Search Results (12)

With the widespread availability and pervasiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in many application areas across the globe, the role of crowdsourcing has seen an upsurge in terms of importance for scaling up data-driven algorithms in rapid cycles through a relatively low-cost distributed workforce or even on a volunteer basis. However, there is a lack of systematic and empirical examination of the interplay among the processes and activities combining crowd-machine hybrid interaction. To uncover the enduring aspects characterizing the human-centered AI design space when involving ensembles of crowds and algorithms and their symbiotic relations and requirements, a Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) lens strongly rooted in the taxonomic tradition of conceptual scheme development is taken with the aim of aggregating and characterizing some of the main component entities in the burgeoning domain of hybrid crowd-AI centered systems. The goal of this article is thus to propose a theoretically grounded and empirically validated analytical framework for the study of crowd-machine interaction and its environment. Based on a scoping review and several cross-sectional analyses of research studies comprising hybrid forms of human interaction with AI systems and applications at a crowd scale, the available literature was distilled and incorporated into a unifying framework comprised of taxonomic units distributed across integration dimensions that range from the original time and space axes in which every collaborative activity take place to the main attributes that constitute a hybrid intelligence architecture. The upshot is that when turning to the challenges that are inherent in tasks requiring massive participation, novel properties can be obtained for a set of potential scenarios that go beyond the single experience of a human interacting with the technology to comprise a vast set of massive machine-crowd interactions. Full article

In many popular songs, lyrics are an important element. The act of collaborative lyric writing by multiple people may produce richer ideas than creative acts by individuals. However, if all members of a songwriting group do not accurately share the elements which are considered to be important in songwriting (i.e., story, character, viewpoint, and line of sight), then it would be difficult for ideas to diverge and converge, which is important in a creative act. In the present paper, we propose a collaborative lyric conception support method, which consists of lyric divergence support using a lyric association map (LAM) based on radial thinking in mind mapping and lyric convergence support using an enumeration of lyric candidate sentences created from the conceived lyric candidates. The visualization of the process of conception in a group facilitates the association, sharing, examination, and consideration of lyrics. Full article

Extensive research has outlined the potential of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality applications. However, little attention has been paid to scalability enhancements fostering practical adoption. In this paper, we introduce the concept of scalable extended reality (XR${}^S$), i.e., spaces scaling between different displays and degrees of virtuality that can be entered by multiple, possibly distributed users. The development of such XR${}^S$ spaces concerns several research fields. To provide bidirectional interaction and maintain consistency with the real environment, virtual reconstructions of physical scenes need to be segmented semantically and adapted dynamically. Moreover, scalable interaction techniques for selection, manipulation, and navigation as well as a world-stabilized rendering of 2D annotations in 3D space are needed to let users intuitively switch between handheld and head-mounted displays. Collaborative settings should further integrate access control and awareness cues indicating the collaborators’ locations and actions. While many of these topics were investigated by previous research, very few have considered their integration to enhance scalability. Addressing this gap, we review related previous research, list current barriers to the development of XR${}^S$ spaces, and highlight dependencies between them. Full article

Through a series of projects carried out by the Computer–Human Interaction and COllaboration (CHICO) group of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, some proposals are presented to improve the current e-Learning systems by making use of different paradigms of human-computer interaction. Synchronous and asynchronous collaborative systems, ubiquitous computing, and augmented reality can improve the current learning environments. The use of artificial intelligence mechanisms for both learner support and assessment complements these techniques. Emphasis is also placed on the use of automatic application generation techniques using models. Full article

This meta-analysis examines the studies on groupware published between the years 2010 and 2020. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the distribution of studies in terms of publication year, time–space matrix category, targeted sectors, research methods, and the academic field of the journals that published these studies. Although groupware played a significant role in communication, collaboration, and coordination of users in various collaborative work conditions and sectors, the majority of studies focused on asynchronous and distributed collaborative work environments in the software engineering field, and the research method preferred was design science. Full article

One of the important issues that computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) and human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers want to solve through cooperative system design is the improvement of performance. The same is true for virtual learning environments. The role and importance of technology in education have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the need to explore factors that influence social and academic efficacy in virtual environments has increased based on the explosion in online virtual teaching environments and virtual conference apps. Based on the theoretical description of group cohesion for the purpose of enhancing further collaboration, this paper asks what role group cohesion plays and how significant it is to group efficacy and performance in virtual learning environments, and also whether a sense of social presence in a virtual learning environment plays a significant role in optimizing group cohesion and, thus, group performance. Experimental studies were conducted on a total of 121 people consisting of 35 virtual learning groups. Results show that a sense of social presence has a positive effect on group efficacy, and that the adjustment effect of social presence has significant positive effects on group cohesion and group efficacy. This study provides a theoretical and empirical basis for the design of methods that can maximize positive effects in support of group learning and collaboration in virtual learning environments. Full article

Hyperscanning is a technique which simultaneously records the neural activity of two or more people. This is done using one of several neuroimaging methods, such as electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The use of hyperscanning has seen a dramatic rise in recent years to monitor social interactions between two or more people. Similarly, there has been an increase in the use of virtual reality (VR) for collaboration, and an increase in the frequency of social interactions being carried out in virtual environments (VE). In light of this, it is important to understand how interactions function within VEs, and how they can be enhanced to improve their quality in a VE. In this paper, we present some of the work that has been undertaken in the field of social neuroscience, with a special emphasis on hyperscanning. We also cover the literature detailing the work that has been carried out in the human–computer interaction domain that addresses remote collaboration. Finally, we present a way forward where these two research domains can be combined to explore how monitoring the neural activity of a group of participants in VE could enhance collaboration among them. Full article

This paper analyzes work activity in the home, e.g., cleaning, performed by two actors, a human and a robot. Nowadays, there are attempts to automate this activity through the use of robots. However, the activity of cleaning, in and of itself, is not important; it is used instrumentally to understand if and how robots can be integrated within current and future homes. The theoretical framework of the paper is based on empirical work collected as part of the Multimodal Elderly Care Systems (MECS) project. The study proposes a framework for the division of work tasks between humans and robots. The framework is anchored within existing research and our empirical findings. Swim-lane diagrams are used to visualize the tasks performed (WHAT), by each of the two actors, to ascertain the tasks’ temporality (WHEN), and their distribution and transitioning from one actor to the other (WHERE). The study presents the framework of various dimensions of work tasks, such as the types of work tasks, but also the temporality and spatiality of tasks, illustrating linear, parallel, sequential, and distributed tasks in a shared or non-shared space. The study’s contribution lies in its foundation for analyzing work tasks that robots integrated into or used in the home may generate for humans, along with their multimodal interactions. Finally, the framework can be used to visualize, plan, and design work tasks for the human and for the robot, respectively, and their work division. Full article

The design and creation of groupware tools is a complex task that usually requires the participation of different stakeholders (software engineers, designers, etc.), either working at the same time or collaborating asynchronously. This paper describes an innovative model-driven development process to support the collaborative modeling of group learning applications, as well as the Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool that technologically supports it, the Learning Collaborative Interactive Applications Tool (Learn-CIAT) graphical editor. In its development, we applied technologies integrated within the Eclipse platform. The processes and tools described in this paper supply an important contribution to systematize the design and development of these kinds of applications. Full article

Real-time collaborative programming is an emerging approach that supports a team of programmers to view and edit shared source code at the same time. Each programmer can edit any part of the source code, and changes become instantly visible at other collaborating sites. With a broad range of application scenarios and benefits, real-time collaborative programming has attracted increasing interest from academia and industry. Lightweight integrated development environments (lightweight IDEs) have rapidly grown in popularity in the recent years, but there are serious problems and limitations with existing real-time collaboration support for lightweight IDEs. In this study, we contribute a novel real-time collaborative programming environment named CoVSCode that supports unconstrained and flexible real-time collaboration based on Visual Studio Code, one of the most popular and widely used lightweight IDEs. We present design objectives and rationales, the workflow and functional design from collaborating programmers’ perspectives, major technical issues and solutions, and prototype implementation, as well as a set of experimental evaluations that have demonstrated the technical feasibility and good performance of the prototype system. All approaches, techniques and solutions derived in this work are generic, which can also be applied in building real-time collaborative programming environments for other lightweight IDEs. Full article

The present case study looked into the feasibility of using brain–computer interface (BCI) technology combined with computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) in a wireless network. We had two objectives; first, to test the wireless BCI-based configuration and the practical use of this idea we assessed workload perception in participants located several kilometers apart taking part in the same drawing task. Second, we studied the cortical activation patterns of participants performing the drawing task with and without the BCI technology. Results showed higher mental workload perception and broader cortical activation (frontal-temporal-occipital) under BCI experimental conditions. This idea shows a possible application of BCI research in the social field, where two or more users could engage in a computer networking task using BCI technology over the internet. New research avenues for CSCW are discussed and possibilities for future research are given. Full article

This paper focuses on the process of translating insights from a Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)-based study, conducted on a vessel at sea, into a model that can assist systems developers working with simulators, which are used by vessel operators for training purposes on land. That is, the empirical study at sea brought about rich insights into cooperation, which is important for systems developers to know about and consider in their designs. In the paper, we establish a model that primarily consists of a ‘computational artifact’. The model is designed to support researchers working with systems developers. Drawing on marine examples, we focus on the translation process and investigate how the model serves to visualize work activities; how it addresses relations between technical and computational artifacts, as well as between functions in technical systems and functionalities in cooperative systems. In turn, we link design back to fieldwork studies. Full article