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Abdipour, Morteza. "Arrangement Design Studies : the introduction of the digital wall in domestic environments." Licentiate thesis, Umeå universitet, Designhögskolan vid Umeå universitet, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-179883.
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This research focuses on the emergence of 'digital walls' that can project images onto almost all or even the entirety of interior (and perhaps exterior) walls, and what implications this might have for how we arrange our rooms. It demonstrates the arrangement, i.e., the way that domestic products are arranged physically, of rooms changes in the domestic environment in a complex scenario when using large screens. Due to the fast-growing demand for large screens, this product could potentially be available to be used by people in their home environments; however, it does not yet exist in reality at this scale. Constructing large screens can be carried out using different production methods. Here, this concept is called the digital wall, a very thin wall-sized interactive screen. The characteristics of the digital wall will vary to be able to create different scenarios. One such scenario is a space in the home where the surface of the wall is covered with screens, which allows multiple possibilities to experience and interact with digital content. In this research, the social gathering space of homes, nowadays called the living room, is considered as a highly relevant space for installing the digital wall. In this space, the conceptual framework outlines the basic elements of the research and demonstrates the relationships between people’s interactions with the digital wall and domestic products in the domestic environment. I show two examples from design history to understand how arrangement changes impact the home environment: the transformation of the parlor to the living room, and entry of the television into the living room. These two examples are focused on the place in the home where people gather for socializing. The discussion of these examples led to the elaboration of the relationships between the elements in the conceptual framework. I explored relevant design research methodologies to bring this future scenario into the present to understand the relationships between people and the digital wall. I applied research through design and the constructive design research approaches to frame the design research methodology. In this thesis, I set up seven series of design studies in two cluster groups: Supportive studies and Main studies. All of the design studies were conducted in the Design Research Lab, the actual space for carrying out the design experiments, prototyping the digital wall, and the setting of the experiments for user participation. The Lab was fully equipped with relevant technology and allowed me to use multiple methods to collect data while people were experiencing the design study sessions. The Lab was useful as a platform to understand user experiences, barriers for interactions as well as people's experiences in a simulated space of a domestic environment. The main contribution of this research is to understand the forms of arrangement changes when people use the digital wall in homes. The research demonstrates two significant implications that are seen in two forms of arrangements: tangible arrangement and imperceptible arrangement. These findings are useful for both designers and users of the elements of domestic contexts and the relations that can be shaped by the presence of a digital wall in home environments. This understanding may provide design guidelines in future scenarios in which the digital wall is used in homes. The findings are also beneficial for designing the domestic environment, improving the arrangement of space, and raising the requirements for designing domestic products.
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Wang, Yinghua. "Participatory Action Research with Chinese-American Families: Developing Digital Prototypes of Chinese Art Education Resources." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1385092278.
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Leung, Hay-lin. "Centre for China Studies." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1994. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B2594504x.
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Blakey, Heather. "Participation¿why bother?: The views of Black and Minority Ethnic mental health service users on participation in the NHS in Bradford. Report of a community research process undertaken by the International Centre for Participation Studies, University of Bradford and Sharing Voices (Bradford)." International Centre for Participation Studies, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3798.
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YesThe International Centre for Participation Studies and Sharing Voices Bradford (for information on these organisations, see Appendices 3 and 4) maintain that participation is an important part of a healthy democracy, with benefits for all. However, participation can be anything from empowering to tokenistic, and must be critically examined if we are to understand how to use it effectively. This paper considers the contribution of participation to improved service delivery in the health service. For beneficiaries, participation can be about ownership and responsibility for the services we use, as well as rights and the chance to express what we want from them. For service providers, participation is widely recognised as an effective way of tailoring services to the needs of the different communities they serve. The NHS and other service providers have made great strides in developing mechanisms for participation by service users. However, these do not always reach all sections of the community. Many individuals feel sceptical about getting involved, unconvinced that their contribution could make a real difference. Through the Participation ¿ Why Bother? workshops, we set out to explore these feelings, to reflect on perceived barriers and identify changes that might help overcome them. The aim was not to look at the substance of service delivery issues, but to try and work out how the process of involving people in decision-making in the NHS could be improved, to make it easier for voices from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities to be heard.
Bradford District Care Trust; South and West PCT; City tPCT
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Leung, Hay-lin, and 梁喜蓮. "Centre for China Studies." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31982086.
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Danas, Ryan. "User Evaluation Framework for Model Finding Research." Digital WPI, 2016. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/1009.
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"We report the results of a series of crowd-sourced user studies in the formal-methods domain. Specifically, we explore the efficacy of the notion of "minimal counterexample" -- or more colloquially, "minimal bug report" -- when reasoning about logical specifications. Our results here suggest that minimal counterexamples are beneficial some specific cases, and harmful in others. Furthermore, our analysis leads to refined hypotheses about the role of minimal counterexamples that can be further evaluated in future studies. User-based evaluation has little precedent in the formal methods community. Therefore, as a further contribution, we discuss and analyze our research methodology, and offer guidelines for future user studies in formal methods research. "
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Rocha, Andreia Assunção Sousa da. "Curricular training as study coordinator in a clinical research centre." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/16255.
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Mestrado em Biomedicina FarmacêuticaThe present internship report aims to describe, in detail, my curricular training of ten months at the Unidade de Farmacologia Clínica of the Instituto de Medicina Molecular. This training is part of the curricular activities of the second year of the Masters in Pharmaceutical Biomedicine of the University of Aveiro. The main focus of this curricular training was the coordination of clinical trials, in the area of neurology, in a clinical research centre. However, this was a very rich and diversified training and therefore, I also had the opportunity of develop activities in other areas of the drug sector, namely pharmacovigilance, medical writing, data management and monitoring. This training represented my first contact with the working world and enabled the establishment of a bridge between the academic world and the working world. It allowed me to put in practice the knowledge acquired during the University, to understand how various areas of the drug sector work in the practice, to complement my theoretical knowledge and to improve my soft skills.
O presente relatório de estágio tem como objetivo descrever, em detalhe, o meu estágio curricular de dez meses na Unidade de Farmacologia Clínica do Instituto de Medicina Molecular. Este estágio insere-se nas atividades curriculares do segundo ano do Mestrado em Biomedicina Farmacêutica da Universidade de Aveiro. O principal foco deste estágio curricular foi a coordenação de ensaios clínicos, na área da neurologia, num centro de investigação clínica. No entanto, este foi um estágio muito rico e diversificado e portanto, eu também tive a oportunidade de desenvolver atividades em outras áreas do sector do medicamento, nomeadamente em farmacovigilância, escrita científica, gestão de dados e monitorização. Este estágio representou o meu primeiro contacto com o mundo do trabalho e permitiu a criação de uma ponte entre o mundo académico e o mundo do trabalho. Este permitiu-me colocar em prática o conhecimento adquirido durante a Universidade, compreender como várias áreas do sector do medicamento funcionam na prática, complementar o meu conhecimento teórico e melhorar as minhas soft skills.
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White, Amanda. "Camp Adventure; user based research and application in design." Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/4085.
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Dillon, Andrew, and Charles Watson. "User analysis in HCI: the historical lesson from individual differences research." Elsevier, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105824.
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This item is not the definitive copy. Please use the following citation when referencing this material: Dillon, A. and Watson, C. (1996) User analysis HCI-the historical lessons from individual differences research. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 45(6), 619-638.
Abstract: User analysis is a crucial aspect of user-centered systems design, yet Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has yet to formulate reliable and valid characterizations of users beyond gross distinctions based on task and experience. Individual differences research from mainstream psychology has identified a stable set of characteristics that would appear to offer potential application in the HCI arena. Furthermore, in its evolution over the last 100 years, research on individual differences has faced many of the problems of theoretical status and applicability that are common to HCI. In the present paper the relationship between work in cognitive and differential psychology and current analyses of users in HCI is examined. It is concluded that HCI could gain significant predictive power if individual differences research was related to the analysis of users in contemporary systems design.
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Pikas, Christina K. "Personal Information Management Strategies and Tactics Used by Senior Engineers." American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106236.
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This paper reports the results of an exploratory qualitative study of how senior engineers in a research laboratory environment do personal information management (PIM). Responsive, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four senior engineers. Thirteen themes in four groupings emerged. The four groupings are: organization and retrieval, un-organized aspects, information keeping and preservation, and use of specialized tools. Themes not seen in other studies are: writing to remember and reporting to retrieve,
and personal handbooks. The themes are described in detail. Implications for the design of information systems and future work are discussed.
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Ling, Zhang, Cong Wang, and Austin McCarthy. "Knowing our users and responding to their needs-The impact of research on services in two university libraries." School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106105.
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In an earlier paper the authors discussed reference services in two university libraries and suggested changes to the services based on a user survey. They also quoted research into staff and student use of information resources. Although libraries have no difficulty in compiling quantitative data, the use of such qualitative research to delve beyond the statistics, in order to better understand user needs, perceptions and behaviours, is a recent development at Harbin Engineering University Library, China. However, at the Library of the University of Northumbria in England there is a long history of using research to evaluate services. This paper gives a very brief introduction to the value of qualitative re-search in evaluating services and providing a sound basis for management decisions about staffing and service delivery. Some of the methods used at the two universities are outlined. Finally, two case studies of research projects, one from each university, will be described and the extent to which they have resulted in changes to policies or practices will be examined.
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Carreiro, Rita Margarida Tavares. "Training in clinical studies coordination in a research centre: Estágio em coordenação de estudos clínicos num centro de investigação." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/5653.
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É com prazer que agradeço a todos aqueles que tornaram o meu estágio possível. Primeiro, gostaria de agradecer profundamente aos meus orientadores, Professor Joaquim Ferreira e Professor José Carlos Lopes, pela sabedoria que me transmitiram, pela paciência e apoio, e por me terem guiado durante este meu percurso.
Gostaria, também, de agradecer aos directores do Mestrado em Biomedicina Farmacêutica, Professor Luís Almeida e Professor Bruno Gago, pela educação, pelas oportunidades e pelo coaching nos últimos dois anos, que me fizeram crescer e tornar em quem sou hoje.
Agradeço sinceramente à Ana Noronha e à Maria Finisterra por me terem recebido tão bem, fazendo do meu estágio uma fonte de aprendizagem contínua, por terem estado sempre ao meu lado e apoiado nas decisões mais difíceis.
Agradeço ao João Terrível pela preciosa ajuda na formatação deste trabalho.
Um obrigado especial aos meus colegas e amigos Catarina Silva, Cátia Magalhães, Igor Marques, Miguel Costa, Tiago Silva e Joana Rocha, pois sem vocês, não teria chegado até onde cheguei.
Agradeço, ainda, a todos os meus colegas do Mestrado em Biomedicina Farmacêutica por terem partilhado comigo experiências únicas e sonhos comuns nos últimos dois anos.Este relatório diz respeito a várias actividades e projectos desenvolvidos num Centro Clínico de Investigação Biomédica – O Grupo de Neurofarmacologia Clínica da Unidade Neurológica de Investigação Clínica do Instituto de Medicina Molecular – realizado no período de 13 de Setembro de 2010 a 13 de Junho de 2011, no âmbito do estágio como coordenadora de estudos clínicos. O estágio insere-se nas actividades curriculares do segundo ano do Mestrado em Biomedicina Farmacêutica da Universidade de Aveiro. Neste relatório, serão abordadas as actividades de coordenação de ensaios clínicos e estudos observacionais, bem como as actividades de investigação desenvolvidas paralelamente ao estágio. No decurso do estágio, pude pôr em prática os conhecimentos adquiridos ao longo do Mestrado e aprofundar o meu conhecimento e interesse na importância dos centros de investigação e do papel dos coordenadores de estudos na correcta realização de estudos clínicos, garantindo, sempre, os direitos, a segurança e o bem-estar dos participantes, assim como, a qualidade dos dados gerados. Este estágio permitiu, também, compreender as dificuldades logísticas que um centro de investigação se depara na condução de ensaios clínicos. Em conclusão, o estágio permitiu-me pôr em prática o conhecimento adquirido na Universidade, funcionando como uma ponte entre o mundo académico e o mundo laboral.
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Gwizdka, Jacek, and Mark Chignell. "Individual Differences and Task-based User Interface Evaluation: A Case Study of Pending Tasks in Email." Elsevier, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105556.
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doi:10.1016/j.intcom.2004.04.008This paper addresses issues raised by the ever-expanding role of email as a multi-faceted application that combines communication, collaboration, and task management. Individual differences analysis was used to contrast two email user interfaces in terms of their demands on users. The results of this analysis were then interpreted in terms of their implications for designing more inclusive interfaces that meet the needs of users with widely ranging abilities. The specific target of this research is the development of a new type of email message representation that makes pending tasks more visible. We describe a study that compared a new way of representing tasks in an email inbox, with a more standard representation (the Microsoft Outlook inbox). The study consisted of an experiment that examined how people with different levels of three specific cognitive capabilities (flexibility of closure, visual memory, and working memory) perform when using these representations. We then identified combinations of representation and task that are disadvantageous for people with low levels of the measured capabilities.
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Martin, Claudette. "Examining Visitor Attitudes and Motivations at a Space Science Centre." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Vetenskapskommunikation, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-1162.
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The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre is a multi-faceted organization whose mission is to educate, inspire and evoke a sense of wonder about the universe, our planet and space exploration. As a popular, Vancouver science centre, it faces the same range of challenges and issues as other major attractions: how does the Space Centre maintain a healthy public attendance in an increasingly competitive market where visitors continue to be presented with an increasingly rich range of choices for their leisure spending and entertainment dollars?This front-end study investigated visitor attitudes, thoughts and preconceptions on the topic of space and astronomy. It also examined visitors’ motivations for coming to a space science centre. Useful insights were obtained which will be applied to improve future programme content and exhibit development.
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Gwizdka, Jacek. "Categorization Is Difficult: Use of an Electronic Notebook For Organizing Design Meeting Notes." Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105310.
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The electronic engineering notebook is a pen-based computer tool designed to capture engineering notes and to assist in structuring them to facilitate subsequent information access. Experiments were conducted in which free-form and fixed-form note-taking interfaces were compared with respect to capturing and structuring notes from a design meeting. Suitability of domain-based and user-defined terminologies for semantic structuring was also tested. Results from the experiment confirmed that a free-form interface was easier to use for note-taking and structuring notes than were forms with fixed structure. However, difficulties with applying semantic categorizations were observed in both types of interface. The results indicated that terminology should be chosen appropriately to a task, and that experienced users have less problems with applying it. The experiment also demonstrated high diversity in note-taking styles, thus highlighting the need to accommodate individual preferences in electronic notebooks.
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Bruce, Stephanie L. "Models for serially correlated, over or underdispersed, unequally spaced longitudinal count data with applications to asthma inhaler use /." Connect to full text via ProQuest. Limited to UCD Anschutz Medical Campus, 2007.
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Thesis (Ph.D. in Analytic Health Sciences, Dept. of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics) -- University of Colorado Denver, 2007.Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-59). Free to UCD Anschutz Medical Campus. Online version available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations;
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MagalhÃes, Fernanda Jorge. "ValidaÃÃo do protocolo de acolhimento com classificaÃÃo de risco em pediatria." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2012. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=10002.
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgicoDentre as tecnologias destinadas ao cuidado de Enfermagem destacam-se os protocolos, os quais podem estabelecer critÃrios favorÃveis ao julgamento clÃnico e à tomada de decisÃo em situaÃÃes de urgÃncia e emergÃncia. O Protocolo de Acolhimento com ClassificaÃÃo de Risco (ACCR) em Pediatria visa classificar a prioridade de atendimento de crianÃas e adolescentes a partir do risco de complicaÃÃes e morte nas unidades de emergÃncia. Teve-se como objetivo geral: validar o Protocolo de ACCR em Pediatria para classificar a prioridade de atendimento de crianÃas e adolescentes em situaÃÃes de urgÃncia e emergÃncia. Estudo metodolÃgico desenvolvido a partir da validaÃÃo de aparÃncia e conteÃdo do referido protocolo, com a participaÃÃo de nove juÃzes. A coleta de dados foi realizada de marÃo a julho de 2012, sendo emitidas aos juÃzes uma carta-convite e um instrumento contendo os dados de identificaÃÃo, os aspectos relativos à aparÃncia do protocolo com 6 itens e os aspectos relacionados a validade de conteÃdo dividida em 14 itens gerais do protocolo e a lista de 72 atributos (sinais de alerta com indicadores clÃnicos), os quais foram avaliados quanto os critÃrios de simplicidade, clareza e relevÃncia. Os conceitos dos sinais de alerta, seus antecedentes e consequentes foram estabelecidos a partir da revisÃo de literatura. Os dados foram organizados em tabelas, quadros e figuras, sendo analisados estatisticamente pelo Ãndice de validade de conteÃdo (IVC). O projeto foi aprovado pelo Comità de Ãtica e Pesquisa sob protocolo n 325/11. Como resultados, foi possÃvel definir os conceitos, atributos e consequentes dos 30 itens inseridos no protocolo. Quanto à validaÃÃo por juÃzes, a aparÃncia foi tida como adequada quanto a simplicidade, clareza e relevÃncia, jà que houve IVC acima de 80% em 5 dos 6 itens em anÃlise. Quanto ao conteÃdo, constatou-se que a avaliaÃÃo de aspectos gerais e estruturais do protocolo, obteve uma mÃdia de 0,837 de IVC. No que se refere a validade de conteÃdo, para a avaliaÃÃo dos sinais de alerta, indicadores clÃnicos, bem como a apropriaÃÃo e correspondente classificaÃÃo de risco determinada pelo juiz e a do protocolo em estudo; compreendeu-se de atendimento, os quais foram considerados apropriados Ãqueles que compreenderem mais de 80,0% de concordÃncia dos juÃzes, considerando simplicidade, clareza e relevÃncia. Conclui-se, que tal protocolo foi considerado vÃlido quanto à aparÃncia e ao conteÃdo para determinar a prioridade de atendimento de crianÃas e/ou adolescentes nas unidades de urgÃncia e emergÃncia.
Among the technologies for the nursing care we highlight the protocols, which can establish the criteria favorable clinical judgment and decision making in emergency situations and emergency. The Protocol Host with Risk Rating (ACCR) in Pediatrics aims to classify the priority of caring for children and adolescents from the risk of complications and death in emergency rooms. Had as main objective: to validate the protocol in Pediatrics ACCR to classify the priority of caring for children and adolescents in situations of urgency and emergency. Methodological study developed from the validation of appearance and content of the protocol, with the participation of nine judges. Data collection was conducted from March to July 2012, being the judges issued a letter of invitation and an instrument containing identification data, aspects of the appearance of the protocol with 6 items and aspects related to content validity divided into 14 items of general protocol and list of 72 attributes (warning signs with clinical indicators), which were evaluated for the criteria of simplicity, clarity and relevance. The concepts of warning signs, their antecedents and consequences were established from the literature review. The data were organized in tables, charts and figures, and statistically analyzed by content validity index (CVI). The project was approved by the Ethics and Research under protocol # 325/11. As a result, it was possible to define the concepts, attributes and consequences of the 30 items included in the protocol. As for validation by judges, the appearance was seen as adequate as simplicity, clarity and relevance, since there IVC above 80% in 5 of 6 items in question. As for content, it was found that the assessment of general and structural aspects of the protocol, scores a 0.837 CVI. Regarding content validity, to assess the warning signs, clinical indicators, as well as ownership and corresponding risk rating determined by the judge and the study protocol; understood up service, which were considered appropriate to those which comprise more than 80.0% concordance of judges considering simplicity, clarity and relevance. It is concluded that this protocol was considered valid as to appearance and content to determine the priority of caring for children and / or adolescents in emergency care units.
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Burke, Jennifer L. "Moonlight in Miami [electronic resource] : a field study of human-robot interaction in the context of an urban search and rescue disaster response training exercise / by Jennifer L. Burke." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000220.
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Oztoprak, Aydin. "A Method For Supporting Data Collection In Userresearch Studies At Domestic Environments." Phd thesis, METU, 2011. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613560/index.pdf.
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This thesis analyzes data collection tools and methods in domestic environments for smart
product development processes. The aim of the study is to create a method for supporting
data collection studies in user research of smart products at domestic environments. The
study examines the utilization of information and communication technologies in
ethnographic data collection methods at domestic environments with a qualitative
approach. Two case studies are conducted to understand and analyze the effects of
custom designed data collection tools in user research studies conducted at domestic
environments. The results of the study revealed that utilization of data collection
equipment and methods that are customized to the characteristics of aims and objectives
of user research studies, product characteristic and study participants&rsquoown environment might lead to the possibility to increase number of study participants and decrease researchers&rsquo
presence in domestic environments. Additionally, it was found that, sensor kits and internal device logs are capable of supporting user research studies for the evaluation of products, however due to technical complexity and unpredictable contextual factors, triangulation of data collection methods and redundancy of data collection equipment are necessary.
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Vetter, Gayna. "Rungs on a ladder to empowerment : transforming end-user computing training in Port Vila, Vanuatu : a thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Development Studies /." ResearchArchive@Victoria e-thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10063/1030.
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Lundberg, Karin. "Citizens and Contemporary Science Ways to dialogue in science centre contexts." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Vetenskapskommunikation, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-2536.
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The current paper presents a study conducted at At-Bristol Science Centre, UK. It is a front-end evaluation for the “Live Science Zone” at At-Bristol, which will be built during the autumn of 2004. It will provide a facility for programmed events and shows, non-programmed investigative activities and the choice of passive or active exploration of current scientific topics. The main aim of the study is to determine characteristics of what kind of techniques to use in the Live Science Zone. The objectives are to explore what has already been done at At-Bristol, and what has been done at other science centres, and to identify successful devices. The secondary aim is mapping what sorts of topics that visitors are actually interested in debating. The methods used in the study are deep qualitative interviews with professionals working within the field of science communication in Europe and North America, and questionnaires answered by visitors to At-Bristol. The results show that there are some gaps between the intentions of the professionals and the opinions of the visitors, in terms of opportunities and willingness for dialogue in science centre activities. The most popular issue was Future and the most popular device was Film.
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Nilsson, Johan. "CrawLogo: An Experiment in End-User Programming for Web-Enabled Applications." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Computer and Information Science, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2090.
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With the rise of the Web, there is more interest among end-users to create different kinds of software that use elements from the Web or allow for networked interaction between users. Currently however, many available tools for this purpose are hard to use or lack a sufficient level of expressiveness. To provide new insights on the construction of tools that allow end-users to create their own Web-enabled software, this thesis explores design issues and consequences of applying the Turtle metaphor from the Logo-programming language to an end-user programming environment for Web-enabled applications.
In order to explore this, CrawLogo was created - a programmable end-user tool that supports the creation of Web-enabled applications using a Turtle-like control metaphor and language adapted from Logo. As a proof-of-concept, several Web-enabled applications were created using this new tool, including CrawLogo Pong, a somewhat alternative version of Atari’s classic Pong game, and a collaborative browsing environment, in which users can browse the Web together. The resulting CrawLogo environment allows for creating Web-enabled applications that - using more traditional programming languages - would be quite complex and require deep technical programming skills. Further, while utilizing a Turtle-like control metaphor in CrawLogo allows for the creation of some new types of applications and some new ways of interacting with the Web, it also raises new problems such as how to successfully design within the CrawLogo metaphor and how to create a meaningful representation of Turtle- geometry-based navigation on the Web.
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Blom, Örjan. "Integrating Cognitive Science into Software Systems Development: Developing a User Interface for Fighter Control." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Computer and Information Science, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2494.
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The purpose of this thesis was to integrate cognitive science into an existing organization of software systems development, and to display the benefits and importance of applying the theory and methodology of this interdisciplinary field onto this type of research. This was to be accomplished through participating in a project at ISD Datasystem AB, with the objective to investigate and develop new principles of man - machine interaction for fighter control, and build an appropriate workstation prototype. The participation spanned across the first iteration of the project’s development cycle, specified in accordance to the Rational Unified Process. A field study was conducted and several LoFi-prototypes of the graphical and physical man - machine interface (MMI) were made, as well as an evaluation of the developed prototype. The evaluation was performed with the help of end-users, who valuated the prototype in an inquiry and an interview after having performed a scenario interacting with it. The results showed that the prototype’s usability was highly valuated by the users.Data collected during the evaluation could also be used to guide further development of the prototype. The theoretical research and the empirical work in the project both showed that cognitive science is a valuable, and perhaps, an indispensable asset to software systems development, and that the knowledge and tools of cognitive science can be used in order to develop computer systems that are to be integrated in distributed man -machine systems of high complexity.
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Shachaf, Pnina, and Sarah Horowitz. "Are virtual reference services color blind?" Elsevier, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106524.
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This study reports an experiment that examines whether librarians provide equitable virtual reference services to diverse user groups. The relative absence of social cues in the virtual environment may mean greater equality of services though at the same time greater inequalities may arise as librarians can become less self-aware online. Findings indicate that the quality of service librarians provide to African Americans and Arabs is lower than the quality of service they provide to Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish students. This study adds to the knowledge of subjective bias in the virtual environment by specifying those that are discriminated against online, identifying the kinds of discriminatory actions of virtual reference librarians, and identifying the type of queries that more frequently result in unbiased service.
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Lindgren, Chris. "The Practice of Involving Children in the Design of Kids’ Apps : A Study of Market Oriented Child Culture Production." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Centrum för barnkulturforskning, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-185744.
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This thesis discusses the practice of involving children in the production of kids’ apps in order to gain an understanding of how notions of children and childhood are being shaped by and shape this practice. This is achieved through a narrative analysis of interviews with five design and research professionals from the kids’ apps industry. The informants express a strong moral obligation to create quality experiences for the child user. Children are portrayed as with agency and competence in shaping and sharing their views on the world, but also as dependent of adults’ good intentions when it comes to the design of consumer products. A common belief is that when creating quality products for children, adults need to consult children to gain insight into their different physical and cognitive capabilities as well as their culture and ways of making meaning of the world.
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Kulati, Tembile. "Research utilisation in policymaking : a case study of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of the Western Cape." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50437.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to explore the relationship between research and policymaking in South African higher education, using the Education Policy Unit at the University of the Western Cape (UWC-EPU) -recently renamed the Centre for the Study of Higher Education - as a case study. The study begins by examining the various models that explain the nature of policymaking in Western democracies, as well as the main theoretical frameworks - namely the "two communities" theory and the enlightenment model of knowledge utilisation - that explain the relationship between the production of knowledge and its utilisation in policymaking. It is argued that, although most of these models were developed to analyse the policymaking process within the context of mature democracies, they nonetheless raise important issues for developing countries like South Africa. The study proceeds to provide an overview of the process of policy development in South Africa. It is suggested that a better way of understanding the evolution of higher education policy development in South Africa is to see it as having gone through four phases, each of which marks a significant turning point within higher education itself, as well as in the broader political context. The process of the policy development, and in particular the role of (higher education) research within it, is shown as one that was largely driven by political and ideological imperatives. The study then shifts to a discussion of the CSHE, commencing with an overview of its organisational history, and highlighting the main objectives of its research programme and the changes that occurred with regard to its research orientation. These are examined in relation to external factors - for example the shift from the development of policy frameworks to the focus on implementation - and in terms of the dynamics that were internal to the University of the Western Cape. This discussion also highlights the challenges that were faced by the EPUs and other progressive academics in the early phases of the policy development process, namely that of engaging in a 'reconstructive' agenda on the one hand, while undertaking intellectual/scientific work on the other hand. In the case of the CSHE, there was also the added challenge of contributing to the development of the nascent field of higher education studies. One of the key issues that emerge in the analysis of the interviews, which form the core source of data collection for this study, is the multifarious understanding of the way in which the research undertaken by the CSHE was to be utilised. The three notions of 'use' that are highlighted - which are also embedded in the objectives of the CSHE as set out in its constitution - are the following: • Utilisation as generation of ideas, and particularly as a contribution to the debates on social reconstruction • Utilisation as input into the policymaking process • Utilisation as contribution to scholarship The study shows that there is a mixed assessment of the extent to which the CSHE was able to address these competing - and sometimes contradictory - challenges. In the main, its efforts were hamstrung by a confluence of factors, ranging from its inability to recruit or attract experienced researchers, to the orientation of its research towards critique, something which was a feature of the scholarship emanating from the progressive academic community at the time.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die verhouding tussen navorsing en beleidsvorming binne die konteks van die Suid- Afrikaanse hoër onderwysomgewing te ondersoek. Met die oog hierop word die Education Policy Unit aan die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland (UWC-EPU), onlangs herdoop tot die Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CHSE), deur middel van 'n gevallestudie beskryf. Die studie begin met 'n ondersoek na die verskillende modelle wat poog om die aard van beleidsvorming binne Westerse demokrasieë te verduidelik. Verder word die hoof teoretiese raamwerke, tewete die "two communities" teorie asook die "enlightenment model", wat die verhouding tussen die skep van kennis en die aanwending daarvan binne 'n beleidskonteks wil verduidelik, ook ondersoek. Hoewel die meeste modelle van hierdie aard ontwikkel is om die proses van beleidsvorming binne volwasse demokrasieë te analiseer, word aangevoer dat hulle desnieteenstaande belangrike kwessies na vore bring vir ontwikkelende lande soos Suid-Afrika. Die studie gaan verder deur 'n oorsig te gee oor die proses van beleidsontwikkeling in Suid- Afrika. Daar word gesuggereer dat 'n meer verantwoorde wyse om die evolusie van hoër onderwysbeleid in Suid-Afrika te verstaan, sou wees om erkenning te gee aan 'n vier-fase-benadering, waarvan elk 'n betekenisvolle rigtingverandering aangedui het, sowel as die invloed van die breër politieke konteks. Die proses van beleidsontwikkeling, en meer spesifiek die rol van (hoër onderwys) navorsing daarbinne, word aangetoon as synde hoofsaaklik gemotifeer deur politieke en ideologiese imperatiewe. Hierna verskuif die fokus van die studie na 'n bespreking van die CSHE deur te begin met 'n oorsig oor die geskiedenis van die sentrum. Die hoof doelwitte van die sentrum se navorsingsprogram asook die veranderinge wat onlangs plaasgevind ten opsigte van navorsingsoriëntasie, word bespreek. Hierdie aspekte word ondersoek aan die hand van eksterne faktore - byvoorbeeld die verskuiwing wat plaasgevind het vanaf die klem op ontwikkelingsraamwerke na 'n fokus op implimentering - en in terme van die dinamika wat eie is en was aan die Universiteit van Wes Kaapland. Die gesprek poog verder om lig te werp op die tipiese uitdagings waarmee Education Policy Units en navorsers in hierdie veld mee te doen gehad het in die beginjare van die beleidsontwikkelingsproses, naamlik om vanuit 'n rekonstruktiewe agenda te opereer en terselftertyd betrokke te wees met navorsing op 'n akademiese en wetenskaplike vlak. In die geval van die CSHE, het die verdere uitdaging om deurlopend bydraes tot die veld van hoër onderwysstudies te lewer, hoë eise aan die eenheid gestel. 'n Sleutelaspek wat na vore gekom het tydens die analise van die onderhoude (laasgenoemde vorm die sentrale bron van vir die data-versameling van die studie) is dat uiteenlopende interpretasies bestaan van hoe die navorsing soos deur die CSHE onderneem, benut behoort te word. Die drie perspektiewe op benutting ("use") wat uitgelig word, en wat In sentrale deel van die doelwitte van die CSHE uitmaak soos in die grondwet van die sentrum vervat, is die volgende: • Benutting as die skep van idees, en in die besonder as 'n bydrae tot debatte oor sosiale rekonstruksie • Benutting as inset tot die proses van beleidmaking • Benutting as bydrae tot navorsing Die studie toon aan dat die maniere waarop die CSHE in staat was om hierdie kompeterende, en soms teensprekende, uitdagings te hanteer, op uiteenlopende wyses geëvalueer was. In hoofsaak is die pogings van die sentrum aan bande gelê deur 'n sameloop van verskillende faktore wat gestrek het vanaf die probleem om ervare navorsers te lok en aan te stel tot met die probleem om sy navorsing aan te pas en te heroriënteer gegrond op kritiese stemme, dikwels die gevolg van die progressiewe akademiese gemeenskap van die tyd.
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Gwizdka, Jacek, and Ian Spence. "What Can Searching Behavior Tell Us About the Difficulty of Information Tasks? A Study of Web Navigation." American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106061.
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Task has been recognized as an influential factor in information seeking behavior. An increasing
number of studies are concentrating on the specific characteristics of the task as independent variables
to explain associated information-seeking activities. This paper examines the relationships between
operational measures of information search behavior, subjectively perceived post-task difficulty and
objective task complexity in the context of factual information-seeking tasks on the web. A questiondriven,
web-based information-finding study was conducted in a controlled experimental setting. The
study participants performed nine search tasks of varying complexity. Subjective task difficulty was
found to be correlated with many measures that characterize the searcherâ s activities. Four of those
measures, the number of the unique web pages visited, the time spent on each page, the degree of
deviation from the optimal path and the degree of the navigation pathâ s linearity, were found to be good
predictors of subjective task difficulty. Objective task complexity was found to affect the relative
importance of those predictors and to affect subjective assessment of task difficulty.
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Gwizdka, Jacek, and Irene Lopatovska. "The Role of Subjective Factors in the Information Search Process." Wiley, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105909.
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This is an early access article.We investigated the role of subjective factors in the information search process. Forty eight participants each conducted six web searches in a controlled setting. We examined relationships between subjective factors (happiness levels, satisfaction with and confidence in the search results, feeling lost during search, familiarity with and interest in the search topic, estimation of task difficulty), and objective factors (search behavior, search outcomes and search task characteristics). Data analysis was conducted using a multivariate statistical test (Canonical Correlations Analysis). The findings confirmed existence of several relationships suggested by prior research, including relationships between objective search task difficulty and the perception of task difficulty; between subjective states and search behaviors and outcomes. One of the original findings suggests that higher happiness levels before the search and during the search correlate with better feelings after the search, but also correlates with worse search outcomes and lower satisfaction, suggesting that, perhaps, it pays off to feel some â painâ during the search in order to â gainâ quality outcomes.
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Vice, President Research Office of the. "A Fine Balance." Office of the Vice President Research, The University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9513.
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Socrates, Vimig. "Neuro-Integrative Connectivity: A Scientific Workflow-Based Neuroinformatics Platform For Brain Network Connectivity Studies Using EEG Data." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1561655750151063.
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Sousa, Joana Cristina Mendes Cruz de. "Training report in clinical trials coordination at Blueclinical, LTD." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/17158.
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Mestrado em Biomedicina FarmacêuticaThis report describes the activities performed as clinical research coordinator, during the internship of the Master in Pharmaceutical Medicine, at the University of Aveiro. The curricular internship took place at Blueclinical – particularly at Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, from 15th September 2015 to 15th April 2016. The report is divided into seven chapters. The training objectives are presented in the two chapter, and in the next chapter the host institutions are characterized. Then, in the four chapter it is presented the state-of-the-art of the pharmaceutical research and development process, including the current situation of the clinical trials in Portugal. The activities carried out under the scope of the clinical trials coordination are described in five four. In the last chapters, it is performed a critical analysis and the assessment of the internship, and are also mentioned the strategies adopted in order to solve the problems and difficulties that arose. In conclusion, I consider that the internship fulfilled its purpose, providing the acquisition of skills as clinical research coordinator.
Este relatório descreve as atividades desenvolvidas como coordenadora de ensaios clínicos no âmbito do estágio curricular do Mestrado em Biomedicina Farmacêutica, lecionado na Universidade de Aveiro. O estágio curricular decorreu no Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, no período compreendido entre 15 de setembro de 2015 e 15 de abril de 2016. O relatório encontra-se estruturado em sete capítulos, sendo que no segundo capítulo são mencionados os objetivos do estágio, procedendo-se no capítulo seguinte à caracterização das instituições acolhedoras. Posteriormente, no capítulo quatro é apresentado o estado de arte do processo de investigação e desenvolvimento farmacêutico, incluindo a caraterização da situação atual dos ensaios clínicos em Portugal. As atividades realizadas no âmbito da coordenação de ensaios clínicos estão descritas no capítulo cinco. Nos últimos capítulos, analisa-se e procede-se à avaliação do estágio, sendo também mencionadas as estratégias adotadas para solucionar os problemas e dificuldades que foram surgindo. Em suma, considero que o estágio curricular cumpriu a sua finalidade, ao possibilitar a aquisição de competências como coordenadora de investigação clínica.
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Sandén, Bodil. "The Customer's Role in New Service Development." Doctoral thesis, Karlstad University, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Communication and IT, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-785.
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Given today’s industry dynamics, new service development is becoming increasingly important to the competitiveness, growth, and survival of organizations. Unfortunately, new service development has proven to be a complex and difficult task. Numerous reasons are stated in the literature such as the difficulty of understanding and anticipating latent customer needs and insufficient market research techniques. To facilitate proactive learning about the customer, recent findings stress customer involvement in the development process and observations of customers in real action.
The overall objective of the dissertation is to contribute to an increased knowledge of customer involvement, i.e., the role of customers as contributors and co-creators in new service development. The thesis draws on theory from market and learning orientation in conjunction with a service-centered model, and provides an extensive review of literature on customer involvement in innovation. In five separate studies, this doctor’s thesis addresses the customer’s role in innovation activities in various industries (e.g., Staffing Services, Airline Services, and Mobile Telecommunication services).
In this thesis it is argued that interaction is not only the focal point of services, but also the essence of customer involvement. A special emphasis is put on supporting techniques as these are the means by which customer information and knowledge are created. In addition, results are provided showing that customer involvement in innovation pays off. Companies that engage in collaborative innovation with customers can expect improved customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profit margin.
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Magnusson, Peter R. "Customer-oriented product development : experiments involving users in service innovation." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Economic Research Institute, Stockholm School of Economics [Ekonomiska forskningsinstitutet vid Handelshögsk.] (EFI), 2003. http://www.hhs.se/efi/summary/618.htm.
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Abrahams, Mark Anthony. "Theory-based evaluation of community development : a South African case study." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/15936.
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Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is a case study of the motivation for and application of a theory-driven evaluation approach to a community development programme in South Africa. The motivation for a theory-based approach is explicated within the context of the inability of experimental or ‘black box’ designs to evaluation to provide the requisite information to programme implementers, programme managers as well as policy makers. It also argues that experimental design in evaluation has not lived up to its promise of producing systematic and robust evidence about the impact of projects or programmes. Instead, experimental designs have struggled to maintain the integrity of the designs and are fraught with deficiencies that influence the quality of the results. The research context of a South Africa in the midst of political, economic and social transformation from 1994 to the present, is presented to highlight the complex challenges facing the country in terms of economic upliftment, poverty alleviation and social transformation. The need to evaluate the various interventions and initiatives through policy changes and development programme is then established. One such intervention, a community development programme initiated by the Centre for Community Development (CCD), is introduced as an example of an intervention with the objectives to deal with the challenges listed above. The history and development of programme evaluation as an interdisciplinary, applied field of research are presented to illuminate the multiple purposes assigned to programme evaluation and to create the platform for further arguments for the use of a theory-based approach to evaluation. The history, growth and potential benefits of a theory-driven approach are shared as well as the barriers and critiques from various quarters. A meta-theoretical analysis of the philosophical debates about the paradigmatic choices available to researchers is used to construct the ontological,epistemological and methodological landscape that influences various orientations to research. It shows how different researchers interpret this landscape or framework and locates the theory-based approach to evaluation within a particular brand of realist ontology. Community development is showcased in terms of its central concepts, that is ‘community’ and ‘development’. These concepts, individually and their interconnections, are interrogated and explained for the purposes of generating a conceptual and theoretical framework that is used later in the analysis of the evaluation findings. The research context of the community development programme is then introduced and the evaluation findings are outlined and discussed. The analysis of the evaluation findings reveals the essence of the community development programme and provides guidance for further refinement of the theory-based approach.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gevallestudie ondersoek die motivering vir die gebruik en implementering van `n teoriegedrewe benadering vir die evaluering van `n gemeenskapontwikkelings program in Suid Afrika. Die motivering vir `n teoriegedrewe benadering word bespreek in die konteks van die onvermoë van eksperimentele of ‘black-box’ benadering tot evaluering om genoegsame informasie aan program implementeerders, program-bestuurders en beleidmakers te verskaf. Daar word ook geargumenteer dat die eskperimentele benadering tot evaluering, ondanks die belofte om sistematiese en gegronde bewyse van die uitwerking van projekte of programme daar te stel, nie aan hierdie belofte voldoen nie. Die eksperimetele benadering worstel ook om die integriteit van die ontwerpe te behou en dit beïnvloed die kwaliteit van die resultate. Die politieke, ekonomiese en sosiale transformasie in Suid Afrika, vanaf 1994 tot die hede, word beskryf as die navorsing-konteks om sodoende die uitdagings van ekonomiese opheffing, armoede verligting en sosiale transformasie uit te lig. Die dringende behoefte om verskeie initiatiewe en intervensies, wat in die lewe geroep is deur beleids-veranderinge en ontwikkelings-programme, te evalueer word vervolgens bespreek. `n Voorbeeld van so `n initiatief is die van die Sentrum vir Gemeenskaps- Ontwikkeling (CCD) wat ten doel het om van die sosiale uitdagings, hierbo genoem, vas te vat. Verdere argumente vir die gebruik van die teoriegedrewe benadering tot program evaluering word aangevoer deur middel van `n uitbreiding van die geskiedenis en ontwikkeling van program-evaluering . Program-evaluering word uitgebeeld as `n interdissiplinêre toegepaste veld van navorsing en word aangewend vir verskeie doeleindes. Die geskiedenis, groei en potensiële voordele van die teoriegedrewe benadering tot evaluering word bespreek asook die probleme van, en kritiek teenoor die benadering. Die ontologiese, epistemologiese en metodologiese raamwerk wat die sosiale wetenskappe omskryf en beïnvloed, word bespreek deur `n meta-teoretiese analiese van die filosofiese debatte oor die paradigmatiese keuses wat navorsers maak en beïnvloed. Dit wys ook hoe navorsers hierdie raamwerk interpreter en die teorie-aangedrewe benadering tot evaluering word vas gele binne `n bepaalde soort realistiese ontologie. Gemeenskaps-ontwikkeling word ook ontleed in terme van die sentrale konsepte naamlik ‘gemeenskap’ en ‘ontwikkeling’. Hierdie konsepte word ontleed en verduidelik met die doel om `n teoretiese raamwerk te ontwikkel wat later gebruik word in die analise van die evaluasie resultate.Die navorsings-konteks van die gemeenskaps ontwikkeling program word ook uitgebeeld en die resultate van die evaluasie aangebied en bespreek. Die ontleding van die resultate van die evaluasie ontbloot die kern van die gemeenskaps ontwikkeling program en bied riglyne vir die verdere verskerping van die teoriegedrewe benadering tot evaluasie.
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Richardson, John M. "The Blue Glow From the Back Row: The Impact of New Technologies on the Adolescent Experience of Live Theatre." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/19609.
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This article considers the impact of new technologies on the adolescent experience of live, literary theatre. Drawing together the work of theorists in literacies, new technologies and audience studies, together with brain research, and the results of a focus group of four secondary students who have seen four plays at Canada’s National Arts Centre, it examines the consequences of young people’s immersion in digital culture and the new mindset that often results. The expectation of instant access to data, inter-connectivity, stimulation and control can make it difficult for adolescents to decode the metaphorical aspects of a theatrical performance. The article concludes that language arts and dramatic arts educators have a key role in teaching students how to decode—and therefore enjoy and appreciate— a play.
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Wenn, Janice. "Kaupapa hauora Māori : ngā whakaaro whakahirahira o ngā kaumātua : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Māori Studies at Te Pumanawa Hauora Research Centre for Māori Health and Development, Massey University, Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand." Massey University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/995.
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There is a requirement for all services within the New Zealand health system to be accredited with an established quality organisation and to demonstrate an ability to provide a measurable quality service to consumers. For Māori these requirements must make sense in Māori terms. This thesis is based on the view that, for Māori, the concept of health is more effectively expressed as hauora - optimal health and wellbeing for Māori. This thesis makes five contributions to Māori health and Māori health research. First, it identifies a responsive approach to engaging kaumātua effectively in the process of qualitative research. Second, it identifies a fundamental underlying conceptual framework – kaupapa hauora Māori as a means of understanding hauora – expressed in terms derived from kaumātua in Taranaki and Kahungunu. Third, it adapts this conceptual framework into an analytical research framework and then applies it to allow kaupapa hauora Māori (described in terms of worldview, values and ethics) to be identified from a range of data. Fourth, it critically analyses popular models of Māori health – Te Whare Tapa Whā, Te Wheke and Ngā Pou Mana. Finally, it proposes and details post-doctoral research that will translate kaupapa hauora Māori into a quality services framework/tool. “Kaupapa Hauora Māori” is a conceptual framework articulated by kaumātua, and has its origins in te ao Māori, from which the aronga or worldview is developed. The aronga is composed of the kaupapa or values and tikanga or ethics that provide kaumātua with the values base of hauora. These components have been identified by kaumātua and not only inform the concept of KHM but also inform the analytical research framework that is applied to the data. The values have been identified as a core set of values comprising whakapapa, wairua, whenua, whānau, tikanga te reo Māori, tinana, and hinengaro, and the associated tikanga is expressed as behaviour or ethics. These, together, influence the perception and understanding individuals have of their world and of hauora.
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Charbonneau, Emiko. "Bridging the Gap Between Fun and Fitness: Instructional Techniques and Real-World Applications for Full-Body Dance Games." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5780.
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Full-body controlled games offer the opportunity for not only entertainment, but education and exercise as well. Refined gameplay mechanics and content can boost intrinsic motivation and keep people playing over a long period of time, which is desirable for individuals who struggle with maintaining a regular exercise program. Within this gameplay genre, dance rhythm games have proven to be popular with game console owners. Yet, while other types of games utilize story mechanics that keep players engaged for dozens of hours, motion-controlled dance games are just beginning to incorporate these elements. In addition, this control scheme is still young, only becoming commercially available in the last few years. Instructional displays and clear real-time feedback remain difficult challenges. This thesis investigates the potential for full-body dance games to be used as tools for entertainment, education, and fitness. We built several game prototypes to investigate visual, aural, and tactile methods for instruction and feedback. We also evaluated the fitness potential of the game Dance Central 2 both by itself and with extra game content which unlocked based on performance. Significant contributions include a framework for running a longitudinal video game study, results indicating high engagement with some fitness potential, and informed discussion of how dance games could make exertion a more enjoyable experience.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Science
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O'Brien, Annamarie L. "Mind over Matter: Expressions of Mind/Body Dualism in Thinspiration." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1369057408.
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King, Mark Johann. "Case studies of the transfer of road safety knowledge and expertise from western countries to Thailand and Vietnam, using an ecological road safety space model : elephants in traffic and rice cooker helmets." Queensland University of Technology, 2005. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16191/.
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International organisations such as the World Health Organisation highlight the road crash problem in less motorised (or developing, or low income) countries like those in Southeast Asia and recommend the adoption of Western road safety measures. However, there are many differences between highly motorised and less motorised countries which raise questions about how successfully Western road safety knowledge and expertise can be transferred.-----
A review of the statistical information on road crashes shows a great deal of uncertainty about both the scale and likely trajectory of road fatalities globally, in less motorised countries and in Asia. It is generally agreed, however, that Asia accounts for around half of all road fatalities, and analysis of the limited available data shows both that Southeast Asia is not an atypical region of Asia in road safety terms, and that Thailand and Vietnam are not atypical of Southeast Asian countries.-----
A literature review of recommended practice approaches to road safety transfer in Asia shows that there are many economic, institutional, social and cultural factors which potentially influence the success of transfer. The review also shows that there is no coherent, comprehensive approach which either conceptualises these factors and their relationship to transfer outcomes, or uses an analysis of these factors to plan or modify transfer. To address this gap, this thesis develops a 'road safety space' model as a tool for conceptualisation and analysis, based on a biological metaphor which views the transfer of road safety measures from one context to another as analogous to the transfer of a species into a new ecological space. The road safety space model explicitly considers economic, institutional, social and cultural factors (from specific to broad) which influence the particular road safety issue which a particular road safety transfer effort seeks to address. A central contention of this thesis is that the road safety space model is both a feasible and useful tool to improve the process of road safety transfer to less motorised countries. Road safety space analysis is seen to have a role in a broader process of selection of road safety measures for transfer, along with knowledge of how the measures are considered to operate.-----
The research reported in this thesis is comprised of three studies. Study 1 reviewed evaluations of road safety transfer to Thailand and Vietnam. Studies 2 and 3 were case studies of road safety transfer to Thailand and Vietnam respectively.-----
Study 1 was an analysis of existing evaluations of road safety transfer to Thailand and Vietnam. The aims were to analyse the evaluations for their consideration of contextual factors, as described in the road safety space model, and to discuss whether the road safety space model assisted in understanding the reasons for success or failure of transfer. However, very few such evaluations exist, and those that were found generally lacked information on whether contextual factors were considered. This indicated the need for a more detailed, in-depth qualitative investigation of particular cases of road safety transfer, in order to investigate the feasibility and utility of the road safety space model.-----
Two case studies (Study 2 and Study 3) were conducted to test whether the road safety space approach was both feasible and useful as a means of improving road safety transfer efforts. Study 2 was a case study of the development and implementation in Thailand of a road safety education program for school children, which involved the transfer of Western research and techniques. The transfer agents (i.e. those who effected the road safety transfer) were Australian consultants working for the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB). The transfer was funded by the World Bank and managed by the Thai Ministry of Education (MOE). Study 3 was a case study of the development and implementation of a motorcycle helmet wearing program in Vietnam, which involved the transfer of Western knowledge, techniques and technology. The transfer agents were staff of Asia Injury (AI), a non-government organisation (NGO), and the program was funded initially by a charitable fund, with the intention of becoming self-funding through operation of a helmet factory.-----
The case studies employed background research into existing information on economic, institutional, social and cultural factors relevant to the road safety issues (road use behaviour of school children in Thailand and motorcycle helmet purchase and wearing in Vietnam), and collected data through interviews with key informants, analysis of secondary sources and observations. This information was used to derive the road safety space for each road safety issue, to identify the road safety space recognised and addressed by the transfer agents (ARRB and AI), and to determine which factors they missed, or were aware of but took no action on. The focus of this analysis was on the processes used in transfer, not on the road safety outcomes of transfer, although these provided information on the processes as well. Available evaluation information was used to draw links between the omissions and the success of the transfer processes. It was noted that information on how the transferred measures operate should come from a road safety space analysis in the originating country, although this raised questions about selection of country and time (when the measure was first introduced, or in its maturity).-----
The feasibility and utility of the road safety space model were discussed. It was clear that the model provided information on the cases which was missed by the transfer agents. The questions examined next were whether this information could have been obtained from an exercise conducted before the transfer had commenced, whether the required effort and cost justified the potential benefits, and whether the information on the road safety space could have been useful for the transfer agents. Comparisons between the road safety spaces for the two cases showed some areas of commonality, e.g. perceptions of police corruption, but also many differences. It was considered likely that some broad factors could be generic, and the possibility was mooted that less motorised countries share issues with police enforcement. This requires further research, however, and at this stage it is better to treat each road safety space as a unique combination of contextual factors influencing the road safety issue of interest.-----
It is concluded that the road safety space model is feasible if used in such a way as to minimise the research involved, and useful, although the degree of utility needs to be further explored in a prospective study. The limitation introduced by restricting informants to those who could speak English are discussed. An approach using road safety space analysis is recommended, emphasising analysis of the country to which the road safety measure is being transferred, supplemented by analysis of the originating country road safety space. Gaps in knowledge are identified for further research and development, in particular the theoretical and practical understanding of road use behaviours and their modification in less motorised countries in Southeast Asia. Elaboration of the model is also recommended, to take into account the influence of the type of measure transferred, the role of the transfer agent, the area of road safety (education, engineering or enforcement), and the time dimension (the time which might be needed for a transfer to show its effects).-----
The findings of this research are likely to be applicable to road safety transfer in other less motorised regions of the world, however prospective testing is needed. They may also be relevant to issues of transfer for areas other than road safety, in particular public health and traffic engineering, where similar economic, institutional, social and cultural issues come together.
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Iezzi, Valeria. "Connectedness : Designing interactive systems that foster togetherness as a form of resilience for people in social distancing during Covid-19 pandemic. Exploring novel user experiences in the intersection between light perception, tangible interactions and social interaction design (SxD)." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Malmö högskola, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-37697.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis project explores how interactive technologies can facilitate a sense of social connectedness with others whilst remotely located. While studying the way humans use rituals for emotional management, I focused my interest on the act of commensality because it is one of the oldest and most important rituals used to foster togetherness among families and groups of friends. Dining with people who do not belong to the same household is of course hard during a global pandemic, just like many of the other forms of social interactions that were forcibly replaced by the use of technological means such as video-chat apps, instant messaging and perhaps an excessive use of social networking websites. These ways of staying connected, however, lack the subtleties of real physical interaction, which I tried to replicate with my prototype system, which consists of two sets of a lamp and a coaster which enable to communicate through light and tactile cues. The use of such devices creates a new kind of ritual based on the simultaneous use of the devices by two people, thus enabling a new and original form of commensality that happens through a shared synchronized experience.
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Zafar, Ali, and Oscar Svensson. "Synergizing Systems : Using SSM in prototypical system development." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-98713.
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This thesis is concerned with a research project conducted with a Swedish company to provide recommendations for developing a prototypical information system for the company. The system’s goal was to consolidate data regarding the company’s supply chain and packaging conditions in order to find improvements in packaging development. The thesis employed the use of Soft Systems Methodology to aid with the system development process. A qualitative explorative study was designed for this purpose. Soft Systems Methodology was used after exploring alternative methodologies. This was chosen as the researchers found it important to engage the case company in the system development process. Four semi-structured interviews and two workshops with the relevant officials were the main methods of collecting data. Models such as a rich picture, CATWOE and PQR formula were utilized during the research to visualize important aspects of the system development process. As a result of the research, the researchers were able to provide the company with recommendations for how to further proceed with the development process. Another result of the study was that Soft Systems Methodology was able to unlock tacit information. The methodology also allowed for a consideration of the implementation of an iterative process to support the development. The results of this research suggest that introducing and making use of Soft Systems Methodology is very stimulating in an environment not already using it. The research provided insights needed for progress towards a successful implementation of a new information system, and contributes a real-world SSM case in a corporate environment. The researchers also suggest future opportunities for research that could further build on the work presented in the thesis.
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Van, Heerden Alastair. "Pervasive computing and public health research in Africa: mobile phones in the collection, analysis and dissemination of health research." Thesis, 2014.
Find full textAbstract:
With aging populations and rising health care costs, many high-income countries are exploring mobile computing technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health care provision. These technologies, which underpin the field of pervasive computing, introduce a new model of human–computer interaction. Instead of the scenario where a single user interacts with a desk-bound “personal” computer, pervasive computing envisions a world embedded with small, inexpensive, portable networked devices able to communicate seamlessly with each other. In common with resource-rich countries, the field of pervasive computing has the potential to promote and support healthy population development in middle and low-income countries, and this, therefore, has relevance for South Africa. Current estimates suggest that there are between 28 and 32 million mobile phones in South Africa. This means that around 60% of all South Africans own, or have access to, mobile telecommunication. Over 900 000 km2 of the country is covered by the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) network of Vodacom, the largest telecommunications company in the country. Over 90% of South Africa is provided with access to mobile connectivity through shared agreements between the country’s major telecommunications networks.
Aims
The ubiquity of mobile phones has resulted in their receiving increasing attention from public health researchers. Yet a better understanding of how mobile phones could support health research in South Africa is still an emerging field with many unanswered
questions. This thesis attempts to fill some of these gaps in our current knowledge. In particular, the primary aim of this work is to implement and evaluate the use of mobile phones as instruments with which to collect and analyse information for monitoring, evaluation and research in low-resource rural African settings.
Methods
To investigate this aim, data were gathered from the development, implementation and evaluation of four health surveys in South Africa. Two surveys were conducted with Birth to Twenty, a birth cohort of South African young adults living in Greater Johannesburg. These data were used to better understand the feasibility and data-quality implications of using mobile phones as a tool for the administration of ‘self-administered’ surveys. Two additional surveys, completed in KwaZulu-Natal province, evaluated the same themes of feasibility, acceptability and impact of data quality in mobile-phone-assisted personal (face-to-face) interviews (MPAPI). The first, conducted with 500 HIV-positive pregnant women in eight primary health clinics and 12 interviewers trained to use the mobile-phone survey software, was used to assess the feasibility and acceptability of MPAPI. The final survey compared the difference in data quality achieved by 100 interviewers using either pen and paper, or mobile phones to conduct a short health survey. De Leeuw's conceptual model was used to frame how mode characteristics influence data quality.
Results
Mobile-phone-assisted interviewing was found to have an impact on the data quality, feasibility and acceptability of health surveys. MPAPI was found to be similar in terms of accuracy and cost to small-scale paper-and-pen interviewing (PAPI) surveys. Time lines
and accessibility were improved by the use of MPAPI. Mobile-phone-assisted self-interviewing (MPASI) surveys were found to have a lower survey response but a higher item-completion rate. Acceptability was found to be moderated by technological familiarity and the use patterns of mobile-phone features. Finally, conducting health research using mobile-phone interviews in South Africa was found to be feasible; to reduce the loss of questionnaires, and photocopying and data-entry costs; and to improve the speed at which data becomes available for analysis. Factors that mediated feasibility included the technical expertise of the project management and field staff, the technological know-how of participants, the comprehensiveness of the interviewer training, the mobile communication channel used (e.g., handset-agnostic SMS) and the presence or absence of an interviewer.
Conclusion
Under the right conditions, mobile-phone-assisted interviewing appears to be a feasible and practical tool for the rapid collection of health information, with data accuracy being the same or better than pen-and-paper interviews. It is argued that these benefits increase as the scale of the survey increases. Improved data can positively influence population health by providing decision makers with more rapid access to accurate data with which to monitor large-scale health systems. Small projects that do not require the rapid availability of data or where staff do not have the appropriate technical proficiencies would be better suited at present to more traditional survey data-collection techniques.
Keywords: mobile phones; pervasive computing; mHealth; data collection; survey error
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Shieff, Sarah. "Magpies: negotiations of centre and periphery in settings of New Zealand poems by New Zealand composers, 1896 to 1993." 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/2413.
Full textAbstract:
The thesis will show that a distinctive New Zealand voice in the arts may be found not in an "essence", as has sometimes been suggested, but at chronologically specific intersections of discourses. Each of the six works I examine has been made in New Zealand and is a mixture of music and language. As generic hybrids, combinations of music and language make appropriate objects of study for a thesis that explores a specific local dialogue between the 'mixture' and the 'essence', the 'hybrid' and the 'authentic', the 'indigenous' and the 'exotic', the 'local' and the 'imported', the 'centre' and the 'periphery.' Like acquisitive magpies, New Zealand artists constantly collect and select their material. They sift, save, reject and synthesise, and in so doing they create new combinations out of old ingredients. One of the characteristics of New Zealand poetry is that it has often been combined with music. There have been many collaborations between poets and musicians since colonial times. These collaborative texts occupy a complex space between art forms, just as New Zealand artists negotiate between orientations, positioning themselves between different cultural traditions. In its own process of selection, the thesis selects six works for close analysis which represent not only different periods but also different forms of synthesis. Each work represents 'New Zealand', yet what this means in practice is different in each case.
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Lansfield, Jessica Loraine. "Exploring Therapeutic Relationships In Recreation Therapy at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/5214.
Full textAbstract:
Therapeutic relationships were explored using participatory action research in recreation therapy at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC). The 22 recreation therapists at SHSC comprised the research team and were actively involved throughout the research process; they determined the research questions, the research process, and engaged in data collection and data analysis. This study explored how recreation therapists understood their therapeutic relationships, how different waves of influences were negotiated and philosophies of care that emerged in their therapeutic relationships. At first glance, therapeutic relationships were understood as meaningful connections and shared experiences that developed over time between a recreation therapist and individual receiving care. Later on, therapeutic relationships emerged as a complex process with welcoming, continuing and closing phases. Positive therapeutic relationships were defined by qualities such as caring, trust, respect, and non-judgment for everyone involved. Therapeutic relationships were also influenced by the organizational context, unit specific cultures, family, and staff members and recreation therapists continually negotiated the expectations, power and boundaries of these influences within their therapeutic relationships. The recreation therapists also discussed the different roles, they and the individuals receiving care could engage in during their therapeutic relationships ranging from the traditional, contemporary or controversial. Findings revealed that recreation therapists’ practices were predominantly influenced by person-centered care philosophies, although the biomedical model and relationship-centred care philosophies were also apparent. The practice of being in the moment emerged as a means of enhancing therapeutic relationships, whereas self-reflective practice assisted the recreation therapists to negotiate different waves of influence on their therapeutic relationships.
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Phatudi, Tebogo L. J. "The role of an information centre at a distance in-service training institution for teachers." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12318.
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Kierstead, Megan E. "Using Visual Media to Empower Citizen Scientists: A Case Study of the Outsmart App." 2019. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/839.
Full textAbstract:
To be successful citizen science projects need to do two key things: (1) they need to meaningfully engage the public and they must also provide people with the tools, expertise, and/or training needed to participate in rigorous research that can be used by the scientific community. In some ways, these requirements are potentially at odds. Emphasis on rigor and expertise risks excluding members of the public who do not feel qualified to participate in esoteric or technically difficult scientific research. Conversely, projects that eschew rigorous methods in favor of wider participation might lead to bad data that cannot be used to draw any meaningful conclusions to expand scientific understanding. How then do those who are aiming to design successful citizen science programs create tools and processes that facilitate both active engagement and meaningful scientific results for perceived non-expert researchers?
This paper uses a case study of the Outsmart Invasive Species Project (Outsmart) to explore how visual media shape the experiences of citizen scientists participating in a data collection project. Outsmart uses visual media such as photographs and videos to train users in identifying invasive species, and asks them to submit their own location-tagged pictures to a central database for review by a trained research team. Using ethnographic field observation, we focused on how visual media serve to improve engagement in non-expert Outsmart users by building confidence and expertise. Our work can provide guidance to other citizen science projects in how to best use visual media to empower citizens and improve scientific outcomes.
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Wang, Peiling. "Information Behaviors of Academic Researchers in the Internet Era: An Interdisciplinary & Cross-cultural Study." 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105492.
Full textAbstract:
This paper reports on part of a study of academic researchers' use of Internet information and communication technologies (IICTs) to support information-seeking activities. The goal of this research is to gain insight into disciplinary and cultural differences of information seeking in the Internet Era. The project is ongoing to include more participants from different cultures.
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Oldridge, Lisa Anne. "Digital foundations : a study of perceptions and practices surrounding the use of ICT in ECE centres : this thesis is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Education, Massey University." 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1705.
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The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in early childhood education (ECE) is controversial. Currently, ICT in ECE is experiencing a second wave of popularity. While many of the recurring debates exist around the use of technology in the education sector it would appear that ICT is here to stay. A distinguishing feature of the literature across both waves is a growing appreciation of the importance of pedagogy and the key role of the teacher. This thesis builds on this broad concept of pedagogy by investigating the growth of ICT in ECE. The aim of the study was to discover new insight and understanding of how parents‟, teachers‟ and children‟s perceptions of the use of ICT in ECE influence the surrounding practice. A mixed-method approach was undertaken with a sample group in three distinct phases in one geographical location in the greater Wellington region. The study adopted an interpretive framework to inform the research methodology and help explain the findings. The findings across the three phases show the multifaceted nature of ICT and the many layers that are required to ensure that it can be offered in an authentic and meaningful way in ECE. When this approach is not evident it constrains the integrated use of ICT and affects the quality of the programme offered. Factors that influence the level of quality include: (a) the role of teacher‟s beliefs and self-efficacy; (b) fluid conceptions of pedagogy; (c) the competing and co-existing drivers associated with the use of ICT in ECE; (d) the changing face of literacy; (e) barriers affecting the full integration; and (f) the implications of policy on practice. The thesis draws on the framework of an enabled and enacted ICT curriculum developed in the literature review, as a tool to indicate and understand the current state of the level of ICT integration in ECE centres. Overall the findings show that participating teachers have begun their ICT journey and are working towards the goal of offering an authentic and meaningful educational experience. Yet, the research shows that the many layers of support necessary to ensure teachers continue to move forward on this journey are not well understood. A failure to address these gaps may sadly lead to a “third wave” of ICT in which history repeats itself.
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Bowler, Susan Mary. "Managing the shopping centre as a consumption site : creating appealing environments for visitors : some Australian and New Zealand examples : a thesis in presented [sic] in partial fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography at Massey University." 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1383.
Full textAbstract:
The position occupied by retailing within the production - consumption debate is the subject of dispute. As neither sphere can be fully analysed in isolation such argument may be somewhat irrelevant. The need to conceptualise the two spheres together, therefore, has informed this research on the created environments of shopping centres. Planned and managed shopping centres are a ubiquitous part of the built environment in 'advanced capitalist' nations. There has been a tendency, however, for researchers to focus upon exceptional centres rather than everyday examples of this particular consumption site. They have concentrated upon how shopping centre environments appear to be created and the appeal researchers assume they may have for an observer. My research for this thesis, however, has been concerned with how managers create shopping centre environments and how they are designed so as to appeal to their centres' perceived markets. This was done by conducting semi - structured interviews with a number of centre managers in Australia and New Zealand . The unified ownership and management structure of shopping centres makes it easier for their created environ ments to be controlled. Shopping centre researchers and those who have attempted to read the built environment as if it were a text have tended to assume that the architectural styles used will reflect dominant ideologies and that they are powerless to interpret or alter them in any other than the manner intended by the designers, developers and owners. Many of the managers recognised, however, that shoppers cannot be forced to visit nor can they be made to purchase. Research was therefore commissioned by management as a way of gaining socio - economic information on the individuals in their catchments , their 'needs' and desires. Selecting tenants which would appeal to their markets and arranging them in a manner which reflected the way people liked to shop was thought to be paramount to the success or otherwise of a centre. Some managers, for example, claimed that there was a difference between 'doing' the shopping (which is a chore) and 'going' shopping (which is enjoyable ) and that this needed to be kept in mind when they positioned retailers within their centres. Consumption does not only involve the purchase of commodities for their use and/or sign value but is also concerned with experience. Managers attempted to provide their shoppers with an enjoyable experience when they visited their centres by, for example, the creation of an appealing ambience and by either suggesting or insisting, respectively, that the common areas and leased spaces be regularly refurbished.
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Udumalagala, Gamage Wadduwage Vimani Eranda. "Perceptions of educators regarding the acceptance of multi-user virtual environments as an educational tool : presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies at Massey University." 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1379.
Full textAbstract:
The concept of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) has opened new avenues in the educational spectrum. Despite its popularity as an educational environment tool, the successful implementation of a virtual classroom is heavily reliant on the educator. This research focuses on the perceptions of educators regarding the acceptance of the MUVE as an educational tool. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to identify and evaluate the potential benefits of the MUVE in the domain of education. The qualitative approach was considered to be the suitable approach for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 educators; these interviews included the demonstration of a virtual class located in the Second Life Island known as Jokaydia. The collected data was transcribed using NVivo software, and analysed using constant comparison analysis. The transcribed interviews were provided to another researcher in order to obtain an independent analysis; this created the basis for triangulation of participants’ perceptions. A summary of this analysis was then sent to all participants to confirm its credibility. The conclusions of the study suggest that the combination of MUVEs’ features and strengths will eventually influence the educators to accept the MUVE as an educational tool, although several areas of concern are identified. Future growth in the educational uses of MUVEs is examined, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and ideas for future research are elaborated on. Keywords: MUVE, Second Life, education, TAM, ease of use, subjective norm, enjoyment, facilities, compatibility, security and trust, collaboration, awareness, media richness, discovery learning, situated learning, role playing, controlled environment, immersiveness.