E-creativity: investigating computer-supported creativity

A fusion of the power of modem information and communication technology with the potential of human creativity provides an important and interesting area for research. In this paper, we outline this general research area that we term ecreativity. In particular, we describe our own focus of interest that we label computer supported creativity and the design of creativity support systems. As this is a largely uncharted territory, further research is of vital importance. We describe our research approach in this area and illustrate this with extracts from a case study of an artist who makes extensive and novel use of information technology in her creation of paintings.<br /

Radio imaging of the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field - III. Evolution of the radio luminosity function beyond z=1

We present spectroscopic and eleven-band photometric redshifts for galaxies in the 100-uJy Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field radio source sample. We find good agreement between our redshift distribution and that predicted by the SKA Simulated Skies project. We find no correlation between K-band magnitude and radio flux, but show that sources with 1.4-GHz flux densities below ~1mJy are fainter in the near-infrared than brighter radio sources at the same redshift, and we discuss the implications of this result for spectroscopically-incomplete samples where the K-z relation has been used to estimate redshifts. We use the infrared--radio correlation to separate our sample into radio-loud and radio-quiet objects and show that only radio-loud hosts have spectral energy distributions consistent with predominantly old stellar populations, although the fraction of objects displaying such properties is a decreasing function of radio luminosity. We calculate the 1.4-GHz radio luminosity function (RLF) in redshift bins to z=4 and find that the space density of radio sources increases with lookback time to z~2, with a more rapid increase for more powerful sources. We demonstrate that radio-loud and radio-quiet sources of the same radio luminosity evolve very differently. Radio-quiet sources display strong evolution to z~2 while radio-loud AGNs below the break in the radio luminosity function evolve more modestly and show hints of a decline in their space density at z>1, with this decline occurring later for lower-luminosity objects. If the radio luminosities of these sources are a function of their black hole spins then slowly-rotating black holes must have a plentiful fuel supply for longer, perhaps because they have yet to encounter the major merger that will spin them up and use the remaining gas in a major burst of star formation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS: 36 pages, including 13 pages of figures to appear online only. In memory of Stev

A knowledge management approach to user support

This paper considers the problem of computer user support and workplace learning in general. Theoretically our work is influenced by ideas on knowledge management, expertise networks and communities of practice. Our approach seeks to tap into the powerful and situated learning potential of the collaborative support provided by colleagues. We consider that such support could be enhanced through the use of a collaborative support system. We outline our investigations into design issues, a generic model and various experiments related to the development of such a system. In particular, we emphasise the value of recorded demonstrations for representing computer-related practice. We present a number of design conclusions derived from our experiences, and warn that whereas active user participation is the essential ingredient in a support system it is perhaps the most difficult thing to achieve.<br /

The artist and the computer : understanding the creative user

This paper is focused on understanding the creative computer user for the purposes of informing the design of future creativity support systems and related software. We present an investigation of a successful Australian artist, Jill Lewis, who paints on canvas. In particular, we highlight the interesting part that existing digital technology plays in her creative practice, and we identify and describe in detail two specific uses of this technology. We terml these uses &quot;electronic collaging&quot; and &quot;media switching&quot;. We go on to attempt to relate this artist\u27s creative process to two theoretical models of the creative process.<br /

Crossing the border : comparing partial and fully online learning

In many countries across the world, online learning is playing an ever-increasing role in higher education. However, there seem to be starkly contrasting analyses of the educational value of online learning. In this paper, I reflect on my own online learning experiences in the UK and Australia and conclude that there are significant differences between partial and fully online course units. I also develop general criticisms of online learning system design and suggest a number of fundamental design and performance objectives for the design of online learning systems.<br /

Investigating the shared visual context in distributed collaborative work

Distributed collaborators require computermediated communication (CMC) technologies in order to work together. Various systems have been developed for this express purpose with varying degrees of success. A basic method of evaluating the usability of a system is to compare it with face-to-face interaction. To replicate the face-to-face context, it is necessary to investigate how visual information plays a role in supporting collaborators performing tasks.This research examines the effects of visual information and its role in both face-to-face and video generated visual contexts. The results were generated by asking participants to collaboratively solve visual tasks in either of the two contexts. The results show that both the face-to-face and the video conferencing contexts have similar effects on subjects&rsquo; ability to perform tasks. Task outcomes exhibited no significant difference between these two contexts. Awareness and conversational grounding had positive effects on the subject&rsquo;s task performance and communication. On the other hand, presence had mixed effects on a subject&rsquo;s task performance and communication behaviors.<br /