An Information Environment for Exploring Personal Values

Kieran MathiesonOakland University

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

Outline

A. Theoretical BackgroundWhat are students? What are values? Where do values come from?

B. Development and EvaluationWhat is the presentation metaphor? Development method? Technology?

C. Project ImpactWhat is the value of this project?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Outline

A. Theoretical BackgroundWhat are students? Values

Defining valuesRepresenting valuesCommunitiesImplications for IE

B. Development and EvaluationC. Project Impact

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

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?

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.

Metaphors

Parent as Leader

Parent as Guide

Personal Moral Exemplar

Communities …

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

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.

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.

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.

Outline

A. Theoretical Background

B. Development and EvaluationPresentation metaphor

Development method

Technology

C. Project Impact

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Stories

Art

Personal MoralExemplar

Dilemmas

Personal Artwork

Dilemma Analysis

Understanding Events

Taking Notes

Village

HouseHouse

House

House

House House

Town Square

City Hall

Intervillage Tasks

Village

Village

Village

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

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.

Outline

A. Theoretical Background

B. Development and Evaluation

C. Project Impact

What is the value of this project?

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

Questions and Comments

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