A Software-based Knowledge Management System Using Narrative Texts

Technical and professional communicators have in recent research been challenged to make significant contributions to the field of knowledge management, and to learn or create the new technologies allowing them to do so. The purpose of this dissertation is to make such a combined theoretical and applied contribution from the context of the emerging discipline of Texts and Technology. This dissertation explores the field of knowledge management (KM), particularly its relationship to the related study of artificial intelligence (AI), and then recommends a KM software application based on the principles of narratology and narrative information exchange. The focus of knowledge is shifted from the reductive approach of data and information to a holistic approach of meaning and the way people make sense of complex events as experiences expressed in stories. Such an analysis requires a discussion of the evolution of intelligent systems and narrative theory as well as an examination of existing computerized and non-computerized storytelling systems. After a thorough discussion of these issues, an original software program that is used to collect, analyze, and distribute thematic stories within any hierarchical organization is modeled, exemplified, and explained in detail

Measuring Learning in an Honors Interdisciplinary Course on Video Games

Some research suggests that video games can be effective tools for learning complex subject matter and for teaching students how to manage and work with information in project settings. In this paper we discuss our experiences teaching and conducting SOTL research in an undergraduate Honors Interdisciplinary team-taught seminar. The course, entitled Gaming 360: The History, Culture, and Design of Video Games was taught during the Spring 2007 and Spring 2008 semesters and included 20 Honors in the Major (HIM) students. Our primary research question was this: How would students improve their understanding of video game production concepts (video games as technologies) and develop an understanding of video games as cultural and critical tools (video games as texts) as a result of participation in our honors seminar? Here we discuss teaching strategies and challenges and present a preliminary analysis of data from the first offering of this course

Individual Differences in Digital Badging: Do Learner Characteristics Matter?

Badge use has rapidly expanded in recent years and has benefited a variety of applications. However, a large portion of the research has applied a binary useful or not useful approach to badging. Few studies examine the characteristics of the user and the impact of those characteristics on the effectiveness of the badging system. This study takes preliminary steps toward that cause, examining the effectiveness of a badging system across two web-based university courses in relation to the individual differences of the learners. Individual differences are examined through the lens of Long-Dziuban reactive behavior types and traits. Results revealed differences in badge effectiveness that were dependent upon students’ Long-Dziuban categorization. Student engagement, intrinsic motivation, reflective & integrative learning, and higher order learning were the constructs most dependent upon categorization. Additional results and their implications are discussed within

Making The Most Of Interactivity Online Version 2.0: Technical Communication As Procedural Architecture

Examines new developments in interactivity for online authors and developers. Suggests the metaphor of procedural architecture for authoring strongly interactive technical documents. Considers rich internet applications and gaming as emerging forms of interactive technical communication

What We Can Learn About Digital Badges From Video Games

This chapter discusses the use of achievements within commercial video game design and development. It also summarizes research designed around specialized learning games designed to test the effectiveness of badges on learner variables such as performance and motivation. To connect game achievements to digital badges in other educational scenarios, both psychological and design factors are considered. First, connections between games research and learner motivation are discussed, especially in regards to autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Implications for measurement and assessment are considered and strategies for evaluation from prior games researchers are reviewed. Next, an overview of achievement systems within popular game environments is provided. The second half of the chapter considers best practices for designing badges as proposed by game achievement researchers. One game, Fallout Shelter, is discussed in detail in regards to its use of effective achievement design. Educational badge designers who may be working in game-based systems or other interactive learning spaces can use this information to build better badging systems in other realms of learning. The chapter also shares some caveats gleaned from the use of achievements in video games. These cautionary notes about achievements taken too far, or achievements that overpower other features of learning spaces, are useful to consider for using digital badges effectively in educational environments. The chapter concludes by proposing directions for future research exploring the connections between video game achievements and digital badges

A Taxonomy For Digital Badge Design In Medical Technologies

This paper discusses gamification as an emerging area of research in medical health application development. It then defines digital badges as an example of gamification, explains their purpose and functionality, and outlines their primary advantages as well as ten different challenges impacting their use. This background is framed both generally and within the context of medical games and applications. The paper then reviews how digital badges and achievements are currently being used in medical games and healthcare applications. It concludes by synthesizing prior literature on effective game design and serious game design taxonomies with prior guidelines for effective digital badge design. The result is an interdisciplinary taxonomy combining research from serious games development, psychology, economics, user experience design, and education. This taxonomy can be reviewed to help researchers and developers consider a wide range of relevant issues when designing procedures for effective digital badge design and development in medical games and applications

Communication And Knowledge Management Strategies In Video Game Design And Development: A Case Study Highlighting Key Organizational Narratives

This paper summarizes and contextualizes a case study that presents data from interviews conducted over a period of three months within an independent game design and development studio. The study discusses how the studio is organized and how employees perform typical tasks and interface with management. The research focuses specifically on communication and knowledge management practices employed by the organization and articulates key stories that represent the challenges of working within a workplace that spans both creative and technical disciplines. These stories add to our knowledge of technical and professional communication in game development and provide us with important information about engineering communication practices in multidisciplinary environments. The paper also discusses the tools, technologies, and documentation strategies used by game development professionals to communicate and work through difficult problems

Developer Discourse: Exploring Technical Communication Practices Within Video Game Development

This study examines the discourse style of managers, developers, engineers, and artists working for an independent game development studio. Fourteen employees were interviewed, and then the results were coded and analyzed using an exploratory, single-case case study methodology. The authors argue that the texts, tactics, and technologies used by these professionals reveal insights into the practical, outcome-oriented dimensions of technical communication within the games industry as well as deeper cultural characteristics of this community

FSA10 - Illuminating Serious Games through Procedural Rhetoric: Re-Mission

The PC videogame Re-Mission was created by HopeLab (2004), the health-focused R&D organization of The Omidyar Group (HopeLab, 2017). This game was designed specifically to help children being treated for cancer better understand their conditions, to simulate common cancer treatments (and the effects of forgoing certain treatments), and to persuade them to adhere to their prescriptions