VOSS: Designing Transparent Work Environments

本项目研究如何利用活动追踪信息来提高在线对等生产社区的社会透明度，以支持学习和知识共享。具体地说，我们检查捕获和传播个人对电子工件采取的动作是否可以支持关于如何完成任务的过程学习。我们进行了一系列设计实验，以探索对等访问各种类型的活动跟踪数据如何影响知识共享。我们的目标是确定如何设计透明的环境，以捕获作为对等生产活动副作用的知识。社交技术正在从根本上改变工作的性质。组织现在认识到社交技术的价值，因为它增加了对广泛参与者的访问，但却在如何将这项技术纳入工作环境中苦苦挣扎。这个项目考察了“社会透明度”——他人在共享工件上的行为的可见性——如何被用来改善虚拟组织中的协调和知识共享。结果将为在线工作环境的设计提供信息，以支持专业技能的发展以及协作式的同侪生产活动。该项目还将通过分析、预测和解释在线社区的学习情况，为教育技术设计和政策提供信息。为了增强项目的广泛影响，研究小组将促进与负责设计在线对等生产环境的技术社区的对话，以确保这些系统支持有效的学习和知识交流。

This project investigates how activity-trace information can be used to enhance social transparency in online peer-production communities, in order to support learning and knowledge sharing. Specifically, we examine whether capturing and broadcasting the actions that individuals take on electronic artifacts can support process learning about how to do a task. We conduct a series of design experiments to explore how peer access to various types of activity-trace data affects knowledge sharing. Our goal is to identify how transparent environments can be designed to capture knowledge as a side effect of peer production activity. Social technology is radically changing the nature of work. Organizations now recognize the value of social technology for increasing access to a broad range of participants but struggle with how to incorporate this technology into work environments. This project examines how "social transparency" -- visibility of others' actions on shared artifacts -- can be used to improve coordination and knowledge sharing in virtual organizations. Results will inform the design of online work environments that support professional skill development alongside collaborative peer-production activities. The project will also inform educational technology design and policy, by analyzing, predicting and explaining learning in an online community. To enhance the project's broader impact, the research team will foster dialogue with the technical community entrusted with designing online peer-production environments, to ensure that these systems support effective learning and knowledge exchange.