The computer as means of communication for peer-review groups

In a scientific-writing course, 15 of 54 students used a review-supporting computer program, PREP-EDITOR (PREP), to communicate with their peers about drafts. In an exploratory study, 10 students were interviewed regularly: 5 used PREP and 5 met face-to-face to exchange comments on drafts. The study showed that use of PREP did not increase time spent on various writing activities. The PREP group reported a large number of computer-related problems, whereas the non-PREP group reported more difficulties with assignments and course organization. It appeared that the technology was omnipresent in PREP users' perception of the course. The system of computer-mediated peer review has many of the drawbacks of 'distance learning,' but because networks are increasingly used by collaborating authors, we should teach our students how to use them sensibly

Accessible Website Content Guidelines for Users with Intellectual Disabilities

Background: The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has issued guidelines for making websites better and easier to access for people with various disabilities (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines 1999). - \ud Method: The usability of two versions of a website (a non-adapted site and a site that was adapted on the basis of easy-to-read guidelines) was tested with two groups of 20 participants. One group had intellectual disabilities but could read, the other group had no identified intellectual disabilities. In a 2 × 2 experimental design, it was investigated whether the easy-to-read website was indeed better accessible and usable for the participants with intellectual disabilities. - \ud Results: The adaptation of the website worked well for participants with intellectual disabilities. Users without identified intellectual disabilities were as effective with the adapted site as they were with the non-adapted site. - \ud Conclusion: The results form an empirical basis for recommendations about applying guidelines for easy-to-read text on websites for people with intellectual disabilities

Watch out for the preview: The effects of a preview on the usability of a Content Management System and on the user's confidence level

As time moves on, a trend crystallizes that sets new requirements on content management systems. The circle of users shifts from a small technically experienced group to a large network of inexperienced editors. Literature stresses that a higher need for usability is present if personnel with a low grade of human computer interaction expertise is using a system. But how can system designers accomplish a high level of usability? This study suggests a preview as an important factor for strengthening the usability (effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction) of a content management system. The findings of this study support the hypothesis: the results showed that a preview enhances the userspsila satisfaction with the system. Moreover, the study shows that the userspsila confidence to be able to work with the system is an important factor; the results showed positive correlations between confidence and satisfaction and between confidence and effectiveness

Informed Consent to Address Trust, Control, and Privacy Concerns in User Profiling

More and more, services and products are being personalised or\ud tailored, based on user-related data stored in so called user profiles or user\ud models. Although user profiling offers great benefits for both organisations and\ud users, there are several psychological factors hindering the potential success of user profiling. The most important factors are trust, control and privacy\ud concerns. This paper presents informed consent as a means to address the\ud hurdles trust, control, and privacy concerns pose to user profiling

Burgers en hun vertrouwen in de e-overheid

Vertrouwen is cruciaal in situaties waar een zeker risico aan verbonden is, zoals situaties waarin je persoonlijke gegevens over jezelf moet prijsgeven. Daarom hebben we aan 2202 burgers uit twee grote online-panels vragen gesteld over hun vertrouwen in de overheidinstellingen waaraan ze hun persoonlijke gegevens ter beschikking moeten stellen. In het bijzonder hebben we gevraagd naar hun waardering voor DigiD als beveiligingsmechanisme en naar de voor- en nadelen die ze zagen bij het (toekomstige) gebruik van DigiD

Page sample size in web accessibility testing: how many pages is enough?

Various countries and organizations use a different sampling approach and sample size of web pages in accessibility conformance tests. We are conducting a systematic analysis to determine how many pages is enough for testing whether a website is compliant with standard accessibility guidelines. This poster reports the work-in-progress. Data collection has been completed and we have started the analysis to determine how many pages is enough for specified reliability levels

Online Test Tool to Determine the CEFR Reading Comprehension Level of Text

On the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, the average reading comprehension level of the Dutch population is B1 and the average level of text provided by Dutch government organisations requires a considerably higher reading skills level (C1). This means that part of the population may have difficulty reading texts delivered to them by their own government. We built a simple and freely available online tool to give content editors an indication of the CEFR reading comprehension level of their texts. This paper describes the parameters of the tool and proposes a list of possible extensions to improve the quality and usability of the output