E-Research

New Models for Collaborative Textual Scholarship

by Anna Jordanous

Co-authored with Mark Hedges (lead author), Stuart Dunn, Charlotte Roueche, Marc W. Küster, Thomas Selig, Michael Bittorf, Waldemar Artes.

Accepted for 6th IEEE Int. Conf. on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies for Complex Systems, Environment, and Service Engineering IEEE-DEST 2012.

Final version will be uploaded after editing is finished.

Researchers in digital humanities have for many years been producing online editions of texts based on TEI XML, a... more Researchers in digital humanities have for many years been producing online editions of texts based on TEI XML, a widely-adopted standard for marking up textual resources with semantic content. However, this has led to a certain isolation of information, the so-called ‘digital silo', and such modes of digital publication have not always made best use of the possibilities of digital technologies. The model is also challenged by the need to model texts that are by their very nature interconnected. The paper describes a collaborative environment of tools and techniques for working with texts that allows scholars to work with such highly- interconnected material.

Collaborative Yet Independent: Information Practices in the Physical Sciences

by Eric Meyer

RIN Report Series

In many ways, the physical sciences are at the forefront of using digital tools and methods to work with information... more In many ways, the physical sciences are at the forefront of using digital tools and methods to work with information and data. However, the fields and disciplines that make up the physical sciences are by no means uniform, and physical scientists find, use, and disseminate information in a variety of ways. This report examines information practices in the physical sciences across seven cases, and demonstrates the richly varied ways in which physical scientists work, collaborate, and share information and data.

This report details seven case studies in the physical sciences. For each case, qualitative interviews and focus groups were used to understand the domain. Quantitative data gathered from a survey of participants highlights different information strategies employed across the cases, and identifies important software used for research.

Finally, conclusions from across the cases are drawn, and recommendations are made. This report is the third in a series commissioned by the Research Information Network (RIN), each looking at information practices in a specific domain (life sciences, humanities, and physical sciences). The aim is to understand how researchers within a range of disciplines find and use information, and in particular how that has changed with the introduction of new technologies.

Report on Survey of Technology-Enhanced Research (TER) in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) projects.

by Anna Jordanous

2009. Co-authored with Richard Cox. Technical report for the TER strand of the EPSRC/ESRC-funded Technology And Learning Research Programme.

Final Report - Learning to Teach Online Project

by Simon McIntyre

Final Report of impact of the project for ALTC the funding body. The file is quite large, so please download the document from our website: http://online.cofa.unsw.edu.au/learning-to-teach-online/report

This final project report, completed for the funding body, the ALTC, analyses the outputs and impacts of the project... more This final project report, completed for the funding body, the ALTC, analyses the outputs and impacts of the project up until June 24, 2011 when the report was completed. Since that time, the project has continued to attract attention from educators all over the world, and as of 14 October 2011 when this report was released here, we are nearing 90,000 unique views of the episodes from all over the world (nearly 40,000 more views than when the report was written 4 months previously). We hope this will continue well into the future!

The final evaluative report examines:

The project output, outcomes and impact
- Project methodology
- Critical factors for project success
- The dissemination strategy employed
- Evaluation of the success of the project

Since its release, the Learning to Teach Online project has developed a reputation for providing quality, pedagogically sound and broadly applicable professional development resources relevant not only to the Australian higher education sector, but to other sectors around the world.

ISBN number 978-1-921856-70-9

(2010) Darch, P. & Carusi, A. Retaining volunteers in volunteer computing projects. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 13 September 2010 vol. 368 no. 1926 4177-4192

by Annamaria Carusi

(2010) Carusi, A. & Jirotka, M. Reshaping Research Collaboration: the case of Virtual Research Environments. In Dutton, W.H. and Jeffreys, P.W. World Wide Research: Reconfiguring Access to Information, Expertise and Experience in the Sciences and Humanities. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

by Annamaria Carusi

A researcher's perspective on electronic scholarly communication

by Elaine Lally

Online Information Review, 2001, Vol. 25, Iss. 2: 80-87

New information and communications technologies are transforming scholarly communication. This paper presents a... more New information and communications technologies are transforming scholarly communication. This paper presents a humanities and social sciences researcher's perspective on these changes. It is argued that researchers and research intermediaries need to find new ways of working together in order to understand and take full advantage of the emerging forms and media for scholarly communication.

PhD Thesis (Full Online Version) - AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE DRIVERS OF RE-SUBSCRIPTION IN MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAMES: A COMMITMENT TRUST THEORY APPROACH

by David Grundy

This is a relationship marketing PhD which is examining, using Commitment Trust Theory, the customer decision to... more This is a relationship marketing PhD which is examining, using Commitment Trust Theory, the customer decision to maintain subscribing to a massively multiplayer online game. This PhD is not an examination of initial purchase decision, but of the ongoing, post-purchase, customer retention. In keeping with the contextual nature of Commitment Trust Theory, this study examines the antecedents of the re-subscription decision and their effect on the key mediating variables of Commitment and Trust and modifies the framework to model the subscription based nature of the business situation and the context. The key contribution of this research to the literature is the application of the Commitment Trust framework to a customer’s ongoing relationship with a massively multiplayer online game entertainment product; a situation and context which has not been examined in the literature. An online questionnaire survey was used to collect a sample of data from 2226 massively multiplayer online game customers. This sample data was then analysed using Structural Equation Modelling to test the relationship hypotheses between the constructs proposed by Commitment Trust Theory. Furthermore, hypotheses examining the effect of relevant demographic and categorical variables upon the constructs of Commitment Trust Theory were also tested and analysed using appropriate statistical techniques. Evidence was found to support the Commitment Trust Theory framework in a massively multiplayer online game subscription situation, with the study’s model explaining 85.7% of the variance of the sample data, with evidence presented to support the key mediating variable approach to modelling the circumstances. The study, based on examining the effect size of the construct relationships using standardised regression weights then gives evidence that a more parsimonious model which reduces the number of constructs from 16 to six (a 70% reduction in complexity) would still produce a model explaining 85.3% of the variance of the sample data (a 0.4% loss in explanatory power). The study concludes that the key antecedent constructs in the sample for a customer’s renewal of an online gaming subscription are current satisfaction, past satisfaction, the amount of game capital they have within the game and the metagame benefits they derive from the game. The study supports a key mediating variable structure, but provides evidence that while Commitment and Trust are both relevant and statistically significant, a more efficient explanation examining the effect size of the relationships as well, would focus on the antecedents of Commitment rather than Trust, as Trust and its antecedents were not found to have a significant effect size on the overall decision to re-subscribe.

A STUDY OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION BY RESEARCHERS

by Nick Pearce

Using ePortfolios as a reflective teaching tool - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection

What do you think of this resource? Please click more What do you think of this resource? Please click http://svy.mk/e6BP1G to complete a quick survey.

Also watch the accompanying video for this episode http://bit.ly/koVNA2 from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

This case study examines how ePortfolios, used in conjunction with blogs, can encourage students to become more critically reflective learners. The benefits and challenges of using ePortfolios are discussed, along with strategies for providing sufficient technical and pedagogical support, to enable teachers and students to confidently use the technology as a collaborative learning tool.

Papyrological Investigations: Transferring Perception and Interpretation into the Digital World

by Ségolène Tarte

Literary and Linguistic Computing, (Special Issue on Digital Objects) vol 26, number 2, pp. 233-247 June 2011

Deciphering ancient and damaged documents is a complex investigative task that papyrologists routinely undertake to... more Deciphering ancient and damaged documents is a complex investigative task that papyrologists routinely undertake to extract meaning from the script.
Perception and interpretation play an essential role.
In this paper, we present methods for transferring to the digital world some of the processes that experts draw upon when interpreting a text, with the ultimate aim of constructing an Interpretation Support System (ISS) for papyrologists.
Image-capture and image-processing approaches that reflect real-world perceptual processes have been implemented.
In addition, we propose an expansion of a previously built model of papyrological reading and transcription.
We make explicit some of the implicit processes involved in an interpretation effort, using an example where papyrologists developed hypotheses for the identification of a puzzling letter form.
Two distinct yet not mutually exclusive approaches to the interpretation task have been identified: the kinaesthetic/palaeographical strategy and the cruciverbalistic/philological strategy.
The ISS will have to facilitate both approaches.
Mechanisms triggering the emergence of working hypotheses of interpretation, which we call percepts, have also been pinpointed; they include skilled vision, scholarly expectations, aspect shifting and local-global oscillations.
Working hypotheses being triggered by such mechanisms can then be exposed as an explicit network of sourced percepts; these mechanisms also confer a qualitative well-foundedness to the percepts and hence help us to retrace and assess the rationale leading to a specific interpretation.

Digitizing the Act of Papyrological Interpretation: Negotiating Spurious Exactitude and Genuine Uncertainty

by Ségolène Tarte

Literary and Linguistic Computing, (Special Issue Papers from Digital Humanities 2010, King's College, London) vol 26, number 3, pp. 349-358
September 2011

Digital papyrology encompasses artefact digitization and digital support for its interpretation. Digitization is never... more Digital papyrology encompasses artefact digitization and digital support for its interpretation. Digitization is never neutral, and this paper presents how, within the e-Science and Ancient Documents project (eSAD), we are developing a software tool that strives to support the act of interpretation whilst both avoiding spurious exactitude and allowing genuine uncertainty. We first assert that digitization is both sampling {\sl and} interpreting. Our model of papyrological interpretation thus takes on board the types of expertise that papyrologists draw onto while interpreting ancient and scarcely legible documents. Mimesis serving as a guiding principle, we present how we digitize our text-bearing artefacts (in particular incised documents), taking into account the real-world strategies of the experts. We then argue that, throughout the interpretation process, uncertainty plays a key role, which we illustrate with the example of a Roman stylus tablet that was interpreted twice ninety-two years apart. To allow the expression of uncertainty, we show how mimesis is again our design strategy: our tool aims to enable the experts to trace the text --a strategy we observed them deploying; further it will support reasoning about hypotheses of interpretation by setting an epistemological framework in which pieces of evidence towards hypotheses of interpretation can be evaluated as in crossword puzzle solving --another expert strategy.

Using online environments for teaching large classes - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Karin Watson & Simon McIntyre as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection

When teaching larger classes, an online environment can provide many opportunities for increased student engagement,... more When teaching larger classes, an online environment can provide many opportunities for increased student engagement, group work and self testing. In this case study Professor Alan Crosky, from the University of New South Wales,  explains how he uses a blended learning approach in his Engineering Materials and Chemistry course with 700 first year students. He highlights the importance of providing student orientation and support when first introducing an online component, and discusses the benefits of integrating online tutorials and resources, group work, peer assessment and self-testing into the course.

Online teamwork and collaboration

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Karin Watson & Simon McIntyre as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

While developing effective teamwork and collaboration skills are considered important to the learning process, many... more While developing effective teamwork and collaboration skills are considered important to the learning process, many students find group work challenging and difficult. In this episode we explore how Internet technologies can improve the collaborative process within online teamwork, and offer some useful strategies for facilitation and assessment.

Using audio feedback in your teaching- Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. While the context of this case study... more This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. While the context of this case study is in art and design, the use of audio files for giving students feedback is applicable to any discipline or almost any type of student work, even in 100% face-to-face classes. This case study will examine some of the motivations for adopting the use of audio feedback, the benefits for students and teachers, and some key considerations to keep in mind.

Using online lectures to support active learning - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This case study examines how technology can be used to support an active learning strategy within face-to- face... more This case study examines how technology can be used to support an active learning strategy within face-to- face Chemistry classes. Both in-class polling software and online lectures are used as part of a comprehensive teaching strategy, designed to enable students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. While in- class polling is not an online process, it is included within this case study to highlight how different types of technology can be used together to effectively support classroom teaching, when integrated with a carefully considered pedagogical approach.

Using Blogs for peer feedback and discussion - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This case study aims to describe how a blog was used in one particular teaching context to promote peer- to-peer... more This case study aims to describe how a blog was used in one particular teaching context to promote peer- to-peer interaction, feedback and discussion. While the case study does examine one particular teaching application of a blog, the principles discussed can just as easily be applied to any teaching situation where the ability for individuals to chronologically record a learning process, collate different learning resources such
as text, video and audio, and increased peer feedback or discussion between students is desired. This episode will examine the context, planning and teaching within the case study, and highlight any issues that were encountered, and benefits that make this type of online teaching worthwhile.

Understanding Creative Commons - Case Study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Karin Watson & Simon McIntyre as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This episode explains the basics of creative commons. We examine some of the different license terms and combinations,... more This episode explains the basics of creative commons. We examine some of the different license terms and combinations, and offer some insights into which might be better suited for educational purposes. We also discuss how to generate your own creative commons license and what to do when your work is not attributed by others.

Online discussions in maths teacher education - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This case study examines the use of online asynchronous discussions as part of a large professional practice class for... more This case study examines the use of online asynchronous discussions as part of a large professional practice class for primary mathematics teachers. Online forums within Blackboard are used to host discussions about video lectures, support assessments and to enable students to ask questions and receive advice about content. The realities of managing large scale online discussions are discussed, along with strategies for effective facilitation.

Creating eBooks for distance education - Case study

by Simon McIntyre

Written by Simon McIntyre & Karin Watson as part of the 'Learning to Teach Online' Collection http://bit.ly/d18ac5

This case study examines the use of eBooks and eReaders as an extension of the usual Blackboard Learning Management... more This case study examines the use of eBooks and eReaders as an extension of the usual Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). This initiative was undertaken as part of the DUCKLING research project (Delivering University Curricula: Knowledge, Learning and Innovation Gains) conducted by the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the University of Leicester in the UK. While the context of this study involves distance students, using electronic books can have applications in any discipline where students are required to undertake a significant amount of reading. This case study discusses some advantages of using eBooks, and outlines the process involved in creating and uploading them to an eReader device.