The aim of the diploma thesis is to design a comparison process for reporting tools with accent on managerial decision-making needs, and to demonstrate its use in practice by comparing two selected reporting tools. Theoretical foundation, on which the thesis is built, is created first. The main accent is put on introducing performance measurement and management and the role, which is played by reporting in relation to it. Reporting itself is subsequently addressed in more detail separately. The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on analysis and synthesis of findings stemming from review of literature, theses dealing with related topics, and scientific articles published electronically. The practical part of the thesis deals with the introduction and utilization of the designed comparison process for reporting tools with respect to the tools' suitability for supporting decision-making. The process was used to compare Tableau Desktop and Eclipse BIRT. Outputs in the form of graphs and dashboards from Tableau Desktop, which - given the chosen criteria and their weights - achieved higher score in comparison to Eclipse BIRT, were used to demonstrate their possible use in the context of decision-making. In the practical part of the thesis comparison is used based on the designed process, defined method of calculating criteria weights and evaluation system. Criteria weights are calculated using Fuller's pairwise comparison method. Generic information shown is based on the analysis and synthesis of related publicly accessible business, economic, marketing and product information. The thesis puts reporting into the context of decision-making process, more specifically into the context of its role within performance measurement and management. The conclusion that can be drawn is that even though there are numerous processes, approaches, methods, disciplines etc. dealing with performance measurement and management, it is reporting that provides the means enabling smoother decision-making. Thanks to reporting it is possible to access large volumes of data and information stored in the source systems, transform them and present them to users in a way which will support their decision-making needs. The contribution of the thesis lies in the creation of a flexible process for reporting tools comparison. The introduced process can be used by any organization dealing with the matter of choosing the most suitable reporting tool from more alternatives. The introduced process enables organizations to use a clearly defined sequence of steps, while at the same time allowing them to choose appropriate parameters best fitting their needs. Thus, the introduced process reflects the fact that priorities and needs of organizations may differ and therefore it is not possible to introduce a set of rigid criteria suiting the needs of all in general.

<p>External representations (ERs) used in science education are multimodal ensembles consisting of design elements to convey educational meanings to the audience. As an example of a dynamic ER, an animation presenting its content features (i.e., scientific concepts) via varying the feature’s depiction over time. A production team invited the dissertation author to inspect their creation of a biochemistry animation about the role of the actin cytoskeleton in cell motility and the animation’s implication on learning. To address this, the author developed a four-step methodology entitled the Multimodal Variation Analysis of Dynamic External Representations (MVADER) that deconstructs the animation’s content and design to inspect how each content feature is conveyed via the animation’s design elements.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>This dissertation research investigated the actin animation’s educational value and the MVADER’s utility in animation evaluation. The research design was guided by descriptive case study methodology and an integrated framework consisting of the variation theory, multimodal analysis, and visual analytics. As stated above, the animation was analyzed using MVADER. The development of the actin animation and the content features the production team members intended to convey via the animation were studied by analyzing the communication records between the members, observing the team meetings, and interviewing the members individually. Furthermore, students’ learning experiences from watching the animation were examined via semi-structured interviews coupled with post- storyboarding. Moreover, the instructions of MVADER and its applications in studying the actin animation were reviewed to determine the MVADER’s usefulness as an animation evaluation tool.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>Findings of this research indicate that the three educators in the production team intended the actin animation to convey forty-three content features to the undergraduate biology students. At least 50% of the student who participated in this thesis learned thirty-five of these forty-three (> 80%) features. Evidence suggests that the animation’s effectiveness to convey its features was associated with the features’ depiction time, the number of identified design elements applied to depict the features, and the features’ variation of depiction over time.</p><p><br></p><p>Additionally, one-third of the student participants made similar mistakes regarding two content features after watching the actin animation: the F-actin elongation and the F-actin crosslink structure in lamellipodia. The analysis reveals the animation’s potential design flaws that might have contributed to these common misconceptions. Furthermore, two disruptors to the creation process and the educational value of the actin animation were identified: the vagueness of the learning goals and the designer’s placement of the animation’s beauty over its reach to the learning goals. The vagueness of the learning goals hampered the narration scripting process. On the other hand, the designer’s prioritization of the animation’s aesthetic led to the inclusion of a “beauty shot” in the animation that caused students’ confusion.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>MVADER was used to examine the content, design, and their relationships in the actin animation at multiple aspects and granularities. The result of MVADER was compared with the students’ learning outcomes from watching the animation to identify the characteristics of content’s depiction that were constructive and disruptive to learning. These findings led to several practical recommendations to teach using the actin animation and create educational ERs.</p><p><br></p><p> </p><p>To conclude, this dissertation discloses the connections between the creation process, the content and design, and the educational implication of a biochemistry animation. It also introduces MVADER as a novel ER analysis tool to the education research and visualization communities. MVADER can be applied in various formats of static and dynamic ERs and beyond the disciplines of biology and chemistry.</p>