Aparecido Fabiano Pinatti de Carvalho

Can Common Sense uncover cultural differences in computer applications

Cultural differences play a very important role in matching computer interfaces to the expectations of users from different national and cultural backgrounds. But to date, there has been little systematic research as to the extent of such differences, and how to produce software that automatically takes into account these differences. We are studying these issues using a unique resource: Common Sense knowledge bases in different languages. Our research points out that this kind of knowledge can help computer systems to consider cultural differences. We describe our experiences with knowledge bases containing thousands of sentences describing people and everyday activities, collected from volunteer Web contributors in three different cultures: Brazil, Mexico and the USA, and software which automatically searches for cultural differences amongst the three cultures, alerting the user to potential differences.

Planning Learning Activities Pedagogically Suitable by Using Common Sense Knowledge

This paper illustrates the use of common sense knowledge, acquired from volunteers through the web, to support teachers to plan learning activities, which fit to pedagogical issues presented in renowned Learning Theories, so that effective learning can take place. It is approached in this paper how common sense knowledge is related to four Learning Theories, proposed by authors who are aware in the pedagogical area – Freire, Freinet, Ausubel and Gagné – and how computational technologies can make viable the use of this kind of knowledge by professors.

Learning activities on health care supported by common sense knowledge

This paper discusses how common sense knowledge can be used by teachers for planning Learning Activities on health care. Using common sense statements which were automatically collected, we are developing software that can be used to support the teaching and learning process, in a more contextualized form. When teachers consider the knowledge that learners already have, taking into account their common sense knowledge, they can devote their attention to correcting misconceptions, covering ignored topics and avoiding the obvious. Also teachers can consider the common sense knowledge from a group of interest, preparing learners to interact with this group by calling their attention to topics which might be discussed with the group. Through the experiment described here, we demonstrate that common sense can be useful to support the nursing education process, helping teachers to develop learning activities on the health care domain.

Using common sense to recognize cultural differences

This work focuses on evaluating whether cultural differences can be recognized in knowledge bases that store common sense. We are studying this issue using knowledge bases in different languages that contain thousands of sentences describing people and everyday activities, collected from volunteer Web contributors, in three different cultures: Brazil, Mexico and the USA. We describe our experiences with these knowledge bases, and software which automatically searches for cultural differences amongst the three cultures taking into account the eating habits of those cultures, alerting the user to potential differences. Though preliminary, we hope that our work will contribute to software that takes better account of such differences, and fosters inter-cultural collaboration.

Improving Human-Computer Interaction by Developing Culture-Sensitive Applications Based on Common Sense Knowledge

The advent of Web 3.0, claiming for personalization in interactive systems (Lassila & Hendler, 2007), and the need for systems capable of interacting in a more natural way in the future society flooded with computer systems and devices (Harper et al., 2008) show that great advances in HCI should be done. This chapter presents some contributions of LIA for the future of HCI, defending that using common sense knowledge is a possibility for improving HCI, especially because people assign meaning to their messages based on their common sense and, therefore, the use of this knowledge in developing user interfaces can make them more intuitive to the end-user. Moreover, as common sense knowledge varies from group to group of people, it can be used for developing applications capable of giving different feedback for different target groups, as the applications presented along this chapter illustrate, allowing, in this way, interface personalization taking into account cultural issues. For the purpose of using common sense knowledge in the development and design of computer systems, it is necessary to provide an architecture that allows it. This chapter presents LIAs approaches for common sense knowledge acquisition, representation and use, as well as for natural language processing, contributing with those ones who intent to get into this challenging world to get started.

A common sense-based on-line assistant for training employees

We present a prototype of an on-line assistant to support a training course about workspace safety issues. The application uses a common sense reasoning engine and the Brazilian Open Mind common sense knowledge base, to make inferences about concepts that might be unfamiliar to the students. We explore the use of metaphors and analogies to explain topics, enhancing learning by using similarities to help students associate related topics. We believe that common sense can be used to take into account cultural considerations while helping learners to build analogies. A survey of students showed that they considered analogies useful in the learning process, that the system was helpful in understanding new concepts, and that it helped connect the information searched for with common sense knowledge.

Bridging the gap among cultures: the challenge faced by teachers on producing content for computer-aided education

Considering computer-aided education, the creation of educational content is still a hard task for teachers. Computational tools are necessary to support authors in creating suitable material for learners from different cultures, allowing effective learning. Aiming to help teachers with such hard task of generating contextualized content to stimulate learners from different places and communities to engage into their own apprenticeship, it has been under development a computational tool called Cognitor, a content editor supported by cultural knowledge expressed on common sense. This paper presents a usability test on Cognitor and discusses preliminary evaluations on it.

Detailing a Spectrum of Motivational Forces Shaping Nomadic Practices

Recent CSCW research has shown that nomadicity can be seen as a dynamic process that emerges as people engage with practices supporting them in the mobilisation of their workplace to accomplish work in and across different locations. This paper elaborates on the emergent aspects of the process by detailing a spectrum of motivational and contextual forces that surround and shape nomadic practices. The paper contributes to existing CSCW literature on nomadicity and extends it by articulating the complex intersections of motive and context that shape nomadic practices. The findings that the paper presents emerged from an ethnographic study of a group of academics and their nomadic work/life practices.

Collaboration and coordination in the context of informal care (CCCiC 2014)

Past and current research studies recurrently acknowledge the relevance of technological developments to support informal caregivers with their activities and responsibilities. These studies highlight the demands associated with caregiving and suggest that further research in the area is needed to better understand such demands and to figure out more effective ways for technologies to support people who deal with them. In Europe, especial attention has been dedicated to informal caregivers for the past few years, due to indicators showing that more than 80% of the care for frail and old people, one of the major groups of care receivers in the region, is informally provided by family members and friends. The same scenario can be found across different continents, corroborating the relevance of the subject. Therefore, this workshop seeks contributions exploring issues of collaboration and coordination in the context of informal care. Early stage research studies in the area as well as contributions exploring the design and evaluation of computer technologies for it are most welcome.

Collaborative Work and Its Relationship to Technologically-Mediated Nomadicity

This paper explores the relationship between technologically-mediated nomadicity (Tm-N) and issues of computer supported collaborative work. It presents findings from a four-year research project, which set out to investigate issues of Tm-N in academic settings. The findings herein presented support the argument that Tm-N can be seen as a dynamic and emergent process, which unfolds through the enactment of an ecology of practices and permeates both the work and non-work dimension of the lives of those whose jobs allow or demand some flexibility as to when and where work assignments should be carried out. The main contributions of the paper are: (i) a holistic and in-depth frame to understanding technologically-mediated nomadicity, which provides a more fine-grained and nuanced account of assorted aspects of the notion, and (ii) an analysis on how collaborative activities and computer-mediated remote interactions are related to the spectrum of motivational forces that people draw on to engage in nomadicity.