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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) nowadays is constantly evolving and drastically impacting different fields of human activity, such as higher education. University education, due to ICT, was able to move from the traditional teaching and learning practices to e-Learning. That is, delivering education to the learner regardless of place and time via leveraging technology, such as computer-mediated platforms, based on synchronous video conferencing. The next generation of computer-mediated communication tools is ready to facilitate synchronous holographic communication among users. However, such tools have not been designed specifically for the field of university education and have not been taken into consideration the design requirements and needs of users to be successfully integrated to the e-Learning model.     Hence, this master’s thesis study explores the perceptions of higher education teachers and students about the potential use of holographic ICT tools in the context of e-Learning, as well as their desired characteristics in regard to the design of such tools. For this, an interpretive qualitative ethnographic research was conducted. Data was collected through passive observations and focus group discussions with purposively selected university teachers and students, and by leveraging the method of Thinking Aloud. The collected data was subjected to thematic analysis to conclude to seven themes, which represent the findings of this study. These research findings were discussed in relation to the research aim, research questions and the theoretical framework including the approach of User-Centered Design.     The research findings showed that university teachers and students acknowledge the potential of the holographic ICT tools and have an interest to try them out in the context of e-Learning activities. The potential use of holographic ICT tools was described as improving the quality of communication between teachers and students when on distance; delivering education globally and making it more accessible; lifting the current technological limitations and enriching the e-Learning practices. Some concerns, though, in regard to the use of such tools were expressed in terms of complexity and disturbances. The research findings also showed the university teachers’ and students’ desired characteristics in regard to the design of such tools, which include interoperability with the other systems used in e-Learning activities; high quality of human and non-human holographic representations; and indicators in holographs of the participants’ status, along with additional interactive features. In addition, the university teachers and students suggested the holographic ICT tools to be designed as a pair of comfortable augmented reality (AR) glasses, which can be easy to control and can be connected to personal devices. Finally, it was suggested to include main tools of teaching and learning activities -such as whiteboard, screensharing, slides presentation-; and multiple modes that can be used depending on the users’ teaching and learning needs.  Thus, the research outcome contributes theoretically to the research field of informatics by providing insights and new knowledge about the potential use of novel holographic ICT tools for e-Learning. The research outcome also contributes practically to designers, developers, technology companies, and other interested stakeholders as it shortens the knowledge gap regarding the design principles of holographic ICT tools and their use cases within the context of education, and provides suggestions regarding their design from a user-centered approach.

<p>The hyperpersonal model predicts computer-mediated communication can allow for relationships formed in that medium to become more intimate than their offline counterparts. Specifically, it combines ideas first presented in social information processing (i.e., that the volume of information exchanged over time within computer-mediated relationship is more important than how long it takes to exchange that volume) with the technological affordances given to the sender, receiver, message, and channel in order to create a feedback loop of assumed good intentions within the CMC medium that allows for online relationships to surpass face-to-face relationships in terms of their emotional intimacy. Existing research has shown that a variety of factors influence how people feel about an online friend, including the richness of the medium, personality, and the amount of emotional self-disclosure that had been exchanged within the relationship. However, studies to date have inconsistently measured self-disclosure and largely rely on survey or experimental methods rather than the examination of existing text-based datasets. This study proposes and tests a model that the relationship between an initial person’s emotional self-disclosure and the reciprocal self-disclosure the friend responds with in a CMC medium is mediated by the degree to which their language converges, or the degree to which they empathize with each other, and is moderated by the volume of text exchanged by the pairs during their relationship. The study uses a corpus of the text messages exchanged between 2,174 pairs of people. The results indicate that there is an indirect relationship between initial self-disclosure and reciprocal self-disclosure which is mediated by is empathetic convergence. Furthermore, the volume of information exchanged may also play a role in some of these interactions. This study offers implications and suggestions for refining the hyperpersonal model to be applicable in the current digital zeitgeist.</p>

This research investigates how a communication system could support urban gardeners intheir activities. By looking at agriculture not as a mere activity for food production but as arich social practice, this research addresses gardeners dual need of acquiring knowledge and develop social relationship.Findings from an ethnographic research of two local agriculture communities are described.Participatory design has been used to identify design opportunities and co-create conceptideas. Prototypes have been used to evaluate key aspects and refine the final concept. Byinviting intended users to take an active role during the entire design process, the result of this research is grounded not only in the theory but also on people's aspirations and realexperience.

Struktur är en viktig del av att möjliggöra kommunikation. Om informationen levereraspå ett ostrukturerat eller direkt felaktigt sätt kan det bli omöjligt för mottagaren attgöra sig en sammanhängande bild av hur informationen hänger samman. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om, och på vilket sätt, informationens struktur påverkar hur användare diskuterar i datormedierade kommunikationssystem inomsociala medier som bloggar, communities, forum och tidningars kommentarsfält.Med hjälp av en inventering togs de vanligast förekommande designstrukturernafram och med utgång från dessa gjordes en studie av hur användarna kommenterar.Resultatet visar att designen av ett kommentarssystem verkar påverka användarnasrespons i hög grad beroende av diskussionstrådens utformning, antal visade svar och placeringen av dess olika element. Utifrån detta rekommenderas därför skilda strukturella designer beroende av om syftet med att ha en kommentarsfunktion är att skapa en dialog, en diskussion eller att enbart få återkoppling. / Structure is an important aspect of communication. If the structure of the informationdelivery is faulty or non-existent the user might not be able to form a coherent historyof a topic. Due to messages not being sufficiently organized to provide context this might cause information overload. The aim of this thesis is to investigate if, andhow, the structure of information-presentation in computer-mediatedcommunication-systems affect how the users communicate within social media andinteractive sites such as blogs, social networking-communities, forum boards and on-line magazines' commenting sections.First an inventory of the most common design structures was made and then acontextual study of the user comments within these structures was performed.The results show that the design of a commenting system seem to affect the userresponse to a high degree depending on the threads design; number of shownprevious comments and placing of the different elements. From these findingsdifferent designs are recommended depending on the purpose of the commentingsection is to generate a dialogue, discussion or to just get feedback.

Current research has established the importance of establishing individual trust in global virtual teams to achieve project success. Global virtual teams (GVTs) emerged as a result of the growth of multi-national corporations (MNCs) conducting business operations in more than one country. This research explores eliminating the need to establish individual trust among the members of short-lived global virtual teams and suggests an institutional trust in the project’s processes can suffice. Beginning with an exploration of various aspects of trust, it draws from the current literature on individual and institutional trust in the real and virtual worlds. The data were gathered using two versions of an online survey administered to global virtual teams working for Infosys®, Inc., a global leader in technology services and consulting. The analysis was limited to small, short-lived Information Technology (IT) virtual teams of four to six members. Survey responses were received from 273 managers and 195 virtual team members. The results found support for institutional trust in the process, established through the team members’ favorable perception of their project’s online processes, as having a significant effect on supporting both individual trust among the team members, as well as ensuring project success. The paper concludes with potential costs and benefits to multi-national companies in their management and training of virtual teams. Finally, I provide suggestions for further research into the elimination of trust building exercises for short-lived virtual teams, as well as implications of these results for academicians and practitioners. Key words: trust, trustworthiness, reliance, process knowledge, multi-national Companies (MNCs), global virtual teams, computer-mediated environments / Business Administration/Strategic Management

This study examined an innovative, project-based curriculum in a freshman biology laboratory by focusing on how students developed their conceptual understanding of a biological species. A model for learning was posed based on learners working in small groups. This model linked a sociocultural approach to teaching and learning to conceptual change theory. Qualitative research methods were employed to collect a variety of data. Documentation of this innovative curriculum is provided. This investigative curriculum incorporated the research practices that scientists use. A wide range of dynamic interactions with students actively investigating problems and sharing both their findings and thoughts during this time occurred. This essentially modeled the authentic practices of scientists. A direct comparison was made with this learning environment and the model for learning. Peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and most importantly, peer collaboration were observed when students grappled with difficult problems for which there was no single right answer. Teachers served as guides in learning, shifting responsibility to the students. Analysis of student writing revealed richer, more complex definitions of species after the experience of the laboratory project. Several of the students used knowledge gained directly from their experiences during the laboratory project to help elaborate their definitions. The electronic discussions showed a range of social interactions and interactivity. High quality discussions were found to be rich in scientific thought, engaging discussants by offering information, questioning, and actively hypothesizing. Mediating and facilitating discussions by the participants was found to be an important factor in their success. Groups exhibiting high quality discussions also had a lower response time than other groups, indicating that more substantive dialogues which are rich in thought proceed at a slower pace. Significantly, an important connection has been made between the socio-cultural approach to learning and conceptual change theory. A closer examination of how small groups of learners develop conceptual understanding is needed. This approach also needs to be extended into other settings where reform in science education is taking place. / Ph. D.