Building Collaborative Knowledge Representations in Real Time
An Analysis of Facilitative Micro-Actions
Interim Progress ReportAl Selvin
Knowledge Media Institute
Open UniversityMilton Keynes, UK MK7 6AA
Verizon500 Westchester Ave.White Plains, NY USA
m
The Vision Thing
Bring together the technical side of knowledge engineering with performative and creative aspects from the arts and humanities.
Bring the benefits and capabilities of artistry to the practice of creating semi-formal knowledge representations with groups in real time.
More Vision The consequences of this union can
be to address some long-standing problems in knowledge technology Effective long-term organizational
memory Overcoming the capture bottleneck Enabling knowledge codification and
formalization on the fly “Value Now and Value Later”
Goals Expanding the use, and usefulness,
of collaborative knowledge media Overcoming obstacles to adoption Understanding aesthetic and
ethical issues in the use of such technologies for groups and teams
Research questions What is expert human performance in creating
and modifying knowledge representations for groups, on the fly
Develop a descriptive vocabulary of sufficient granularity and nuance
What skills are actually used by expert practitioners
How can an understanding of the above contribute to identifying
Needed skills Training methods Improved software support Increased adoption
Context for this analysis NASA Mobile Agents field trial Supporting RST scientists distributed in
multiple locations in Analyzing incoming science data Formulating recommendations to the hab crew re
specific goals, objectives, and tasks Improving RST/crew processes in general, and Understanding and improving the role of
collaboration software tools and strategies in particular
Before, during, and after team meetings/telecons (SOWGs)
Roles and responsibilities RST members
Review materials beforehand Prepare analyses Participate in RST telecons
RST lead Chair the telecons
Crew uplink lead Create knowledge representations Publish materials from crew sessions
Crew members Participate in crew sessions Create knowledge representations (using Compendium)
Meeting Replay team Create web-based videos of crew sessions integrated with Compendium
knowledge representations Science Organizer team
Integrate and maintain SO repository of science data
Roles and responsibilities RST facilitator
Gather, prepare, and publish materials before RST meetings From Science Organizer, Meeting Replay, Crew Compendium
exports, RST analyses, emails, and other resources Arrange telecon/web conferences Convene sessions Assist in locating and analyzing science data Capture discussion and decisions during the sessions Assist RST with software/tool issues Build and modify Compendium knowledge representation on the
fly Retrieve materials from other tools and repositories and
integrate them into the knowledge representation Create summary materials at the conclusion of each session Publish the materials to the web and other repositories
Science Organizer itemMethodology maps
Hab crew maps
Emails
Images
RST Analyses
Web resources
Create Portal map
Convene Webex sessionPublish to web
11m31s
Listening to the participants, creatingnodes, choosing node types, typingsummary comments and observations
121m04s
Working with the RST to locate, analyze, cross-reference, and raise issues about the science data
128m59s
Create final maps for web export, harvesting nodes from earlier in the session and mapping them onto pre-made templates of summary questions
Expertise required To perform RST Facilitator role:
Listening and interpreting Intervening in ‘normal’ conversation flow Getting validation for captured material
Building hypertext representations on the fly
Interrelating data and objects Adding metadata Software-specific skills
Conventionalfacilitationskills
Knowledgemediafacilitationskills
Analysis method Grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin) Close analysis of a session, paying special
attention to Participant statements Practitioner actions Practitioner statements Compendium moves
Building up explanatory concepts, categories, and properties
Focus on the engagement of both practitioner and participants with the Compendium representation
Emerging categories and concepts Participant map engagement
The way in which participants relate to the current move
4 types, 3 subtypes Active (Text, Structure, Navigation) Direct Partial/Unclear Delinked
Emerging categories and concepts Compendium moves
50 types, 44 subtypes 646 individual moves in
the analyzed session
Move Types and SubtypesAbandonAdding Nodes to Selection SetCreate Via TransclusionCursor Move
Cursor Move-Image Rollover OffCut-Multiple NodesDeselectDetail Edit
Detail Edit-Adding ContentDetail Edit-Adding SpecificityDetail Edit-Minor FixingDetail Edit-Partial Summarizing
Detail Text SelectDisplay Move
Display Move-Looking for ContentDisplay Move-Making Display AmenableDisplay Move-Setting Up
Export to XMLExport to XML-Options SelectGraphics Rollover OffHighlighting for Participant FocusImport File SelectImport from XMLImport OptionsInsert Into View from Find a Map (Transclusion Create)Invoke Other Tool
Invoke Other Tool Via Reference NodeLabel Edit
Label Edit-Adding ContentLabel Edit-Adding SpecificityLabel Edit-Minor Cleanup
Label SelectLabel Select-CopyLabel Select-Paste Text
LinkLink-Multiple
Link DeleteLink Delete-Multiple
Link Select-MultipleList CloseMaking Display Amenable
Making Display Amenable - Display MoveMaking Display Amenable - Window Move
Map Arrange-Prep for Following ActionsMap CloseNavigate
Navigate Via TransclusionNavigate-Find a MapNavigate-Map BackNavigate-Map CloseNavigate-Map OpenNavigate-Window Menu
Node CloseNode Copy
Node Copy-Map-SingleNode Create
Node Create-AnswerNode Create-DecisionNode Create-MapNode Create-Note
Emerging categories and concepts Practitioner verbal moves
5 types Statement/Announcement Acknowledgement Query Helpful Comment Exclamation
146 individual moves in the analyzed session
Emerging categories and concepts Activity types
13 types, 9 subtypes The primary type of
activity the practitioneris engaged in
Can be as short as onemove or span many minutes
Activity Types and SubtypesCreating and RefiningCreating
Creating: Capturing and RefiningCreating: Co-InquiryCreating: Setting Up Structure
DiagnosingDialoging / ParticipantExplainingFixing
Fixing: At Participant DirectionFixing: AutonomousNavigating
Navigating: at Participant DirectionProcess CheckingRefiningRetrievingSearching
Searching: at Participant DirectionSearching: Co-Inquiry
ShowingShowing: at Participant DirectionShowing: Prospective
Emerging categories and concepts Practitioner stances
The position of the practitioner with regard to the current activity
5 types Knowledge Navigator Facilitator Participant Technical Expert Editor
Emerging categories and concepts Compound moves
Collections of individual moves that accomplish a simple action (e.g. navigating to a map, copying a node, navigating back to another and pasting it)
Mini-projects Sequences of moves that accomplish a more
complicated action with a clear goal I’ve not yet created types of compound
moves or mini-projects
Emerging categories and concepts Practitioner response/engagement
mode The way in which the practitioner is
engaging with the participants, on a move-by-move level
4 types Delinked Indirect Semi-direct Direct
Emerging categories and concepts Focus of moves
The objects with which the practitioner is engaging in a move
Can be multiple 6 types
Participants Maps Text Subject matter Surroundings Process
Emerging categories and concepts Notes
Field notes, observations or commentary about particular moves, mini-projects, statements, or episodes
Themes The stories that the participants and practitioner
weave around the ostensible agenda items and formal discussion
In this session, 8 principal themes
ThemesDealing with the tech environmentGeology vs biologyMethodologiesRST-crewRST processTool evolutionTechnical environmentTool use
Analysis spreadsheet
Timestamp
Participantstatement
s Participantmap engagement
Practitioner
actions
Practitioner
statements
Compendium
moves
Activity types andpractitione
rstance
Results to date: Practitioner stance
Stance
52%
35%
9%
2%
2%
Know ledgeNavigator
Facilitator
Participant
Editor
Technical Expert
Stance InstancesKnowledge Navigator 64Facilitator 44Participant 11Editor 3Technical Expert 2
Results to date: Activity types
Activity Types
27
1714
11 10 96 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Refin
ing
Crea
ting:
Capt
uring
and
Refin
ing
Navig
ating
Retri
eving
Show
ing:
Pros
pect
ive
Show
ing: a
tPa
rticip
ant
Dire
ction
Dialo
ging
/Pa
rticip
ant
Proc
ess
Chec
king
Sear
ching
:Co
-Inqu
iry
Crea
ting:
Co-
Inqu
iry
Crea
ting
and
Refin
ing
Crea
ting:
Settin
g Up
Stru
ctur
e
Sear
ching
: at
Parti
cipan
tDi
rect
ion
Navig
ating
:at
Par
ticipa
ntDi
rect
ion
Expla
ining
Fixin
g:Au
tono
mou
s
Fixin
g: A
tPa
rticip
ant
Dire
ction
Diag
nosin
g
Results to date: Focus of practitioner moves
Focus of Moves
272
591
111
195
66 86
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Participants Maps Text Subject matter Surroundings Process
Results to date: Participant map engagement
Engagement of Participants with Maps
Delinked37%
Direct29%
Partial/Unclear21%
Active: Structure2%
Active: Navigation
3%Active: Validation
4%
Active: Text4%
Engagement Mode InstancesDelinked 210Direct 161Partial/Unclear 114Active: Text 22Active: Validation 21Active: Navigation 15Active: Structure 11
Results to date: Practitioner engagement mode
Engagement Mode
Delinked38%
Direct27%
Indirect29%
Semi-Direct6%
Engagement Mode InstancesDelinked 290Direct 209Indirect 221Semi-Direct 49
Results to date: Practitioner verbal moves
Verbal Moves InstancesStatement/Announcement 57Acknowledgement 45Query 22Helpful Comment 14Exclamation 8
Verbal Moves
39%
31%
15%
10%5%
Statement/Announcement
Acknowledgement
Query
Helpful Comment
Exclamation
Summary Beginning to feel that it is possible to
construct a useful descriptive vocabulary beyond the usual glosses (“discussion capture” “meeting facilitation” etc.) Categories and concepts in an early stage of
development Need better ways to visualize results Eager to apply the preliminary framework
to other settings and practitioners