Preliminary Design Principles Research Articles

Customer Service Ethics in the Metaverse: A Value-Sensitive Design Science Approach

The aim of this paper is to develop recommendations for the value-sensitive design of social virtual reality (VR) applications with respect to the interaction between customers and customer service representatives, considering the value-sensitive design approach. Based on a systematic literature search, 125 relevant hits could be found, which especially assigns the values of openness, security, and liability to problems and categorizes them into six problem areas. These values of openness, security, and liability and problem fields form the requirements for a value-sensitive design of social VR applications. Based on these requirements, preliminary design principles were derived in two evaluation cycles, each assessed using an online survey (Survey 1 with 221 participants and Survey 2 with 310 participants) and presented in the form of instantiation. One main finding of the paper can help counteract discrimination in social VR applications within the interaction between customers and customer service representatives.

Analytics-Informed Design: Exploring Visualization of Learning Management Systems Recorded Data for Learning Design

One apparent challenge associated with learning analytics (LA) has been to promote adoption by university educators. Researchers suggest that a visualization dashboard could serve to help educators use LA to improve learning design (LD) practice. We therefore used an educational design approach to develop a pedagogically useful and easy-to-use LA visualization solution to support data-informed LD. We interviewed four staff in a medical degree program at a New Zealand university, designed and piloted a dashboard, and evaluated it through interviews. As a proof-of-concept project, our study showed that educational design research could be meaningfully used to develop a visualization dashboard that is easy-to-use and useful. In particular, the preliminary design principles identified provide implications for practitioners who are seeking to use LA to inform LD. Finally, we reflect on the purpose of visualization dashboards in relation to the literature and identify areas for future developments.

Learning collaboration at the primary-secondary care interface: a dual-method study to define design principles for interventions in postgraduate training programmes

BackgroundCollaboration between primary and secondary care (PSCC) is important to provide patient-centered care. Postgraduate training programmes should provide training to learn PSCC. With a design based research (DBR) approach design principles can be formulated for designing effective interventions in specific contexts. The aim of this study is to determine design principles for interventions aimed to learn PSCC in postgraduate training programmes.MethodsDBR is characterised by multi-method studies. We started with a literature review on learning collaboration between healthcare professionals from different disciplines within the same profession (intraprofessional) to extract preliminary design principles. These were used to inform and feed group discussions among stakeholders: trainees, supervisors and educationalists in primary and secondary care. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis to formulate design principles.ResultsEight articles were included in the review. We identified four preliminary principles to consider in the design of interventions: participatory design, work process involvement, personalised education and role models. We conducted three group discussions with in total eighteen participants. We formulated three design principles specific for learning PSCC in postgraduate training programmes: (1) The importance of interaction, being able to engage in a learning dialogue. (2) Facilitate that the learning dialogue concerns collaboration. (3) Create a workplace that facilitates engagement in a learning dialogue. In the last design principle we distinguished five subcategories: intervention emphasises the urge for PSCC and is based on daily practice, the presence of role models, the work context creates time for learning PSCC, learning PSCC is formalised in curricula and the presence of a safe learning environment.ConclusionThis article describes design principles for interventions in postgraduate training programmes with the aim to learn PSCC. Interaction is key in learning PSCC. This interaction should concern collaborative issues. Furthermore, it is essential to include the workplace in the intervention and make adjacent changes in the workplace when implementing interventions. The knowledge gathered in this study can be used to design interventions for learning PSCC. Evaluation of these interventions is needed to acquire more knowledge and adjust design principles when necessary.

Remote language revitalisation efforts during COVID-19

ABSTRACT As schools shift to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to support disenfranchised populations and keep issues of equity at the centre of our response. In this study, the authors focus on supporting one of the few urban-based Indigenous language schools in the United States because language revitalisation is critical for Native American communities. The authors explore the extent to which video conferencing and flipped classrooms support the development of a community of speakers. The study focuses on a single classroom of 16 students in first through third grade. The authors use a digital decolonisation framework focused on empowering local communities in conjunction with design-based research methodology to explore contextualised remote instruction solutions. They report on benefits for the development of a community of speakers from remote instruction that come with costs in reduced efficacy of language learning. Finally, they distil those results into preliminary design principles.

Rethinking online learning design to enhance the experiences of Indigenous higher education students

The educational inequity that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have experienced in higher education in Australia is replicated in virtual learning spaces, with generic models of online learning design taking little account of cultural factors that impact on learning. To counter this, new approaches to online learning design are needed that consider the experiences of Indigenous people. This article explores culture as a critical element of online learning design that enhances the learning experiences and outcomes of Indigenous people. The study reported in this article was conducted at a regional Australian university and was methodologically situated within an educational design research framework. Data were collected through the narrative method of yarning with 19 Indigenous students enrolled in a range of disciplines. From the data, 10 themes were developed, which guided the design of a learning design model and six preliminary design principles. The study contributes to the gap in the literature on learning design for Indigenous online higher education students. As the model and preliminary design principles are culturally situated at the site of the study, they need testing by educational designers and academics to ascertain their usefulness in other contexts.

Medium Voltage Impedance-Admittance Measurement System Based on the Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Converter

Recent trends in power system design such as an increasing share of renewable energy sources and smart grids are creating different subsystem interactions that require proper investigation, understanding, describing and estimating global system stability through impedance-admittance measurement and identification. This paper proposes and presents the cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter topology for perturbation injection converter and impedance-admittance measurement. The methodology of impedance-admittance measurement is explained together with different measurements requirements. Performance and suitability of this topology for impedance-admittance measurement is evaluated through simulations. Preliminary design principles are given for the converter. System level feasibility of the solution is proposed as a main result of the work.

Concept and Evaluation of a Method for the Integration of Human Factors into Human-Oriented Work Design in Cyber-Physical Production Systems

Due to the shift from mainly manual labor to an increased portion of cognitive tasks in manufacturing caused by the introduction of cyber-physical systems, there is a need for an updated collection of adequate design principles for user interfaces between humans and machines. Thus, we developed a method for the determination and evaluation of such design principles. It is based on human factors methods and facilitates the assessment of specific work design elements which are supposed to have a significant effect on work performance and the perception of work in cyber-physical production systems (CPPS). Within the application of the developed method, we derived an overview of key design elements in CPPS, developed an experimental platform, and conducted two empirical studies with a total of n = 68 participants. This way, three design elements were investigated, and the findings transferred into preliminary design principles. We can state that the method can be used both for a better understanding of the mechanisms between human factors and work in CPPS. Besides, it helps to provide a catalogue of design principles applicable to SMEs to promote more efficient and successful integration of workers into CPPS.

Connecting formal and informal learning to enhance elementary teacher preparation in geosciences

The U.S. National Research Council has called on the science education community to conduct further studies on how informal learning complements the formal classroom environment. Responding to this research need, we are developing, testing, and studying new instructional materials that integrate informal, field-based science learning into elementary teacher education. Us-ing EarthCaching as a model for teaching geosciences, the project team has developed an introductory module and seven field-based EarthCaching activities that connect to the earth and space science core ideas described in the Next Generation Science Standards. The materials are aimed at pre-service elementary teachers; however, they are appropriate for use with early child-hood and special education majors. To date we have piloted the materials over four semesters, gathering feedback through fo-cus groups to inform iterative revisions. Through the redesign process, the team has identified a set of preliminary design prin-ciples to guide other teacher educators interested in integrating EarthCaching into their instruction. These include attention to preparation, safety, and navigation; emphasis on observation, estimation, and prediction; promoting peer group interactions; presenting familiar sites from a new perspective; and highlighting cultural significance. Elementary pre-service teachers in the focus groups noted the value of taking young learners outside to EarthCache, including the opportunity to connect classroom learning to the real world and to teach geosciences locally. We anticipate that integrating informal science learning experiences into a science course for elementary pre-service teachers will increase their positive attitudes towards informal learning and in-tention to use elements of informal learning with their own students.

Developing an ideation method to be used in cross-functional inter-organizational teams by means of action design research

Using ideation methods in an optimal way has a great potential to increase the number of ideas which a team can contribute during the conceptual phase of product development in industry. Previous studies on ideation methods have been mainly statistical studies in a laboratory setting. In the present study, however, the aim was to develop tailor-made ideation methods in a specific context, among actors on a deregulated railway market, through close interaction between researchers and engineers in a real-world context. Considering previous relevant research on ideation methods, associative memory models and the findings from tests of established ideation methods performed in the same group, a number of preliminary design principles were formulated and implemented in an ideation method that combines individual phases of rotational and gallery viewing with phases of verbal group interaction. The method was tested and refined in a cross-functional inter-organizational group comprising participants from different actors in the railway sector. Besides its provision of qualitative and quantitative test results, the present study has considered the opinions of the participants in detail, which can give important insights into the factors determining whether such a method will be implemented in industry. The participants found the method to be more useful and to generate more ideas that could be used in practice compared to the established ideation methods which they had tried. The learning derived from the specific case was formalized into a number of design principles for ideation methods to be used in cross-functional inter-organizational groups.

Designing role-playing video games for ethical thinking

How can we better design games, such as role-playing video games (RPGs), to support the practice of ethical thinking? Ethical thinking is a critical component of twenty-first century citizenship and we need to design ways to creatively support its practice. This study investigates how male participants, ages 18–34, make ethical decisions in three in-game scenarios in Fable III, an RPG, and one additional scenario. The decision-making processes of thirty participants were analyzed; twenty were randomly assigned to play Fable III and ten were assigned to a control condition of written ethical scenarios. Results suggested that participants practiced a variety of ethical thinking skills and thought processes in both conditions, including reasoning-, empathy-, reflection-, and information gathering-related skills and thought processes. Three hypotheses were investigated and detailed, and any significant differences or similarities that emerged between conditions and across game scenarios were explored. Based on this analysis, four preliminary design principles were described.

Experimental investigation into the development length of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grids in concrete

Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grids have received much attention lately because of many advantages. The force transfer behavior and development length of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grid reinforcement were evaluated using a pull-out test method. A total of 18 pull-out specimens of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grid reinforcement were tested under monotonic static loading, and the investigated parameters included the concrete compressive strength, the number of embedded transverse bars, with or without transverse bars, and the number of adjacent longitudinal bars. The slips between the reinforcing carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grids and the concrete were measured at both the free end and the loaded end during the whole loading process. The test results indicated that first, the concrete compressive strength and the adjacent longitudinal bars had little influence on the force transfer behavior, second, the wedge action of the transverse bars was very important for transferring force; thus, increase in number of embedded transverse bars increased the force transfer stiffness and reduced the slippage. In the case of tested carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer grids, three embedded transverse bars equal to embedment length of 150 mm were sufficient to develop full tensile strength. Based on this experimental investigation, the preliminary design principles were also discussed.

“You Have a Message Here”: Enhancing Interpersonal Communication in a Hospital Ward with Location-based Virtual Notes

This paper aims to explore how computerized interpersonal information can be mediated through the physical environment of hospital wards. Specifically, it focuses on a communication service (location-based virtual notes) that allows hospital workers to leave short digital messages at relevant physical locations (e.g. by a patient bed), so that intended colleagues can pick them up later when entering such a location. In a work setting where personnel move between various locations mainly as a result of work priority, improving timeliness of information and reducing the number of work interruptions is essential. Our objective is to provide a set of user-motivated design guidelines that address important usability aspects of the proposed communication service. To get end user feedback, a prototype was built and tested in simulated scenarios with real hospital workers. The material gathered from the usability testing and following interviews was reviewed to identify critical usability issues. We identified a number of relevant usability issues concerning the applied design metaphor, posting of digital messages, role-based contact, and user control. These issues formed the basis for a set of preliminary design principles. We view the preliminary usability guidelines as an incentive for more extensive research. Based on feedback from the test participants, we conclude that the location-based virtual notes have promising potential to improve timeliness of ad hoc information exchange between hospital workers.

Application of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems to Altitude Separation

This paper presents the application of GNSS1, or more precisely of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS), to vertical separation for en-route, approach and landing operations. Potential improvements in terms of operational benefit and of safety are described for two main applications. First, vertical separation between en-route aircraft, which requires a system available across wide areas. SBAS (EGNOS, WAAS, and MSAS) are very well suited for this purpose before GNSS2 becomes available. And secondly, vertical separation from the ground during approach and landing, for which preliminary design principles of instrument approach procedures and safety issues are presented. Approach and landing phases are the subject of discussions within ICAO GNSS-P. En-route phases have been listed as GNSS-P future work and by RTCA for development of new equipments.

Oxidation Studies on the Iron‐Chromium‐Aluminum Heater Alloys

The oxidation behavior of three iron‐chromium‐aluminum alloys was studied using sensitive weight gain techniques. In addition, x‐ray diffraction methods were used to determine the crystal structure and composition of the oxide films. The adhesion characteristics of the oxide film to the metal were tested by introducing strains into the metal oxide system during oxidation.Rate studies show a change in rate for the three alloys near 900 °C. Between 900° to 1050°C the rate of oxidation remained nearly constant; above 1050°C it increased again. X‐ray diffraction studies suggest that a crystal structure transformation was occurring in the oxide. At 1050 °C, was the main oxide in the scale.The parabolic rate law was used to interpret the rate data. Deviations occurred during the initial reaction period as a result of crystal structure transformations in the film. Heats of activation of 76 to 77 kcal/mole were calculated for the range 700°–900 °C.Strain oxidation studies showed the oxide scale on the high aluminum alloy to be less susceptible to damage than the lower aluminum content alloys. These studies were correlated directly with practical performance tests.Thermodynamic analyses of the several types of solid‐solid and solid‐gas reactions were used to interpret the rate and structure studies. Preliminary design principles were proposed for heat resistant alloys.