John T. Nosek

The case for collaborative programming

T eam programming usually means coordinating efforts of individual programmers who divide up the programming tasks for a large, complex system. Collaborative programming is used here to mean two programmers working jointly on the same algorithm and code. Previous research indicates that student programmers working collaboratively outperformed individual programmers. A follow-up field experiment was conducted using experienced programmers who worked on a challenging problem important to their organization, in their own environments, and with their own equipment. To the surprise of the managers and participants, all the teams outperformed the individual programmers, enjoyed the problem-solving process more, and had greater confidence in their solutions.

Expanding the Boundaries of E-Collaboration

This article provides an introduction to the special issue on Expanding the Boundaries of E-Collaboration. It presents an operational definition of the term e-collaboration, and a historical review of the development of e-collaboration tools and related academic research. That is followed by an introductory development of the notion of e-collaboration boundaries. The article concludes with a summarized discussion of the articles published in the special issue.

The benefits of collaboration for student programmers

Au experiment is described which supports the proposition that collaborative work can benefit problem-solving performance required in progr amming tasks typical of first year university level computing courses. The experimental results suggest that it may be worthwhile to find ways to integrate collaborative activities early into the computing curriculum.

A comparison of formal knowledge representation schemes as communication tools; predicate logic vs semantic network

An experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of two popular knowledge representation schemes as communication vehicles between the human expert and the knowledge engineer. Validation by the human expert of the knowledge encapsulated depends upon how well the expert understands and interprets a representation scheme. A between-group experiment was conducted. Each group received two treatments of the same representation technique, with the second treatment slightly more complex that the first. All the scores for the Semantic Network representations were higher than that obtained for the Predicate Logic representations; and the Semantic Network were clearly better for comprehension and conceptualization tasks. The results demonstrate some of the weaknesses of Predicate Logic and some of the strenths of Semantic Networks as communication tools during the validation process.

Effects of information system education and training on user satisfaction: an empirical evaluation

Abstract This study links end-user computer education to user satisfaction. A questionnaire was designed and employed to evaluate the impact of education and training on user information satisfaction. The subjects, who are employed in a variety of organizations, were queried prior to and after having completed a specially designed course in the management of information systems. After the educational experience, an increase in total user satisfaction was perceived by the subjects. The study demonstrates, however, that the connection between total satisfaction and education must be qualified by the caliber of the services rendered by Information Systems (IS) and the quality of the information product.

A comparison of the decision table and tree

T he decision table and decision tree are essential tools for systems analysts ([6], [12]). These decision aids are used by systems analysts in depict ing conditional logic for p rogrammers and in validating this logic with the user. In addition, many authors recommend the decision table and tree as useful aids in decision making ([4, 11, 14, 21, 22]). The effectiveness of the decision aids is de te rmined by their ability to help in the unders tanding of conditional logic. The i r relative effectiveness in facilitating such understanding however, has previously not been subject to p rope r empirical testing. Our research concerns the effectiveness of the decision table and tree in the user interface (i.e., we are interested in their relative effectiveness as communicat ion tools in user validation of conditional logic and as decision aids in problem solving). Since these aids are normally applied in a specific context involving the users, we use a computer investment game that requires their use for decision making. A key feature of our research is the use of this computer game to promote highly motivated and engaged subjects. The comparison of graphs and tables in their effect on interpretation accuracy [ 17] and their performance in the user interface ([20, 23, 24]), and the studies on graphs and their effects on decision-making ([1, 18]) are topics related to our research. However, the comparison of the table and tree at the user interface has not been examined. Thus, our research becomes significant.

The Effect of Pairs in Program Design Tasks

Pair programming involves-two developers simultaneously collaborating with each other on the same programming task to design and code a solution. Algorithm design and its implementation are normally interwoven in that implementation often provides feedback to enhance the design. Previous controlled pair programming experiments did not explore the efficacy of pairs versus individuals in program design-related tasks separately from coding. Variations in programmer skills in a particular language or an integrated development environment and the understanding of programming instructions can mask the skill of subjects in program design-related tasks. Programming aptitude tests (PATs) have been shown to correlate with programming performance. PATs do not require understanding of programming instructions and do not require a skill in any specific computer language. Two controlled experiments were conducted, with full-time professional programmers being the subjects who worked on increasingly complex programming aptitude tasks related to problem solving and algorithmic design. In both experiments, pairs significantly outperformed individuals, providing evidence of the value of pairs in program design-related tasks.

Group cognition as a basis for supporting group knowledge creation and sharing

This paper explores how group cognition can provide a basis for understanding knowledge creation and sharing that does not depend on the assumption of extant internal representations that filter sense‐data. Literature from a wide variety of disciplines is synthesized to provide an ecologically‐oriented model of group cognition. Group cognition means moving away from idiosyncratic, subjective mental models of the world to the notion that agents with similar capacities to act can potentially discern similar action possibilities in the world. It changes the direction from discovery and alignment of mental models to selectivity calibration and informational structure sharing. “What one thinks” at a given moment is dependent on boundary objects available at the moment that predominately originate with human actors. Therefore, in this way, one’s cognition is predominately group cognition. Based on the breadth of the topic, this paper must be considered a work‐in‐progress, a snapshot of the exploration of such a complex subject. It provides an alternate view of knowledge creation and sharing as the basis for incorporating more effective collaboration functionality into technologies that support joint work. This paper challenges long‐held views of extant internal representations that filter sense‐data and offers a radically different ecological‐based model of group cognition.

A field examination of system life cycle techniques and methodologies

There is a myriad of system development methodologies, techniques, and tools that have been developed ever since businesses started using computers for information processing. However, there is no real consensus on the aptness or applicability of these methods. There are proponents and critics of each method, and different organizations use different methods. This article identifies many of the system development methods in use today. It, then, empirically assesses these methods on a comprehensive set of attributes. It also makes a contingency analysis of the applicability of the methods based on system life cycle stage, system type, and problem structure. These results should serve as a valuable set of inputs in method selection for system development.

User validation of information system requirements: some empirical results

While validation of user requirements has become an important goal for information system designers, little empirical research has been done in this area. Many methodologies have been presented as the best procedures for achieving user validation of design. An attempt is made to consider four of these methodologies in four different experimental settings. In the four experiments, the following treatments were examined: HIPO (hierarchy plus input, process, and output) vs. system flowcharts; DFD (data-flow diagram) narrative; DFD vs. Warnier-Orr diagrams; and DFD vs. HIPO. The main result of all four experiments was that choice of design methodology had no effect on the level of user understanding of system requirements. >