Collaboration Systems and Technology Track

Track Chair

Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN)

Topics: Papers submitted to this mini-track may deal with any, or a combination of, the following (integrative theories which help to frame the issues of what leads to "success" in ALN):

• modes of delivery,
• experiences with software constructed to support ALN,
• evaluations of pedagogical innovations using ALN, and
• empirical evaluations of actual courses and degrees of study which use this approach to computer support for course delivery

Minitrack Chair

Collaborative Engineering of Processes

• Collaborative approaches to model organizations as systems in order to gain insight into their structure, processes, and performance.
• The (collaborative) application of this knowledge in engineering more effective organizations and information systems to provide value-added support for organizational evolution.
• Approaches to model and design collaborative work processes and systems.

1. Approaches
   • joint modeling sessions
   • group communication, facilitation and coordination
   • analyst and stakeholder interaction and roles
   • assessment and measurement of system performance and effectiveness
   • theories and guidelines for organizational design and development 
2. Modeling techniques
   • (dynamic) enterprise and process modeling
   • object-oriented modeling of organizations
   • diagramming techniques to capture time-related aspects
   • evaluation of various modeling methods used in organizational systems development
   • simulation/animation models
   • incorporation of external factors and influences
   • building flexibility and longevity into models
   • implications of choice of modeling technique
3. Supporting tools
   • interactive modeling workbenches and CASE tools
   • modeling support for (stakeholder) groups
   • simulation/animation tools
   • automated tools for model validation and consistency checking
   • use of design tools applied in organizational contexts
   • end-user development tools 
4. Special application areas
   • gaming
   • (dynamic) models for decision support
   • (dynamic) models as training instruments
   • administrative logistics and project management
   • workflow management
   • production and transport chain logistics 
5. Implementation issues
   • transferring models for design into actual implementations
   • change management
   • implementation success factors
   • coping with resistance to organizational change
   • impact on job content and quality of working life
   • stakeholder roles and responsibilities

Minitrack Chairs

Community Development

Community development efforts have a long, checkered history with information systems. Recently, declining entry barriers and Web ubiquity have spurred IS use for community development. IS use needs analysis particular to community development. Issues for community development must be addressed in the IS context. Examples of such issues include social capital and social networks.

Topics: This is not a solicitation for tools to support new online communities, but for two kinds of papers.

1. We seek research on tools to support development for existing communities, at levels ranging from local to international.
2. We seek analysis of issues, such as social capital and social networks, particular to community development, and needed to inform tool development to maximize tool value to community development efforts.

Minitrack Chairs

Distributed GSS

• groupware
• desktop video-conferencing
• media choice
• distributed workgroups telework
• intranets and workflow management.

Topics: In addition to the range of topics above, this mini-track will focus attention on rganizational issues:

• supporting temporally and geographically distributed workgroups with
• emerging Web-based technologies
• managing and maintaining intranets
• organizing and controlling virtual project-teams and integrating distributed work across technological and organizational boundaries.

Minitrack Chairs

Group Support Systems

Topics: These include, but are not limited to:

• Conceptual/theory development papers that are well focused, logically argued, and have the potential to change current practice;
• Experimental papers that are theoretically motivated, yet whose findings have the potential to interest practitioners;
• Field studies that develop new insight that has the potential to change current practice or lead to new theories; and
• System design and development papers that move beyond the description of systems and their use to build new concepts for the design and use of future systems in organizational settings.

Minitrack Chairs

Knowledge Management, Organizational Memory, and Organizational Learning (cross-listed with Digital Documents Track)

Knowledge Management (KM) addresses the process of acquiring, creating, distributing and using knowledge in organizations. Organizational Memory (OM) can be defined as the way an organization stores organizational knowledge and applies it to present activities. Organizational Learning (OL) is the development of shared meanings and intrepretations of those meanings to enhance future activities.

Topics: Possible paper include relationships among data, information, and knowledge

• Exploring relationships among knowledge management, organizational memory, and organizational learning
• Integrating organizational knowledge within the organization and across the organization's value chain
• Developing processes and systems for transferring, storing, integrating, and managing knowledge
• Using digital documents to implement knowledge management and organizational memory systems
• Developing processes and systems for facilitating organizational learning
• Describing case studies of knowledge management and organizational memory systems

Minitrack Chairs

Negotiation Support Systems

Topics: Topics of special interest include, but are not limited to:

• Negotiation support in electronic markets (auctions)
• Negotiation support system and software agents
• Distributed negotiation
• Human and artificial negotiation agents environmental negotiation
• Systems to support intercultural negotiation and emotions

Minitrack Chairs

Next Generation Learning Platforms

• innovative methods and tools,
• architectures, and
• pilot projects from the area of distributed, collaborative, multimedia based authoring and learning.

• collaborative computer aided authoring support,
• work benches for international coverage of learning topics,
• reusability support for learning fragments,
• specialized search engines,
• personalization of learning environments,
• remote tutoring support,
• on-demand retrieval of learning material on-demand and
• certification of learners achievements / quality control.

The Next Generation of Learning Platforms addresses the issue of innovative learning architectures that support web-based, self paced distance learning in cooperative environments. Papers should cover new approaches to integrated technical platforms as well as tools and methodologies that support the collaborative authoring and learning process.

Minitrack Chairs

Prof. Dr. Max Muehlhaeuser
Telekooperation
University Linz
Austria

Prof. Dr. Ralf Steinmetz
GMD IPSI
Germany

Technology Supported Learning

The minitrack on technology supported learning seeks academically rigorous papers on ways to use technology to enhance, extend, and improve learning.

Topics: Subject areas include, but are not limited to:

• The Nature of learning
• New technologies
• Pedagogy and technology
• TSL and Institutional and societal change

Minitrack Chairs

Eric Santanen
Department of Management
206 Taylor Hall
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Phone: (570) 577-3652
FAX: (520) 621-2641
esantane@bucknell.edu
www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/esantane/

User Experience:Collaboration Systems and Knowledge Management

Minitrack Chair