Studying Visual Evidence from Using Physical Space to Think

As COVID-19 strained health systems around the world, many countries developed or adapted digital health tools to detect and respond to the novel coronavirus. We identified transferable lessons from an assessment of implementation factors that led to the rapid launch and scale-up of eight digital tools in low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. These lessons should inform the development of digital health tools to support public health objectives such as the Sustainable Development Goals. Using the mHealth Assessment and Planning for Scale Toolkit, we assessed the implementation of eight digital tools through desk research and stakeholder interviews. Three core lessons emerged from our findings: (1) user-centered design is key to the widespread adoption of digital tools; (2) strong, country-led partnerships are essential for scaling up and sustaining digital tools; and (3) using adaptable digital tools enables implementers to focus on the content of the solution rather than the technology. Lessons learned from implementing and adapting digital tools quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic can inform the use of digital tools for additional health applications, such as bolstering primary health care, reaching vulnerable and marginalized populations, and empowering health workers with the real-time information necessary to optimize their work and improve the health of their target populations. Future efforts should focus on robust monitoring and evaluation of digital tools and sustainable financing models.

Background: Digital tools that support open science practices play a key role in the seamless accumulation, archiving and dissemination of scholarly data, outcomes and conclusions. Despite their integration into open science practices, the providence and design of these digital tools are rarely explicitly scrutinized. This means that influential factors, such as the funding models of the parent organizations, their geographic location, and the dependency on digital infrastructures are rarely considered. Suggestions from literature and anecdotal evidence already draw attention to the impact of these factors, and raise the question of whether the open science ecosystem can realise the aspiration to become a truly “unlimited digital commons” in its current structure. Methods: In an online research approach, we compiled and analysed the geolocation, terms and conditions as well as funding models of 242 digital tools increasingly being used by researchers in various disciplines. Results: Our findings indicate that design decisions and restrictions are biased towards researchers in North American and European scholarly communities. In order to make the future open science ecosystem inclusive and operable for researchers in all world regions including Africa, Latin America, Asia and Oceania, those should be actively included in design decision processes. Conclusions: Digital open science tools carry the promise of enabling collaboration across disciplines, world regions and language groups through responsive design. We therefore encourage long term funding mechanisms and ethnically as well as culturally inclusive approaches serving local prerequisites and conditions to tool design and construction allowing a globally connected digital research infrastructure to evolve in a regionally balanced manner.

Early pregnancy loss (EPL) affects 1 in 4 recognised pregnancies, yet often lacks patient-centred supportive care. This study assesses the feasibility and acceptance of a digital health tool to support those affected by EPL. The objectives are to (1) understand the experiences of those who have miscarried, (2) explore their methods of accessing health information, and (3) determine their preferences regarding digital tool content and design. This mixed-methods study included Canadian persons aged 18-45 years who self-reported to have experienced EPL up to 126 weeks gestation in the preceding 2 years. Recruitment was via social media and hospital posters. Participants completed an online survey and optional follow-up interview between September 2021 and April 2022. Survey responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Interview findings are presented in a separate paper. Local ethics approval was obtained. Of the 185 survey respondents, 28% revealed that they are somewhat or very dissatisfied with the overall health care they received for their miscarriage. Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents are somewhat or very dissatisfied with how their mental/emotional health was addressed. Notably, 82% supported the development of a digital health tool for EPL care. Ninety-one percent of survey respondents use the internet to access health information. Many participants reported dissatisfaction with their care after EPL but showed strong interest in a user-friendly digital tool that provides general information and mental health support. These findings, along with qualitative interview data, will guide the development and testing of the desired digital health tool, aiming to enhance patient experience and support after miscarriage.

Disciplinary differences between academic fields refer to those differences in teaching approaches, course design, and instructional tools but often considered “hard” sciences like physics and engineering, and “soft” sciences such as social sciences and humanities. This study seeks to explore these differences through a quantitative analysis of how course design and teaching tools differ across hard and soft academic disciplines. The research employs a survey-based approach to obtaining data from 240 academics from a few institutions and disciplines. Statistical tests such as t-tests and regression analysis were used to identify and test the difference between the disciplines. The results found that instructors of hard sciences favor the delivery of structured content, emphasize technical skills, standardized assessments, and the use of digital simulation tools. On the other hand, soft sciences integrate collaborative projects, discussion based learning, and experiential methods like case studies for the most part. The findings also showed a significant variation in how technology gets adopted; where hard fields prefer software and digital tools that help with precise measurements and quantitative data analysis, while soft fields tend to prefer platforms that allow for discussion and qualitative analysis.

Trigonometry learning often presents challenges as students struggle to apply mathematical concepts in real-world contexts. Traditional instruction tends to emphasize procedural fluency over conceptual understanding, limiting the development of students’ adaptive thinking skills. Digital tools like PhET simulations offer interactive visualizations that support conceptual learning, but their role in enhancing adaptive thinking remains underexplored. This study investigates the comparative effectiveness of PhET-based worksheets versus traditional paper-based worksheets in fostering adaptive thinking in trigonometry. The study involved 80 first-year students from Universitas Serang Raya’s Mathematics Education and Informatics Engineering programs, enrolled in the 2023–2024 Calculus course. Participants were divided into an experimental group using PhET-based worksheets and a control group using paper-based worksheets. Data were collected through pre-tests, post-tests, and student preference questionnaires, and analyzed using independent t-tests. Results show that the PhET group outperformed the control group, with a 35% improvement in adaptive thinking skills versus 20% in the control group (p < 0.05). Students using PhET-based worksheets demonstrated greater flexibility in applying trigonometric concepts, creative problem-solving, and knowledge transfer to real-life situations. In contrast, the paper-based group showed moderate gains, particularly in structured and procedural problem-solving. Questionnaire responses revealed that students appreciated the interactivity and engagement of PhET-based media, while also valuing the focus and clarity offered by paper-based worksheets. These findings highlight the potential of a blended learning approach that combines digital interactivity with structured offline tasks to enhance adaptive thinking. Future research should explore the long-term effects and broader applications of such strategies in mathematics education.

The relevance of the study is determined by the growth of digitalization in education and the need to modernize mathematics teaching in special schools in accordance with the needs of students with special educational needs. Under contemporary conditions, the concept of Mathematics 4.0 emphasizes adaptive, personalized, and data-driven instructional models; however, their methodological implementation in special mathematics education remains insufficiently systematized. This necessitates a comprehensive scientific analysis of digital technologies as instruments for improving accessibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of mathematical knowledge formation. The aim of the article is to provide scientific substantiation and systematization of approaches to the formation and development of mathematical knowledge of students with special educational needs in grades 5-6 of special education schools through the use of digital technologies within the framework of the Mathematics 4.0 concept. Research methods included analysis and synthesis of scientific literature in mathematics didactics, special pedagogy, and digital education technologies; system-structural and comparative analysis; didactic modeling; and theoretical generalization of practical experience in the application of digital learning tools in special education settings. The study identified the psychological and pedagogical prerequisites for the acquisition of mathematical knowledge by students with special educational needs in a digitalized educational environment. The didactic possibilities of digital technologies for personalizing learning, step-by-step knowledge formation, and formative assessment were established. The feasibility of using adaptive digital tools as an instrument for the controlled development of mathematical skills has been proven. The main scientific and practical problems of implementing digital technologies have been identified, in particular, the formalization of individualization, limited availability of adapted resources, digital inequality, and insufficient methodological readiness of teachers. The conclusions indicate that the implementation of the Mathematics 4.0 concept in a special school is possible provided that digital technologies are integrated into a comprehensive methodological system with the leading role of the teacher and a focus on the individual learning dynamics of students. The use of digital tools contributes to increasing the effectiveness and practical significance of mathematical knowledge. Prospects for further research include empirical evaluation of Mathematics 4.0 models in special education schools, development of criteria for measuring learning dynamics, and creation of standardized adaptive digital resources for mathematics education.

ion From Contexts Because the open problems could be explored in various ways, students could take unexpected approaches. Although this openness is not necessarily problematic, in this study I raise questions about complications that can arise if, as Bernstein (1975) and Holland (1981) argued, lower SES students have a contextualized orientation toward meanings. Many of the CMP problems set in realistic situations, and these contexts often effective motivators, prompting students to delve into the problems. Whereas the higher SES students seemed able and inclined to pull back from the context and analyze the intended mathematical ideas involved, the lower SES students seemed to focus more on the real-world constraints involved with the contexts as they solved the problems, thereby missing some of the intended mathematical ideas. Usually the lower SES students' thinking about these real-world constraints was very sensible, and I (and the other CMP authors) did want students 6Additionally, Kohr et al. (1988) found that SES correlates with students' general self-esteem in school (more so than race or gender). 7Again, in this study I say nothing about the published versions of the CMP curriculum. The CMP problems gained clarity with each revision, and, therefore, all students' struggles with the open nature of the problems would probably have been lessened if the published CMP materials had been used. The issue raised in this study is SES-related differences in students' reactions to open, contextualized curricular problems, in general. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.163 on Wed, 21 Sep 2016 05:58:33 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Sarah Theule Lubienski 477 to be able to think about mathematical ideas in the messy, real-world contexts in which they are often embedded. But these contextualized problems primarily intended to be a means of learning more general mathematical ideas that could then be applied in other contexts. The tendency for the lower SES students to focus on the immediate context, as well as their desire for more specific teacher direction for their mathematical thinking and less intrinsic interest in understanding the mathematics for its own sake, seemed to contribute to the lower SES students' tendencies to become stuck8 in the contexts. Hence, although students with more of a contextualized orientation toward meaning might be expected to benefit from contextualized mathematics problems, in this study I raise questions about possible drawbacks of contextualized problems in the curriculum. Other researchers recently raised similar questions about the fairness of contextualized mathematics assessment items. In comparing British workingand middle-class students' approaches to standardized test items, Cooper, Dunne, and Rodgers (1997) found that class differences greater on questions involving realistic situations. In examining these differences, they discovered that the contexts obstacles for working-class students, who approached the problems in heavily context-laden ways unintended by test writers. Ball (1995) raised additional equity issues surrounding the use of realistic contexts. She suggested that teaching mathematics through real-world problems can pose difficulties because of (a) differences in students' interpretations and approaches and (b) uneven access to relevant contextual knowledge. In her classroom experience, Ball found that abstract mathematical contexts often seemed more inclusive, giving students a sense of common understanding and purpose. When her students explored real-world problems, they were distracted, or confused, or the differences among them accentuated in ways that diminished the sense of collective purpose and joint work (p. 672). Although students need to become able and inclined to critically analyze realworld problems, particularly those involving inequities, I question whether these problems are equitable means of building the mathematical understandings necessary for such critical analyses.

Life-supporting ecosystems are facing impending destruction. The human–computer interaction (HCI) community must rethink how to design technological interventions that reconcile concepts and theories for ecological computing. Proponents of sustainable HCI have pushed for tools and systems that aim to decenter the human in a shift toward posthuman design—a theoretical approach that challenges the assumption that only humans are stakeholders of technology as it increasingly shapes the future. Building on the iconic value of whales and the economic impact of whale watching as a form of ecotourism, we developed Aqua, a digital tool that leverages the potential of citizen science to engage tourists in marine-biodiversity awareness and conservation. This manuscript is advancing the field of sustainable HCI and tourism applications in two ways: first, we deliver an artifact contribution by designing and implementing a digital tool to enhance whale-watching activities. Second, we offer an empirical research contribution through observation and data gathering while comparing participants’ experiences of a whale-watching trip with and without the digital tool. Finally, preliminary insights are provided to inform the design of future digital tools aimed at promoting environmental conservation and citizen-science approaches among tourists. This work presents progression in understanding and informs the design of digital tools to engage tourists in novel and sustainable experiences.

This research investigates new curatorial strategies for exhibiting digital artworks in physical exhibition spaces. It is particularly interested in the relation between the materiality of digital art and the exhibition space.<br/>In a world where digital tools are a structuring condition of life in society and of all cultural production, digital art is a powerful means of understanding our present time and our future. It can offer alternative approaches and narratives to the dominant uses of technology, highly influenced by globalized capitalism. The art institution can be a unique place to reflect on the predominant influence of technological devices on our lives and thought processes. Despite the fact that these digital works now occupy an important place in the contemporary art world, and can claim a certain historicity, there is little research into the new exhibition modalities experimented with these works, and the way in which digital art prompts us to rethink the exhibitions.<br/>The upheavals wrought by digital technology are transforming the way works are produced and exhibited. New curatorial strategies have been experimented with, and existing modalities adapted to these different forms of artistic practice. By illustrating how these exhibitions both diverge from and simultaneously build upon existing exhibition theory and practice, this thesis aims to intricately examine how artworks utilizing digital technologies transformed the way we think about and make exhibitions. What new curatorial strategies have emerged, based on the interactivity, variability and technical materiality of the works? How are the links between artist, exhibition space, work and viewer articulated in this new exhibition paradigms? How do artworks evolve over time, and how do they adapt to different exhibition spaces?

BackgroundEuropean Union (EU) research on cybersecurity is actively developing more efficient digital steganalysis techniques aimed at uncovering hidden online illegal content in apparently legitimate multimedia files. Beyond issues such as the design, effectiveness and functionality of the technology, this paper addresses the recently raised concern of societal impact, which refers to the influence, consequences, or effects, whether expected or not, that a particular action, policy, or technological advance has on society as a whole or on different segments of society. These impacts can be broad and multifaceted, encompassing economic, social, cultural, environmental and ethical dimensions, amongst others.AimThe aim of this article is to take an exploratory look at the societal challenges and benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in cybercrime investigations in EU member states, adopting a dual mixed-methods perspective.MethodsFirst, a systematic review of the scientific literature published within 2017–2023, focusing on the societal dimension of steganalysis tools, including peer reviewed journal and conference papers on steganalysis and crime (N = 55) was carried out. For the second part of the paper, two nominal group discussions were conducted with experts from Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs): the first on societal benefits (N = 7), the second on societal challenges (N = 6). These consensus-building discussions aimed to identify, quantitatively assess and rank the various challenges and potential social benefits associated with the use of digital steganalysis tools in police investigations.ResultsFindings reveal a widespread oversight in addressing the social impact dimension by tool designers on academic papers, especially regarding societal acceptance issues. The expert-citizens argued for stakeholders and public awareness of both risks and benefits of steganalysis tools.ConclusionsThis study highlights the current need to consider not only the technological aspects, but also the profound social dimension arising from the use of these tools, such as public awareness of cybercrime and the ethical design and use of digital crime investigation tools. Understanding and evaluating societal impacts is essential for making informed decisions, shaping policies, and addressing the needs and concerns of diverse stakeholders in various domains. This multidisciplinary approach is crucial to achieving a more balanced and comprehensive understanding of the impact of digital steganalysis tools in the field of digital criminal investigation.

New ideas are the primary building blocks in attempts to produce novel interactive technology. Numerous idea generation methods such as Brainstorming have been introduced to support this process, but there is mixed evidence regarding their effectiveness. In this paper we describe an experimental, quantitative methodology from the domain of product design research for evaluating different idea generation methods. We present prominent results from relevant literature and new data from a study of idea generation in the wild. The study focused on the effects of the physical environment, or in other words, the physical context, on designers' capacity to produce ideas. 25 students working in small groups took part in an experiment with two design tasks. Moving from an office environment to the actual surroundings of the intended use, we discovered that the change in resulting ideas was surprisingly small. Of the measured dimensions, the real-world context influenced only the feasibility of ideas, leaving quantity, novelty, utility and level of detail unaffected. This finding questions the value of diving into the context as a design idea generation practice.

Aya—a digital tool co-designed with Venezuelan women to safely facilitate self-managed medication abortion and contraception access

Background The chapter explores the intersection of multimodal and digital literacies and racial identities of Black Caribbean immigrant youth in the United States (U.S.). Drawing on ethnographic research on the ways in which adolescent students embody their identities online, the chapter details some of the tensions that arise when these adolescents attempt to navigate a new home country that racializes their cultural and national identities and literacy practices. Context The chapter offers a meta-analysis of case studies five Black Caribbean immigrant adolescents’ multimodal and digital literacy practices in response to the racialized category “Black.” Looking across four ethnographic case studies, and through the thematic meta-analysis of data, the chapter presents data snapshots of pivotal events that refect issues of race. These events highlight the dialogic ways that these youth make use of literacy practices to understand what it means to be Black and immigrant, and to challenge these dominant, racialized representations that negate their cultural identities. Purpose The purpose of the chapter is to explore the tensions that arise when these adolescents attempt to navigate a new home country that racializes their cultural and national identities and literacy practices. In the case of Black Caribbean immigrant youth, part of this newcomer experience involves negotiating what “race” and “blackness” mean in terms of their academic, social, and personal lives. Thus, the chapter illustrates how young people use their modally and digitally mediated practices to negotiate racialized positionings across physical and virtual spaces, affinity groups, and the school and social contexts of their adopted U.S. homes. Findings As Black Caribbean immigrants, these young persons engage in emotional identity work in their talk about and/or experiences of race. The adolescents’ emotional response to racialized categories was defined by contesting feelings of pride, shame, and resilience. Two salient themes that characterized these tensions are the conflicting sense of 1) national pride versus the racial prejudice, and 2) deficit versus worthy. Their feelings of self-worth were intrinsically connected to racialized identity labels “Black” and “immigrant.” However, the modal tools and spaces they used and created serve as sites of resilience and identity (re)framing. Conclusions Adolescents developed their own personal and/or public voice that allowed them to reevaluate their self-worth, importance of social status, opportunities for advocacy, and their redefinitions of identity labels. Modal spaces and tools offered these adolescents alternative frames of reference within which they could evaluate and reposition Self. The intentional responses of these Black immigrant youth offered positive ways to see and present themselves while challenging deficit narratives of persons of color. Recommendation Explore immigrant adolescents’ use of modal and digital tools and literacies as spaces for socially reconstructing notions of race and identity. Consider modal and virtual digital spaces and tools (e.g., social networks, blogs, photographs/images, talk/stories) as a way to create opportunities for youth to air and share their experiences and ideas, as well as have their stories and positionalities become a part of the broader educational and societal narrative.

Digital technology is widely known for connecting the different public by using innovative, creative connectivity in between target audience and tools used for supporting open access and interactive ICT tools. This research paper will focus on key factors like culture, heritage, opportunities, etc. that had a tremendous impact on the use of digital technology and digitization techniques. In order to in-depth understanding integrating ICT and digital technology addresses the new framework and methodology of heritage interpretation from real-world context. Innovative ways of digital access include interpretation of heritage values and decode the new culture for digitization via integrating ICT with digital technology tools and techniques. The integration will help to understand that digital public framework is all about people for success, for engaging their products, ideas, thoughts into experience and ever-ending opportunities for digital service providers. Also, it will unfold the scale of online marketplace by analyzing leading digital marketer experts within short space of time. Digital marketing strategy focuses on marketing design, individual attention, and integrates ICT tools to develop digital public framework by which digital technologies promotes socio-economic activity. The main objective of digital service provider is to increase and examine steadily trends and patterns of digital public framework.

In a two-step study, an interview followed by an online questionnaire , we investigated the potential and user needs for systems that can support humans in the context of creative work. We found that participants usually follow a general creative process in problem identification, preparation, idea generation and idea evaluation, while frequently jumping and iterating between those phases. Interviewees as well as survey participants had greater difficulties in divergent thinking as opposed to convergent thinking and used convergent thinking more often in their daily work. Since advice from colleagues was most frequently sought out during the idea generation phase, this phase provides the greatest opportunity for a creativity support system. Most participants work primarily using computers and digital tools, both alone as well as in teams. It was mentioned that especially information research can be very time consuming. Therefore, from a user’s point of view, development of an inspirational assistant that can facilitate research as well as collaboration in a digital way seems to be the most promising approach for creativity support systems for creative workers.KeywordsCreativity support systemsUser needsNew workHuman machine interaction