Category Archives: Conference Contributions

Inner Source: Coming to a Company Near You Soon!

Announcement, Keynotes / Invited Talks, OpenSym 2014

OpenSym 2014 is proud to announce one of the conference’s invited talks!

Title: Inner Source: Coming to a Company Near You Soon!

Speaker: Klaas-Jan Stol of Lero

Abstract: The nature of software development has changed significantly over the last decade or so, driven by trends such as an increasing level of software outsourcing, distributed development and collaborative development models. One such model of collaborative and distributed development that has attracted significant attention in both industry and research communities is that of Open Source. Open Source development seems to defy traditional wisdom in software development — with a seeming absence of a predefined process, open source communities have produced high-quality and successful products. Increasingly, large organizations are looking to reproduce such emerging and collaborative development projects by adopting the open source development paradigm within their organizations. This phenomenon is labelled “Inner Source”. This talk will present the results of four years of research into Inner Source. Specifically, the talk will address questions such as why companies would want to adopt Inner Source and what factors are important when adopting Inner Source. The talk will draw from several industry cases of Inner Source.

Biography: Dr Klaas-Jan Stol is a Research Fellow with Lero — the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre. He holds a PhD in software engineering from the University of Limerick and an MSc from the University of Groningen. His research interests include contemporary software development methods and strategies, including Inner Source, Open Source, crowdsourcing, and agile and lean methods, as well as research methodology and theory building in software engineering. In a previous life, he was a contributor to an Open Source project.

The Contribution of Different Online Communities in Open Innovation Projects

Announcement, Conference Contributions, Full Research Papers, Open Innovation Track, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks

Title: The Contribution of Different Online Communities in Open Innovation Projects

Authors: Michael A. Zeng

Abstract: Online communities used as resource enlargement in open innovation processes are a promising concept. Yet, to date few comparative studies on characteristics of different online communities have been done. This paper identifies the cultures of innovation communities and brand communities in the environment of the Web 2.0 and shows how to use and further exploit their potential in different steps of open innovation projects. To analyze these online communities, an exploratory case study design with ten small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was chosen. All ten enterprises worked with the same innovation intermediary, which implemented an innovation community platform into a social network and possess a brand community in the respective social network. The key findings suggest that the potential of both communities should be brought together and used as a harmonized strategy for open innovation and social media. Based on these findings, a conceptual framework was developed which illustrates how to integrate such online communities into each stage of a new product development process as well as to interconnect them.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Chinese-language Literature About Wikipedia: A Meta-Analysis of Academic Search Engine Result Pages

Announcement, Conference Contributions, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks, Short Research Papers, Wikipedia Track

Title: Chinese-language Literature About Wikipedia: A Meta-Analysis of Academic Search Engine Result Pages

Authors: Han-Teng Liao, Bin Zhang

Abstract: This paper presents a webometric analysis of the academic search engine result pages (SERPs) of the Chinese-language term of “Wikipedia” across major Chinese-speaking regions of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Because of the academic outcome, the findings can also be interpreted for further meta-analysis, or “research about research”, of the Wikipedia research in Chinese-language literatures. The findings cover the results from four major search platforms: CNKI Scholar, Google Scholar China, Google Scholar Hong Kong and Google Scholar Taiwan. Cross tabulation of the results shows the major institutions (journals and academic departments) and scholarly archives for Chinese-language Wikipedia research. The findings suggest that there exists a divide between mainland Chinese academic sources/search results on one hand, and Hong Kong/Taiwanese ones on the other. Meta-analysis based on academic SERPs have implications for identifying the gaps and potentials in internationalization of Wikipedia research.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Open Societal Innovation

Announcement, Conference Contributions, Open Innovation Track, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks, Short Research Papers

Title: Open Societal Innovation

Authors: Jörn Von Lucke

Abstract: In this paper, the concept of open societal innovation is briefly described. Regarding government, administration and society, the first early pioneers have made their experiences in combing open innovation approaches with information technology. A compact analysis summarizes already experienced strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of this approach in the public sector.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Geographic and Linguistic Normalization: Towards a Better Understanding of the Geo-linguistic Dynamics of Knowledge

Announcement, Conference Contributions, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Posters, Research Tracks, Wikipedia Track

Title: Geographic and Linguistic Normalization: Towards a Better Understanding of the Geo-linguistic Dynamics of Knowledge

Authors: Han-Teng Liao, Thomas Petzold

Abstract: This paper proposes a method of geo-linguistic normalization to advance the existing comparative analysis of open collaborative communities, with multilingual Wikipedia projects as the example. Such normalization requires data regarding the potential users and/or resources of a geolinguistic unit.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Why Do Some Students Become More Engaged in Collaborative Wiki Writing? The Role of Sense of Relatedness

Announcement, Conference Contributions, Full Research Papers, Open Educational Resources Track, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks

Title: Why Do Some Students Become More Engaged in Collaborative Wiki Writing? The Role of Sense of Relatedness

Authors: Wilson W.T. Law (The University of Hong Kong), Ronnel B. King (Nanyang Technological University), Michele Notari (University of Teacher Education Bern), Eddie W.L. Cheng (Hong Kong Institute of Education), Samuel K.W. Chu (The University of Hong Kong)

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the role of sense of relatedness in students’ engagement in using wikis in collaborative writing. Hong Kong secondary school students (N = 422) participated in the study and answered questionnaires about their sense of relatedness and their level of engagement when using wikis for open collaborative project work. Results from the regression analyses showed that students’ sense of relatedness with their teacher and peers facilitated their engagement in the collaborative wiki writing environment. The results were also consistent with the educational psychology research findings in a traditional classroom setting. Most importantly, the result from this study showed the possible linkage between IT in education research and the educational psychology literature. Implications of psychological factors on students’ learning in technologically-enriched learning environments are discussed.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Contropedia – The Analysis and Visualization of Controversies in Wikipedia Articles

Announcement, Conference Contributions, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Posters, Research Tracks, Wikipedia Track

Title: Contropedia – The Analysis and Visualization of Controversies in Wikipedia Articles

Authors: Erik Borra, Esther Weltevrede, Paolo Ciuccarelli, Andreas Kaltenbrunner, David Laniado, Giovanni Magni, Michele Mauri, Richard Rogers, Tommaso Venturini

Abstract: Collaborative content creation inevitably reaches situations where different points of view lead to conflict. In Wikipedia, one of the most prominent examples of collaboration online, conflict is mediated by both policy and software, and conflicts often reflect larger societal debates. Contropedia is a platform for the analysis and visualization of such controversies in Wikipedia. Controversy metrics are extracted from activity streams generated by edits to, and discussions about, individual articles and groups of related articles. An article’s revision history and its corresponding discussion pages constitute two parallel streams of user interactions that, taken together, fully describe the process of the collaborative creation of an article. Our proposed platform, Contropedia, builds on state of the art techniques and extends current metrics for the analysis of both edit and discussion activity and visualizes these both as a layer on top of Wikipedia articles as well as a dashboard view presenting additional analytics. Furthermore, the combination of these two approaches allows for a deeper understanding of the substance, composition, actor alignment, trajectory and liveliness of controversies on Wikipedia. Our research aims to provide a better understanding of sociotechnical phenomena that take place on the web and to equip citizens with tools to fully deploy the complexity of controversies. Contropedia is useful for the general public as well as user groups with specific interests such as scientists, students, data journalists, decision makers and media communicators.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Learning Process Analytics for a Self-study Class in a Semantic Mediawiki

Announcement, Conference Contributions, Open Educational Resources Track, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks, Short Research Papers

Title: Learning Process Analytics for a Self-study Class in a Semantic Mediawiki

Authors: Daniel Schneider (University of Geneva), Barbara Class (University of Geneva), Julien Da Costa (University of Geneva)

Abstract: We describe a framework and an implementation of learningprocess analytics for both learners and teachers to enhance a self-study class on psychological and educational theory. The environment is implemented in a Semantic MediaWiki using Semantic Forms and Semantic Result Formats. The design early development, but it is deployed and operational.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Measuring the Quality of Edits to Wikipedia

Announcement, Conference Contributions, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Posters, Research Tracks, Wikipedia Track

Title: Measuring the Quality of Edits to Wikipedia

Authors: Susan Biancani

Abstract: Wikipedia is unique among reference works both in its scale and in the openness of its editing interface. The question of how it can achieve and maintain high-quality encyclopedic articles is an area of active research. In order to address this question, researchers need to build consensus around a sensible metric to assess the quality of contributions to articles. This measure must not only reflect an intuitive concept of “quality,” but must also be scalable and run efficiently. Building on prior work in this area, this paper uses human raters through Amazon Mechanical Turk to validate an efficient, automated quality metric.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.

Older Adults and Free/Open Source Software: A Diary Study of First-Time Contributors

Announcement, Conference Contributions, F/L/OSS Track, Full Research Papers, OpenSym 2014, Research Contributions, Research Tracks

Title: Older Adults and Free/Open Source Software: A Diary Study of First-Time Contributors

Authors: Jennifer Davidson (Oregon State University), Umme Ayda Mannan (Oregon State University), Rithika Naik (Oregon State University), Ishneet Dua (Oregon State University), Carlos Jensen (Oregon State University)

Abstract: The global population is aging rapidly, and older adults are becoming increasingly technically savvy. This paper explores ways to engage these individuals to contribute to free/open source software (FOSS) projects. We conducted a pilot diary study to explore motivations, barriers, and the contribution processes of first-time contributors in a real time, qualitative manner. In addition, we measured their self-efficacy before and after their participation. We found that what drove participants were intrinsic motivations, altruism, and internal values, which differed from previous work with older adults and with the general FOSS population. We also found that self-efficacy did not change significantly, even when participants encountered significant barriers or setbacks. The top 3 barriers were lack of communication, installation issues, and documentation issues. We found that asking for and receiving help, and avoiding difficult development environments were more likely to lead to success. To verify these results, we encourage a future large-scale diary study that involves multiple demographics. Given our pilot study, we recommend that future outreach efforts involving older adults focus on how to effectively communicate and build community amongst older contributors.

This contribution to OpenSym 2014 will be made available as part of the OpenSym 2014 proceedings on or after August 27, 2014.