Visitor perspectives on the nature and practice of science: Challenging beliefs through a question of truth

Abstract

A trademark of science centres around the world is that they often develop their exhibits around a scientific phenomenon (i.e., light, sound, gravity). However, the exhibit A Question of Truth, located at the Ontario Science Centre, examines several questions about the nature of science itself, how ideas are formed, and how cultural and political conditions affect the practice of science. A Question of Truth extends the visitor experience to include discussion and interaction around the sensitive themes of bias in science and society; points of view; and science and race. Specifically, this study asks the following questions: (a) What are visitors’ understandings of the nature and practice of science in the context of a museum exhibition that aims to situate science in social, cultural, and political milieus? (b) What are visitors’ responses to A Question of Truth, paying particular attention to what they found surprising, challenging, and disturbing? Observation and interview data indicate that science centre visitors are interested in considering science and the sociocultural context in which it operates. Visitor support for this type of exhibit challehges traditional, rule‐bound views and representations of science. The paper concludes with several implications for science centres and science education.     

Exploring the Impact of Social Networking on Communication in Organizations

ABSTRACT

Social networking technology has the potential to transform how organizations communicate, cooperate, and connect with key stakeholders. Our research explores how social networking technologies are deployed within organizations and how the use of these technologies is related to effectiveness in organizational communication and promotion. We also identify the facilitating factors and constraints around the use of social networking tools for communication. To examine these questions, we conducted interviews with 131 senior level executives across a broad range of organizations and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis. The executives were asked to rate numerically and then discuss in narrative form a series of questions about IT strategy and issues affecting social networking in their organization. We find important differences both in the types of tools used as well as how they are used and discuss the implications of our findings for companies seeking to more effectively harness social networking technologies.     

Why does site visit matter in global software development: A knowledge-based perspective

ContextFace-to-Face (F2F) interaction is a strong means to foster social relationships and effective knowledge sharing within a team. However, communication in Global Software Development (GSD) teams is usually restricted to computer-mediated conversation that is perceived to be less effective and interpersonal. Temporary collocation of dispersed members of a software development team is a well-known practice in GSD. Despite broad realization of the benefits of visits, there is lack of empirical evidence that explores how temporary F2F interactions are organized in practice and how they can impact knowledge sharing between sites.ObjectiveThis study aimed at empirically investigating activities that take place during temporary collocation of dispersed members and analyzing the outcomes of the visit for supporting and improving knowledge sharing.MethodWe report a longitudinal case study of a GSD team distributed between Denmark and Pakistan. We have explored a particular visit organized for a group of offshore team members visiting onshore site for two weeks. Our findings are based on a systematic and rigorous analysis of the calendar entries of the visitors during the studied visit, several observations of a selected set of the team members’ activities during the visit and 13 semi-structured interviews.ResultsLooking through the lens of knowledge-based theory of the firm, we have found that social and professional activities organized during the visit, facilitated knowledge sharing between team members from both sites. The findings are expected to contribute to building a common knowledge and understanding about the role and usefulness of the site visits for supporting and improving knowledge sharing in GSD teams by establishing and sustaining social and professional ties.     

Gamified monetary reward designs: Offering certain versus chance-based rewards

To motivate visitors to engage with websites, e-tailers widely employ monetary rewards (e.g., vouchers, discounts) in their website designs. With advances in user interface technologies, many e-tailers have started to offer gamified monetary reward designs (MRDs), which require visitors to earn the monetary reward by playing a game, rather than simply claiming the reward. However, little is known about whether and why gamified MRDs engage visitors compared to their non-gamified counterpart. Even less is known about the effectiveness of gamified MRDs when providing certain or chance-based rewards, in that visitors do or do not know what reward they will gain for successfully performing in the game. Drawing on cognitive evaluation theory, we investigate gamified MRDs with certain or chance-based rewards and contrast them to non-gamified MRDs with certain rewards in user registration systems. Our results from a multi-method approach encompassing the complementary features of a randomised field experiment (N = 651) and a randomised online experiment (N = 330) demonstrate differential effects of the three investigated MRDs on user registration. Visitors encountering either type of gamified MRD are more likely to register than those encountering a non-gamified MRD. Moreover, gamified MRDs with chance-based rewards have the highest likelihood of user registrations. We also show that MRDs have distinct indirect effects on user registration via anticipated experiences of competence and sensation. Overall, the paper offers theoretical insights and practical guidance on how and why gamified MRDs are effective for e-tailers.     

Eliciting Public Display Awareness and Engagement: An Experimental Study and Semantic Strategy

ABSTRACT

As displays move from the desktop and mobile world to situated urban and public spaces, these mixed use interfaces will continue to pose both opportunities and challenges for architects and product designers alike. In particular, the ability to visually communicate interface modality on a platform that supports both public and private interactions. To address this challenge starts with eliciting user attention and awareness with the goal of creating direct user engagement with the screen. Although other researchers have explored the topic of attention and public displays, our interdisciplinary team leveraged a far more fundamental product semantic strategy. Using the linguistic concept of ‘complementation’ we conducted a field study (n = 32) implementing both implicit and explicit screen based prompts. The results from the quantitative experiment show a foundational semantic approach to “coupled signals” that can be applied to a large range of design applications.     

Sources of Anxiety and the Meaning of Participation in/for Science Fairs: A Canadian Case

Abstract

Although anxiety is a significant emotional element of formal school science, little is known about how anxiety is originated and managed in the context of science fairs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a group of students in Grades 7 to 12 discursively (re)produce anxiety and its management from the perspective of their participation in a national science fair competition in Canada. Based on the analysis of participant's talk during a focus group interview, our findings suggest that performance anxiety is an emotion inherent to participation in all stages of the event: from choosing a project to the administration of time, performing in front of an audience, and gaining public recognition. In this context, recurring participation emerges as an effective strategy for coping with this feeling. In exploring the ways that academically successful science students talk about how anxiety is generated and regulated, we advance knowledge about science fair participation and contribute to current discussions on how to create more captivating school science learning environments for all.     

“Restorying” Science Education Based on Local Spiritual and Cultural Values: The Case of Ethiopia

Abstract

Research demonstrates how enjoyable and meaningful learning is for children when there is smooth transition between home and classroom. This autoethnographic research used in-depth interviews and observations to examine the Ethiopian people's spiritual centered lifestyle at home and whether this style is carried into science classes in the schools. Findings indicated that the current science education in Ethiopia is ignorant of reality at home. The research proposes a new way of looking at science. It interrogates the idea that science has primacy over spirituality and, rather, recommends Ethiopian spirituality to be the standard of science and its education.     

Exploring the Role of Management Accounting Systems in Strategic Sensemaking

Abstract

Management accounting systems (MAS) provide an information context that is required for strategic sensemaking. Research from the interpretive perspective of information processing suggests some mechanisms how MAS can contribute to strategic sensemaking, although it neglects the relationship between MAS use and MAS dimensions. The systems-structural perspective identified some important MAS dimensions, but it does not explain how these dimensions contribute to strategic sensemaking. The objective of this study is to explore the role of MAS in sensemaking and how MAS dimensions contribute to this role. Based on 30 interviews with top and middle managers from 7 large companies we suggest a set of MAS dimensions that relates to sensemaking.     

Semiotics of virtual reality as a communication process

ABSTRACT

The experience of immersive virtual reality (VR) can be considered as a communication process between human beings, mediated by computer systems, which uses visualisation and other sensory stimulation. In this paper, we analyse how VR characteristics can be explored using semiotic theory and, with methods of generative semiotics, we explore aspects of narrative and interaction in VR. We propose a semiotic analysis of VR communication focusing on syntax, semantics and pragmatics and considering also some principles of generative semiotics. The syntactic level is analysed as determined by the characteristics of the visual communication adopted. The semantic of VR is related to the functional model chosen to realise the virtual system. The pragmatic of VR is based on the human–computer interaction that changes the user's role. We explore how these aspects can be characterised in the context of VR communication design and what principles can be adopted for a VR application, and we present an analysis and a classification of the iconic signs that are being used in VR. Moreover, we present a framework that can be used to classify and describe different kinds of virtual reality systems and to better understand communication in VR, and we use it to classify eight popular systems for e-learning and collaboration.     

Issues in modified problem‐based learning: A self‐study in pre‐service science‐teacher education

Abstract:

In this self‐study, the author gained in‐depth understanding of how to plan and implement problem‐based learning (PBL), a student‐centred approach to teaching and learning that is driven by messy, open‐ended problems. This paper focuses primarily on the issues and concerns that arose as she developed and implemented a modified form of traditional PBL (Barrows, 1996) in large, pre‐service science‐teacher education classes. To view the research from many perspectives, a variety of data collection methods and sources were used, including field notes, semi‐structured interviews, student‐generated documents, and student journals. The outcomes of this study describe challenges (problem development, facilitation of groups, and assessment) encountered by the author as she planned for and implemented PBL. Furthermore, changes in the author's classroom practice, the connection between these changes and constructivist learning principles, and implications for science‐teacher education are addressed.     

Manipulation of qualitative degrees to handle uncertainty: formal models and applications

In this article, qualitative, symbolic and linguistic models for knowledge representation are presented as well as their applications. Such models are useful in decision making problems when information from the experts' knowledge is expressed through different heterogeneous types such as numerical, interval-valued, symbolic, linguistic, … The whole work proposed here takes place in a given many-valued logic. First, as an alternative to classic probabilities, a method using qualitative degrees is described and an application in supervised learning is proposed. Then we study the transformation of these degrees when they are subjected to a modification: thus we present the Generalized Symbolic Modifiers. These tools are defined as manipulations computed on a pair (degree, scale). They are grouped together into several families and thus offer many possibilities to handle uncertainty. An application in colorimetrics is described and shows the feasibility of the approach. The last point addressed in this article is the data combination. An operator called the Symbolic Weighted Median gives a summary of several qualitative degrees with associated weights. One particularity is that this median is constructed on the Generalized Symbolic Modifiers. Finally we explain how the Symbolic Weighted Median is exploited in the internal mechanism of the application in colorimetrics. Isis Truck did research in the MODECO Group in Reims (France) and received her PhD in computer science from the University of Reims in 2002. She joined the LIASD (Laboratoire d'Intelligence Artificielle de Saint-Denis) at the University Paris 8 in 2003 as an Assistant Professor. Her research interests are in the field of knowledge representation under uncertainty, especially by way of fuzzy logic and many-valued logic. She is also interested in music and computer science and participates in projects in this field. Herman Akdag (ing. INSA LYON) obtained his PhD in computer science from the University of Paris 6 (France) in 1980, and his Professorship Diploma HDR from the same university in 1992. He is a full professor at the University of Reims. His research interests include knowledge representation, uncertainty management, fuzzy logic, machine learning and data mining. Currently, he is a researcher in artificial intelligence (LOFTI team) at the LIP6 laboratory. He is also the head of the research group MODECO at the University of Reims.     

Moments With Jacques Rancière: Sketches From a Lived Pedagogical Experiment in an Elementary Science Classroom

Abstract:

The work of Jacques Rancière has become rather popular of late, with a series of high-profile advocates. In this article, we reflect on an elementary classroom and an experiment with pedagogy inspired by Rancière's (1991) text, The Ignorant Schoolmaster. The authors discuss the text, outline a 20-lesson response that emerged from the study (focusing on reading-as-inquiry), and highlighting some of the possibilities, tensions, and ambiguities involved. The article concludes with discussion of how we sought to make sense of, and redistribute, our roles as science teacher-researchers by embracing teaching, will, and instability. We suggest becoming ignorant schoolmasters, wandering beyond the domain of the sensible, as we struggle to come to different terms with our political work.     

Extraction of spectral hemispherical reflectance (albedo) of surfaces from nadir and directional reflectance data

Abstract

A radiative transfer model was used to explore how the error in inferring spectral hemispherical reflectance (p_λ) from nadir reflectance values varies as a function of wavelength, solar zenith angle, leaf area index and leaf orientation distribution. Secondly, a technique using multiple spectral nadir reflectance values to infer p_λ for a single wavelength was tested using field data. In addition, several techniques that use multiple off-nadir view angles taken in azimuth planes (called strings of data) were tested using field data. These latter techniques were very accurate (with errors less than 4 percent of the true value)and are ideally suited to present and future sensor systems that scan in a known azimuth plane (e.g. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and other scanning radiometers) or view fore and aft in a known azimuth plane (e.g. Advanced Solid-State Array Sensor (ASAS)Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (HIRIS)), a brief analysis was performed to explore the effects of errors in hemispherical reflectance on terrestrial energy budget and productivity calculations.     

Perceptions of performance and satisfaction after relocation to an activity-based office

Many companies move from open-plan offices (OPO) to activity-based workplaces (ABWs). However, few studies examine the benefits and drawbacks following such a change. The aim of this study was to explore how physical conditions, office use, communication, privacy, territoriality, satisfaction and perceived performance change following a company’s relocation from an OPO to an ABW. A mixed methods approach included pre- and post-relocation questionnaires and post-relocation focus groups, individual interviews and observations. The questionnaires enabled comparisons over time (n = 34) and broader analyses based on retrospective ratings of perceived change (n = 66). Results showed that satisfaction with auditory privacy, background noise, air quality, outdoor view and aesthetics increased significantly after relocation. Negative outcomes, such as lack of communication within teams, were perceived as being due to the high people-to-workstation ratio and lack of rules. Overall satisfaction with the physical work environment increased in the ABW compared to the OPO. Perceived performance did not change significantly.

Practitioner Summary: Activity-based workplaces (ABWs) are commonly implemented although their effects on performance and well-being are unclear. This case study gives advice to stakeholders involved in office planning. Despite shortcomings with the people-to-workstation ratio and rules, employees showed improved satisfaction with auditory privacy and aesthetics in the ABW compared with the previous open-plan office.     

Quantum Algorithms for Weighing Matrices and Quadratic Residues

Abstract. In this article we investigate how we can employ the structure of combinatorial objects like Hadamard matrices and weighing matrices to devise new quantum algorithms. We show how the properties of a weighing matrix can be used to construct a problem for which the quantum query complexity is significantly lower than the classical one. It is pointed out that this scheme captures both Bernstein and Vazirani's inner-product protocol, as well as Grover's search algorithm. In the second part of the article we consider Paley's construction of Hadamard matrices, which relies on the properties of quadratic characters over finite fields. We design a query problem that uses the Legendre symbol χ (which indicates if an element of a finite field F _q is a quadratic residue or not). It is shown how for a shifted Legendre function f _s (i)=χ(i+s) , the unknown s ∈ F _q can be obtained exactly with only two quantum calls to f _s . This is in sharp contrast with the observation that any classical, probabilistic procedure requires more than log q + log ((1-ɛ )/2) queries to solve the same problem.     

The journey as concept for digital museum design

Abstract

This article discusses The Journey as a metaphor for design and development of the app Kunstporten (Art gate) for mobile and iPod. The goal of the project was to go beyond traditional mobile guides and support young visitors' various and contiguous experiences with art. The project involved seven Norwegian art museums over the period 2012–2013. The article focuses on the choices and challenges we as museum professionals met during the design of the app. It reports on how the dialogic concept of museum communication, integrated in the metaphor of The Journey, was shaped and adjusted in the design, planning and development of modules, multimedia content and procedural structure that may support art experience as a journey. The article describes considerations undertaken by museum practitioners in processes of creating museum communication that goes across multiple mediational platforms.     

Exploring Patients’ Use Intention of Personal Health Record Systems: Implications for Design

Abstract

Personal health record (PHR) systems offer a technology for personal health information management (PHIM) activities. Despite efforts to increase the use of PHR systems as a mechanism to support better patient-centered care and improve information management across the continuum of care, PHR adoption remains low. The purpose of this study was to explore how to design a PHR system that can adequately support personal health information management activities. Using a mixed-methods approach (questionnaires and interviews), we identified the factors affecting a person’s intention to use PHRs and also described the personal health information management activities among people from a wide age range in the United States. Results indicated that the intention to use PHR systems was affected by system-related factors, such as perceived usefulness, health information understandability, personalization, and patient–clinician communication support, and user-related factors, such as social influence, self-efficacy, and willingness to share. Furthermore, five types of personal health information management activities were found, including storage, organization, maintenance, retrieval, and sharing. Informed by the study findings, we developed seven design recommendations to improve PHR systems. Future studies can focus on further validating these findings using other methods and be based on larger and more representative PHR users.     

Casting shadows in the science classroom

Abstract

Research in mathematics and science education frequently directs one's attention to the limited content knowledge of elementary pre‐service teachers. It is believed, however, that research of this nature leads to a deficit approach to understanding more about the teaching and learning of these subjects. In addition to focusing on the knowers of school mathematics and science, there is a call to acknowledge the problematic nature of knowing (in) mathematics and science. In this paper, the metaphor of shadows is used in a critical exploration of what it means to know and how the cultures of classrooms have shaped these images of knowing. Through the voices of pre‐service teachers, this paper directs one's attention to objects that cast shadows on the learning and knowing of mathematics and science. Three such shadow‐casting objects discussed in this paper are textbooks, teachers, and gendered ideology. The paper seeks to critically illuminate the problematic nature of what it means to know (in) mathematics and science by examining the shadowy texture of unquestioned ideologies.