Open-ended project
Budget resources of KMRC
Group awareness tools were developed for the field of computer-supported cooperative work. These tools collect behavioural information about the group members (e.g. spatial location, current activities) and feed this information back to the work team. Based on the idea that groups benefit when members are informed about the status of their groups, we have developed so-called augmented group awareness tools. These tools collect cognitive variables (e.g. attitudes, preferences, degree of knowledge) from the group, aggregate these data, and feed them back to collaborative learning groups. The project seeks to demonstrate and explain the efficiency of such tools through experimental studies.
It was investigated how certain types of group awareness tools trigger psychological mechanisms that positively affect controversial group discussions, and how tools must be designed in order to improve decision quality of collaborative learning groups.
Additionally, results from several awareness-related studies at KMRC were conceptually integrated into frameworks about psychological mechanisms and design principles.
