Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Understanding functionality and structure

• Aim

– Design scaffolds for understanding IT use

– Complete Assignment 2

• Core literature:

– Chapter 4. Understanding IT

• Additional literature – Aharoni, D. (2000) Cogito, ergo sum! Cognitive processes of students

dealing with data structures

– Furuta, T. (2000) The Impact of Generating Spontaneous Descriptions on

Mental Model Development

– Vessey & Conger (1994) Requirement Specification: Learning Object,

Process, and Data Methodologies

1

Understanding in addition to skills

Learning IT never ends

• New functionality

• New installations of

software

• New versions of software

• New vendors

• New software types

• New hardware

Understanding ease learning

compared to skills only

2

Understanding functionality and structure of IT

neccessary for IT competence

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Constructivism: Experience precede reflection

• Experience through interactions with

– Other learners

– Teachers

– Computers

– Books and documentation

– and the rest of our environment

• Understand through reflection on experience

– Relate it to previous experience

– Relate it to concepts, models, theories…

– Discuss it with others

3

Constructing new understanding

• Learning is based on existing competence

– We construct our own skills and understanding

– Understanding and skills are not transferred • We don’t copy the teacher’s competence

• Understand new concepts based on

– Previously understood concepts • From IT

• From other areas

– New experience

4

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

2c. C

om

pare

in

pu

t and

o

utp

ut

2c. Functional understanding

2d. Conceptualise

1. Skills

2d. Structural understanding

Type the Column letter.

Type the Row number.

In order to have one cell refer

to another, one has to get the

coordinates of the other cell

into the formula

Cell-referencing is an

ingredient in formulas

Carry out an action.

Say each step.

Talk about the input and

output of the action

without actually doing it

Refer to the action like an

object of its own which can

be part of other actions

5

6

Exercise

• When requested to explain graphs in spreadsheets, we

get the following responses:

Gloria:

– Graphs are drawings of numbers. They show us the

numbers so that they are easier to compare.

Jussi:

– The graphs are linked to the numbers, so when I

change a number, the graph will also change.

Yma:

– We make graphs by selecting the numbers to be

charted, and then choose the graph type. We can

change the format of the graph afterwards.

• At which levels of skills or understanding of IT concepts

are Gloria, Jussi and Yma?

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

2c. C

om

pare

inp

ut

and

ou

tpu

t

2c. Functional understanding

Functional

model

Illustration + text

Slow learners in particular

2d. Conceptualise

Structural

model

Confronting

misconceptions

Oral or written from teacher

Quiz with explanations

1. Skills

2d. Structural understanding

Illustration + text

7

2c. C

om

pare

data b

efore

an

d afte

r imp

ort

2c. Import data into a database system

Input: Database + more records in another file

1. Backup the database.

2. Locate file with records to be imported.

3. Specify column containing record identification.

4. Import.

5. Repeat 1. Check records with similar but not identical identification.

2. Judge whether the records concern the same object.

3. Merge if they do

Database with records from other file, duplications removed

1. Skills

1. Le

arnin

g

Instructions

0. Input from keyboard to a database system

8

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

2c. C

om

pare

un

do

in

the

datab

ase

and

ed

itors.

2c. Saving data in a database system

1. Skills

1. Le

arnin

g

Once an operation is completed in the database,

it cannot be undone.

0. Undoing in a text editor

Instructions

9

Functional models

Input Process Output

10

Health data

900 immunised

Population data

1000 children under 1 year

Health data

900 immunised

Health indicators

90% immunisation coverage

Reporting rates

87% EPI report

DHIS

Input Output

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Functional model

for printing

11

Start print function

Select variables

Edit layout

Preview

Select printer

Print

Satisfied?

Yes

No

Document in file

Document on paper

12

Functional model

of software

CBot Design

http://classes.engr.oregonstate.edu/

mime/spring2010/me414-

001/g2/pages/system.html

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Obtaining a functional understanding

13

Oh, I can close

the program

with this

Window

on screen

Clicking X in upper right corner

Clicking program at bottom of screen

No

Window

Click here

to close the

window

Discrimination error

14

Oh, I can use

this one also

Window

on screen

Clicking X or □ in upper right corner

Clicking program at bottom of screen

No

Window

With this you

can minimise

the window

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

The functional understanding of the teacher

15

Window

on screen Window

minimized

Clicking □

Clicking button

on taskbar

Program

running

Program

stopped

Clicking X Clicking

program in

Start menu

Confronting misconceptions

Oral 16

I just completed the form, and now its lost! See, the Data Set Report from August is empty. The internet must be down.

No, you see, data is not available in the reports until tomorrow. DHIS has to process them during the night.

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Confronting misconception

Quiz with explanations

17

A number which you have entered in DHIS2 belongs to

a) A manager, a data entry clerk and an organisation unit.

Wrong answer. The data does not belong to a specific manager or a

data entry clerk.

b) A country, an organisation unit and a period.

Wrong answer. An organisation unit is a part of a country..

c) An organisation unit, a period and a data set.

Correct answer.

Levels of ease of structuring data

18

Data and

object

modelling

Difficult

Vessey & Conger, 1994

Process

modeling

Easy

Customer

Occupancy Room

Reservation

Event Travel Agent

Cleaning Restuarant

expense

Restuarant

Organiser

Invoicee

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Structural models

• Designers’ Structural model of the system

– Application specific IT concepts

– General IT concepts

• Conceptualisation is NOT a sequential process

Express Structural models as illustrations with short texts

19

20

Data structures

• 1-many relationship between

customer and address

– Not explicitly stated Restrictions on values

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

1. Find the data structures

21

• Outline views

• Data models

• Deduce from user interface

2. Decide main and sub structure types

22

• Sequence

• Grid (array,

matrix)

• Hierarchy

• Network

Combinations?

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

3. Decide user group

23

• Most users

• Entering and reporting Only data

• Superusers

• Setting up data structures Include types

Visit Visit-ID

Patient

Visit-type

4. Include abstract entities

24

• Events in the Domain represented by a record

• Planned events

Occupancy From date # nights # guests

Reservation From date # nights # guests Room type

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

5. Include examples

• In the model

• Relate to

recognisable places

in the user interface

25

Customer Name: Fjoralba Address: Oslo Phone: 123456 Email: fj@mail.com

Reservation From date: 24.03.14 # nights: 3 # guests: 2 Room type: Luxe

New reservation

Name Fjoralba

# guests 2

From 24 March 2014

# nights 2

Room type Luxe

Customer Name Address Phone Email

Occupancy From date # nights # guests

Room Type # beds Price

Reservation From date # nights # guests Room type

Structural models for intermediate level users

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Types and Instances

•Description of a common

set of symbols and

operations

Integer

Number without decimals

Calculation operators

•A unit of data adhering to

the type

27

Account

Balance

Owner

Deposit

Withdraw

:Account

18 473.32

Kari

:Account

3 292.00

Ola

Class Objects

234 -2

1 000 000

2c. C

om

pare

styles

with

maste

r slide

s, file

type

s and

kn

itting p

attern

s

2c The effects of modifications of a style apply to all instances

of the style.

1. Skills

1. Le

arnin

g

0. Recipes and food. Knitting pattern and

sweaters. Master slide and slides

2d. Conceptualise

2d The relation between a style and its associated paragraphs.

Every paragraph belongs to one and only

one style at a time. A style can have zero of

more paragraphs attached.

28

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Structural model of IT –

Generalisation-specialisation

29

Data link

Cross reference - inside a document Hyperlink

- between files

Specialisations

30

• Recognisable

• Simple

– Only essentials

Unknown notation Recognisable

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Functional and Structural model of IT –

Discrimination

31 Inconsistencies when

updating the spread sheet Inconsistencies avoided

32

Microsoft Help

Word > Page breaks and section breaks

> Insert a section break

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

33

Hyperlink

Video

• Make learners feel being in a conversation

– We and you

– Learning agent

– Natural voice

• Describe complex visuals with audio only

34

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Exploiting both the visual and oral channels

• Teaching and videos

Minimum of written text 35

Speech

Written

text

Pictures

Phonetic

processing

Visual

processing Eyes

Ears

Very limited

capacity

Long term

memory

Target (possible) misconceptions

36

No, I haven’t entered EPI data yet. The form is not complete Really?

Yes, look here. There is no place to enter the coverage.

Jens Kaasbøll

INF3280 11 Feb 2016

Testing understanding

Questioning the learners

– What is a …

– What is the result of …

– What is the difference between …

Not

– How do you …

– Where do we find …

37

A style is a …

a. document which looks good.

b. collection of formatting for a document.

c. common set of formatting for all paragraphs.

d. collection of formatting for a paragraph.

e. sequence of characters of the same shape.

f. uniformly looking document.

Summary

38

c What do we mean by

- Functional understanding?

- Structural understanding?

3. Provide functional and structural

models and confront misconceptions.