A collaborative artefact reconstruction environment

A novel collaborative artefact reconstruction environment design is presented that is informed by experimental task observation and participatory design. The motivation for the design was to enable collaborative human and computer effort in the reconstruction of fragmented cuneiform tablets: millennia-old clay tablets used for written communication in early human civilisation. Thousands of joining cuneiform tablet fragments are distributed within and between worldwide collections. The reconstruction of the tablets poses a complex 3D jigsaw puzzle with no physically tractable solution. In reconstruction experiments, participants collaborated synchronously and asynchronously on virtual and physical reconstruction tasks. Results are presented that demonstrate the difficulties experienced by human reconstructors in virtual tasks compared to physical tasks. Unlike computer counterparts, humans have difficulty identifying joins in virtual environments but, unlike computers, humans are averse to making incorrect joins. A successful reconstruction environment would marry the opposing strengths and weaknesses of humans and computers, and provide tools to support the communications and interactions of successful physical performance, in the virtual setting. The paper presents a taxonomy of the communications and interactions observed in successful physical and synchronous collaborative reconstruction tasks. Tools for the support of these communications and interactions were successfully incorporated in the “i3D” virtual environment design presented

Level of occupational aspiration: An empirical analysis

(Sewell, et al., 1970 ). This effect is in addition to the substantial effect of education and otheraniecedentvariables onaecupational attainment. That th~ is not just hap-1 The writer$ wish to thank Carl B. Hereford and penstance due tq the Wisconsin research site is Paul B. Messier for kindly permitting this secondary attested by the fact that similar coefficients analysis of data collected under a gIiI11t from the have been found to describe the relationship of United States Office of Education. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science. adolescent LOA to adult occupational status atFounjation (Grant GS-29031), the University of tainments in at least two other data sets. In one Wisconsin (Madison) College of Agricultural and ille of these. a path coefficient of p = .13 was found Sciences, the Spencer Foundation (by means of a (after controlling educational attainment) begrant to the University's .School of Education), and tween the 1959 LOAs of COsta Rican high' the Research Committee of the University"s Graduate School for computer funds. We thank Lylas school boys and their 1968 occupational Brown and Maria Ciga1iovich for technical assistance. attainment levels (Hansen and Haller, 1973). 113