Investigating Avatar Customization as a Motivational Design Strategy for Improving Engagement with Technology-Enabled Services for Health

Technology-enabled services for physical and mental health are a promising approach to improve healthcare globally. Unfortunately, the largest barrier for effective technology-based treatment is participants' gradually fading engagement with effective novel training applications, such as exercise apps or online mental health training programs. Engaging users through design presents an elegant solution to the problem; however, research on technology-enabled services is primarily focused on the efficacy of novel interventions and not on improving adherence through engaging interaction design. As a result, motivational design strategies to improve engagement---both in the moment of use and over time---are underutilized. Drawing from game-design, I investigate avatar customization as a game-based motivational design strategy in four studies. In Study 1, I examine the effect of avatar customization on experience and behaviour in an infinite runner game. In Study 2, I induce different levels of motivation to research the effects of financial rewards on self-reported motivation and performance in a gamified training task over 11 days. In Study 3, I apply avatar customization to investigate the effects of attrition in an intervention context using a breathing exercise over three weeks. In Study 4, I investigate the immediate effects of avatar customization on the efficacy of an anxiety reducing attentional retraining task. My results show that avatar customization increases motivation over time and in the moment of use, suggesting that avatar customization is a viable strategy to address the engagement barrier that thwarts the efficacy of technology-enabled services for health

Collaborative mind mapping to support online discussion in teacher education

Mind maps that combine text, images, colour and layout elements, have been widely used in classroom teaching to improve retention, knowledge organization and conceptual understanding. Furthermore, studies have shown the advantages of using mind-maps to facilitate collaborative learning. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding the use and study of collaborative mind-mapping in online learning settings. This integrated-article dissertation explores the implementation of online collaborative mind mapping activities in a mathematics teacher education program at a Canadian university. The studies were developed with participants enrolled in three different courses where at least two of the online activities used collaborative mind mapping for knowledge construction. Rather than prove the efficacy of a visual tool, as other studies have, this research provides an understanding of how the learning and knowledge construction process occurs when student interact with one another using a mind mapping tool. The set of articles contained in this dissertation answers to the questions: (1) What are the roles that collaborative mind mapping plays in the participants’ education as mathematics teachers? (2) What are the differences between student interaction in threaded forums and mind-maps? (3) How does online collaborative mind mapping enhance the aspects of engagement, representation, and expression in teacher education? (4) How can grounded theory methods be developed with sources of online multimodal data such as online mind mapping? (5) How do students interact and construct knowledge when they engage in online collaborative mind mapping? The research view is qualitative and uses a variety of descriptive case study, content analysis, and constructivist grounded theory methods. This dissertation provides insights into online collaborative knowledge construction when using collaborative mind-mapping and adds to the existing literature on online learning, especially concerning the use of visual, collaborative tools. It contains guidelines and suggestions to implement this type of learning experiences in other courses and/or other education levels

Proceedings of the 9th Overture Workshop

This report contains the proceedings of The 9th Overture Workshop, held in Limerick on 20th June 2011

Toward a systematic conflict resolution framework for ontologies

Background The ontology authoring step in ontology development involves having to make choices about what subject domain knowledge to include. This may concern sorting out ontological differences and making choices between conflicting axioms due to limitations in the logic or the subject domain semantics. Examples are dealing with different foundational ontologies in ontology alignment and OWL 2 DL’s transitive object property versus a qualified cardinality constraint. Such conflicts have to be resolved somehow. However, only isolated and fragmented guidance for doing so is available, which therefore results in ad hoc decision-making that may not be the best choice or forgotten about later. Results This work aims to address this by taking steps towards a framework to deal with the various types of modeling conflicts through meaning negotiation and conflict resolution in a systematic way. It proposes an initial library of common conflicts, a conflict set, typical steps toward resolution, and the software availability and requirements needed for it. The approach was evaluated with an actual case of domain knowledge usage in the context of epizootic disease outbreak, being avian influenza, and running examples with COVID-19 ontologies. Conclusions The evaluation demonstrated the potential and feasibility of a conflict resolution framework for ontologies

The Gays Aren’t All White, The Desis Aren’t All Straight: Exploring Queer Subjectivity in the Toronto South Asian Diaspora

Graduate Research PaperThe purpose of this research project is to approach a better understanding of queer South Asian diasporic identity and experience as it exists in Toronto, Canada. It attempts do so through the narratives of five individuals who self-identify with this subjectivity . A review of literature found that our current sexual subjectivities have emerged in co-production with our racial ones – demonstrating both the social contingencies of ‘sexuality’ as we understand it today, and the current utility of sexuality discourse towards racializing ends. This review also found that South Asian queer diasporic individuals – in the negotiation of their multiple Otherizations – have the potential to be both complicit in, and resistant to, the overlapping structures of race and sexuality through which human difference is organized and hierarchized. Given this theoretical context as a foundation, this project found that queer South Asian diasporic individuals encounter both racism and homophobia/transphobia, and yet lack the availability of community spaces in which to process and heal from such incidents – and as such, experience feelings of loneliness, displacement, and invisibility. Further, many subscribe to a belief in a conflict between their racial and sexual identities – a conflict that has inspired different and opposing strategies for reconciliation. All participants found both value and limitations in the frameworks and languages available for organizing their subjectivity – including in the concept of ‘queer’ that is increasingly adopted as a catch-all for non-normative sexualities worldwide - but differed in their conceptualization of the self as ‘essential’ versus context-dependent. An unanticipated finding was a common distancing from the institutionalized religions they had been socialized into. These findings elicited further analysis on the complicity of queer South Asian diasporic individuals in processes of racialization, the limitations of Western queer ‘Pride’ movements, and both the elusiveness and hope of a ‘home’ for those Otherized on multiple grounds. Finally, and importantly, this project found that the stories of queer South Asians living in Toronto are ones of savvy, resilience, creativity, resistance – and indeed, of joy

Engineering scalable modelling Languages

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Departamento de Ingeniería Informática. Fecha de lectura: 08-11-2019Esta tesis tiene embargado el acceso al texto completo hasta el 08-05-2021Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) aims at reducing the cost of system development by raising the level of abstraction at which developers work. MDE-based solutions frequently involve the creation of Domain-Specific Modelling Languages (DSMLs). WhilethedefinitionofDSMLsandtheir(sometimesgraphical)supportingenvironments are recurring activities in MDE, they are mostly developed ad-hoc from scratch. The construction of these environments requires high expertise by developers, which currently need to spend large efforts for their construction. This thesis focusses on the development of scalable modelling environments for DSMLs based on patterns. For this purpose, we propose a catalogue of modularity patterns that can be used to extend a modelling language with services related to modularization and scalability. More specifically, these patterns allows defining model fragmentation strategies, scoping and visibility rules, model indexing services, and scoped constraints. Once the patterns have been applied to the meta-model of a modelling language, we synthesize a customized modelling environment enriched with the defined services, which become applicable to both existing monolithic legacy models and new models. A second contribution of this thesis is a set of concepts and technologies to facilitate the creation of graphical editors. For this purpose, we define heuristics which identify structures in the DSML abstract syntax, and automatically assign their diagram representation. Using this approach, developers can create a graphical representation by default from a meta-model, which later can be customised. These contributions have been implemented in two Eclipse plug-ins called EMFSplitter and EMF-Stencil. On one hand, EMF-Splitter implements the catalogue of modularity patterns and, on the other hand, EMF-Stencil supports the heuristics and the generation of a graphical modelling environment. Both tools were evaluated in different case studies to prove their versatility, efficiency, and capabilitieEl Desarrollo de Software Dirigido por Modelos (MDE, por sus siglas en inglés) tiene como objetivo reducir los costes en el desarrollo de aplicaciones, elevando el nivel de abstracciónconelqueactualmentetrabajanlosdesarrolladores. Lassolucionesbasadas en MDE frecuentemente involucran la creación de Lenguajes de Modelado de Dominio Específico (DSML, por sus siglas en inglés). Aunque la definición de los DSMLs y sus entornos gráficos de modelado son actividades recurrentes en MDE, actualmente en la mayoría de los casos se desarrollan ad-hoc desde cero. La construcción de estos entornos requiere una alta experiencia por parte de los desarrolladores, que deben realizar un gran esfuerzo para construirlos. Esta tesis se centra en el desarrollo de entornos de modelado escalables para DSML basados en patrones. Para ello, se propone un catálogo de patrones de modularidad que se pueden utilizar para extender un lenguaje de modelado con servicios relacionados con la modularización y la escalabilidad. Específicamente, los patrones permiten definir estrategias de fragmentación de modelos, reglas de alcance y visibilidad, servicios de indexación de modelos y restricciones de alcance. Una vez que los patrones se han aplicado al meta-modelo de un lenguaje de modelado, se puede generar automáticamente un entorno de modelado personalizado enriquecido con los servicios definidos, que se vuelven aplicables tanto a los modelos monolíticos existentes, como a los nuevos modelos. Una segunda contribución de esta tesis es la propuesta de conceptos y tecnologías para facilitar la creación de editores gráficos. Para ello, definimos heurísticas que identifican estructuras en la sintaxis abstracta de los DSMLs y asignan automáticamente su representación en el diagrama. Usando este enfoque, los desarrolladores pueden crear una representación gráfica por defecto a partir de un meta-modelo. Estas contribuciones se implementaron en dos plug-ins de Eclipse llamados EMFSplitter y EMF-Stencil. Por un lado, EMF-Splitter implementa el catálogo de patrones y, por otro lado, EMF-Stencil implementa las heurísticas y la generación de un entorno de modelado gráfico. Ambas herramientas se han evaluado con diferentes casos de estudio para demostrar su versatilidad, eficiencia y capacidade

Drone control and monitoring by means of a web application

The project aims to design and implement a software framework for controlling and monitoring drones through a web application, built using the Vue.js framework. With this, I offer a contribution to the Drone Engineering Ecosystem (DEE) , an ecosystem dedicated to the control and monitoring of drones through different technologies in which students of the EETAC, a university that belongs to the UPC, can contribute and enhance the ecosystem while doing their bachelor or masters degree final project. Currently, there is a desktop application in the ecosystem that does the tasks of drone monitoring, control and mission planning. However, as the technology evolves, there is a need for web app as the advantages of a web platform for drone control and monitoring are numerous and compelling. The main benefit is the enhanced accessibility as the only needs are Internet connection and a browser, that no matter whether it is in the laptop, tablet or on a smartphone. As technology continues to evolve, web applications undoubtedly stand at the forefront of innovation in all domains. So, the focus of this project is to provide a web platform for drone controlling and monitoring. The culmination emerges as a remarkably professional and contemporary web application that empowers the user with countless levels of control over drone operations. Notably, users have the freedom to decide the drone's movements and actions, ensuring a seamless and intuitive interface that facilitates effortless navigation. The capabilities extend beyond mere control, as users can devise a diverse range of missions. One standout attribute is the ability to create geofences, a vital tool for ensuring safe and responsible drone operations. Moreover, the web app enables users to fine tune drone's flying parameters. This level of customization guarantees that the drone's performance aligns precisely with the intended goals. The outcome of the efforts yield a high level of satisfaction as the web platform has been successfully built, enhancing the basic functionalities of the desktop application while introducing additional features. However, the broader implication is that the Drone Engineering Ecosystem now boasts a new platform for drone control and monitoring. This achievement marks a significant stride forward for the DEE.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructur

Design for Child-Robot Play The implications of Design Research within the field of Human-Robot Interaction studies for Children

This thesis investigates the intersections of three disciplines, that are Design Research, Human-Robot Interaction studies, and Child Studies. In particular, this doctoral research is focused on two research questions, namely, what is (or might be) the role of design research in HRI? And, how to design acceptable and desirable child-robot play applications? The first chapter introduces an overview of the mutual interest between robotics and design that is at the basis of the research. On the one hand, the interest of design toward robotics is documented through some exemplary projects from artists and designers that speculate on the human-robot coexistence condition. Vice versa, the robotics interest toward design is documented by referring to some tracks of robotic conferences, scienti c workshops and robotics journals which focused on the design-robotics relationship. Finally, a brief description of the background conditions that characterized this doctoral research are introduced, such as the fact of being a research founded by a company. The second chapter provides an overview of the state of the art of the intersections between three multidisciplinary disciplines. First, a de nition of Design Research is provided, together with its main trends and open issues. Then, the review focuses on the contribution of Design Research to the HRI eld, which can be summed up in actions focused on three aspects: artefacts, stakeholders, and contexts. This is followed by a focus on the role of Design Research within the context of children studies, in which it is possible to identify two main design-child relationships: design as a method for developing children’s learning experiences; and children as part of the design process for developing novel interactive systems. The third chapter introduces the Research through Design (RtD) approach and its relevance in conducting design research in HRI. The proposed methodology, based on this approach, is particularly characterized by the presence of design explorations as study methods. These, in turn, are developed through a common project’s methodology, also reported in this chapter. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the scenario in which the child-robot interaction takes place. This was aimed at understanding what is edutainment robotics for children, its common features, how it relates to existing children play types, and where the interaction takes place. The chapter provides also a focus on the relationship between children and technology on a more general level, through which two themes and relative design opportunities were identi ed: physically active play and objects-to-think-with. These were respectively addressed in the two design explorations presented in this thesis: Phygital Play and Shybo. The Phygital Play project consists of an exploration of natural interaction modalities with robots, through mixed-reality, for fostering children’s active behaviours. To this end, a game platform was developed for allowing children to play with or against a robot, through body movement. Shybo, instead, is a low-anthropomorphic robot for playful learning activities with children that can be carried out in educational contexts. The robot, which reacts to properties of the physical environment, is designed to support different kinds of experiences. Then, the chapter eight is dedicated to the research outcomes, that were de ned through a process of reflection. The contribution of the research was analysed and documented by focusing on three main levels, namely: artefact, knowledge and theory. The artefact level corresponds to the situated implementations developed through the projects. The knowledge level consists of a set of actionable principles, emerged from the results and lessons learned from the projects. At the theory level, a theoretical framework was proposed with the aim of informing the future design of child- robot play applications. Thelastchapterprovidesa naloverviewofthe doctoral research, a series of limitations regarding the research, its process and its outcomes, and some indications for future research