Ioannis A. Tsoukalas

Applying participatory design and collaboration in digital public services for discovering and re-designing e-Government services

Abstract E-Government projects are currently service oriented, focusing on the implementation and diffusion of digital public services through one-stop points of access for citizens. E-Government strategic plans are political, directed at cost and time minimization during the execution of public services, and they do not take into account citizen needs or public administration operating procedures. Although these plans have led to the development of projects that have succeeded in cost and time savings for both citizens and public administration, surveys conducted around the world show that users evaluate digital public services and do not hesitate to return to traditional methods rather than using digital channels to transact with the public administration again; neither would they recommend the use of digital services to others. This article presents collaborative and participatory tools and methods designed to exploit the knowledge and experience of public servants in the improvement and execution of custom and non-automated public services. Collaborative tools can succeed in the development of real one-stop shops for e-Government, while on the other hand they can encourage both citizens and civil servants to participate in the e-Government era.

Designing educational software with students through collaborative design games: The We!Design&Play framework

In this paper, we present a framework for the development of collaborative design games that can be employed in participatory design sessions with students for the design of educational applications. The framework is inspired by idea generation theory and the design games literature, and guides the development of board games which, through the use of adequate stimuli, rules and props, facilitate students in extracting and expressing their needs, desires and prospects regarding future educational software. To evaluate the proposed framework three studies were conducted. The first study aimed at the design of a web learning platform with the participation of 62 undergraduate higher education students in 13 design sessions; in the second study, a structured design approach was employed (12 sessions, 54 students) with the same design objective for comparison reasons; in the third study, the framework was deployed for the design of an electronic assessment application so as to examine its applicability in different learning domains (8 design sessions, 28 students). Students were very positive regarding both their participation and experience with the design games, and the needs elicited. The games favored a quick, broad exploration of the design space and facilitated the elicitation of numerous diverse needs and ideas, almost twice as many as produced by the structured approach. They also facilitated the creation of an informal atmosphere and limited the effects of common social influences on idea generation, such as social loafing, evaluation apprehension and production blocking. The three studies indicated that the proposed framework may simplify the development and employment of effective and efficient participatory design sessions in educational settings.

On the use of adaptive instructional images based on the sequential–global dimension of the Felder–Silverman learning style theory

An adaptive educational system that uses adaptive presentation is presented. In this system fragments of different images present the same content and the system can choose the one most relevant to the user based on the sequential–global dimension of Felder–Silvermans learning style theory. In order to retrieve the learning style of each student the Felder–Soloman ILS questionnaire is used. A prototype adaptive educational system was developed and pilot tested. Evaluation of the prototype system was based on the USE questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using the results of the ILS questionnaire, as well as using the results of USE questionnaires completed by students in order to evaluate the pilot application of the prototype adaptive educational system. The results of the statistical analysis are presented and conclusions for future development of adaptive educational systems are discussed.

The Implementation Model of a Digital City. The Case Study of the Digital City of Trikala, Greece: e-Trikala

ABSTRACT E-Government is being developed according to Government strategic plans. These plans constitute a framework for digital public services that will benefit both citizens and public administration. The Digital City can support e-Govemment evolution by offering a global environment for public transactions. The Digital Citys definition is extended to “the global Information Environment, focusing on the needs of a city area.” Moreover, the Digital City comprises a new virtual environment, which administers others-in either the private or public sector-where both marketing and social aspects must be administered and support public benefit. In this paper both the contribution of the Digital City to e-Government and the development methodology of the Digital City of Trikala, Greece (e-Trikala), are presented. The methodology shows the procedure by which the Digital City forms an e-Government environment, offering more than administrating services. Furthermore, the methodology can be considered as a general implementation model for developing similar municipal-area environments for e-Government. The model adopts participatory design issues, while on the other hand some relative considerations are analyzed.

Privacy and Anonymity in the Information Society – Challenges for the European Union

Electronic information is challenging traditional views on property and privacy. The explosion of digital data, driven by novel web applications, social networking, and mobile devices makes data security and the protection of privacy increasingly difficult. Furthermore, biometric data and radiofrequency identification applications enable correlations that are able to trace our cultural, behavioral, and emotional states. The concept of privacy in the digital realm is transformed and emerges as one of the biggest risks facing todays Information Society. In this context, the European Union (EU) policy-making procedures strive to adapt to the pace of technological advancement. The EU needs to improve the existing legal frameworks for privacy and data protection. It needs to work towards a “privacy by education” approach for the empowerment of “privacy-literate” European digital citizens.

iArgue: A Web-Based Argumentation System Supporting Collaboration Scripts with Adaptable Fading

In this work we present the architecture of a Web-based system for argumentation (iArgue) that couples collaboration scripts with argumentation. The system takes into account latest research on collaboration scripts and implements script mechanisms for fading, rotation and repetition. The main goal of building this system is to investigate the fading mechanism and its impact on micro-script internalization and acquisition of argumentation skills.

Using digital video as an asynchronous method of instruction

We examine the use of digital video as a method of instruction. The applied method uses digital video files, which demonstrate the task that has to be performed from the student in order to complete a given task. This asynchronous method of instruction is examined by using a questionnaire completed from students who used this method.

A cross border collaboration environment, as a means for offering online public services and for evaluating the performance of public executives

Current e-government systems offer only a few digital public services. Additionally, studies carried out around the world show that citizens who have used digital means to access the public administration prefer the traditional methods for their transactions with government agencies. Two surveys carried out in Greece show that citizens feel more confident when civil servants handle their affairs. These results could lead to the re-designation of e-government platforms, so that public executives could be involved in the execution of digital public services. In this paper a concept of a collaboration system is presented, as the proper environment that unifies distributed agencies, maps all available human resource in the public administration, shares processes equally to equivalent agencies and evaluates the performance of public executives.

Teaching a Computer Science Course using Adaptable Instructional Images

In this paper, we use adaptable instructional digital images. The images used are the result of screen capture. These images illustrate the specific use of a spreadsheet software package in order to complete a given task. This task consists from several parts, and for these parts the corresponding images are given in different versions. Each version is using a different amount of details for the same part of the task. The task is accessible to the students through a single html file hosted on a web site, available through an Intranet. Via this web site students choose their preferable “knowledge path” (that is: the choice of image files they make in order to view the whole task). In the experimental course set, there are 3 steps where students choose between 2 versions for each, giving altogether 8 different choices (knowledge paths) that a student can choose from.

Bridging the contextual distance: the e-CASE learning environment for supporting students’ context awareness

Supporting students’ awareness of the complex way that contextual issues affect knowledge application in authentic situations is a critical instructional mission and can lead to improved problem solving in the workplace. In this work we present the design of e-CASE (Context Awareness Supporting Environment), which is a case based learning environment for supporting instruction in the domain of software development. In designing e-CASE we employ a model for context which further guides the use of script and narrative control techniques as external representations for enhancing students’ context awareness. Our system applies an appropriate metadata scheme for connecting various pieces of information and creating crossing paths for the learner, in the web of authentic application cases. It also provides functionality for updating and extending its content allowing people from the workplace to become content providers. Thus, we argue, e-CASE can help bridging the contextual distance, supporting the development of an extended learning community by establishing flexible and instructionally efficient links between the traditional educational settings and the workplace.