1. Human-Computer Interaction in the Developing World
Matthew Kam
Apr 3, 2003

2. Globally Distributed Knowledge Work
Opportunities
R&D can be located anywhere in the world
Collaboration across time zones, institutions and national boundaries
Collaboration across geographically-dispersed sites can share resources and personnel

3. Globally Distributed Knowledge Work
Examples
Financial services
Consulting
Research
Software production
Distance learning
Telemedicine
Managing geographically-dispersed manufacturing

4. What is at Stake? Developing countries
Potential to lessen impact of distance
Potential for greater participation through knowledge work and global trade in services
Global virtual production teams
Scientific collaboratories
Distance learning
Trade more important than other forms of assistance, credit and international cooperation [Jaramillo]

5. What is at Stake? Developed countries
Opportunity to develop products and services that are sensitive to multiple cultural perspectives and needs of people around the world

6. Collaboratory “Laboratory without walls” Comprise both
Technologies
Socio-processes
Networked organizational structure
Potential testbed for remote CSCL

7. Computer-Supported Collaboration Learning
Motivation
Collaborative learning enhances student ratings of virtual courses [Hiltz 1990]
Media richness in technological tools can mediate differences between F2F and CMC channels

8. Study Design Each weekly session consists of
Intro discussion / presentation (1 hr)
Unstructured decision-making task (1.5 hr)
Report (0.5 hr)
Made use of rich-media CMC tools

9. Participants 4 research universities 13-week seminar
2 in USA
2 in South Africa
13-week seminar
“Globalization and the Information Society”
35 graduate students
Half were F2F teams
Half were completely-remote teams

10. Tasks Decide on stakeholder grouping and organization to represent
Research background to organization
Develop strategy for organization to influence global policy
Prepare paper and slides

11. Research Questions Impact of group mode Impact of faculty presence
Co-located vs. remote
Impact of faculty presence
Faculty is co-located vs. remote
Impact of geographic location
USA vs. South Africa

12. Results Group mode (co-located vs. remote)
No relationship between group mode and student satisfaction
=> more possibilities for remote CSCL
F2F group (73%) has higher perception of group as “learning community” than remote group (63%)
Nevertheless, students claimed to learn more from diverse group background

13. Results Faculty presence
Physical presence of faculty has small but measurable effect on student satisfaction
More comfortable asking questions when faculty is physically present
Less student motivation with absent faculty
But no major difference due to faculty presence
=> pedagogy model (i.e. inquiry-based learning) more important than faculty’s physical presence

14. Results Faculty presence
No difference between students in USA and South Africa in terms of preference for faculty presence

15. Results Geographic location
Participants in South Africa have higher satisfaction levels
=> higher “collaboration readiness” on the part of South African students
Collaboration readiness is factor for success of CSCW
Participants in South Africa found greater value in their syndicates as learning communities
Interesting, more USA participants found their South African team-mates to be less committed