Interacting with Threaded Event Scenarios

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Threaded event networks are hypertext-like structures which the PI has previously explored in three domains (science education, narratives, and digital preservation) employing distinct but related formalisms: qualitative causal maps, plot units, and role-activity diagrams. While these formalisms appear to be generally effective, they are considerably more complex than simple node-and-link hypertext. Moreover, event networks are often associated with text passages and are often intended for educational uses where repeated navigation through the network following different paths is to be expected. In these contexts, ease of user access is crucial in order for the formalisms to be effective for users. In this project, the PI will extend his work on threaded event scenarios to address interface issues and develop supporting navigational landmarks, by applying composite hypertexts to complex domains to further develop timeline toolkits that his earlier work have created or suggested. He will develop more interactive and adaptive presentations, which allow users to branch from established guided tours within the event networks, and which, as the users gain greater familiarity with the network, enable adjustment of the landmarks that are presented to provide context for the users. Authors and other users will also be able to add annotations, and even structured meta-comments, to the event networks, for which dialog management and rhetorical structures will be supported. The PI will conduct three levels of evaluations: for the low-level tools, for the use of the tools in high-level tasks, and as the basis for developing communities discussing science and history. Broader Impacts: Because discussion of causation is so common in areas as diverse as science and history, tools to highlight and explore event networks potentially have a wide range of applications. These tools should help students to develop richer conceptual understanding of events in science and history. The tools may also be used by the public to create discussion sites about history, and they should be useful for practicing scientists, historians, archivists, and genealogists.