Quiz 2 - Collaboration & Communication part 1 PDF

The first of three lectures1 that focuses on the PARTICIPATION ingredients for effective collaboration. From this lecture, students will be expected to know the meaning of participation and distinguish how it is measured in terms of...

The first of three lectures1 that focuses on the PARTICIPATION ingredients for effective collaboration. From this lecture, students will be expected to know the meaning of participation and distinguish how it is measured in terms of its three elements. 1. Most of the content in the following three lectures are drawn from: Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 1 LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Understanding of the term participation, and the concepts of action, interaction, and task perseverance. 2. Understanding of how participation is ‘measured’. 3. Understanding of how participation is important for effective problem solving. 4. Understanding of how collaboration is more than mere cooperation and is useful for problem solving. 2 PARTICIPATION  Participation refers to the observable action of engaging in discourse.  The extent of participation, of each member of a group, in an activity that requires collaboration, is shown to be the best predictor of outcomes. 3 ELEMENTS OR INDICATORS OF PARTICIPATION  So how do we define the elements of participation?  How do we quantify ‘extent of participation’?  There are three key aspects of participation1 that we will discuss,  Action,  Interaction  Task completion. 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 4 ACTION  Action refers to the level of participation of the individual. 5 So, let us consider the example scenarios shown graphically below. 6 ACTION  Problem solvers are action-oriented  Passive – require scaffolding  Active – do not require scaffolding INTERACTION  Interaction refers to behaviour that demonstrates communication with and responses to others1.  Achieved through verbal and non-verbal means, interaction involves prompting others, and responding to the contributions of others.  The interactor not only acknowledges communication with others, but also the ‘cues’, in communication.  So consider this - responding to a question versus responding to cues. 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 8 TASK PERSEVERANCE  Task perseverance and completion refers to the skill of being motivated, and motivating others, towards the completion of the task involving collaborative problem solving.  It is a perseverance towards the defined goal.  So why is this an important component of ‘Participation’? 9 EXTENT OF TASK PERSEVERANCE  Just like levels of activity and interaction, problem solvers can be assessed by the levels to which they are committed to the activity.  If the participant merely maintains a presence in the group, that is a low-level commitment compared to when the participant works with the group to identify and attempt tasks.  However, the ultimate commitment levels are when the participant perseveres in the task despite failures, and this is indicated by repeated attempts and the incorporation of different strategies towards reaching the desired goal. 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 10 TASK COMPLETION/ PERSEVERANCE  Degree of commitment  Level of engagement is consistently good  Willingness to try different strategies to ensure success in the collaboration  Element Indicator Action Activity within environment Interacting with, prompting and responding to the Interaction contributions of others Task completion/ Undertaking and completing a task or part of a task perseverance individually/ commitment  Element Low Middle High Activity in familiar Activity in familiar and Action No or very little activity contexts unfamiliar contexts Acknowledges Responds to cues in Initiates and promotes Interaction communication directly communication interaction or activity or indirectly Perseveres in task as Task completion/ Identifies and attempts indicated by repeated Maintains presence only perseverance the task attempts or multiple strategies COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING Ingredients for collaboration  Communication  Cooperation  Responsiveness COLLABORATION VS COOPERATION  Cooperation is a ‘lower order’ of collaboration  Cooperation largely a ‘division of labour’  Collaboration: requires integration of efforts – orchestration - concert  Collaboration is where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Be an ant?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa5UnI279Es  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMOr8yypO5w  16 PROBLEM SOLVING – IT IS AN ACTION THE ELEMENTS OF GOOD PROBLEM SOLVING  The objective is always clear  Able to know when to let go  Utilising diverse abilities of group members 17  Why Participation? LEADERSHIP  Understanding what participation means, and practicing the elements will lead to the development of leadership skills.  The participation Age: embrace it and flourish; ignore it and perish  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewA2Bqb WhUQ 18  From this lecture, the student will learn about perspective taking and empathy, following which the student should be able to demonstrate a good PERSPECTIVE understanding of perspective-taking in the collaborative TAKING context, and illustrate perspective-taking in action. 1 LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Understanding of what ‘quality of interaction’ means. 2. Knowledge of the meaning of emotional capital and emotional capacity. 3. Understanding of the idea of empathy and its relevance to collaborative problem solving. 4. Knowledge of how perspective taking skills and ability may be assessed or measured. 2 PERSPECTIVE TAKING  In the context of collaborating in a team, Perspective Taking is the ability to understand a situation from a different spatial or psychological perspective1.  In the earlier chapter, we discussed participation, in which we referred to one of its demonstrable attributes, that being ‘ the extent of interaction.’  Perspective-taking thus refers to the quality of that interaction.  The quality of any interaction depends on several aspects.  These are affective, social-developmental, and linguistic aspects. 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 3 QUALITY OF INTERACTION  Affective and linguistic  Expression relating to moods, feelings, and attitudes Emotions are an essential part of who we are o Psychology of emotion o Social psychology o Psycholinguistics TRY EXPRESSING YOURSELF!  E.g. Do you know the differences between fear and anxiety, guilt and shame, or envy and jealousy 5 AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT Affective development pertains to the emergence of the emotional capacity  to experience, recognize, and express a range of emotions and to adequately respond to emotional cues in others. The term affective here can be linked to the notion of empathy. The emotional understanding of others and identification with others are all part of being able to empathise. That such empathy is crucial for social interaction (as opposed to anti-social), requires participants in collaborative groups to have developed the required skills to be ‘sociocentric’ as opposed to egocentric. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. EMOTIONAL CAPITAL Emotional capital in its embodied form is rarely seen as something one has, but who one is. …Intelligence – An accumulated resource …Management skills..Capacities Cottingham MD. Theorizing emotional capital. Theor Soc (2016) 45:451–470 EMOTIONAL CAPITAL – PRIMARY VS SECONDARY  Primary emotional capital connotes the more rigid, socially constrained aspects of habitus developed during formative years that individuals bring to bear within various situations.  Secondary capital complements this concept by making room for agentive efforts to shape and modify emotional resources and, in theory, the habitus. Cottingham MD. Theorizing emotional capital. Theor Soc (2016) 45:451–470. DOI 10.1007/s11186-016-9278-7 EMPATHY  ability to understand a situation from a different spatial or psychological perspective  It is a core communicative competence  Need to avoid Egocentric Bias* *expectation that others are highly like themselves. HOW TO DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY Linguistic aspects  The ability to :  Contextualise utterances of peers by referencing to their background experiences (this is the listening and awareness part)  Tailor one’s own utterances to the needs and intellectual capabilities of their peers (this is the responding part).  This is also a designing of your communication to suit the audience. 10 LINGUISTICS - ‘AUDIENCE DESIGN’ Receptive Expressive CAPACITIES REQUIRED  cognitive capacity  emotional capacity 12 CAPACITIES REQUIRED  One is the cognitive capacity which refers to the ability to learn about something, and the other is the emotional capacity which is the ability to have a feeling about something.  In the context of empathy, the former type of capacity is to have the ability to understand a point of view from learning about differences, versus the latter which is to the ability to share the feeling.  Instinctively one may argue that cognitive empathy can be learned, but for emotional empathy it is more complex. 13 CAN ONE LEARN OR DEVELOP EMPATHY? Check out the online video1 that arguably tries to give some ideas on how to be empathetic. ‘MEASURING’ THE QUALITY OF PERSPECTIVE TAKING  Adaptive Responsiveness  Mutual Modeling 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 15  Element Indicator Assessment Criteria low to high Adaptive Ignoring, accepting or Contributions or Contributions or Contributions or responsiveness adapting contributions prompts from others prompts of others are prompts of others are of others are taken into account adapted and used to suggest incorporated possible solution paths Audience awareness Awareness of how to Contributions are not Contributions are Contributions are (Mutual modelling) adapt behaviour to tailored to modified for recipient tailored to recipients increase suitability for participants understanding in the based on others light of deliberate interpretation of feedback recipients’ understanding APPLICATION Two aspects of perspective taking skills  Your Responding skills  Your Audience awareness ACTIVITY Take a blank piece of paper and fold it three times so that when you open it back up there are 8 boxes. Now consider ‘toast bread’ and in the 8 boxes, draw the steps you would take to make toast. Spend no longer than 5 minutes. Now form a group of at least three others who have done this task and share your concepts. Discuss the similarities and differences. 18  In this lecture, the final ingredient for collaboration is SOCIAL introduced and discussed. Social regulation here refers to a ‘high-level’ group problem solving requirement, REGULATION where the attaining of the desired goal state supersedes personal goals – hence the need for ‘regulation’. 1 LEARNING OUTCOMES 1. Understanding of ‘social regulation’ in the context of effective collaborative problem solving. 2. Understanding of the benefits of social regulation. 3. Understanding of useful conflict, and its importance. 4. Understanding of cognitive diversity, and its importance. 2 ‘SOCIAL REGULATION’ IN THE CONTEXT OF COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING  refers to the ability to recognize group (hence social) diversity and harness the power of this diversity towards producing a solution or reaching the goal of the collaboration. 1. Hesse et al. A Framework for Teachable Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills. Chapter In: Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Methods and approaches. Dordrect: Springer. 3 SOCIAL REGULATION  The concept of social regulation skills refers to the more strategic aspects of collaborative problem solving.  Social skills constitute the collaborative part of collaborative problem solving while cognitive skills constitute the problem solving part  Ideally, collaborators will use their awareness, of the strengths and weaknesses of all group members, to coordinate and resolve potential differences in viewpoints, interests and strategies. FOUR ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL REGULATION There are four elements of effective social regulation. These are - the quality and extent of:  Negotiation  Metamemory  Transactive memory  Responsibility 5 HARNESS THE BENEFITS  Strength of numbers  Can divide a huge task to manageable bites  Produce a greater effect by sheer increase in size  Greater number of specialisations  Diversity of the group – it is a strength – find it! NEED TO STIMULATE:  Conceptual change  Useful cognitive conflict (cognitive diversity)  Multi-perspectivity To steal or not to steal? THE NEED FOR CONCEPTUAL CHANGE https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/11/26/the-benefits-of-cognitive-diversity/#2d1eee35f8bd https://www.raeng.org.uk/diversity-in-engineering/business-benefits-key-facts/key-facts Angela Merkel is not like most politicians. Now, she has received praise from a surprising source: one of political opponents, the SPD mayor of the city of Aachen, Jürgen Linden. He said Merkel was always clear and direct about what she wants, but never undiplomatic. He said her gentle diplomacy was instrumental in solving the constitutional crisis in the EU and in raising young European's enthusiasm for the Union. Merkel is known for her networking skills, which she often uses to settle disputes even before they have really flared. All previous Chancellor made personal enemies within the European Council, Merkel has a good relationship with everyone. She is due to receive the city of Aachen's Charlemagne Prize for her services to Europe. How did an East German pastor’s daughter scale a mountain of resistance as a triple outsider: a woman, a scientist, and an East German? Not by waiting politely for her turn. Merkel prevailed in a world stacked against her through a combination of persistence, preparation, calculation, and a well-curbed ego. And it’s a model other women—and men—can copy. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/05/how-angela-merkel-keeps-power-mans- world/589675/ Today, we are most familiar with a gentleness sold to us in the diluted form of mawkishness. Discuss. USEFUL CONFLICT For a successful analysis of a team’s strengths, there must be a means to effective reveal. One way this is done is through ‘useful conflict’. 12 COGNITIVE SKILLS FOR COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING Task Regulation Learning and knowledge building  ORGANISE - Analyse a problem and describe the problem  Identifies connections, sees patterns – in language that is familiar to those in the group seeks knowledge on cause and effect  SET GOALS - Set clear goals for the task  Uses cause-effect to plan actions and  RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - Manage resources or people effectively in order to complete the task strategise  FLEXIBILITY AND AMBIGUITY - Accept and adapt to  Applies hypothesis testing, and adapts ambiguous and unpredictable situations reasoning or course of action as  KNOWING THE INFORMATION NEEDED - Explore and information or circumstances change understand the elements of the task  SYSTEMATICITY – Systematically implements possible solutions and monitors progress 13 ACTIVITY – SELF LEARNING Consider the elements described in the previous page, for Task Regulation and Learning/Knowledge Building. Reflect on your own performance in a recent collaborative setting, and grade yourself using the scores 0,1,2 for each of the elements. What is your total score? Discuss with your classmate. 14 MODES OF From this lecture the student should be able to appreciate rhetorical skills and describe and utilize common modes for language-based communication. DISCOURSE A great idea does not matter - if it is not expressed well. 1 LEARNING OUTCOMES  1. Understanding the four modes of discourse, and their differences.  2. Ability to apply the different modes of discourse.  3. Understanding objectivity versus subjectivity. 2  COMMUNICATION – HOW IS IT IMPORTANT? Human beings are the result of a long evolutionary development with interaction between our biology and the social and cultural conditions under which this evolution has taken place1. To succeed, humans cooperate and pool their human capital. As social animals, human beings use communication techniques and tools, to create and develop social capital2. 1. Bondebjerg, I. The creative mind: cognition, society and culture. Palgrave Commun 3, 19 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0024-1 2. Volker Mauerhofer. Social capital, social capacity and social carrying capacity: Perspectives for the social basics within environmental sustainability. Futures, Volume 53, 2013, Pages 63-73, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2013.08.006. 3 PURPOSEFUL COMMUNICATION At a smaller scale, our day to day lives does require a great deal of communication between individuals, to enable a range of relationships and circumstances to produce the desired outcomes. In terms of language or linguistics, the study of discourse, and their different modes, can help an individual understand their own language and its purpose better. 4 SCOPE OF THIS LECTURE It would be completely beyond the scope of this course to go into a detailed linguistics curriculum to understand the subtleties of the above-mentioned attributes. Instead, the following lecture tries to convey some of the important elements of understanding that can be useful to the student for crafting purposeful and well-designed pieces of writing or presentations. 5 THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY FOUR MODES OF DISCOURSE Narrative, Description, Exposition, and Argument.1 The following are some distinguishing factors. The narrative tells a story, giving an account with an obvious ‘start’ and an ‘end’. There is a point to the narration or message. A description on the other hand may not have a point, a start and end, and really is about expressing the ‘details’. In so doing, descriptions tend to also invoke the five senses, for example listing smells, moods, and colours. The exposition is a form in which the facts, data and the like are reported and informs the reader or listener. It tends to avoid unnecessary details, distinguishing it from a description, and focuses on the important elements that serves the purposes of providing objective and useful information. Finally, an argument refers to linguistics where the intention is to convince or persuade. A good argument is usually backed up with evidence and data. 1. Our present chapter on Modes of Discourse utilizes much of Chapter 1 in Smith, C. (2003). Modes of Discourse: The Local Structure of Texts (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Note that Smith describes five modes of discourse. Here we simplify her modes, ‘Information’ and ‘Report’, into a singular mode ‘Exposition. 6 NARRATION  Tells a story  Start, middle and end  Giving an account  Make a point DESCRIPTION  A form of communication that relies on the five senses to help the audience/reader visualize something.  lists the appearance, smell, mood, or other characteristics  ‘descriptive’  Difference from Narrative?  Details EXPOSITION  To inform  Provides facts, insight, definitions etc  Difference from description?  Skims details  Focuses on important bits ARGUMENT  Purposeful – to convince  Using evidence and reason OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Besides the attributes, to qualify these modes of discourse, there are also differences in how ideas are expressed according to the situation, the way the text progresses, the extent of subjectivity or the viewpoint of the writer, and the overall structure. 11 MODES OF DISCOURSE OBJECTIVITY VS SUBJECTIVITY DEFINITION  The concepts of objectivity and subjectivity are typically defined relative to each other: if something is not objective, then it is subjective.  The purpose of objectivity is to ‘guard’ us against subjectivity.  ‘to be objective is to aspire to knowledge that bears no trace of the knower—knowledge unmarked by prejudice or skill, fantasy or judgment, wishing or striving’ (Daston and Galison, 2007) (Daston, Lorraine, and Peter Galison. Objectivity. Zone Books, 2007. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1c9hq4d. – Available online at our library) WHICH IS PREFERRED?  the terms ‘objectivity’ and ‘subjectivity’ are frequently used with varying degrees of positive and negative connotations  The ways of reasoning are key to determining which is suitable where and when.  Discuss. THE CASE FOR OBJECTIVITY  Rule following  Value-free  Transparent  No Biases  No Conflicts of Interest  Meets the need for reproducibility  Reliability  Easy for everyone to be ‘on the same page’ MECHANICAL OBJECTIVITY 16 VALUE-FREE?  Values enter science at several points.  They influence the choice of research problem and methods, what starting assumptions are allowed, what modelling strategies are used, what evidence is gathered, the acceptance of a theory or hypothesis as an adequate answer, and the proliferation and application of the results *.  Research does not eradicate the personal.  Researchers’ socio-temporal location influences their perception of the social world and the way problems are framed. * Sprenger and Reiss – 2014 in https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-objectivity/ BEWARE  Different Perspectives  Validation versus Truth  Nefarious use of objectivity  Inter-personal relationships …girl in winter clothes and retouched snowfall, H. Collischon, 1897. Late nineteenth century commercial photographers –– and their customers –– were fully aware that photographs could be manipulated. 19 EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE  An emphasis on seeking reliable knowledge through empirical research can distract focus from the importance of improving the reliability of information, however obtained.  Statistics  Big data  Black box  Q: Is the conclusion based on the evidence?  Misinterpretation  Misrepresentation GRADES – LEVELS OF EVIDENCE How to establish standard and guidelines for best practice? E.g. lets consider the medical field. The quality or levels of evidence is graded as follows: I. Randomised Controlled Trial II. Non-randomised but very well-designed case-control study III. Time series with evidence showing dramatic results from the introduction of the intervention in an uncontrolled manner. (e.g. Penicillin introduction in WWII) IV. Opinions of well respected authorities based on clinical experience, observations etc. What about engineering? 21 Technical Communication Learning Outcomes At the end of this session students should be able to: 1. Understand the importance of good technical communication 2. Apply the learnings from the earlier lecture on 'Modes of Discourse' to practice effective technical communication 3. Apply the 10 laws of good report writing. 4. Discuss the difference between technical and science communication. Technical Communication Technical Communication having special and usually a process by which information practical knowledge especially of is exchanged between a mechanical or scientific individuals through a common subject system of symbols, signs, or of or relating to a particular behavior subject information transmitted or based on or marked by a strict conveyed or legal interpretation Examples of technical communication User manuals Standard Operating Procedures Patents Technical Reports Research reports Standards and Codes Business Cases Reports to government Technical Communication Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (UK – ISTC) Society for Technical Communication (USA) European Association for Technical Communication (EU and known as TEKOM) Australian Society for Technical Communication (AUS - ASTC) What is technical communication? Technical communication is the process of defining, creating and delivering information products for the safe, efficient and effective use of products (technical systems, software, services). - TEKOM You are part of the technical communication world if your role includes creating or supporting: technical information in any format, including printed, electronic, mobile, online help information of any sort, such as procedures, work instructions, manuals, user guides, training, parts information procedures and instructions for business learning material (information design) and training content for print, electronic, or online use compliance based information that aligns with standards, legislation, and codes of practice user experience, workflow analysis, design, and usability test. (Source: ASTC) Why is technical communication important? We all deal with complex systems at home and at work – from computers to cars, consumer products to business procedures. The need for accurate and accessible documentation to explain them has never been greater. – (ISTC) If people cannot use a product or service, or cannot find out how to solve problems they might come across, they are less likely to use or buy it. This means organisations need to create and manage content that guides users. – (ISTC) Discuss other reasons. Primary mandate A good technical communicator is always thinking about the end- user, how they will access and interpret information, and the most suitable presentation format. (ASTC) 10 laws of good report writing 1. produce the report for your reader(s) 2. keep the report as short as possible 3. organise information for the convenience of the reader 4. include accurate references 5. ensure your writing is accurate, concise and straightforward 6. include diagrams with the right labels in the right place for your reader 7. make sure your summary gives the whole picture in brief 8. check the report for technical errors, typing errors and inconsistency 9. consider design as well as content 10. produce the report for your reader(s) Excerpted from Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts Third Edition IKEA manuals Standard Operating Procedures E.g. SOP of Centrifugal Pumps Note the need for organisation, ‘hierarchy’ and ‘layering’ of information. Summary, as well as detail Patents A very high level technical document that also requires exceptional writing skills. Why? USPTO – How to draft a patent IP Australia has some useful templates Interesting read – ‘Patents that change the world’ Business case Value Proposition Key Partners and Key Activities Customer segments and relationships Cost structure Revenue streams B2B – B2C Better Business Cases Reports to government Complex in the sense that it is more than ‘merely technical’ Good to have ‘systems thinking’ approach Discussion on the use of Artificial Intelligence The issues we face when embracing Gen AI for university Teaching, Learning, and Research. Copyright issue I. Can Gen AI derived content be copyrighted? Chances are that it is no. Now, works created solely by artificial intelligence — even if produced from a text prompt written by a human — are not protected by copyright. For example it has long been the posture of the U.S. Copyright Office that there is no copyright protection for works created by non-humans, including machines. Therefore, the product of a generative AI model cannot be copyrighted. Copyright issue II. Is Gen AI content a violation of copyright? Possible, still murky. Establishing infringement requires detecting a close resemblance between expressive elements of a stylistically similar work and original expression in particular works by that artist. Cheating and Plagiarism. Is using Gen AI cheating, if the student is not allowed to use it? Yes , but the challenge for educators is in the ability to carry out accurate detection that cheating has occurred. Good pedagogical practice. Is the use of Gen AI good pedagogical practice? For example, with digitization, studies show that we have perhaps forgone a superior form of learning. While our focus may be on ‘how to teach with Gen AI’ perhaps the bigger focus should be on how to learn with Gen AI. https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-copyright https://theconversation.com/generative-ai-could-leave-users-holding-the-bag-for-copyright-violations-225760 https://leonfurze.com/2023/09/20/generative-ai-plagiarism-and-cheating/#is-using-gai-cheating https://leonfurze.com/2023/09/20/generative-ai-plagiarism-and-cheating/#what-are-the-ethical-issues-of-catching-and-detecting  ENGGEN 204 │ 2024 Communication Critical Thinking Reza Arjmandi  Learning outcomes Understand the concept of critical thinking Explain the significance of critical thinking in engineering context Identify the key steps in developing critical thinking skills Apply principles of critical thinking in verbal and written communication 2 Outline What is critical thinking? Key elements of critical thinking Applying critical thinking in written and verbal communication Examples 3 This Week 4 Critical Thinking Systematic process of: Questioning assumptions Assessing evidence Evaluating and analysing ideas/information Logical and rational arguments Forming judgment or conclusions Making informed decisions 5  Analytical vs Critical Thinking Analytical Thinking Critical Thinking Gathering relevant information Gathering relevant information Focusing on facts and evidence Evaluating information Examining chunks of data or information Asking questions Identifying key issues Assessing bias or unsubstantiated assumptions Using logic and reasoning to process information Making inferences from the information and filling Separating more complex information into in gaps manageable sizes Using abstract ideas to interpret information Finding patterns and recognising trends Formulating ideas Identifying cause and effect Weighing options Understanding connections and relationships Reaching well-reasoned conclusions Eliminating extraneous information Considering alternative possibilities Organising information Testing conclusions Drawing appropriate conclusions Verifying if evidence/argument support the 6 conclusions Significance Problem solving through structured problem analysis Weighting pros and cons of options when making decision Uncover risks and threats (safety and reliability in engineering design) Promotes innovation and creativity Effective communication (stakeholders) Evaluate ethical considerations 7 Key attributes Open-mindedness Being able to breakdown complex problems into smaller parts Curiosity Logical reasoning Creativity 8 Critical Thinking Cycle 9 Types of thinking Linear thinking (vertical thinking) Non-linear thinking Holistic Follows a linear, step-by-step approach Open-ended Goal-oriented Divergent Where there is a well-defined problem Non-sequential progression Established parameters and constraints Convergent Follows a linear progression 10 Critical Thinking Ask questions Be open-minded and consider alternative opinions Acknowledge your own biases, assumptions and prejudices Be objective when evaluating information Trust your own logical thoughts and ideas 11 Critical Evaluation Don`t necessarily accept any information, look for points of view, biases, validate source of information Distinguish fact from opinion Identify key arguments the author makes Challenge by asking questions: Is the author`s thinking sound? [Nice in theory may not mean nice in practice] How do the facts the author has chosen strengthen or weaken their arguments? How much do you agree or disagree with the author? What questions did the author leave you with? 12 Critical thinking in verbal communication Active listening Asking open-ended questions Analyse the argument Consider counterargument Express your opinions thoughtfully Be ready to adapt Empathise 13 Critical Writing Critical writing is more than presenting and describing facts and figures You must present logical well-thought-out arguments backed up by evidence As well as your thoughts and opinions Don`t fall into descriptive writing 14 Descriptive vs Critical writing “…too descriptive, no critical analysis…” Descriptive Writing: Critical Writing: States what happened Identifies the significance of what happened Explains what a theory says, Explains the significance of theory States what something is like Evaluate its strengths and weaknesses Explains how something works Explains why something works, and the effects States the order in which things happened Analyse the significance of the order of events 15 Examples The bridge features a suspension design with The choice of materials for the bridge's suspension two main towers and multiple cables. The cables is crucial for its long-term structural deck is constructed of reinforced concrete and integrity. An in-depth analysis of factors like tensile accommodates both vehicular and pedestrian strength, corrosion resistance, and durability is traffic. The overall length of the bridge spans necessary to ensure the cables can withstand 500 meters, making it a critical transportation heavy loads and harsh weather conditions. link in the region. Additionally, a risk assessment should be conducted to evaluate potential failure modes and develop contingency plans. 16 Examples The robot's navigation system exhibits limitations The robot's control system uses a in complex and dynamic environments. While it combination of sensors, including ultrasonic excels in controlled settings, its reliance on and infrared sensors, to detect obstacles and predefined commands and sensor inputs may lead navigate its environment. It employs a to inefficiencies or failures in real-world differential drive system with two motors for applications. A critical review of the current precise movement control. The onboard control algorithms and sensor technologies is microcontroller processes sensor data and essential to enhance the robot's adaptability and executes predefined commands to achieve performance in various scenarios. specific tasks efficiently. 17 Identify arguments Argument: any statement or claim supported by reasons Ranges from simple to very complex (e.g., a scientific theory or a law) Strong arguments: supported by reasons that draw on relevant and reliable evidence 18 Forming arguments Bringing together evidence, reasoning and claims Developing your own main claim Placing things together: insights from other sources and your thinking 19 Steps in forming arguments Formulate your main claim Start by drafting a claim, hypothesis or a position on an issue Based on findings in an experiment Or claims made by other people 20 Steps in forming arguments Bring together your reasons and evidence Those that support your main claim Those against your main claim Find out how your main claim fits in with other perspectives, claims, reasons and evidence 21 Steps in forming arguments Structure your argument piece together Establish the key Determine each evidence, reasons supporting claims reasoning and its and claims to create around your main structure a logical and claim coherent argument 22 Argument Map 23 Steps in forming arguments Test and refine your main claim Does it address How does your different perspectives thinking might apply on the question or to a broader context? problem? 24 Critical Writing (Recap) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Provide a Use multiple clearly Evaluate the Draw clear Include your logical and sources of explain why evidence for conclusions own cohesive evidence to this evidence its strengths based on interpretation structure to support your is important and your or your argument to your limitations evidence. judgement. argument argument and compare it to other evidence 25 Useful Resources https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/being-critical/ 26 Take-home messages Your opinions must be supported by evidence To form arguments after evaluating the information: State your position Use reason and logic to support your position Address counterarguments Don`t jump into conclusion without appropriate discussions 27  Thank you Any Questions? Sources: UoA Learning essentials: Critical Thinking Image credits: UoA write@uni: What is critical thinking? thenounproject.com UoA Learning hub: Developing arguments Pixabay UoA Academic skills: Critical thinking Thoughtco.com Roberts, N. Critical thinking, LJMU, UK UoA Academic Skills Monash Uni – Critical Thinking Roberts, N. Critical thinking, LJMU, UK Monash Uni – Critical Thinking Peakperformance.com  ENGGEN 204 │ 2024 Communication Literature Review & Research Methods Reza Arjmandi Learning Outcomes At the end of this session, students should be able to: Identify the key steps to write a literature review Identify and access the available sources of information Evaluate the validity of information Apply evidence-based approach for discussion in technical reports 2 Lecture outline 1. Why Literature Review? 2. Communication through literature review 3. Sources of information and how to validate information 4. Tips on better searching for information 3 What is Lit Review? Literature refers to information written about the subject Literature Review:an extensive, detailed survey of relevant research and/or theory related to a specific topic A good literature review does not just describe previous research but is analytical and evaluative 4 Elements of Lit Review A search of the literature available on a given subject area. An evaluation of the literature, including its scope. A well-structured and argued written account of the literature that provides an overview and critique. 5 Why Lit Review? Establishes technical context Identifies technological gaps Informs design and methodology Provides supporting materials for arguments Helps in problem-solving and decision-making process 6 Why Lit Review? literature review allows you to analyse and evaluate Development of critical thinking skills the work of others, enhancing your critical thinking abilities. Your literature review acts as a repository of Hub of knowledge knowledge, compiling all the significant work done on your topic. Your literature review will unearth gaps and Foundation for new research unanswered questions that your research can then address. 7 Steps to Lit Review Define the research question Gather information from resources related to your topic Evaluate your information Plan structure Write your review ( introduction, body, conclusion) It's not just a summary, it's a conversation - where earlier research, current ideas, and future possibilities meet, interact, and evolve. 8 Structure Introduction ( 1-2 paragraphs) Background/context Focus/boundaries overview Body Sections logically arranged Each section contains brief critical overview of literature Sources cited to support points Avoid grouping sources with similar findings, too list -like Conclusion ( 1 paragraph) Reiterates assessment of literature 9 Should discuss shortcomings and/or gaps Example Topic: Advancements in sustainable construction materials Search through scholarly articles and journal to explore existing knowledge about various such materials Introduction - state why the topic is important: – climate change – the environmental impact of traditional construction – increasing demand for eco-friendly construction 10 Image credit: green building Example Topic: Advancements in sustainable construction materials Body - summarise key findings from the literature and analyse based on different sustainable materials Study A Study B Material Studied Recycled Plastic Fly Ash Environmental Impact Utilises waste product & reduces Reduces plastic waste demand for cement Conclusion: Summarise the main findings regarding each material and point towards shortcomings or areas that require further study 11 Structure Read more here 12 Activity 1 [2 min] Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today. Over the past century, global temperatures have risen at an unprecedented rate, leading to severe weather events, rising sea levels, and disruptions to ecosystems. Numerous studies have documented the impact of human activities, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, on the acceleration of climate change. Despite international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the problem persists and continues to escalate. This research aims to explore the effectiveness of current mitigation strategies and propose new approaches to address the ongoing challenges of climate change. 13 Reporting Verbs Verbs that are used to introduce references Suggest (that) Recent studies outlined by Leonard et al (1999) suggest that personality and disposition play an equally important role in motivation Argue (that) Leonard et al (1999) argue that there are three elements of self-perception State He further states that there is an increasing importance on the role of autonomy and self-regulation of tasks in increasing motivation Found (that) Mullins (1994) found that there is an increasing importance on the role of autonomy and self-regulation of tasks in improving motivation Focus on The early theories of Maslow and McGregor (Robbins et al, 1998) focused on personal needs and wants as the basis for motivation Establish(ed) (by) As established by Csikszentmihalyi (Yair 2000, p. 2) 'the more students feel in command of their learning, the more they fulfil their learning potential'. Try to vary your use of reporting verbs 15 Sources of information  Dictionaries and Encyclopedias  Books and e-books  Journal articles  Theses and dissertations  Newspapers and media articles  Patents  Standards  Statistics  Legal information  Conferences and proceedings Read more here 16 Where to search  Google or a similar search engine  Get a ‘lay person’ perspective  Start ‘funnelling’ down into a few specific topics  Check out the databases through UoA Library portal 17 Online Sources vs Databases Library databases Internet Information is accurate, and has been checked prior to not always yes publication Editorial policy is clearly stated so it is easier to identify bias yes not always You can identify the authority of the author yes not always High quality resources are available to you without yes not always passwords, memberships or charges Article will usually include a reference list yes not always You can search a range of resources in a subject area yes not always You can identify and verify all sources being searched yes not always It is easy to search for company profiles, country information, yes not always industry reports yes yes Includes older material Patchy and only if you Some databases go back to the first issue of the know where to look journals Link is permanent and stable yes not always You can do complex searching yes not always You can limit search to type of resource, such as a scholarly yes no article or full-text only You can limit accurately by publication date yes no yes You can search up-to-date information yes Quick and easy to search Sometimes yes 18  How to Validate information Is the information you found are accurate and reliable?  TRAAP Evaluation Strategy  Rauru Whakarare Framework  SIFT Evaluation Strategy (Click on the hyperlinks for further reading) Rauru Whakarare Framework and descriptors Ref: Business Information Skills Online 19 Starting your search Identify your task ( analyse ? Compare? Discuss ? etc.) Identify any constraints, e.g., time frame, geography, or type or publication Consider whether you could use: – Similar words (synonyms) and related words – Abbreviations (e.g., dept for department) – Singular and plural (e.g., city or cities) – Alternative spellings (e.g., behaviour or behavior) 20 Identify keywords Keywords to describe your topic Select a method to organise your keywords: – mind map (Miro, Lucidchart, Mindmeister) – keyword table Read more here 21 Too many results? Narrow your search through:  Adding another concept to your search – e.g., Japan and tsunami and economy  Applying a narrower term – e.g., commercial buildings instead of property  Searching for a phrase instead of two separate keywords – e.g., “accounting standards” instead of accounting and standards  Using filter(s)– e.g., year, document type (book, journal, review), author.  Using Boolean operators: “AND” , “NOT” AND All words must be found in each result: shipping AND logistics finds results containing both words Narrows your search. Fewer results NOT Results must not include a specific word: property NOT intellectual finds results but not those containing the word intellectual. Narrows your search. 22 Fewer results Too few results? Expand your search through:  Using truncation symbol – e.g., manag* = manage, management, managing  Using synonyms – e.g., personnel management vs human resource management  Using broader term to describe your topic– e.g., investments instead of futures  Using subject heading – e.g., executive remuneration instead of CEO and pay  Using Boolean operators: “OR”  Exploring other databases OR The results of your search must contain at least one of the words: environment OR nature finds results containing either of the words. Expands your search. More results. 23 Activity 2 [2 min] Topic: Renewable energy Engineering Task: Perform a search using Boolean operators to narrow the results Using UoA Library Databases navigate to “Engineering Village” database start by searching the above topic (use “” ) Narrow your search by adding the Boolean operator AND followed by a specific type of renewable energy, e.g., Solar Power Refine it further by excluding irrelevant terms using NOT : “Wind Energy” Optional: Use “OR” to include related terms: “Solar Power” OR “Hydropower” Repeat the above with a topic related to your own specialisation 24 Tips Start with a reference relevant to your topic, then:  Skim through the references section of the document for relevant studies  Looking for other publications of the authors (google scholar profile)  Note any journals from the reference list - likely to publish articles on the topic  Search for citations to your original book or article  Some databases, such as Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar, also link to related articles  Keep record of your search (author, title, source) 25 Referencing (Useful for report writing) If you are using other people's writing or ideas, whether you paraphrase in your own words or quote directly within your report/ presentation, you need to cite the source. Quick©ite 26 Summary What do you need to find information about? Identify key search words and phrases Select a database Select another database to search. Repeat your search. Analyse the results. Record all Record references references you may use you may use. Search on the databases using the keywords and Analyse your results phrases Narrow your search using Analyse your results. limits (dates, search by field, Are the articles on your add terms); or expand your topic ? Too many results 27 search ( use synonyms, remove or not enough? very defined keywords) ‘Take-Home’ messages  In your literature review merely summarising the articles isn't enough. They have to be connected and analysed for the readers to understand the full picture.  Ensure the information you find online are accurate and current.  We can trust information available from databases through UoA Library as they are accurate and peer-reviewed ( unlike all other information available on the internet) 28  Thank you! Any Questions ? Sources: Image credits: Literature reviews - UoA, 2020 The Noun project Writing a literature review , student learning development, University of Otago, 2017 greenmatch.co.uk Engineering lit review ( Vaia.com) softwareconnect.com UoA`s Business information skills online UoA`s Learning essentials