Identification and use of guidelines for the design of computer supported collaborative writing tools

As groupware and workflow technologies become widely accepted, it is important to identify and clarify best practice at all stages of the development of those systems. One approach to the promulgation of best practice is to develop clear and effective guidelines for application in system development.This paper is primarily concerned with the identification of guidelines to drive the design and implementation of one class of groupware — collaborative writing systems. In particular, consideration is given to guidelines for systems which support groups of distributed collaborating authors working asynchronously.Three relevant areas are investigated. First, social and integration issues of generic groupware are presented. Second, the design of existing collaborative writing tools is addressed. Third, models of both individual writers and collaborative writing tasks are discussed. Guidelines are drawn from each area.The guidelines have been adopted in the design of MILO, a collaborative writing system. MILO is briefly described and the way in which the guidelines have been implemented in MILO is reviewed. In conclusion, insights gained from informal observations of MILO in use for both single and multiple author tasks are presented.     

Coordination processes in computer supported collaborative writing

In the COSAR-project a computer-supported collaborative learning environment enables students to collaborate in writing an argumentative essay. The TC3 groupware environment (TC3: Text Composer, Computer supported and Collaborative) offers access to relevant information sources, a private notepad, a chat facility including a chat history, and a shared word-processor. Planning tools for writing – a shared argumentation diagram for content generation and a shared outline facility for content linearization – were added to the basic TC3 environment. About 145 pairs of high school students completed essays on organ donation or cloning in the TC3 environment. We analyzed the logged discussion (‘chats’) and activity protocols for task-related processes present during discussion and collaboration. Processes looked into are planning, gathering information and composing the essay, as well as collaborative processes such as coordinating, turn taking and time management. Our main research question is how task-related planning activities and collaborative coordination with or without the help of planning tools relate to the quality of the resulting argumentative texts. Overall coordination and planning of the writing activities on a meta-level and on a content level were found to be crucial for the quality of the text.     

Integration of collaboration and interaction analysis mechanisms in a concern-based architecture for groupware systems

Collaboration and interaction analysis allows for the characterization and study of the collaborative work performed by the users of a groupware system. The results of the analyzed processes allow problems in users’ collaborative work and shortcomings in the functionalities of the groupware system to be identified. Therefore, automating collaboration and interaction analysis enables users’ work to be assessed and groupware system support and behavior to be improved. This article proposes a concern-based architecture to be used by groupware developers as a guide to the integration of analysis subsystems into groupware systems. This architecture was followed to design the COLLECE groupware system, which supports collaborative programming practices and integrates an analysis subsystem that assesses different aspects of the work carried out by the programmers and adapts the functionality of the system under specific conditions.     

Perceived critical mass effect on groupware acceptance

Groupware technologies have become an important part of the business computing infrastructure in many organizations, but many groupware applications, especially those requiring significant collaboration and cooperation among users, are still not adequately used. While the successful implementation of groupware depends on many different factors, achieving a ‘critical mass’ of users has been recognised as the key for groupware acceptance. By extending the technology acceptance model (TAM), this paper advances a groupware acceptance model that incorporates perceived critical mass as an independent variable for predicting groupware acceptance. The model is empirically evaluated using survey data collected from 385 students responding about their perception of Lotus Domino Discussion Databases. The results reveal that perceived critical mass had the largest total effect (direct and indirect) on intention to use groupware. Other relationships postulated in the model were also found to be significant. These findings corroborate the belief that it is essential to create a critical mass of users in the early stages of groupware implementation. A discussion of the implications of these findings for managers and researchers is also presented.     

Using shared representations to improve coordination and intent inference

In groupware, users must communicate about their intentions and aintain common knowledge via communication channels that are explicitly designed into the system. Depending upon the task, generic communication tools like chat or a shared whiteboard may not be sufficient to support effective coordination. We have previously reported on a methodology that helps the designer develop task specific communication tools, called coordinating representations, for groupware systems. Coordinating representations lend structure and persistence to coordinating information. We have shown that coordinating representations are readily adopted by a user population, reduce coordination errors, and improve performance in a domain task. As we show in this article, coordinating representations present a unique opportunity to acquire user information in collaborative, user-adapted systems. Because coordinating representations support the exchange of coordinating information, they offer a window onto task and coordination-specific knowledge that is shared by users. Because they add structure to communication, the information that passes through them can be easily exploited by adaptive technology. This approach provides a simple technique for acquiring user knowledge in collaborative, user-adapted systems. We document our application of this approach to an existing groupware system. Several empirical results are provided. First, we show how information that is made available by a coordinating representation can be used to infer user intentions. We also show how this information can be used to mine free text chat for intent information, and show that this information further enhances intent inference. Empirical data shows that an automatic plan generation component, which is driven by information from a coordinating representation, reduces coordination errors and cognitive effort for its users. Finally, our methodology is summarized, and we present a framework for comparing our approach to other strategies for user knowledge acquisition in adaptive systems.     

Multiple Mice based collaborative one-to-one learning

Exchange is a collaborative learning application, originally developed for wirelessly interconnected Pocket PCs, that provides support for students and a teacher performing a face-to-face computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) activity in a Single Input/Single Display (SISD) mode. We extend the application to support a single display groupware (SDG) mode. In this new version, named Exchange-MM, three users each with their own mouse (Multiple Mice) interact on a single display with mediation by a technological network. The original collaborative interaction is maintained. We describe a collaborative learning activity and the software architecture that supports both interaction modes, and also present a usability analysis of the activity conducted with second-grade schoolchildren. The results show that as in SISD mode, in SDG with Multiple Mice (MM) the technological network improves communication, negotiation, interactivity, coordination and appropriability between members of collaborative learning groups.     

Empirical Study on Collaborative Writing: What Do Co-authors Do, Use, and Like?

How do people work when they are collaborating to write a document? What kind of tools do they use and, in particular, do they resort to groupware for this task? Forty-one people filled out a questionnaire placed on the World Wide Web. In spite of the existence of specialized collaborative writing tools, most respondents reported using individual word processors and email as their main tools for writing joint documents. Respondents noted the importance of functions such as change tracking, version control, and synchronous work for collaborative writing tools. This study also confirmed the great variability that exists between collaborative writing projects, whether it be group membership, management, writing strategy, or scheduling issues.     

J2EE平台上基于Web Services的数据集成研究

数据集成是共享分布的异构数据资源的核心问题.在分析常用数据集成技术的基础上,结合Web Services技术和组件技术,提出了基于Web Services和组件技术实现Mediated系统的数据集成方案.最后,以J2EE为平台给出了一种面向服务的低偶合的数据集成框架,中介器和包装器由EJB组件实现,由组件部署的Web服务为用户提供一个透明的统一的接口,实现异地异构数据资源的共享和整合.     

Construction of interaction observation systems for collaboration analysis in groupware applications

Interaction observation systems for groupware applications capture and process all the actions performed by users engaged in workgroups. These actions are then stored in log documents that enable the work process carried out by the users to be analyzed and the interaction between users to be studied. This article proposes an approach, based on ontological models, which is devised to help the developer of an observation system for a groupware application to structure and record user actions. In order to achieve this aim, we present a specific ontology that shapes the collaborative work process of the users so as to obtain an XML-based log document that stores all the actions carried out by the users and facilitates the subsequent analysis of the system usage and users’ behavior. This approach has been used to improve communication and collaboration capabilities in the COLLECE groupware application.     

Groupware Environments as Action Constitutive Resources: A Social Action Framework for Analyzing Groupware Technologies

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is a relatively new and dynamic field dealing with the development and use of groupware technologies in organizations. Several frameworks and models have been proposed for studying CSCW, each conveying a different perspective and theoretical basis. Although these frameworks have contributed much to our understanding of the field, they can be criticized for a lack of holistic understanding of the complex social activity that is constitutive of groupwork. This often leads to the failure of otherwise well designed CSCW applications. In this paper we take up this challenge and propose a social action framework for analyzing groupware technologies. The framework is based on Habermas's theory of social action and four action categories, and the idea that groupware applications serve as sets of rules and resources which mediate group interactions. We demonstrate the value of the framework by analyzing a wide range of existing groupware technologies for their appropriateness to specific groupwork situations in terms of their espoused or implicit assumptions of groupwork, and the action constitutive resources they provide. Our analysis points out that a host of current groupware applications can be fairly easily classified and examined by the way they are configured to support different types of social action. It also suggests that, when implementing groupware applications, developers should critically evaluate: (a) the need for supporting a rich variety of action types, (b) the possible role of computer support in the specific groupwork situations, and (c) the underlying assumptions of groupwork embedded in the groupware platform. Finally, we will discuss how the framework can inform future research and development in the field.     

Sensemaking in Technology-Use Mediation: Adapting Groupware Technology in Organizations

Understanding how people in organizations appropriate and adapt groupware technologies to local contexts of use is a key issue for CSCW research, since it is critical to the success of these technologies. In this paper, we argue that the appropriation and adaptation of groupware and other types of advanced CSCW technologies is basically a problem of sensemaking. We analyze how a group of “technology-use mediators” (Orlikowski et al. Org. Sci. (1995) 6(4), 423) in a large, multinational company adapted a groupware technology (a “virtual workspace”) to the local organizational context (and vice versa) by modifying features of the technology, providing ongoing support for users, and promoting appropriate conventions of use. Our findings corroborate earlier research on technology-use mediation, which suggests that such mediators can exert considerable influence on how a particular technology will be established and used in an organization. However, we also find that the process of technology-use mediation is much more complex and indeterminate than prior research suggests. The reason being, we argue, that new, advanced CSCW technologies, such as “virtual workspaces” and other groupware applications, challenge the mediators’ and users’ sensemaking, because the technologies are equivocal and, therefore, open to many possible and plausible interpretations.     

Application of KM measures to the impact of a specialized groupware system on corporate productivity and operations

Here we describe an experiment to show the improvement in productivity resulting from use of a specialized groupware system, using quantitative data and observations of the knowledge management (KM) processes, styles, and critical success factors. Data describing the work process before and after the deployment of the system was applied to measure the impact on performance, operations, and knowledge sharing behavior. The attitude of the organization toward knowledge sharing and the deployed groupware system was then studied along several dimensions that represent KM styles, by assessing the KM orientation and motivation of the organization. Lessons learned were presented and used for directing the attention of management to the importance of supporting collaborative and KM technologies for corporate strategic competitiveness.     

基于强化学习的卫星网络资源调度机制

与传统同步轨道通信卫星(GEO)相比,以SpaceX、Starlink、O3b等为代表的新一代中低轨卫星互联网星座具备广域覆盖、全时空互联、多星协同等显著优势,已成为当今世界各国研究的焦点之一。传统卫星资源调度方法主要研究单颗GEO卫星下的资源调度问题,难以满足以多星协同、联合组网、海量用户为特征的低轨卫星星座的资源调度需求。为此,构建了基于用户满意度的多星协同智能资源调度模型,提出了一种基于强化学习的卫星网络资源调度机制IRSUP。IRSUP针对用户服务定制的个性化需求,设计了用户服务偏好智能优化模块;针对多星资源联合优化难题,设计了基于强化学习的智能调度模块。模拟仿真结果表明:IRSUP能有效提高资源调度合理性、链路资源利用率和用户满意度等指标,其中业务容量提升30%～60%,用户满意度提升一倍以上。     

Implementation and Performance Analysis of XMatch: a Language for Quality-based Selection of Grid Services

Grid systems focus on the sharing and coordination of a large number of geographically- dispersed resources among different communities of users. Such systems require the capability of associating users requests to the actual resources. This capability should consider a high number of similar resources and different perceptions of users satisfaction concerning the selected resources. In order to face this problem, in our previous work we have proposed XMatch, a query language enabling the expression of the user request in terms of the expected satisfaction over XML-based representations of available resources. In this paper, we present an XMatch implementation consisting in rewriting XMatch queries in terms of XQuery expressions. We also propose a performance analysis based on real-world use cases. This implementation and evaluation of XMatch shows the suitability of the language for the identified use cases and the feasibility of its application.     

A Measurement and Structural Model for Usability Evaluation of Shared Workspace Groupware

This study presents the development process of a set of questionnaire items to establish a measurement model for the usability of shared workspace groupware systems, which is suggested as a usability scale called SWUS, the Shared Workspace Usability Scale. Manifest variables and latent variables are based on the various dimensions of teamwork collated through the literature. A structural model was built on the measurement model. Models were evaluated through PLS-SEM methods. Data acquired on candidate questionnaire items from 398 international respondents who are users of five different online collaborative word processors was used for the model analysis. Of 37 candidate manifest variables, 22 were retained, which were measuring seven latent constructs: “3C Mechanisms,” “Grounding,” “Team Integration,” “Communication,” “Shared Access,” “Awareness,” and “Usability.” The data provided empirical evidence for the structural model based on these latent variables. The responses of the participants were not sensitive to differences between users in terms of gender and native language but showed sensitivity to age, experience with the evaluated software, and different shared workspace groupware evaluated in the study. Our structural model attempts to integrate several frameworks and models of usability for CSCW environments and provides empirical evidence for its reliability and validity based on subjective responses from users of shared workspace groupware.     

Collaborating with writing tools: An instrumental perspective on the problem of computer-supported collaborative activities

This paper presents an analysis of the modifications that a synchronous computer support for collaborative writing introduces into the organization of co-authors' writing. The analysis is grounded in case studies of different groups of co-authors writing a report together face to face and at a distance through a collaborative writing computer system. Drawing from these studies I suggest that the problems with using a collaborative writing computer system to provide a fully collaborative writing environment derive from underlying assumptions concerning collaboration within the co-authoring activity. I point out that a more thorough understanding of how co-authors organize their writing can provide resources to envisage more radical solutions to the problem of computer support for collaboration. I conclude by considering ways that might be adequate to reconfigure collaborative writing systems in order to provide more satisfactory support for collaboration in writing environments.     

Collaborative technologies in knowledge telework: an exploratory study

Abstract.  Knowledge workers in distributed work environments require substantial communication with colleagues and supervisors to perform their work activities, and collaborative technologies, like groupware, continue to improve the potential for such communication. This study investigates how an improvement in collaborative technology among a group of knowledge teleworkers impacts their communication patterns. The study focuses on one communication-based work process: knowledge sharing. The research involves a 6-month exploratory longitudinal case study of a group of teleworkers where a new groupware technology was implemented. The results indicate that while there are fewer instances of communication among group members after the technology is implemented, communication becomes more centralized around the district manager. These results suggest that increased collaborative technologies result in an adjustment between explicit and tacit knowledge sharing, as the availability of a centralized and updateable database reduces workgroup communications. However, consistent with structuration theory, telework group members do use communication technologies to address their most apparent needs and concerns. Other potential explanations and implications of these findings are discussed.     

基于Agent的多无人机协同飞行通信技术研究

从Agent的两大优良特性--自主性和协同性出发,研究了在多无人机协同飞行中,采用多Agent思想的协同飞行通信技术。根据多无人机协同飞行的特点,设计了多Agent协同飞行的通信协议,多Agent间传递的信息以及信息的分享模式,分析了MAS间信息传递过程;最后,通过实例介绍和分析了MAS协调通讯的构建形式,实现了多无人机协同目标定位中的数据通信。实际飞行实验结果证明,该通信机制能够控制多架无人机同时飞行,提高了通信效率,验证了该方法的可行性和有效性。     

Adapting groupware systems to changes in the collaborator’s context of use

Owing to the dynamic nature of collaborative environments, the software intended to support collaborative work should adapt itself to the different situations that may occur. This requirement is related to the concept of “context of use”, which has been considered as an important aspect in the design of interactive systems. Nevertheless, two main problems about this concept have been identified by current research in context-aware computing: (1) most of the studies have mainly focused on the context of a single user, so the context of multiple users involved in a common endeavor remains little explored, and (2) adaptability in context-aware systems generally takes into account a reduced number of contextual variables (mainly the user’s location and platform). In this paper, we firstly re-conceptualize the notion of “context of use”, in order to consider the main characteristics of collaborative environments. Based on this new notion, we then design and implement a framework that allows application developers to specify the adaptability of groupware systems in terms of the state of activities, roles, collaborators’ location, available resources, and other typical variables of working groups. This framework has been generalized from scenarios that highlight dynamic situations presented in real collaborative settings. Finally, we validate our proposal by a set of applications that are able to adapt their user interface and functionality, when significant changes are produced in the environment, the working group, and/or the used devices.     

协同过滤推荐系统综述

随着互联网和信息计算的飞速发展,衍生了海量数据,我们已经进入信息爆炸的时代。网络中各种信息量的指数型增长导致用户想要从大量信息中找到自己需要的信息变得越来越困难,信息过载问题日益突出。推荐系统在缓解信息过载问题中起着非常重要的作用,该方法通过研究用户的兴趣偏好进行个性化计算,由系统发现用户兴趣进而引导用户发现自己的信息需求。目前,推荐系统已经成为产业界和学术界关注、研究的热点问题,应用领域十分广泛。在电子商务、会话推荐、文章推荐、智慧医疗等多个领域都有所应用。传统的推荐算法主要包括基于内容的推荐、协同过滤推荐以及混合推荐。其中,协同过滤推荐是推荐系统中应用最广泛最成功的技术之一。该方法利用用户或物品间的相似度以及历史行为数据对目标用户进行推荐,因此存在用户冷启动和项目冷启动问题。此外,随着信息量的急剧增长,传统协同过滤推荐系统面对数据的快速增长会遇到严重的数据稀疏性问题以及可扩展性问题。为了缓解甚至解决这些问题,推荐系统研究人员进行了大量的工作。近年来,为了提高推荐效果、提升用户满意度,学者们开始关注推荐系统的多样性问题以及可解释性等问题。由于深度学习方法可以通过发现数据中用户和项目之间的非线性关系从而学习一个有效的特征表示,因此越来越受到推荐系统研究人员的关注。目前的工作主要是利用评分数据、社交网络信息以及其他领域信息等辅助信息,结合深度学习、数据挖掘等技术提高推荐效果、提升用户满意度。对此,本文首先对推荐系统以及传统推荐算法进行概述,然后重点介绍协同过滤推荐算法的相关工作。包括协同过滤推荐算法的任务、评价指标、常用数据集以及学者们在解决协同过滤算法存在的问题时所做的工作以及努力。最后提出未来的几个可研究方向。