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Activity Theory applied to CSCW in Experimental
sciences
Ulrich Hoppe, Niels Pinkwart, Dirk
Hofmann COLLIDE research group Gerhard-Mercator-U
niversity Duisburg
Department Mathematics / Computer Science
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First thoughts
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Typical experiment phases

• Pre-Lab phase
• students read guidelines (theoretical background
  etc.)
• students prepare the experiment they have to
  carry out.

Pre-Lab phase

• Lab phase
• students mainly carry out the experiments
• collection of data documentation of the
  experiment layout

Lab phase

• Post-Lab phase
• creation of reports including tasks like data
  modeling
• critical reflection about the outcomes of an
  experiment
• explanation of errors and mismatches between
  actual and ideal results.

Post-Lab phase
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Typical use cases in different experiment phases
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DiViLab Central claims for user modeling
Aim Development of a rich user scenario for
computer supported experimental learner
activities
Approach Combination of results and methods from
both social sciences and computer science

• Conditions
• Remain -as far as possible - independent from
  domain as well as from pedagogic approaches
• Meet user needs
• Provide descriptive formal representation and
  methodology

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Foundations of Activity Theory

• Activity model based on Activity Theory mainly
  worked on by
• Lev Vygotsgy (base model)
• Alexei Leontev (three-level model of activity)
• Yrjo Engeström (collective activity system)
• Michael Cole (networks of activity systems)
• Bonnie Nardi (activity theory and HCI)

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Activity Theory Components of human activity

• A subject (an individual or a group) who is
  acting
• An object that refers to the material at which
  the activity is directed
• The outcome of the object transformation
• Tools which are the means the actor can use for
  the transformation process
• Rules that express (implicit or explicit)
  constraints
• A community representing the environment the
  activity is located in
• A division of labor describing roles in a group
  as well as a schedule

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Activity Theory Levels of human activity
Activity Actions Operations Sub-operations
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Activity Theory Advantages
Why to use this activity model for CSCW purposes ?
very general, yet detailed approach natural
way of modeling systematic way of conducting
task analysis otherwise difficult to meet user
needs (user needs ? designers anticipation)
hierarchy provides context to user operations
location of conflicts / problems
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Activity Theory Drawbacks
- requires sometimes highly complex analysis -
usually domain dependent ? experts needed -
depends on hermeneutic analysis ? automatic
task analysis is not directly possible
- lack of formalisms
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Existing formal techniques

• Learning contingency analysis Formal approach
  to course construction Central question
  sequence of lessons Most important element
  prerequisites Based on old fashioned
  pedagogic claim
• GOMS Procedural approach to task analysis
  Decomposition of tasks into Gs, Os, Ms and
  S. Low level in the Leontev model
• ?

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Experiment description using Activity Theory
Collaborative Guessing of a Component Y in a
Substance X
Mediational Tools Guidelines for X Structured
Notebook Material Chemical Tools, Substance (X)
is a kind of
composed by
SELECT BY (propose and negotiate hypothesis)
TEST (by obtain data and identify)
Hypothesis X has Y as component
Substance (x)
Student
result
Justification of the hypothesis
Division of labour / Roles Student Propose and
negotiate, write result on the notebook
Rules/ Norms negotiate the com- ponent for X
Students by pairs
is a kind of
Mediational Tools Guidelines, Notebook, Material
Hypothesis X has Y as component
Student
result
Conclusion about Y presence/abscence
Division of labour / Roles Obtain data using
guidelines for Y
Rules/ Norms Security lab norms
Students by pairs
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Activity Model Elements
is a
Glossary
Application
is a
is a
Database
is a
Material
is a
Simulation
is a
Editor
Internet
Guidelines Handout
depends-on
is a
depends-on
Tool
Microrole
has a
Subject
composed by
Role
composed by
List of roles
Constraint
List of tools
Division of work
Object Perform a task
Result
Norms
Community
Activity
composed by
List of Activities
composed by
has a
has
Scenario
Domain
Pedagogical Objectives
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Activity Model in UML
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Activity Model in UML
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Characteristic prototype of an activity
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The model - compared to first thoughts
Activities are one of the central elements in the
model - structured into actions etc. and put into
an appropriate framework
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The model - compared to first thoughts
There is a special framework for objects
contained in the model. Attention to the
difference between concrete objects (resources)
and abstract objects (problem space)
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The model - compared to first thoughts
How the model contains resources- Application
resources tools- Time resources parameters
(timestamps)- Data resources objects
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The model - compared to first thoughts
Collaboration has a generic representation in the
frameworks
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The model - compared to first thoughts
Rules and roles are represented by the
constraints May reach from interdiction to
enforcement Depend on subjects, groups, objects,
tools and other parameters Possibilities of
applying formal techniques
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Using Activity Theory for documents
The first version of the active document
lt!DOCTYPE lab_document lt!ELEMENT lab_document
(learner_group,aim,experiment,(structure))gt lt
!ELEMENT learner_group (learner)gt lt!ELEMENT
aim (content)gt lt!ELEMENT experiment
(aim,theory_component,resource_component,
safety_component,execution_component,analysis_co
mponent)gt lt!ELEMENT theory_component
(content)gt lt!ELEMENT resource_component
(content)gt lt!ELEMENT safety_component
(content)gt lt!ELEMENT execution_component
(content)gt lt!ELEMENT analysis_component
(content)gt lt!ENTITY structure
structural_modelgt lt!-- the structural
representation of the activity including roles,
rules, the division of work and further
constraints --gt lt!ENTITY learner
"learner_model"gt lt!-- this model represents a
single learner in the system with his important
characteristics (e.g. IEEE LTSC 1484.2 --gt
lt!ENTITY content "content_model"gt lt!-- the
content model has to be flexible enough to cover
guidelines, resources or work orders of various
content type --gt lt!ATTLIST aim type (content
generic pedagogic) IMPLIEDgt lt!ATTLIST
theory_component type (formula model)
IMPLIEDgt lt!ATTLIST resource_component type
(expert simulation database)
IMPLIEDgt lt!ATTLIST safety_component type (danger
precaution) IMPLIEDgt lt!ATTLIST
execution_component type (device layout data)
IMPLIEDgt lt!ATTLIST analysis_component type
(data_modeling report) IMPLIEDgt gt