Antonios Michailidis

Comparative study on the effects of groupware and conventional technologies on the efficiency of collaborative writing

In this paper the concept of efficiency in collaborative writing is considered in detail and a definition of efficiency is proposed. The definition of efficiency leads to the development of a research framework that delineates five operational measures of efficiency: (a) writing activities efficiency, (b) coordination efficiency, (c) quality of output, (d) absence of breakdowns, and (e) satisfaction with group performance. A comparative study is subsequently presented on the effects that groupware and conventional technologies have on the effciency of collaborative writing. The hypothesis is advanced that groupware can improve the efficiency of collaborative writing over conventional technologies. The results seem to support the hypothesis and indicate that (a) the groupware system examined in this study (MUCH system) offers efficiency benefits in terms of coordination, (b) MUCH users tend to face communication breakdowns while users of conventional technologies tend to face task-related breakdowns, (c) the documents produced with MUCH are of higher content quality, more coherent, and of higher rhetorical effectiveness than the documents produced with conventional technologies, and (d) the comparison of MUCH with conventional technologies shows no significant difference in terms of their effects on group performance satisfaction.

A Study of Efficiency in Computer-Supported Collaborative Writing

SYNOPSIS 134

Collaborative development of courseware: Part Two — Computer-supported coordination

Abstract In order to produce courseware of a consistently high standard, a comprehensive methodology must be followed throughout the development process. This methodology can be formulated as a development lifecycle, ensuring that a uniform approach to courseware is taken. In a development group, there are complex interactions between group members. Without some formal organisation of the communication structures, development becomes non-uniform. Therefore, the roles of each team member must be clearly defined.

Educational perspectives in collaborative hypermedia

In education collaborative hypermedia complements the groupworking process and brings about innovations that make this process more effective. Collaborative hypermedia has been in use at the University of Liverpool for a number of years in the form of the MUCH (Many Using and Creating Hypermedia) system. This paper explores the appropriateness of collaborative hypermedia in teaching and peer assessment. Our experiences in using MUCH in teaching and peer assessment have revealed that students benefit from being responsible for their own learning and from assessing the work of their peers. The focus of the paper highlights how the new methodology fits into the work flow, the strategies and techniques that have been developed to adopt the new technology, and the potential of collaborative hypermedia to support teaching and peer assessment.

Applying Groupware Technologies to Support Management in Organizations

When group interaction takes place via computers (e.g. in organizations), then it is worth considering the effect of the computers on managers and on the environment in which they work. It is expected that proper information systems can be used to communicate effectively to the manager (as well as to the user generally) the information that is generated. Studies performed by members of our group have indicated that distributed group work requires new technologies that complement existing ones while maintaining the support that face-to-face provides by means of group meetings. Groupware is such a technology as it aims to support communication (information sharing and exchange) so that decision-making can be more informed and to assist with the coordination of collaborative group work to enhance cooperation. The provision of systems that make the management processes easier for organizations is one of the goals of groupware.

Collaborative Software Reuse Integrated into the Work Flow

Abstract Existing work patterns must be closely observed in developing a software reuse tool that is accepted. The results of the PRACTITIONER Project confirmed the significance of the understanding of an application domain and the human factors in the work flow. In this paper we present a model for collaborative software development in general and for software reuse in particular. This model takes an object-oriented approach and puts stress on the management side of the collaboration, such as the coordination embedded in the role allocation and automatic message passing. Experiments to validate the model are undergoing along with the redesigning of our hypermedia collaborative and reuse support system. Several examples are given to show how this model fits into the work flow.