The Virtual Collaborator - A Definition and Research Agenda

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 24-43
Author(s):  
Dominik Siemon ◽  
Timo Strohmann ◽  
Susanne Robra-Bissantz
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Work ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Research Endeavor

The interdisciplinary research endeavor of computer-supported collaborative work has already investigated information technology that supports collaboration. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), new forms of collaboration need to be considered that involve AI as an active partner within a collaborative setting. Theories and design guidelines that support collaboration, considering cognitive and social group effects, need to be revised when team members are not solely human anymore. Within this exploratory study, the authors aim to provide insights of team members on their conception of a so-called virtual collaborator. A study with 144 participants was carried out to provide valuable information about collaboration principles, conceptual implementations and requirements. The results indicate that the participants are indecisive about a precise conception but expect an ideal collaborator that rather should not work on relevant tasks or make vital decisions. Based on the results, the authors compose new research questions and possible experiment settings.

Group Judgment and Decision Making in Auditing: Research in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim D. Bauer ◽  
Kerry A. Humphreys ◽  
Ken T. Trotman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Judgment And Decision Making ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Group Judgment ◽  
Audit Firms ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the ways auditors work and interact with team members and others in the financial reporting process. In particular, there has been a move away from face-to-face interactions to the use of virtual teams, with strong indications many of these changes will remain post-pandemic. We examine the impacts of the pandemic on group judgment and decision making (JDM) research in auditing by reviewing research on auditor interactions with respect to the review process (including coaching), fraud brainstorming, consultations within audit firms, and parties outside the audit firm such as client management and the audit committee. Through the pandemic lens and for each auditor interaction, we consider new research questions for audit JDM researchers to investigate and new ways of addressing existing research questions given these fundamental changes. We also identify potential impacts on research methods used to address these questions during the pandemic and beyond.

On the Measurement of Participation Equality

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Reinig ◽  
Roberto J. Mejias
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Gini Coefficient ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Group Support Systems ◽  
Group Support ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Team Members

Participation equality is often a key process construct in research models that examine the effects of group support systems (GSS) technology and e-collaboration. GSS are generally thought to reduce the dispersion of participation among team members and thus make participation more equally distributed. However, research conclusions in the literature regarding participation equality are not always consistent with this finding. Researchers have used a variety of approaches to operationalize participation equality including unit-based measures, such as the standard deviation, and dimensionless measures such as the Gini coefficient and the coefficient of variation. Researchers have also varied in their measurement of participation units with some counting phenomena such as comments, words, or remarks. The authors report on an exploratory study that demonstrates conditions in which research conclusions regarding the participation equality construct are dependent on both the participation unit analyzed and whether a unit-based or dimensionless measure is used to compute participation equality. The authors conclude with recommendations for researchers investigating participation equality and practitioners that seek to measure and track participation equality in their collaborative work practices.

scholarly journals Supporting researchers through full-service hotline and consultation services: Success in simplicity, customization, and staffing

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Rebecca Namenek Brouwer ◽  
Emily Miller ◽  
Sunita Patil ◽  
Geeta K. Swamy ◽  
Rebbecca Moen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Team Members ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Duke University ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Consultation Services

AbstractNavigating the research domain at an academic medical center can be challenging, even for seasoned investigators. To address this, Duke University launched two initiatives: (1) a research navigation “hotline” to provide brief assistance with a variety of research questions; and (2) researcher onboarding and consultation, a one-to-one tailored offering to ensure that researchers are equipped to navigate research resources and processes effectively. The services are provided by the myRESEARCHnavigators (MRN) team, funded by Duke’s CTSA. The diverse scientific backgrounds of the six team members align well with those of the research community, allowing for a good match between the researcher and MRN team member. The MRN team answers approximately 30 questions per month, and has provided consultations to almost 400 researchers. Both services receive high satisfaction ratings (4 or 5 stars [out of 5 stars] given to 90% of hotline answers, and 99% of researcher onboarding/consultation sessions). As of July 2019, the School of Medicine has determined that the consultations are critical to their mission and have made them a requirement for new research faculty. The team will continue marketing both services to encourage adoption.

The Role of a Group-Centered Approach in the Development of Computer-Supported Collaborative Design Technologies

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 867-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. McNeese ◽  
Brian S. Zaff ◽  
Clifford E. Brown ◽  
Maryalice Citera ◽  
A. Rodney Wellens
Keyword(s):  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Collaborative Design ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Mapping Technique ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Collaborative Groups ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Work ◽  
Advanced Knowledge ◽  
Collaboration Process

Collaborative groups, by their very nature, involve the interactions of many participants which can vary in time, place, culture, knowledge, and ability. The design of collaborative technology for work groups must occur in conjunction with the users while avoiding the dangers of technology-centered product development. This paper focuses on applying a group-centered approach to the development of Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) products. This approach emphasizes the importance of team members” participation in the design process such that the resulting technology is centered around the users” needs and capabilities. By allowing collaborative groups to elaborate on real issues related to their actual work context, and to suggest specific ways to improve their work, a group-centered approach to the design of CSCW systems can be realized. The utilization of the Advanced Knowledge And Design Acquisition Methodology (AKADAM), consisting of concept mapping and design storyboarding techniques, was suggested as a basis for achieving this level of team participation. The concept mapping technique elicited insights into the collaboration process, identified problem areas, and generated suggestions for improving group work. With the aid of the design storyboarding technique, these suggestions for improvement can be directly translated into CSCW tools.

Facilitating Communities of Practice in Online Immersive Learning Environments

2015 ◽  
pp. 238-265
Author(s):  
Krista Terry ◽  
Amy Cheney ◽  
Les Bolt ◽  
Terry McClannon ◽  
Robert L. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Relationship

This exploratory study is based on survey research involving graduate students using this 3D immersive environment for their coursework. Investigators examined students' perceptions of community and presence via coursework offered in the immersive world. Utilizing the Sense of Community II index and the Communities of Inquiry survey, variables examined include students' time within their graduate programs, time spent in the 3D environment, and their levels of immersion, as well as the relationship between the two instruments. Analysis showed significant results for each of the research questions for both instruments, and allowed for a number of new research directions including that of the correlation of community and presence, along with the potential for design based research informed by systems thinking as a potential new area of interest.

The Perseverance of Archaeology: New Data from a Rescue Investigation at Triq Fejġel in Rabat and its Contribution to the Punic and Roman Maltese Funerary Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-154
Author(s):  
Kevin Borda ◽  
Bernardette Mercieca-Spiteri ◽  
Paolo Spadaro ◽  
Carlo Veca
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
Time Frames

Abstract The Maltese funerary context during the Punic and Roman times is documented from discoveries and archaeological reports primarily from the twentieth century. Notwithstanding, documentation standards in the first half of the last century were such as to provide limited archaeological data to properly understand the context, phasing and ritual. The combination of robust policy-driven archaeological monitoring procedures together with a scientific excavation of reported discoveries is essential to provide fresh archaeological data which must necessarily be published within adequate time frames. This will by no small means contribute to the formulation of a proper national research agenda by identifying lacunae as well as giving rise to new research questions. This study draws attention to the survival of archaeology seen as limited stratigraphic contexts that have persevered through the centuries and the continuous exploitation of the site. It is a case study of the application of a stratigraphic scientific approach to a recent archaeological discovery during archaeological monitoring, providing ample data with regard to funerary reuse and associated practices and rituals together with an in-depth osteological observation of skeletal remains therein discovered.

Facilitating Communities of Practice in Online Immersive Learning Environments

2019 ◽  
pp. 275-297
Author(s):  
Krista Terry ◽  
Amy Cheney ◽  
Les Bolt ◽  
Terry McClannon ◽  
Robert L. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Graduate Programs ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Relationship

This exploratory study is based on survey research involving graduate students using this 3D immersive environment for their coursework. Investigators examined students' perceptions of community and presence via coursework offered in the immersive world. Utilizing the Sense of Community II index and the Communities of Inquiry survey, variables examined include students' time within their graduate programs, time spent in the 3D environment, and their levels of immersion, as well as the relationship between the two instruments. Analysis showed significant results for each of the research questions for both instruments, and allowed for a number of new research directions including that of the correlation of community and presence, along with the potential for design based research informed by systems thinking as a potential new area of interest.

A new research agenda for educational leadership and policy

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Ball
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
English Education ◽  
Financial Analysis ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
English Education Policy ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
New Research

This paper identifies some new research issues and sketches out some new research questions for education policy and leadership researchers as a response to ongoing changes in the landscape of English education policy. Three interrelated issues are considered: leadership, values and interests, and ownership. It argues for the need to ask new research questions and also to look in different places for answers to these questions and suggests that researchers need to acquire new research skills and sensibilities, in particular forms of business and financial analysis.

Computer Supported Collaborative Environmental Scanning: Diagnostic Framework and Its Application for a Tunisian Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 1450034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souad Kamoun-Chouk
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Environmental Scanning ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Work ◽  
Diagnostic Framework ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Management Attitude

The case study describes how the team members of a Tunisian Environmental Scanning Agriculture Observatory dealt with new ways of communicating introduced by technology. An inter-organizational computer supported collaborative work (CSCW) platform was implemented within the agriculture observatory to ameliorate the communication of information and knowledge between the stakeholders. Our study aims to determine what contextual conditions could impede the adoption of the new ways of communicating and sharing knowledge. A diagnostic tool was designed and used to assess the impact of culture, structure and top management attitude, as contextual conditions, on the achievement of the collaborative environmental scanning and knowledge exchange activity. To understand the dynamic between these variables and their interplay during the implementation phases of the CSCW, we conducted a longitudinal study. The results could assist managers at the organizational level; indeed they will be able to avoid failures and to better support the process of organizational change.

scholarly journals Developing a New Research Agenda on Post-Soviet De Facto States

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Comai
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Transient Phenomena ◽  
Current Configuration ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
De Facto States ◽  
New Research

The scholarship on post-Soviet de facto states has structurally focused on issues related to their contested status, and has long assumed that these entities are transient phenomena. In this article I propose a path towards a new research agenda on post-Soviet de facto states based on two main arguments. Firstly, scholars researching post-Soviet de facto states should start from the working assumption that these entities will continue to exist in the current configuration for the foreseeable future, and proceed in their integration with the patron. Secondly, they should seek new terms of comparison beyond contested territories and conflict regions, and they should apply the same terminology to these entities and ask at least some of the same research questions as they would do when studying uncontested territories.

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