Papers by Andreea Molnar
Communications of the ACM, 2021
Telematics and Informatics, 2021
Smart cities aim to increase citizens’ quality of life by employing technology. Education is one ... more Smart cities aim to increase citizens’ quality of life by employing technology. Education is one of the areas of focus in smart cities and in this context, smart education is a term used to refer to education provided by smart cities. As research in this area has expanded recently as shown by the number of literature reviews in a smart city context, a review could help summarize existing directions focusing in this case on education in the smart cities context. As our understanding on negative consequences is limited, this research will address this knowledge gap by concentrating on challenges and difficulties when it comes to education in smart cities. The articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science were review and a qualitative analysis of the articles fitting our research criteria was done. Three themes were identified: shortcomings on the existing educational initiatives to address the needs of smart cities, negative consequences of smart city education in other areas and problems that arise as a result of employing technology in education.
Big Data & Society, 2021
Engaging citizens with digital technology to co-create data, information and knowledge has widely... more Engaging citizens with digital technology to co-create data, information and knowledge has widely become an important strategy for informing the policy response to COVID-19 and the ‘infodemic’ of misinformation in cyberspace. This move towards digital citizen participation aligns well with the United Nations’ agenda to encourage the use of digital tools to enable data-driven, direct democracy. From data capture to information generation, and knowledge co-creation, every stage of the data lifecycle bears important considerations to inform policy and practice. Drawing on evidence of participatory policy and practice during COVID-19, we outline a framework for citizen ‘e-participation’ in knowledge co-creation across every stage of the policy cycle. We explore how coupling the generation of information with that of social capital can provide opportunities to collectively build trust in institutions, accelerate recovery and …
International Conference on Information Systems, 2020
ACM Spatial User Interaction, 2019
This work studies the role of a human instructor within an immersive VR lesson. Our system allows... more This work studies the role of a human instructor within an immersive VR lesson. Our system allows the instructor to perform “contact teaching” by demonstrating concepts through interaction with the environment, and the student to experiment with interaction prompts. We conducted a between-subjects user study with two groups of students: one experienced the VR lesson while immersed together with an instructor; the other experienced the same contents demonstrated through animation sequences simulating the actions that the instructor would take. Results show that the Two-User version received significantly higher scores than the Single-User version in terms of overall preference, clarity, and helpfulness of the explanations. When immersed together with an instructor, users were more inclined to engage and progress further with the interaction prompts, than when the instructor was absent. Based on the analysis of videos and interviews, we identified design recommendations for future immersive VR educational experiences.
International Conference on Virtual Rehabilitation (ICVR), 2017
This preliminary study explored the possibility of influencing participant's navigation when pres... more This preliminary study explored the possibility of influencing participant's navigation when presented with 5 binary choices. Each participant experienced one trial of the 5 fixed ordered conditions. A think-aloud protocol and questionnaires were used to understand perception and behaviour. We conclude with suggestions of further research of understanding visual aesthetics and their influence of human movement behaviour on patient's navigation.
International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, 2016
Virtual rehabilitation often incorporates an element of travel in a virtual environment. Whether ... more Virtual rehabilitation often incorporates an element of travel in a virtual environment. Whether patients are transported automatically through the environment, or whether they have navigational control, it is important to understand how the design of the environment itself can supply navigational cues, and how the processing of these cues may influence perception, behaviour and task performance. This paper explores the literature, which might inform application design, and presents a case study using a think-aloud protocol to explore the perception of users to visual cues within a running game. We conclude with some preliminary suggestions for positive and negative navigational cues.
Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, 2017
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem and changes are needed in the way antibiotics are us... more Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem and changes are needed in the way antibiotics are used. The value of engaging children as key contributors in health care campaigns to increase the appropriate use of antibiotics has not been fully recognized. Little is known about how to design educational materials for children in order to enable them to be agents of change in their communities. Science education needs to improve the way it engages children so as to give them the tools needed to make responsible decisions on antibiotic use.
International Journal of Engineering Education, 2018
The impact of federally supported STEM education research is difficult to document, because knowl... more The impact of federally supported STEM education research is difficult to document, because knowledge resulting from research is deeply embedded in complex networks of social interactions, structures and artifacts. DIA2 is a web-based search and visualization tool designed to make knowledge associated with NSF-funded projects more accessible to the STEM education scholarly community. No studies have communicated its value to the community it was designed to serve. This study investigates users’ perceptions of DIA2’s usefulness for carrying out teaching, research, and administrative duties. Using a qualitative interpretivist approach, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 89 principal investigators on NSF-funded grants. We used thematic analysis, and interpreted the results using the Distributed Cognition and the Affordances of Information and Communications Technology frameworks. Results indicated ten ways DIA2 is valuable for carrying out a spectrum of routine scholarly activities, including initiating research collaborations, preparing promotion and tenure documents, and informing strategic decisions. With increased accessibility to the knowledge DIA2 provides, we are better equipped to characterize the impact of federally supported STEM education R&D.
Characterizing the existing funding portfolio of a federal agency is difficult due to the number,... more Characterizing the existing funding portfolio of a federal agency is difficult due to the number, complexity, and diversity of funded projects and associated metadata. Determining the impact of a funded project can be even more challenging, especially in terms of qualifying the return on investment of the research activity. Deep Insights Anywhere, Anytime (DIA2) is an interactive data-mining and Web-based visualization platform that makes it easy to access and understand funding portfolios. The authors performed an assessment of DIA2's usability and asked users at the US National Science Foundation how DIA2 can provide meaningful representations that contribute to determining the impact of a research portfolio. Their results show that DIA2 has good usability, and the study participants identified several indicators of impact as a result of the visualizations that can be realized through DIA2.
Mobile devices are omnipresent in one’s life leaping developed and developing worlds and leading ... more Mobile devices are omnipresent in one’s life leaping developed and developing worlds and leading to interest among researchers on how to use them for learning purposes. This article presents the results of a survey that aims to better understand the use of mobile phones for educational purposes. The results show that 54% of the participants use mobile Internet from their phone the most cited reason being the cost. A total of 30% use their mobile phone for learning purposes and 69% have mobile devices that would allow them to watch video content. The results of people’s preferences for specific types of educational media are also presented.
The study reported in this chapter evaluates how the Customer Experience Management System (CEMS)... more The study reported in this chapter evaluates how the Customer Experience Management System (CEMS) used by a University's Student Support Services (StuSS) responds to the objectives of capturing, storing, extracting, interpreting, distributing, using and reporting customer experience information for creating organisational value. Theoretically, the study draws on the concept of organizational ambidexterity. Concerning the research design, the study was undertaken using qualitative methods of data collection and interpretivist methods of data analysis. It has been inductively discovered that the availability of customer experience information obtained through the CEMS allows StuSS to respond effectively to different student needs. Organizationally, there is clarity concerning the ownership and management of customer relationships. Individual student data is collected, coordinated and distributed across lines of business. Because of this, StuSS is able to consistently identify customers across touch points and channels. Further suggestions are advanced to improve StuSS's analytical investigation capability to derive descriptive and predictive customer information, through applying data mining models to the information that is currently collected.
In a world increasingly awash in information, the field of information science has become an umbr... more In a world increasingly awash in information, the field of information science has become an umbrella stretched so broadly as to threaten its own integrity. However, while traditional information science seeks to make sense of information systems against a social, cultural, and political backdrop, there exists a lack of current literature exploring how such transactions can exert force in the other direction—that is, how information systems mold the individuals who utilize them and society as a whole.
The Handbook of Research on Innovations in Information Retrieval, Analysis, and Management explores new developments in the field of information and communication technologies and explores how complex information systems interact with and affect one another, woven into the fabric of an information-rich world. Touching on such topics as machine learning, research methodologies, and mobile data aggregation, this book targets an audience of researchers, developers, managers, strategic planners, and advanced-level students.
This handbook contains chapters on topics including, but not limited to, customer experience management, information systems planning, cellular networking, public policy development, and knowledge governance.
Serious games by Andreea Molnar
MJ Simulation & Technology Enhanced Learning, 2020
International Conference on Digital Public Health, 2019
GADSA (Gamified Antimicrobial Stewardship Decision Support App) is a decision support tool to imp... more GADSA (Gamified Antimicrobial Stewardship Decision Support App) is a decision support tool to improve evidence-based prescribing, designed to be used at the point-of-care to help clinicians comply with guidelines in their everyday practice. The app represents a novel cross-platform, mobile decision support tool, integrating principles from serious games and gamification, to improve compliance with prescription guidelines of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis (SAP) in Nigeria. This paper focuses on the decision support component of the mobile application, integrating the World Health Organisation and Sanford guidelines for SAP prescriptions.
International Conference on Digital Public Health, 2019
This survey study considers the state of the art of participatory research approaches using serio... more This survey study considers the state of the art of participatory research approaches using serious games to improve public health. It provides perspectives on existing research and future directions.
IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC), 2018
In this research, we study the use of interactive digital storytelling in teaching microbiology. ... more In this research, we study the use of interactive digital storytelling in teaching microbiology. More specifically, we carried out an exploratory study assessing the effect of using the gamification of an interactive digital storytelling on classroom dynamics and students' interaction. The results show that the presence of gamification led to an increase in classroom discussions and in students' engagement with the learning objectives taught by the interactive digital storytelling.
International Conference on Digital Health, 2018
Edugames4all MicrobeQuest! is a mobile game that aims to teach microbiology and create awareness ... more Edugames4all MicrobeQuest! is a mobile game that aims to teach microbiology and create awareness about important healthcare issues among 9 to 12 years old. This article presents the game, discusses the game design and integration of the learning objectives into the game mechanics. A pilot study has been performed to assess the game effectiveness in teaching the learning objectives integrated into the game. The study showed that the game can teach the learning objectives, however, the knowledge difference has not been statistically significant across all three learning objectives.
IEEE 18th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2018
Serious games have the potential to complement existing teaching methods by motivating and provid... more Serious games have the potential to complement existing teaching methods by motivating and providing a more enjoyable experience for the players or by simulating events that would be otherwise difficult to reproduce in the classroom. Despite their potential, little is known about how the games could be used not only for teaching but also as assessment tools. This research addresses this gap. We present an in-game assessment method which assesses the learning objectives included in the game without the need for a separate intervention. We evaluate the proposed method and we show that there is no statistically significant difference in participants being assessed through a questionnaire outside the game and the integrated game assessment method. Moreover, we looked at whether the player experience has been affected by the changes needed in the game design and the players' preferences for different types of assessment. Most participants preferred being assessed through the game. They also felt that the assessment has overall improved their game experience.
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Papers by Andreea Molnar
The Handbook of Research on Innovations in Information Retrieval, Analysis, and Management explores new developments in the field of information and communication technologies and explores how complex information systems interact with and affect one another, woven into the fabric of an information-rich world. Touching on such topics as machine learning, research methodologies, and mobile data aggregation, this book targets an audience of researchers, developers, managers, strategic planners, and advanced-level students.
This handbook contains chapters on topics including, but not limited to, customer experience management, information systems planning, cellular networking, public policy development, and knowledge governance.
Serious games by Andreea Molnar
The Handbook of Research on Innovations in Information Retrieval, Analysis, and Management explores new developments in the field of information and communication technologies and explores how complex information systems interact with and affect one another, woven into the fabric of an information-rich world. Touching on such topics as machine learning, research methodologies, and mobile data aggregation, this book targets an audience of researchers, developers, managers, strategic planners, and advanced-level students.
This handbook contains chapters on topics including, but not limited to, customer experience management, information systems planning, cellular networking, public policy development, and knowledge governance.
among researchers. Despite the fact that the main focus of this
domain remains on player entertainment and engagement, serious
games have established themselves as an alternative educational
paradigm. However, little interest has been given to investigating
methods for the assessment of their effectiveness. Game
evaluation focus remains on investigating usability and technical
aspects. Those attempting to evaluate the educational impact
typically rely on traditional questionnaires that typically
negatively affecting user immersion and the overall game
enjoyment. Among game genres, Interactive Digital Storytelling
(IDS) is a fast growing genre that merges computer games,
multimedia and cinematic storytelling with entertaining education.
Like any other teaching intervention, educational IDS’s have to be
evaluated against a defined set of Learning Objectives (LOs). In
this paper we present a User-Centred Seamless Evaluation
Framework for IDS games and describe the algorithm for the
integration of knowledge assessment to measure knowledge
improvement against given LOs without affecting player
enjoyment. We implement this algorithm in an educational game
and show that the framework has been perceived by the majority
of the players as a positive enhancement to the game, 94% of the
participants reported preferring this form of assessment as
opposed to the more “traditional” methods. Statistically significant
knowledge improvements were obtained after the game play.
– Multimedia content that is accessible through mobile devices has a larger size than other types of content (e.g. text, images). This may lead to higher prices for accessing the content via mobile devices, as mobile operators are capping mobile data billing plans in an effort to increase their revenues and prevent congestion. This poses problems for the users that are not willing/do not afford to pay the required price but still want to use multimedia content through the mobile networks. A price reduction for the user, as well as minimising bandwidth consumption can be obtained as a trade-off in multimedia quality. However, as previous research shows, not all people are willing to trade-off quality for a lower price; therefore, there is no straightforward approach to this problem. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to present a model of user willingness to pay for multimedia content quality as a function of the user risk attitude with the aim to provide personalised content depending on the user willingness to trade-off price for multimedia content quality.
Design/methodology/approach
– A user model was proposed based on a literature review and an existing data set. A stereotypical approach was used where users are divided in two groups: risk averse and risk seekers. An experimental study involving six scenarios was used to validate the findings.
Findings
– The results of the evaluation show that for the proposed user risk model, risk seekers preferred to pay for multimedia quality, whereas risk adverse users preferred to switch to a lower multimedia quality when monetary cost is involved. However, when the mobile data billing plan had the bandwidth limited, rather than a higher price to be paid when the bundle quantity was exceeded, the risk averse people’s preference for a lower quality still holds, but it does not show that most of the risk seekers prefer to pay for the multimedia quality.
Research limitations/implications
– This paper adds to the state of the art by providing a novel way to model the user preferences for multimedia quality based on their attitude towards risk, age, and gender.
Practical implications
– Mobile data users, content providers (application service providers, over-the-top providers), mobile network operators (MNOs) and internet service providers (ISPs) could benefit from the results of this research. For mobile data users, the outcome of this research could be beneficial, as they can obtain personalised content based on their needs. From the content providers’ point of view, providing personalised content can lead to more satisfied users. It could also reduce the bandwidth consumption and the traffic to the server and/or proxy. Reducing the bandwidth consumption could lead to the possibility to acquire more customers and hence increase the revenues.
Originality/value
– This is among the first studies to assess how the user preference towards multimedia quality if affected by the user attitude towards risk.
Strategic Management and Innovative Applications of E-Government is a pivotal reference source that provides organizational and managerial directions, applications, and theoretical and philosophical discussions on current issues relating to the practice of electronic government. While highlighting topics such as citizen trust in government and smart government, this publication explores electronic government technology adoption, as well as the methods of government social media practices. This book is a vital reference source for policy makers, IT specialists, government professionals, academicians, researchers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on e-government applications.
service, which advises entrepreneurs on how to set up a new business. In line
with this aim, we conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with the municipality staff
presently advising the entrepreneurs in the current form the service is offered, and citizens
(i.e. potential entrepreneurs) using these advisory service to find out more information about
their needs and requirements a video communication service should have. The results
highlight the necessity of having a good infrastructure, clear communication protocol and the
necessity to address trust and confidentiality issues prior to deploying such a service. A key
conclusion of this study is that neither the entrepreneurs nor the municipality staff expected
the video service fully replacing the face to face communication, but complementing it and
providing a better and more flexible access to citizens.