Collaborative Work Lab Research

Longitudinal Evaluation Database

Since 1995,  the CWLab facilitators  have been collecting pre- and post-meeting survey information on user satisfaction, group productivity, and the impact of CWLab meetings.

The survey participants are group members who use the Lab for their own purposes, including university students, faculty, and human service agencies from across Indiana. By paying attention to what the participants say about the CWLab, we hope to increase our  knowledge about group decision support systems, and  improve CWLab's services.

The anonymous comments gathered at the end of every session are revealing.   Below are some typical reactions gathered from our diverse user groups:

• A school therapist said, "A cool use of technology . . . good use of time, no domination . . . great prioritizing."
• From a school of nursing faculty member: "I felt that we really accomplished a lot of things today, in a better fashion than we have in the past."
• From a participant attending a session held at a national education association: "...Being able to chat anonymously about an issue was the highlight of the session for me."
• A university student said, "I learned the efficiency that can be gained by allowing many people to 'talk' at once and still 'hear' the input and feedback of others."

In addition to the pre- and post-session evaluation data, the CWLab staff are preparing to collect and analyze follow-up participant reaction to use of the CWLab technology and its long-term impact.

Recent Publications

The CWLab's evaluation database provides a treasure trove of information for research on the uses of the CWLab technology.  Some recent publications based on these data are listed below.

• Froehle, T. C., Mullin, C., Pappas, V., Tracy, M. & Chait, J. (1999) Using group decision support systems to brainstorm and evaluate prospective consultation interventions. Journal of Consulting Psychology. 51, 181-190.
• Krothe, Joyce S., Pappas, Vicki C., & Adair, Lorinda P. (1996). Nursing students' use of collaborative computer technology to create family and community assessment instruments. Computers in Nursing, 14, 101-107.
• Krothe, Joyce S. & Pappas, Vicki C. (1998). Using technology for collaborative research and writing.Qualitative Health Research: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 8, 563-569.
• Pappas, Vicki C. & Davenport, Elisabeth (1994). Empowering people with disabilities: The role of electronic meetings. In Raitt, D. I. & Jeapes, B. (Eds.), Online Information 94, 18th International Online Information Meeting Proceedings (pp. 113-120). Oxford, England: Learned Information (Europe) Ltd.
• Pappas, Vicki C., Krothe, Joyce S., & Adair, L. P. (1998). Using collaborative work technology to support active learning. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31, 1, 49-61.