1. An Information Environment for Exploring Personal Values Kieran Mathieson Oakland University

2. Project Goals Help people live a life that matters –Decide what they value –Live according to their values Focus on undergraduate students –They can think –They have permission to think Create a generic structure for value exploration

3. Outline A.Theoretical Background What are students? What are values? Where do values come from? B.Development and Evaluation What is the presentation metaphor? Development method? Technology? C.Project Impact What is the value of this project?

4. Theoretical Background The following is a broad view of value exploration. It’s not a complete theory, but is enough to create a foundation for the project. I don’t claim it’s completely accurate, only that it isn’t bizarre.

5. Theoretical Background Q: What are students like? –Students are people, more like others than unlike them –Look at what people are like, then consider how students are different

6. What Are People Like? We are emotional beings. We are rational beings. We are self-aware. We are social beings. Narrative is central to the way we understand and communicate. – Involves metaphor and imagination.

7. Are Students Different From Others? The most important difference is the role of "student" itself. – Society lets students inquire. The student role is not homogeneous. – Students who attend university for utilitarian reasons alone might not let themselves inquire.

8. Implications The information environment (IE) should: – Encourage students to let themselves think about their values. – Help people better understand emotion and social interaction. – Help students create their own narratives. – Help students understand others' narratives. – Explain how students can analyze situations. – Encourage social interaction. – Include ways to assess students.

9. Outline A.Theoretical Background What are students? Values Defining values Representing values Communities Implications for IE B.Development and Evaluation C.Project Impact

10. Values Are … Beliefs about right and wrong Centered on self, society, or principles Not always conscious Not always reflected in behavior –Espoused vs. real values –Lack of knowledge about the world –Complexity of the world

11. Principles Abstract expressions of ideas Offer simple descriptions of values –“Patriotism is good” Generalizable Lack clear definition and implications for behavior –What is patriotism? –Is it patriotic to refuse to fight in a war?

12. Narratives … Communicate moral lessons. Help explain ambiguous terms like joy, love, and patriotism. Illustrate uncertainty, conflict, and emotional turmoil. Show other peoples' perspectives. Often show a moral exemplar.

13. Metaphors Parent as Leader Parent as Guide

14. Personal Moral Exemplar

15. Communities … Define themselves by their values. Provide social legitimacy. Define discussable issues. Help define personal identity. Offer apprenticeship and mentoring. Help members refine ideas.

16. Community Attributes Clear boundaries. Rules about the use of collective goods. Members participate in setting rules. External authorities let members set rules. Members monitor each other. Graduated system of punishments. Low-cost conflict resolution mechanisms.

17. For Virtual Communities Norms of generalized reciprocity. Ability to build goods that individual members cannot create in isolation. Ability to foster emotional attachment amongst the members.

18. Implications Expose unconscious values. Help students understand the world. Help students think about both abstract values and their concrete application. – Personal moral exemplar. Help students consider value conflicts. Encourage long-lived, self-governing communities.

19. Outline A.Theoretical Background B.Development and Evaluation Presentation metaphor Development method Technology C.Project Impact

20. House Front Porch Stories Art Personal Moral Exemplar Dilemmas

21. Personal Artwork

22. Dilemma Analysis

23. Understanding Events

24. Taking Notes

25. Village House Town Square City Hall

26. Intervillage Tasks Village

27. Development Method Prototyping Initial testing with individual students –Focus on tasks, presentation metaphor, interfaces and the like Group testing –Community development Release under GPL –Encourage a developer community

28. Technology J2EE –Java servlets and applets, JSP, ECMA script, CSS, … GPL tools –Tomcat (and maybe Apache) –MySQL Modular –Other researchers can add features, tasks, documents, etc.

29. Outline A.Theoretical Background B.Development and Evaluation C.Project Impact What is the value of this project?

30. Impact Social capital Improve social discourse Break social boundaries Promote democratic thinking Move technology into a new realm Adapt to different settings Research tool Catalyst for an Open Source community

31. Questions and Comments ? ? ? ? ? ?