Sistema CSCW para la ense??anza de composici??n escrita basado en una interfaz de l??piz electr??nico

Estudiar la aplicabilidad de t??cnicas CSCW (Computer Supported Collaborative Work) en el trabajo diario, tanto en un aula, como en educaci??n a distancia. Analizar la idoneidad de las distintas plataformas de redes subyacentes, sistemas operativos, etc., as?? como estudiar otros aspectos de CSCW, como seguridad y registro de usuarios, ergonom??a... Dise??ar y desarrollar el prototipo ya que es necesario tener una aplicaci??n software que pudiera implantarse cuanto antes y con el m??ximo nivel de funcionalidad. Comparar el rendimiento de ordenadores basados en l??piz, con los ordenadores tradicionales port??tiles o de sobremesa ya que deben probarse nuevos m??todos de interacci??n con los ordenadores. Se pretende estudiar los problemas de CSCW (concurrencias, coordinaci??n, derechos,...) asociados al car??cter recursivo de la escritura y la interacci??n entre un grupo peque??o de estudiantes y el profesor, creando as?? una clase electr??nica. Se decide crear un sistema que pueda servir de apoyo a los alumnos de la asignatura 'T??cnica de escritura' impartido en la Facultad de Educaci??n. Se estudia la aplicaci??n de los ordenadores y las redes como elementos de apoyo a la ense??anza, especialmente al aprendizaje de la composici??n escrita, tanto de forma individual, como de forma cooperativa, incluyendo los m??todos de an??lisis de los textos generados por los alumnos. Se hace una rese??a hist??rica del Trabajo Coperativo Soportado por Ordenador (CSCW) present??ndose las distintas clasificaciones y arquitecturas existentes para estos sistemas, vi??ndose las caracter??sticas que las difeencian y haciendo una comparaci??n con los del sistema propuesto. Se tratan las interfaces multiusuario y sus implicaciones de dise??o, comentando los distintos problemas que surgen cuando hay que implementar un sistema CSCW y describi??ndose las soluciones adoptadas. Durante los dos a??os de utilizaci??n del sistema como apoyo a la signatura 'T??cnicas de escritura' han ido surgiendo distintos problemas tanto del tipo funcional, como inform??tico y-o telem??tico, cuyas soluciones m??s importantes han sido: consciencia del espacio de trabajo compartido, implementaci??n de roles y organizaci??n del trabajo en las fases cooperativas, soporte adecuado para la comunicaci??n, almacenamiento de la informaci??n generada por la interfaz basada en l??piz electr??nico, almacenamiento y recupaeraci??n del trabajo de sesiones anteriores y tama??o de cada ventana de trabajo. En la presente tesis se ha dise??ado e implantado un nuevo sistema CSCW basado en una interfaz de l??piz electr??nico para la ense??anza y aprendizaje de la composici??n de textos. El sistema, llamado PENCACOLAS (PEN Computer Aided Composing COLlAborative System) permite la interacci??n entre alumnos (grupos de 2 ?? 3) y la supervisi??n e interacci??n con el profesor, posibilita el paso del alumno por las distintas fases que subyacen en el proceso de composici??n de un documento, dota tanto al profesor como a los alumnos de una interfaz que les permite visualizar el trabajo de los dem??s e intervenir en ciertas circunstancias, permite la creaci??n de las llamadas aulas virtuales.

Supporting Computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) in conceptual design

In order to gain a better understanding of online conceptual collaborative design processes this paper investigates how student designers make use of a shared virtual synchronous environment when engaged in conceptual design. The software enables users to talk to each other and share sketches when they are remotely located. The paper describes a novel methodology for observing and analysing collaborative design processes by adapting the concepts of grounded theory. Rather than concentrating on narrow aspects of the final artefacts, emerging “themes” are generated that provide a broader picture of collaborative design process and context descriptions. Findings on the themes of “grounding – mutual understanding” and “support creativity” complement findings from other research, while important themes associated with “near-synchrony” have not been emphasised in other research. From the study, a series of design recommendations are made for the development of tools to support online computer-supported collaborative work in design using a shared virtual environment.

Design for design: support for creative practice in computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) in design

This paper describes a novel methodology for observing and analysing collaborative design by using the concepts of cognitive dimensions related to concept-based misfit analysis. The study aims at gaining an insight into support for creative practice of graphical communication in collaborative design processes of designers while sketching within a shared white board and audio conferencing environment. Empirical data on design processes have been obtained from observation of groups of student designers solving an interior space-planning problem of a lounge-diner in a shared virtual environment. The results of the study provide recommendations for the design and development of interactive systems to support such collaborative design activities.

A multi-agent architect for CSCW systems: from organisational semiotics perspective

This paper describes a multi-agent architecture to support CSCW systems modelling. Since CSCW involves different organizations, it can be seen as a social model. From this point of view, we investigate the possibility of modelling CSCW by agent technology, and then based on organizational semiotics method a multi-agent architecture is proposed via using EDA agent model. We explain the components of this multi-agent architecture and design process. It is argued that this approach provides a new perspective for modelling CSCW systems.

Mobile CSCW e sincronizzazione dati per il soccorso in emergenza: un caso di studio

L'obiettivo principale di questa tesi è quello di approfondire il tema della comunicazione e sincronizzazione dati nel contesto di uno specifico caso di studio di sistema informatico a supporto del lavoro cooperativo per il soccorso in emergenza: a partire dai requisiti del caso applicativo, secondo cui agli operatori deve essere possibile utilizzare il sistema anche a fronte di disconnessioni dei propri dispositivi mobili, emerge infatti la necessità di un middleware a cui il livello applicativo demandi le funzionalità di sincronizzare le informazioni prodotte durante le operazioni, in modo da promuovere uno scambio di informazioni che migliori e supporti l'azione del singolo e conseguentemente del team. Quindi, dopo aver introdotto la tematica ed analizzato il caso di studio da affrontare, viene descritta l'esplorazione del panorama tecnologico volta alla ricerca di strumenti o approcci che possano mitigare la complessità nella realizzazione di questa funzionalità. Nel panorama tecnologico considerato, comprendente framework per servizi web, MOM e database, uno strumento di particolare interesse è stato individuato in CouchDB, un database NoSQL, grazie alle sue funzionalità di replica e sincronizzazione e alla presenza di una libreria per lo sviluppo su dispositivi mobili: su di esso è stata effettuata una breve fase di sperimentazione volta a saggiarne in maniera più concreta le potenzialità anche in relazione alla valutazione di fattibilità per il caso applicativo considerato.

GEOSYC – Um Sistema geocolaborativo síncrono

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática

Computer-supported cooperative work:alguns temas de investigação

Os primeiros trabalhos sobre Computer-Supported Cooperative Work surgiram na segunda metade da década de 80, estabelecendo-se um campo de investigação interdisciplinar com enfoque no papel do computador e das tecnologias da comunicação no apoio do trabalho em grupo (Ishii et al., 1994). Ao abordar esta área de investigação torna-se claro que é necessário ter em conta a diversidade dos grupos e das tarefas que estes devem de utilizar, entre outros factores importantes. As implicações desta diversidade são discutidas ao nível concepção de interfaces de groupware, em que um maior envolvimento dos utilizadores nas fases iniciais parece ser necessário, e ao nível dos Sistemas de Apoio à Decisão em Grupo.

Ein XML-basiertes Modell für synchrone Gruppenarbeit auf gemeinsamen Informationsräumen

In dieser Arbeit wird ein generisches Modell fuer synchrone Gruppenarbeit auf gemeinsamen Informationsraeumen entwickelt. Fuer die Entwicklung dieses Modells muessen die Grundfunktionen fuer Anwendungen der synchronen Gruppenarbeit realisiert werden. Neben der Modellierung des Datenraumes (Datenmodell) und der operationellen Schnittstelle (Interaktionsmodell), muessen Mechanismen fuer die Darstellung der Aktivitaeten der Gruppenmitglieder auf dem Informationsraum (Awareness), sowie fuer die Synchronisierung gleichzeitiger Zugriffe verschiedener Benutzer auf dem Datenraum realisiert werden (Nebenlaeufgkeitskontrolle). Das Grundproblem bei der Loesung der Nebenlaeufigkeit liegt bei der Aufgabe der Isolation aus den klassischen ACID-Transaktionen zu gunsten von Awareness. Die rapide Entwicklung von Techniken der mobilen Kommunikation ermoeglicht den Einsatz dieser Geraete fuer den Zugriff auf Daten im Internet. Durch UMTSund WLAN-Technologien koennen Mobilgeraete fuer Anwendungen ueber die reine Kommunikation hinaus eingesetzt werden. Eine natuerliche Folge dieser Entwicklung sind Anwendungen fuer die Zusammenarbeit mehrerer Benutzer. In der Arbeit wird daher auf die Unterstuetzung mobiler Geraete besonderen Wert gelegt. Die Interaktion der Benutzer auf den gemeinsamen Datenraum wird durch einfache Navigationsoperationen mit einem Cursor (Finger) realisiert, wobei der Datenraum durch XML-Dokumente dargestellt wird. Die Visualisierung basiert auf der Transformierung von XML-Dokumenten in andere XML-basierte Sprachen wie HTML oder SVG durch XSLT-Stylesheets. Awareness-Informationen werden, aehnlich dem Fokus/Nimbus-Modell, von der Interaktion der Benutzer und der Ermittlung der sichtbaren Objekte bei dem Benutzer hergeleitet. Fuer eine geeignete Kontrolle der Nebenlaeufigkeit wurde der Begriff der visuellen Transaktion eingefuehrt, wo die Auswirkungen einer Transaktion von anderen Benutzern (Transaktionen) beobachtet werden koennen. Die Synchronisierung basiert auf einem Sperrverfahren und der Einfuehrung der neuen W-Sperre und der Grundoperationen readV und writeV. Das Modell (Groupware-Server) wird in der Arbeit in einem Prototyp implementiert. Weiterhin wird eine Java-Anwendung sowohl auf einem Desktop PC als auch auf einem Pocket PC (iPAQ 3970) implementiert, welche die Einsetzbarkeit dieses Prototyps demonstriert.

Interface issues in the ESCHER visual database editor

Presentation at the 1997 Dagstuhl Seminar "Evaluation of Multimedia Information Retrieval", Norbert Fuhr, Keith van Rijsbergen, Alan F. Smeaton (eds.), Dagstuhl Seminar Report 175, 14.04. - 18.04.97 (9716). - Abstract: This presentation will introduce ESCHER, a database editor which supports visualization in non-standard applications in engineering, science, tourism and the entertainment industry. It was originally based on the extended nested relational data model and is currently extended to include object-relational properties like inheritance, object types, integrity constraints and methods. It serves as a research platform into areas such as multimedia and visual information systems, QBE-like queries, computer-supported concurrent work (CSCW) and novel storage techniques. In its role as a Visual Information System, a database editor must support browsing and navigation. ESCHER provides this access to data by means of so called fingers. They generalize the cursor paradigm in graphical and text editors. On the graphical display, a finger is reflected by a colored area which corresponds to the object a finger is currently pointing at. In a table more than one finger may point to objects, one of which is the active finger and is used for navigating through the table. The talk will mostly concentrate on giving examples for this type of navigation and will discuss some of the architectural needs for fast object traversal and display. ESCHER is available as public domain software from our ftp site in Kassel. The portable C source can be easily compiled for any machine running UNIX and OSF/Motif, in particular our working environments IBM RS/6000 and Intel-based LINUX systems. A porting to Tcl/Tk is under way.

The role of sketches in supporting near-synchronous remote communication in computer supported collaborative design

This paper presents recent research into the functions and value of sketch outputs during computer supported collaborative design. Sketches made primarily exploiting whiteboard technology are shown to support subjects engaged in remote collaborative design, particularly when constructed in ‘nearsynchronous’ communication. The authors define near-synchronous communication and speculate that it is compatible with the reflective and iterative nature of design activity. There appears to be significant similarities between the making of sketches in near-synchronous remote collaborative design and those made on paper in more traditional face-to-face settings With the current increase in the use of computer supported collaborative working (CSCW) in undergraduate and postgraduate design education it is proposed that sketches and sketching can make important contributions to design learning in this context

Interdisciplinarity: perceptions of the value of computer-supported collaborative work in design for the built environment

This paper presents the findings from a study into the current exploitation of computer-supported collaborative working (CSCW) in design for the built environment in the UK. The research is based on responses to a web-based questionnaire. Members of various professions, including civil engineers, architects, building services engineers, and quantity surveyors, were invited to complete the questionnaire. The responses reveal important trends in the breadth and size of project teams at the same time as new pressures are emerging regarding team integration and efficiency. The findings suggest that while CSCW systems may improve project management (e.g., via project documentation) and the exchange of information between team members, it has yet to significantly support those activities that characterize integrated collaborative working between disparate specialists. The authors conclude by combining the findings with a wider discussion of the application of CSCW to design activity-appealing for CSCW to go beyond multidisciplinary working to achieve interdisciplinary working.

From activity to active learning: drawing and dialogue interaction in virtual learning environments for computer-supported collaborative work in design.

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) would appear to be particular effective in computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) for active learning. Most research studies looking at computer-supported collaborative design have focused on either synchronous or asynchronous modes of communication, but near-synchronous working has received relatively little attention. Yet it could be argued that near-synchronous communication encourages creative, rhetorical and critical exchanges of ideas, building on each other’s contributions. Furthermore, although many researchers have carried out studies on collaborative design protocol, argumentation and constructive interaction, little is known about the interaction between drawing and dialogue in near-synchronous collaborative design. The paper reports the first stage of an investigation into the requirements for the design and development of interactive systems to support the learning of collaborative design activities. The aim of the study is to understand the collaborative design processes while sketching in a shared white board and audio conferencing media. Empirical data on design processes have been obtained from observation of seven sessions with groups of design students solving an interior space-planning problem of a lounge-diner in a virtual learning environment, Lyceum, an in-house software developed by the Open University to support its students in collaborative learning.

Model-based groupware solution for distributed real-time collaborative 4D planning via teamwork

Construction planning plays a fundamental role in construction project management that requires team working among planners from a diverse range of disciplines and in geographically dispersed working situations. Model-based four-dimensional (4D) computer-aided design (CAD) groupware, though considered a possible approach to supporting collaborative planning, is still short of effective collaborative mechanisms for teamwork due to methodological, technological and social challenges. Targeting this problem, this paper proposes a model-based groupware solution to enable a group of multidisciplinary planners to perform real-time collaborative 4D planning across the Internet. In the light of the interactive definition method, and its computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) design analysis, the paper discusses the realization of interactive collaborative mechanisms from software architecture, application mode, and data exchange protocol. These mechanisms have been integrated into a groupware solution, which was validated by a planning team in a truly geographically dispersed condition. Analysis of the validation results revealed that the proposed solution is feasible for real-time collaborative 4D planning to gain a robust construction plan through collaborative teamwork. The realization of this solution triggers further considerations about its enhancement for wider groupware applications.