VOSS: Designing Transparent Work Environments

该项目调查如何利用活动跟踪信息来提高在线同行生产社区的社会透明度，以支持学习和知识共享。具体地说，我们检查捕获和广播个人对电子制品所做的操作是否可以支持有关如何执行任务的过程学习。我们进行了一系列设计实验，以探索同伴对各种类型的活动跟踪数据的访问如何影响知识共享。我们的目标是确定如何设计透明的环境来捕获知识作为同行生产活动的副作用。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对于增加接触广泛参与者的价值，但正在努力解决如何将这种技术融入工作环境的问题。这个项目研究了如何使用“社会透明度”--其他人对共享构件的操作的可见性--来改进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，这些环境支持专业技能发展以及协作同行生产活动。该项目还将通过分析、预测和解释在线社区中的学习，为教育技术设计和政策提供信息。为了加强该项目的更广泛影响，研究小组将促进与受托设计在线同行生产环境的技术界的对话，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.