-Natal.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.There has been poor subscription and usage of m-payments in the recent past in South Africa (RSA), especially with the failure of Vodacom M-Pesa and MTN Mobile Money. Presumably, this is attributed to a lack of knowledge on the functionality and benefits of such services and the fact that ‘cash is king’. This study places integrated marketing communications (IMC) at the centre of the adoption of m-payments, as it plays a key role in informing users on the effect of reducing user uncertainties and risks as knowledge structures are built. The study adopted a survey research design to determine the influence of IMC on the adoption and use of mpayments among the youth in KwaZulu-Natal. The questionnaire utilised in the study adopted scale items from constructs embedded within the Unified Technology Acceptance and Use Theory 2 (UTAUT2) and the communication performance construct, to obtain quantitative data. Quota sampling was used to draw a sample of 383 respondents from three institutions of higher learning located in the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. With a 73% response rate, analysis of the gathered data was carried out using descriptive and inferential techniques. Hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression, Student’s t Test, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling, so as to refine and develop a conceptual model. The structural model was found to have a good fit with all but two hypotheses-linked paths being statistically significant and hence supported. IMC measured in the form of communication performance was found to have a strong direct positive impact on the risk factors (functional risk, social influence, price value and facilitating conditions). Communication performance had the greatest positive impact on price value, suggesting that the youth are a rational user market segment with a need for utilitarian motivation within m-payment purchase or use situations, regardless of gender. This study explored the relationship between IMC and innovation adoption, thereby extending the body of knowledge in a multidisciplinary field of marketing and information technology, producing a model that may be used in probing m-payments use behaviour from a marketing perspective. Key words: Integrated marketing communications, mobile payments, structural equation modelling, technology adoption, youth market.List of Exhibits on page xvi of thesis

Salford postgraduate annual research conference (SPARC) 2012 proceedings

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2012 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC). They reflect the breadth and diversity of research interests showcased at the conference, at which over 130 researchers from Salford, the North West and other UK universities presented their work. 21 papers are collated here from the humanities, arts, social sciences, health, engineering, environment and life sciences, built environment and business

Multi-Dimensional-Personalization in mobile contexts

During the dot com era the word "personalisation” was a hot buzzword. With the fall of the dot com companies the topic has lost momentum. As the killer application for UMTS or the mobile internet has yet to be identified, the concept of Multi-Dimensional-Personalisation (MDP) could be a candidate. Using this approach, a recommendation of mobile advertisement or marketing (i.e., recommendations or notifications), online content, as well as offline events, can be offered to the user based on their known interests and current location. Instead of having to request or pull this information, the new service concept would proactively provide the information and services – with the consequence that the right information or service could therefore be offered at the right place, at the right time. The growing availability of "Location-based Services“ for mobile phones is a new target for the use of personalisation. "Location-based Services“ are information, for example, about restaurants, hotels or shopping malls with offers which are in close range / short distance to the user. The lack of acceptance for such services in the past is based on the fact that early implementations required the user to pull the information from the service provider. A more promising approach is to actively push information to the user. This information must be from interest to the user and has to reach the user at the right time and at the right place. This raises new requirements on personalisation which will go far beyond present requirements. It will reach out from personalisation based only on the interest of the user. Besides the interest, the enhanced personalisation has to cover the location and movement patterns, the usage and the past, present and future schedule of the user. This new personalisation paradigm has to protect the user’s privacy so that an approach supporting anonymous recommendations through an extended "Chinese Wall“ will be described

Designing for behavioural change: reducing the social impacts of product use through design

This thesis investigates the feasibility of applying design-led approaches to influence user behaviour to reduce the negative social impacts of products during use. A review of the literature revealed a distinct lack of design-led research in this area. Three promising approaches from other disciplines, however, were found; ecofeedback, behaviour steering and intelligence. The majority of product examples identified did not use a singular approach, but combined two or more approaches. Most of the examples were concepts and focused on the end result. Few commented on the research and development processes undertaken to generate the final design. These limitations reinforced the need for case studies detailing these processes. To this end, two design studies were carried out; a preliminary study using a range of products and a further, more in-depth study on the use of mobile phones. The results of these studies led to the development of a framework of attributes for 'behaviour changing' devices. In response to these findings, two design resources were developed; a detailed design project to reduce the social impacts of mobile phone use in public and a short film on texting whilst on the move. Evaluation by design professionals provided analysis of the effectiveness of these resources and wider reflections on designer's perceived responsibilities for use and the ethics of designing for behavioural change. Collectively, the findings indicated that resources for designing behavioural change should; be explorative not prescriptive, focus on problem solving, be tailored to meet the needs of the intended recipient and ideally be applied in the early 'ideation' stages of the design process. Additionally, the findings indicated that designer's involvement in, and responsibility for, lifecycle impacts must be extended beyond point-of-purchase. Designers, however, are reportedly often unable to influence product development at a strategic level. Prior work, therefore, is needed to engage those at a senior level. Furthermore, the findings strongly indicate that 'behaviour changing' devices must be prototyped and subjected to rigorous consumer testing not only to establish their effectiveness but also to determine their acceptability