Collaborative Evaluation Using Multiple Clusters in a Declarative Design Environment

The aim of this paper is to present a learning model for programming based laboratory courses where cognitive enhancement is succeeded through active evaluation of programming assignments among peers. The model comprises three successive phases: training of students in peer-evaluation processes, in-class collaborative peer evaluation, and distance peer evaluation. A first experiment on the effectiveness of the model has been carried out in the context of an Artificial Intelligence laboratory course during the spring semester of 2012, with promising results. Students expressed their satisfaction with peer evaluation activities and especially with collaborative evaluation in class, by means of a questionnaire delivered to them at the end of the semester. Future steps will be to apply the model to additional programming courses of the curriculum in order to acquire more data and study in depth the obtained benefits with regard to the students' cognitive, behavioral and social enhancement.

Collaborative, Participatory, and Empowerment Evaluation

Collaborative evaluation is still a less explored subject within the collaboration field. This paper proposes a methodology to collaborative evaluation based on the 3C collaboration model, which can be applied both in learning or working groups. This paper also presents two case studies run on graduate courses of the Computer Science Department of Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro for collaborative evaluation of the students work. The case studies suggest that the methodology is appropriate for this type of assessment. In addition, students participating in the experiment rated the experience as positive, confirming the premise that students value and miss the collaborative evaluation.

Collaborative modeling is one of the approaches used to enhance productivity in many enterprise modeling and system development projects. Determining the success of such a collaborative effort needs an evaluation of a number of factors which affect the quality of not only the end-products – the models, but also that of other modeling artifacts: the modeling language, the modeling procedure and the support tool. Although a number of quality frameworks have been developed, few of these frameworks have received practical validation and many offer little guidance about how the evaluation is operationalized. The Collaborative Modeling Evaluation (COME) framework presented in this paper offers a holistic approach to the evaluation of the four modeling artifacts. It employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a well-established method from Operations Research, to score the artifacts’ quality dimensions and to aggregate the modelers’ priorities and preferences. Results from a modeling experiment demonstrate both the theoretical and practical significance of the framework.

We present a process to evaluate the continuing development of All Payer Claims Databases (APCDs) using a collaborative evaluation process. Project teams enhanced the Utah APCD with improved analytic capacity to provide online pricing and cost-transparency reports to support health care reform in Utah. Our program evaluation efforts added key methods and tools, building on recommendations in the APCD Development Manual to provide evaluation data facilitating improvements [1]. These additions included a Collaborative Evaluation Model, logic models, and development and use of best practices as measures. Stakeholders found that the added use of best practices, logic models, and frequent feedback to practitioners facilitated the project’s success. Since the Collaborative Evaluation Model served a structural purpose, it was transparent to the project teams.

<p class="Abstractandkeywordsstyle">Blended synchronous learning involves using rich-media technologies to enable remote and face-to-face students to jointly participate in the same live classes. This article presents blended synchronous learning designs from seven case studies that were part of a project funded by the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching and articulates principles for implementation as espoused by the teachers who enacted them. A wide range of technologies (including video conferencing, web conferencing and virtual worlds), tasks (namely collaborative evaluation, group questioning, class discussion, problem solving and collaborative design) and levels of student interaction (from lightweight to tightly coupled) were present within the designs. The main issues that teachers confronted when facilitating blended synchronous lessons were those relating to communication and those relating to cognitive overload caused by split attention. Key pedagogical principles for enactment as identified by the lead teachers included the need for extensive preparation, clear instructions, composure, flexibility, advance preparation of students and savvy utilisation of support staff.</p><p class="Abstractandkeywordsstyle"> </p>

This paper presents the research design and preliminary findings from a study on supporting online students in a collaborative design project. The Collaborative Investigation, Design, Evaluation and Revision (CIDER) approach was used to scaffold the learning activities. CIDER is a learn-technology-by-design approach for collaborative resource design and development. This phase of the study was conducted in a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education unit at an Australian university. Participants, working in small groups, collaboratively developed electronic teaching resources, including a digital story and a website. Data sources for this study include student artefacts, evaluation data, survey data and peer-review feedback from two unit cohorts. The results indicate that geographical proximity was not the key factor in the group's success; rather, a shared disciplinary area was a better indicator of the students' ability to develop an online resource. Moreover, the results indicate that formative evaluation via a peer review process offered a practical way of determining the quality or potential quality of a web-based learning resource before it is published.

The development of medical devices with open source and collaborative design methodologies has the potential to increase the access to medical technologies, thanks to a feasible reduction of design, management, maintenance, and repairing costs linked to the open access of device blueprints. UBORA is an e-infrastructure for the co-design of open source medical devices, which promotes the compliance with internationally recognized quality standards and regulations for safety and efficacy of devices, taking the EN ISO 13485:2016 and the EU MDR 2017/745 as inspiration. UBORA guides the user through a systematic design process, from the identification of clinical needs, of risks class and relevant standards for the device, and provides project management tools, including a repository, finalized to the preparation of the pre-production device dossier. The process is supervised by expert mentors, which ensure that safety and efficacy criteria are fulfilled. The UBORA e-infrastructure is in line with the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting and strengthening the initiatives of an international community of designers, healthcare providers and policy-makers, toward the reduction of inequalities in the access to medical devices.

Ergonomic and performance factors for Human-robot collaborative workplace design and evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a tool supporting distributed user interface design and evaluation in asynchronous collaboration. First a set of problems is identified related to collaboration tools. One narrative is provided to illustrate a collaboration situation based on the use of the tool. Finally discussion shows how tool-centredness needs to be supplemented by deeper understanding of collaboration in the future studies.

Innovative design is the most important competitive factor for global engineering and manufacturing. Critical challenges include cutting lead times for new products, increasing stakeholder involvement, facilitating life-cycle knowledge sharing, service provisioning, and support. Current IT solutions for product lifecycle management fail to meet these challenges because they are built to perform routine information processing, rather than support agile, innovative work. Active Knowledge Modeling (AKM) provides an approach, methodologies, and a platform to remedy this situation. This chapter describes the AKM-approach applied by manufacturing industries and consultants to implement pragmatic and powerful design platforms. A collaborative product design methodology describes how teams should work together in innovative design spaces. How to configure the AKM platform to support such teams with model-configured workplaces for the different roles is described in the visual solutions development methodology. The use of this approach is illustrated through a case study and is compared with related work in the enterprise modeling arena to illustrate the novelty of the approach.

An overarching goal of the Instructional Technology Programme at the University of Houston has been to help students in our graduate courses learn technology skills by involving them in web-based ‘Digital Humanities Projects’ with local non-profit organizations. In this article, we discuss the benefits and challenges associated with the collaborative design, development and evaluation of real-world projects with community stakeholders serving as clients. Over the past decade, we have developed and used Webscapes, a theoretical model that serves as the framework for the creation of these projects. We define Webscapes as information landscapes, delivered over the web, which include a rich variety of content; challenging, cognitive explorations; intuitive navigation structures; and user-oriented interfaces. We describe the characteristics of the model and include reflections from students and community partners about accomplishments and challenges they faced. We also provide examples and discussion of Webscape projects, several of which have been completed, two that are ongoing and one that is in the early stage of development.

Over the last 20 years, university–industry–government collaborative innovation has received extensive attention in theory and practice. However, the question of how to integrate and understand collaborative innovation from a theoretical perspective has not been thoroughly studied. This study designed a regional collaborative innovation evaluation model based on the triple helix theory. The invention patent data of 31 provincial regions in China for the last 5 years are used to investigate the regional differences and dynamic evolution of the collaborative innovation and the interaction and coupling relationship between intraregional and interregional industries, universities, and governments empirically. This study found that the number of invention patents in China has rapidly grown yearly, indicating that industries are the most important source of invention patents. The difference in the regional distribution of China's collaborative innovation output is remarkable, showing a pattern of “strong east and weak west” in the total volume and “south fast north slow” in the growth rate. The bilateral synergistic effect of industry–university relations is strong considering two‐dimensional cooperation, and the relationship is close. Collaborative innovation is dominated by intraregional cooperation, whereas interregional cooperation shows a growing trend. The tripartite relationship between university, industry, and government shows a loose trend. Certain provinces with weak regional innovation capabilities, such as Gansu, Hainan, Xinjiang, and Qinghai, have a relatively close cooperation level, which is in the stage of government‐led innovation and development. However, Guangdong, Chongqing, Anhui, Jiangsu, and other provinces with outstanding regional innovation capability do not have close cooperation between universities, industries, and governments, which are in the stage of innovation and development led by industries. This paper discusses the policy implications for different regions based on the research conclusions.

The Usability Engineering Repository UsER for the Development of Task- and Event-based Human-Machine-Interfaces

BackgroundDescriptions of service development processes in the youth mental health sector are lacking. Further, youth with lived experience of mental illness are rarely involved in service design. Intervention Mapping (IM) is a well-established framework for program development, implementation and evaluation, yet its applicability in the youth mental health sector is unknown. This paper describes the use of IM methodology to co-design and develop a psychosocial service to support youth aged 10–25 years experiencing mental illness in Tasmania, Australia. MethodsThe six steps of IM were followed: 1) needs assessment; 2) define program outcomes and objectives; 3) program design; 4) program production; 5) implementation planning; and 6) evaluation planning. ResultsKey outputs of each IM step are described. The service was successfully co-designed with young people at the centre of each step. The service includes wrap-around psychosocial support from lived-experience peer-support workers; outreach; and flexible frequency/intensity/duration to achieve young people’s psychosocial goals. ConclusionsThis is the first study to document the use of IM in co-designing a psychosocial service with youth experiencing mental illness. IM may provide a valuable roadmap for the youth mental health sector in supporting collaborative service design, implementation and evaluation planning, and systematic documentation of service development.