1. Class 11 LBSC 690 Information Technology Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Distance Education

2. CSCW and Distance Ed Agenda Questions CSCW - Computer Supported Cooperative Work CMC - Computer Mediated Communications Dimensions/Modalities Collaboration and network realities Guest lecture by Clifford Stoll –An example of teaching with technology Computers in education Distance education

3. Technology and People Interface perspective (User interfaces) Collaboration / Interaction perspective –People produce information for other people –Organizational information systems –Community information systems

4. CSCW - the acronym Computer supported –Really “information technology” supported Cooperative –Assumes a shared objective (what about competitive interaction?) Work –Grounded in the study of work processes (why not play?)

5. Dimensions of CSCW Like dimensions of Internet Services Synchronous vs. Asynchronous –Telephone is synchronous –Email is asynchronous Local vs. remote –Meetings are local –Chat rooms are remote Structured vs Unstructured Interaction

6. Synchronous Local Support for face-to-face meetings –Brainstorming –Online review –Annotated minutes –Voting as feedback

7. Synchronous Remote Shared whiteboard –Multimodal interaction Example: NetMeeting –Launch NetMeeting, select –Double click on the meeting you wish to join Glass wall (CVEs) –Facilitates unplanned interactions –Supports informal communications

8. Asynchronous Remote Voice mail USENET news Mailing lists Example - threaded discussions –Go to http://www.chem.hope.edu/discus –Pick a board to look at –Describe how it is organized

9. Effects of Modality Establish initial contact face-to-face then later remote interaction is easier In terms of task completion, audio is satisfactory for most interactions. People often prefer video interactions (Rosen reading)

10. Organizational Information Systems From MIS to Knowledge Management Supporting roles in an organization environment What is the impact of information technology on organizations –email “flattens” hierarchies –productivity gains?

11. Collaboration and Networked Realities Standards Internet tools are based on “open standards” –Routers, servers, browsers, streaming video, … –Easily used to build private networks Typically known as “intranets” Proprietary standards offer better integration –Lotus Notes is a well known example –Customized to a particular business process Expensive and difficult to modify

12. Example of IT Supporting Collaboration Organizing a research symposium –Co-chair in France (6 hour time difference) –Five organizing committee members Spread from California to Zurich –Worldwide participants Some cannot come to the physical symposium All have different computing environments How to organize it, run it, and report results?

13. “Guest Lecturer” Clifford Stoll –Educator, UC Berkeley –Author Cuckoo’s Egg, Silicon Snake Oil, HighTech Heretic –Pundit (misguided?)

14. What’s the Point? Why are we putting computers in schools? Are computer jobs the “jobs of the future?” What’s so great about information? –How does it differ from data? –What about understanding & wisdom? If he’s right, why are we studying this?

15. Educational Computing Computer-Based Training (CBT) –Just another filmstrip machine? Computer-Assisted Education –What most people think of first Computer-Managed Instruction –What most people really do first!

16. Rationales for Computers in Schools Pedagogic –Use computers to teach Vocational –Computer programming is a skill like typing Social –Computers are a part of the fabric of society Catalytic –Computers are symbols of progress

17. Conditions for Success Most prerequisites are not computer-specific –Need, know-how, time, commitment, leadership, incentives, expectations –In one study, only one addressed resources The most important barrier isn’t either –Teacher time is by far the most important factor

18. Alternatives Facilities –Computer classrooms (e.g., teaching theaters) –Computers IN classrooms (e.g., HBK 0108) Objectives –“Computer Literacy” is the most common class –Not so in the Maryland teaching theaters Comparatively few technology classes

19. Computers as Educational Media Books –Stable - you can read them at your own pace Video –Transient, dynamic, multi-sensory Computers –Interactive, process-based –Plus salient characteristics of video and books

20. Distance Education Correspondence courses –Focus on dissemination and evaluation Instructional television –Dissemination, interaction, and evaluation Ordinary television supports only dissemination Computer-Assisted Instruction –Same three functions –Goal is to be better, cheaper, or both Asynchronous Learning –Primarily Web-based

21. “Intelligent” Computer Aided-Instruction Computer as tutor Assessment - Collect observations of student. Evaluation - build “student models” -- what a student knows about the task. Compare student model to “expert model” -- how an expert would solve the problem. Try to determine the “root cause”. Remediation - What strategy to adopt in fixing the student’s misunderstanding.

22. Project Test Plan Two key issues –Test types –Sampling strategies Black box tests –Assumes no knowledge of the design For example, test every link on every page White box (or “glass box”) tests –Use design knowledge to test likely failures For example, run queries that exercise joins

23. Methodology - Sampling Strategies Systematic tests –Broad tests Web page example:test every link from the top page Database example:Run each query once –Deep tests Web page example:follow a full sequence of links Database example:Run a query with different data Ad hoc tests –Specify how users are selected, give them a task