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

10604albert.m.selvin@verizon.co

m

Agenda Goals Research questions Context Method of analysis Results to date Summary and next steps

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

Configuration

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

11m58s

Capturing deliberation in nodes

12m40s

Creating logical ‘containers’ and drawing semantic links betweenconcepts

26m23s

Adding annotations

36m22s

Tagging key nodes with metadatato aid later recall and reuse

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

Example

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

Analysis spreadsheet

Timestamp

Participantstatement

s Participantmap engagement

Practitioner

actions

Practitioner

statements

Compendium

moves

Activity types andpractitione

rstance

Analysis spreadsheet

Compoundmoves

Engagement

mode

Mini-projects

Analysis spreadsheet

Fieldnotes

Themes / stories

Focustargets

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

Next steps Continue to refine the descriptive

framework Analyze Meeting Replay session of

hab crew facilitation Analyze working session between

two skilled practitioners Seek out green field locale