Web-based Collaboration Tools Research Articles

Co-design of the Transgender Health Information Resource: Web-Based Participatory Design.

There is an urgent and unmet need for accessible and credible health information within the transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) community. Currently, TGD individuals often seek and must find relevant resources by vetting social media posts. A resource that provides accessible and credible health-related resources and content via a mobile phone app may have a positive impact on and support the TGD population. COVID-19 stay-at-home orders forced a shift in the methods used in participatory design. In this paper, we aimed to describe the web-based participatory methods used to develop the Transgender Health Information Resource. We also described and characterized the web-based engagement that occurred during a single session of the overall design process. We planned and conducted web-based design sessions to replace the proposed in-person sessions. We used web-based collaborative tools, including Zoom (Zoom Video Communications), Mural (Mural), REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture; Vanderbilt University), and Justinmind (Justinmind), to engage the participants in the design process. Zoom was used as an integrated platform for design activities. Mural was used to perform exercises, such as free listing, brainstorming, and grouping. REDCap allowed us to collect survey responses. Justinmind was used to create prototypes that were shared and discussed via Zoom. Recruitment was led by one of our community partners, One Colorado, who used private Facebook groups in which web-based flyers were dispersed. The design process took place in several workshops over a period of 10 months. We described and characterized engagement during a single design session by tracking the number of influential interactions among participants. We defined an influential interaction as communication, either verbal or web-based content manipulation, that advanced the design process. We presented data from a single design session that lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes and included 4 participants. During the session, there were 301 influential interactions, consisting of 79 verbal comments and 222 web-based content manipulations. Web-based participatory design can elicit input and decisions from participants to develop a health information resource, such as a mobile app user interface. Overall, participants were highly engaged. This approach maintained the benefits and fidelity of traditional in-person design sessions, mitigated deficits, and exploited the previously unconsidered benefits of web-based methods, such as enhancing the ability to participate for those who live far from academic institutions. The web-based approach to participatory design was an efficient and feasible methodological design approach.

Modelling digital health data: The ExaMode ontology for computational pathology

Computational pathology can significantly benefit from ontologies to standardize the employed nomenclature and help with knowledge extraction processes for high-quality annotated image datasets. The end goal is to reach a shared model for digital pathology to overcome data variability and integration problems. Indeed, data annotation in such a specific domain is still an unsolved challenge and datasets cannot be steadily reused in diverse contexts due to heterogeneity issues of the adopted labels, multilingualism, and different clinical practices. Material and methodsThis paper presents the ExaMode ontology, modeling the histopathology process by considering 3 key cancer diseases (colon, cervical, and lung tumors) and celiac disease. The ExaMode ontology has been designed bottom-up in an iterative fashion with continuous feedback and validation from pathologists and clinicians. The ontology is organized into 5 semantic areas that defines an ontological template to model any disease of interest in histopathology. ResultsThe ExaMode ontology is currently being used as a common semantic layer in: (i) an entity linking tool for the automatic annotation of medical records; (ii) a web-based collaborative annotation tool for histopathology text reports; and (iii) a software platform for building holistic solutions integrating multimodal histopathology data. DiscussionThe ontology ExaMode is a key means to store data in a graph database according to the RDF data model. The creation of an RDF dataset can help develop more accurate algorithms for image analysis, especially in the field of digital pathology. This approach allows for seamless data integration and a unified query access point, from which we can extract relevant clinical insights about the considered diseases using SPARQL queries.

CERVI: collaborative editing of raster and vector images

Various web-based image-editing tools and web-based collaborative tools exist in isolation. Research focusing to bridge the gap between these two domains is sparse. We respond to the above and develop prototype groupware for real-time collaborative editing of raster and vector images in a web browser. To better understand the requirements, we conduct a preliminary user study and establish communication and synchronization as key elements. The existing groupware for text documents or presentations handles the above through well-established techniques. However, those cannot be extended as it is for raster or vector graphics manipulation. To this end, we develop a document model that is maintained by a server and is delivered and synchronized to multiple clients. Our prototypical implementation is based on a scalable client–server architecture: using WebGL for interactive browser-based rendering and WebSocket connections to maintain synchronization. We evaluate our work qualitatively through a post-deployment user study for three different scenarios. For quantitative evaluation, we perform a thorough performance measure on both client and server side, thereby identifying design recommendations for future concurrent image-editing software(s).

The effectiveness of web-based technology platforms in facilitating construction project collaboration: a qualitative analysis of 1,152 user reviews

The construction industry accounts for 9% of global GDP. Efforts at addressing construction’s inherent inefficiencies have over the last decade increasingly involved the deployment of web-based collaborative tools. Consequently, much research has been devoted to assessing these platforms; including interoperability, workflow management and technological limits. What has not been considered to date are the views of web-based tool users themselves as to the functionality, potency and usability of the various platforms available on the market. Currently, there are 5,300,000 documented users of web-based collaborative tools. If web-based collaboration is to be further enhanced, the views of users must be known. This study explores this dimension. Financeonline’s top six tools were considered: CoCostruct, PlanGrid, Autodesk BIM 360, Procore, e-builder and Aconex. Around 200 reviews for each tool were collected from ‘Business Software Reviews from Software Advice,’ resulting in a total dataset of 1,152 complete reviews. Text-mining analysis was applied to this dataset, using RapidMiner Studio 7.5. Thirty key terms with a frequency of over 100 occurrences were retrieved; terms such as software, manage, inform, support, easy use, function, track and friendly. These constitute the subject of the reviews. These terms were then analyzed for sentiment qualifiers; either positive or negative. A total of 804 sentiments were positive, 322 negative and 26 neutral. This study thus highlights that while 70% of user reviews of web-based collaborative tools are positive, there remains much room for improvement. Areas for improvement are also indicated by this study.

A Survey of Web-Based Tools for Collaborative Engineering Design

Abstract Demand is increasing for effective online tools to perform collaborative engineering design by geographically separated teams. In particular, tools that facilitate the concept ideation phase of the engineering design process are sought for immediate implementation in product design. In this work, researchers conducted a literature review, interviews with practicing engineers, and a thorough web search to identify available tools and the desired features and requirements. A set of 100 web-based collaborative tools were identified then filtered down to 18 candidates which met the minimum criteria. These 18 were systematically evaluated by the researchers who rated their satisfaction of 11 requirements. The five highest rated finalist platforms were more thoroughly tested by design teams who used the platforms in design sprint activities. Evaluator ratings and feedback were collected at multiple points and several best practices were discovered during testing. Conceptboard3 received the highest evaluator ratings, with few negative comments, and is expected to be an effective tool for collaborative engineering design.

Reflections on empathic design: a K-16 perspective

This paper offers a response to the article entitled, “Empathic design: imagining the cognitive and emotional learner experience” (Tracey and Hutchinson, Educational Technology Research and Development 67(5):1259–1272, 2019). This review examines the recent published study on empathic design in consideration of practical applications for K-16 settings. The case study explores the alignment of the designers’ sensitivities with the learner perceptions of a web-based collaborative tool, the Virtual Hospital, developed for health professionals. Aspects of the study and empathic design can be useful in the development and evaluation of similar tools across all educational levels. The noted flexibility in the design discussions and the continued focus towards student affect are two facets which could support the development of educational technology tools. One noted limitation when applying the findings to K-16 students is that the collaborative program in the study was designed for health professionals with advanced degrees. Two suggestions are offered to make a comparable project more suitable for the K-16 environment. First, build an evaluative piece that contains an objective assessment to measure collaboration and second, include the teacher perspective in the design and evaluative process. The reviewed study offers an excellent blueprint for further work with empathic design.

Towards an E-Learning Platform for Translator Training: Getting Stakeholders Involved

The dynamic nature of the language industry and the current and future demands of the translation market have increased the need for integrating web-based collaborative learning and teamwork techniques into translation training classrooms. However, the absence of specialized eLearning platforms for translation training makes it difficult for translation trainers to execute collaborative translation tasks that mimic real-life situations.The present paper discusses online collaborative learning in translation classrooms and argues for involving translator training stakeholders in the process of designing and developing web-based collaborative learning tools for translator-training purposes. The paper proposes a software design workflow that can be followed by eLearning software engineers when designing online learning tools for translatortraining purposes based on Jirava’s (2004) software application life cycle. The paper also displays different functions of an underdevelopment online-software specialized for translator training institutions. The design is inspired by translators, translation students,and trainers. The paper ends by measuring students’ perceptions of the proposed tool in terms of its ease of use and usefulness using Venkatesh and Bala's (2008) Technology Acceptance Model. Keywords: Translator training, Collaborative learning, Web-based collaborative learning, E-Learning, Technology acceptance model.

Web-based tools for collaborative research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to profile various types of Web-based tools to facilitate research collaboration within and across institutions.Design/methodology/approachVarious Web-based tools were tested by the author. Additionally, tutorial videos and guides were reviewed.FindingsThere are various free and low-cost tools available to assist in the collaborative research process, and librarians are well-positioned to facilitate their usage.Practical implicationsLibrarians and researchers will learn about various types of tools available at free or at low cost to fulfill needs of the collaborative research process.Social implicationsAs the tools highlighted are either free or of low cost, they are also valuable to start-ups and can be recommended for entrepreneurs.Originality/valueAs the realm of Web-based collaborative tools continues to evolve, the options must be continually revisited and reviewed for currency.

Traduco: A collaborative web-based CAT environment for the interpretation and translation of texts

Traduco is a web-based collaborative tool aimed at supporting the translation of texts that pose particular challenging interpretative issues. Nowadays, Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools are mainly applied to the translation of technical manuals or legislative texts and are aimed at speeding up the translation process. Traduco extends most of the standard components of a traditional CAT tool with specific features necessary to support the interpretation and translation of complex texts (like the Babylonian Talmud, that we here present as a case study), which pose particular comprehension issues. Traduco goes beyond the translation and its printing: it includes features for the addition of notes and annotations and the creation of glossaries. Translators, editors, supervisors, and end-users accessing Traduco are able to use components that can ease the translation process through the use of CAT technologies, the supervision and managing of the whole process of translation and publishing, the exporting of translations and notes in standard formats for desktop publishing software and TEI format, and, soon, the possibility to perform automatic linguistic analysis of the text. Moreover, Traduco allows the users to insert notes, comments, annotations, and bibliographical references. The design and development of Traduco required the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging on advances in software engineering, computational linguistics, knowledge engineering, and publishing.

GPU-based remote visualization of dynamic molecular data on the web

Visualization of dynamic data from molecular dynamics simulations is crucial for understanding the functioning of molecules. Many existing visualization tools have mainly focused on supporting a single user working on a desktop computer. Technical advancements in browser features increase the potential for the development of web-based collaborative visualization tools. Although web-based molecular viewers already exist, their support for dynamic molecular data at interactive rates is lacking. To address this gap, we present an efficient web application for visualization of dynamic molecular data using WebGL that exploits HTML5 technologies like WebSockets and Web Workers. GPU-based ray casting techniques offer fast rendering times and produce images with higher visual quality. Efficient data encoding techniques are used to minimize the data transferred to the client; therefore saving bandwidth and improving the transfer times. We demonstrate the feasibility of visualizing large dynamic molecular data with more than one million atoms in the browser at interactive frame rates. Our approach allows scientists at arbitrary locations to concurrently visually analyze the same data. The interactive parameterization of the visualization can be shared among multiple clients, providing the basis for collaborative research. Moreover, the application can be employed for remote simulation monitoring on mobile devices.

First nationwide web-based surveillance system for influenza-like illness in pregnant women: participation and representativeness of the French G-GrippeNet cohort.

BackgroundPregnancy is a risk factor for severe influenza resulting in increased risks of hospitalisation and death in mothers and their new-borns. Our objective was to assess the representativeness and participation of French women to a new web-based collaborative tool for data collection and monitoring of Influenza Like Illness (ILI) during pregnancy.MethodsDuring the 2014/2015 influenza season, pregnant women living in metropolitan France were enrolled through a web platform (https://www.grippenet.fr/). Then throughout the season, participants were asked to report, on a weekly basis, if they had experienced symptoms of ILI. Representativeness was assessed by comparing the characteristics of participants to those of the French National Perinatal Survey. For each participant, the participation rate was the number of weekly questionnaires completed, divided by the length of follow-up (in weeks). Predictors of active participation (participation rate >15 %) were assessed by multivariate logistic regression.ResultsA total of 153 women were enrolled. Participants were older (mean age 34 years vs. 29 years) and more highly educated (high school level 89 % versus 52 %) than the general population of pregnant women in France, but the sample did not differ on pregnancy-related characteristics (parity, history of hospitalisation during a previous pregnancy). The median rate of participation was high (78 %, interquartile range: 34–96). Higher educational level and participation to a previous GrippeNet.fr season were associated with active participation.ConclusionDespite small sample size and lack of representativeness, the retention rate was high, suggesting that pregnant women are prone to adhere to a longitudinal follow-up of their health status via the Internet.

Agile Service-oriented Analysis and Design of Industrial Internet Applications

This paper highlights the importance of systematic agile service engineering for Industrial Internet and Industrie 4.0 software applications. Here, the functional and non-functional requirements of IT users (mostly from the disciplines of mechanical engineering and electrical engineering) need to be mapped to the capabilities of emerging service platforms. The capabilities of service platforms are usually described, structured and formalized by software architects. However, very often, their description does not fit to the language of the user. This complicates the transition from requirements analysis to system design. The paper describes how this ‘gap’ may be closed with help of a service-oriented analysis and design (SOAD) methodology entitled SERVUS and a corresponding Web-based collaborative tool that supports the documentation according to the SERVUS design methodology. SERVUS denotes a Design Methodology for Information Systems based upon Service-oriented Architectures and the Modelling of Use Cases and Capabilities as Resources. It describes individual design activities interconnected by a common modelling environment (based upon the REST principles) combining several viewpoints of architectural reference model, e.g. the RAMI4.0 Business, Information and Functional Layers. SERVUS was successfully used in numerous collaborative and inter-disciplinary software projects.

Design Patterns for Visualization of User Activities in a Synchronous Shared Workspace

Scholars in fields such as Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have extensively covered the general theme of distributed collaboration in the past few decades. Recent advances in web technologies have pushed forward the boundaries of what is possible to create on the web, aiding the development of various types of collaborative software. Standing on the shoulders of previous research, and in the light of the new web technologies, we here outline the development of what we label a “synchronous shared workspace”. The purpose of the system is to serve as a web-based collaboration tool for small groups of geographically and/or temporally dispersed persons within a learning context. Designing this type of system presents interesting challenges on how to graphically visualize the presence of others and their activities, i.e. awareness information. Further, the system provides other types of functionalities such as visualizing previous activities and real-time manipulation of media objects that provides challenges for designers. Utilizing a “design pattern” approach, this paper explores visualization patterns for collaboration in shared workspaces in order to support mutual awareness and coordination activities. Five design patterns were implemented in the system and evaluated by a small group of online learners. The results support the notion that visualization of awareness information is a complex issue and that the work to provide effortless coordination of collaboration is a research interest that needs more attention.

Developing a One-stop Shop Portal

This paper examines the impact our rising number returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan combing with the already large amount of veterans on the VA healthcare system. By examining the data from current processes in place, the The National Activations Office (NAO and VA-Case developed a one-stop shop” known as the Knowledge Management Portal (KMP), a Web-based collaboration tool that facilitates information sharing and document collaboration. By using this tool the goal of organizing and passing information electronically will be accomplished.

UceWeb: a web-based collaborative tool for collecting and sharing quality of life data.

This work aims at building a platform where quality-of-life data, namely utility coefficients, can be elicited not only for immediate use, but also systematically stored together with patient profiles to build a public repository to be further exploited in studies on specific target populations (e.g. cost/utility analyses). We capitalized on utility theory and previous experience to define a set of desirable features such a tool should show to facilitate sound elicitation of quality of life. A set of visualization tools and algorithms has been developed to this purpose. To make it easily accessible for potential users, the software has been designed as a web application. A pilot validation study has been performed on 20 atrial fibrillation patients. A collaborative platform, UceWeb, has been developed and tested. It implements the standard gamble, time trade-off and rating-scale utility elicitation methods. It allows doctors and patients to choose the mode of interaction to maximize patients’ comfort in answering difficult questions. Every utility elicitation may contribute to the growth of the repository. UceWeb can become a unique source of data allowing researchers both to perform more reliable comparisons among healthcare interventions and build statistical models to gain deeper insight into quality of life data.

A Proposal to Manage Lessons Learned in Projects: Web 2.0 Technologies to Promote Innovation

The web 2.0 is transforming the project management in organizations by improving communication and collaboration. The new generation of web-based collaborative tools provides much better experience than the traditional software package allowing document sharing, integrated task tracking, enforcing team processes and agile planning. Despite of the indubitable benefits brought by web 2.0, the use of these technologies to promote knowledge management remains unexplored. For many project managers to obtain and integrate information from different tools of previous similar projects in global organizations remains a challenge. This theoretical paper presents a proposal that suggests an innovation in the knowledge management area applying web 2.0 technologies. The main goal is to provide an integrated vision of a set of technologies that could be used by organizations in order to promote better management of lessons learned. The proposal includes the lessons learned processes (e.g. capture, share and dissemination), the process-based (e.g. project review and after action review) and documentation-based (e.g. micro article and learning histories) methods. Results show how web 2.0 technologies can help project managers and team project to cope with the main lessons learned processes and methods to learn from experience. Moreover, recommendations are made for the effective use of web 2.0 components promoting innovation and supporting lessons learned management in projects.Keywords: Project management; Lessons learned processes; lessons learned methods; project learning; web 2.0 technologies; innovation.

An Interprofessional Diabetes Experience to Improve Pharmacy and Nursing Students’ Competency in Collaborative Practice

To improve pharmacy and nursing students' competency in collaborative practice by having them participate in an interprofessional diabetes experience involving social networking. An existing elective course on diabetes management was modified to include interprofessional content based on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competency domains. Web-based collaborative tools (social networking and video chat) were used to allow nursing and pharmacy students located on 2 different campuses to apply diabetes management content as an interprofessional team. Mixed-method analyses demonstrated an increase in students' knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the other profession and developed an understanding of interprofessional communication strategies and their central role in effective teamwork. Interprofessional content and activities can be effectively integrated into an existing course and offered successfully to students from other professional programs and on remote campuses.

Accelerating the clinical trial start-up process for early-phase cancer studies: A test of process change to support rapid activation in an academic medical center.

e17507 Background: Clinical trial sponsors have strong scientific, financial, and regulatory interests in rapidly activating studies at participating sites. Academic medical centers have difficulty activating trials within a few weeks of sponsor agreement because, among other inefficiencies, they engage the necessary committee reviews, regulatory approvals, contracting, and budgeting in serial fashion. Incremental revisions in such workflows do not result in strong improvements. Methods: We redesigned our institutional workflow to complete clinical trial activation tasks within six weeks. Historical procedures were replaced rather than scrutinized. A high level leadership committee was required to change and integrate procedures across the medical center, and engage sponsors to improve their turnaround times. A web-based collaborative workflow tracking tool was created to help coordinate the necessary tasks and measure performance. Six clinical trials from the Cancer Center portfolio were used to test and improve the new workflow. Results: Clinical trial activation redesign took one year. For the six studies used as tests of change, the activation times were 49, 54, 78, 58, 62, and 32 days. Times in excess of 6 weeks were largely due to sponsor delays. Conclusions: Considerable effort is required to significantly alter a complex workflow like clinical trial activation. Appropriate priorities, leadership, staffing, and tools are required. Markedly shortened study activation for a small series of cancer trials taught our academic medical center lessons that will be useful for improving the process for all clinical trials, and will make us a better partner for pharmaceutical and academic sponsors as well as for investigator initiated research. [Table: see text]

Automatic Quality Management in Crowdsourcing [Leading Edge

The recent advancement of Web-based collaboration tools and social networking platforms has enabled a new type of pervasive working environment. People have the ability to create content, perform interactions, and collaborate online by using Web 2.0 technologies. Barriers imposed by geographical expanse are diminishing due to our increasing technological connectedness.

Leveraging learning technologies for collaborative writing in an online pharmacotherapy course

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the development and delivery of a hypertext case scenario document to be used as the capstone assessment tool for doctoral-level physical therapy students. The integration of Web-based collaborative tools (PBworks™ and Google Sites™) allowed students in this all-online course to apply their pharmacotherapy knowledge in a physical therapy patient scenario, while working with colleagues to determine the best route of patient care. Students developed digital writing skills imperative to a patient-centered, collaborative health-care field, and practiced evidence-based patient care. The findings demonstrate that the implementation of collaborative digital writing with a hypertext document case scenario assessment as the primary assessment tool in this online pharmacotherapy course delivered to doctoral-level physical therapy students is a feasible and effective educational strategy.