Digital Commons Network^™

Meeting Minutes, Wku University Senate

Faculty Senate

Meeting regarding salaries, football, faculty survey, graduation rate, curriculum committee and athletics committee recall.

Workers With Disabilities: The Role Of Workplace Flexibility, Workplace Flexibility 2010, Georgetown University Law Center

Conferences, Panels, and Events

A fact sheet for Workers with Disabilities: The Role of Workplace Flexibility covering the following:

1) What are the trends in workforce participation of individuals with disabilities?

2) How does the structure of work limit the employment of people with disabilities?

3) What is the role of workplace flexibility in the employment of individuals with disabilities?

4) The need for flexibility among people with disabilities matches the growing interest in flexibility for all workers.

Families And Work Institute Presentation, Tyler Wigton

Conferences, Panels, and Events

The Families and Work Institute Presentation: The State of the American Workforce & Workplace. Prepared by Tyler Wigton on behalf of Workplace Flexibility 2010.

Conference Program

Dimensions of Women's Equal Citizenship (2006)

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Philosophy And Education In Landscape Architecture, M. Eaton

DRS Biennial Conference Series

There is a crisis in landscape architecture. Where, as a design discipline, the profession is meant to act as a mediator between culture and nature, an absence of continuous critical enquiry, both at a professional level and at an academic level, weakens it. Almost a decade has passed since I examined the role of philosophy and design in landscape architecture education, and from what I have witnessed as an educator, there is still a deficiency of rigour of inquiry. As such, one must ask: where is the leadership in landscape architecture, and are we remaining true to ourselves as designers, …

Designing Product Character: Strategy To Evaluate Product Preference And Map Design Direction, Low Chee Siong Edwin, Ching Chiuan Yen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

According to Janlert and Stolterman (1997), “people, as well as things, have character- high level attributes that help us understand and relate to them.” de Bont et al. (1992) argues that users will prefer a product with characteristics that best match their needs or personality. As such, to influence user’s preference on a product, it is essential for the character of the product to be coherent with the user’s character. This is attempted by investigating products as “living objects”, eliciting specific characteristics or character attributes similar to the user. Though the concept of regarding products as animate objects is not …

Design Studies In Adapting Interactive Computer Interfaces For Elderly Users, N Bitterman, N Naveh-Deutsch, E Lerner, I Shalev

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Computer technology and the Internet have become inseparable parts of our daily lives. However, as people grow older and their physiological and cognitive functions deteriorate, many stages in the interaction with computers can be compromised. Taking into account the importance of interactive (web based) computer systems in our rapidly evolving “knowledge society “, and their inherent benefits for senior citizens and for the entire community, we initiated an ongoing research activity to study the compatibility of interactive computer displays, including health-care interfaces, for the elderly. The studies were performed on elderly (65+) and young participants. The participants completed various tasks …

How To Develop Basic Research In Communication Design, P.K. Storkerson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

As a matter of competence and legitimacy, Communication design needs the grounding and knowledge that come from basic research. One of the major impediments to basic research in communication design is the lack of theoretical frames by which to apprehend and isolate valid, significant research questions and define research methods. This paper explicates these problems and proposes solutions by outlining a process of defining theory and method and by proposing a specific ontological and epistemological frame within which to conduct research in communication design.

A New Look At Design Thinking: Research In Progress, Rob Cowdroy, Michael Ostwald, Anthony Williams

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper reports on work in progress in a programme of highly innovative cross-disciplinary collaborative research into design thinking. This research programme departs from current reductivist theoretical approaches to design including computational and neuroscience models; instead the programme uses empirical methods from behavioural and cognitive psychology, social anthropology and neuropsychology to study elite designers at work. Designers are usually characterised as creative individuals who work alone and autonomously, and design education is almost universally oriented accordingly. In practice, however, designers also typically work in two other key environments: in design teams and in interaction with computers in CAD environments. Pilot …

A Constructivist Approach To Wayfinding Map Studies: Construction Of Spatial Knowledge In People-Map-Space Interactions, Christopher Kueh

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Effective wayfinding map design requires the application of knowledge about how people interact with maps and the actual environment. This paper presents a research that applied constructivist perspectives to study the ways people construct individual spatial knowledge by interacting with maps and the actual environment. The findings revealed that people construct spatial knowledge based on experience and active interactions with entities in a specific built environment.

The Fluid Contemporary Interior, S Yelavich

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper explores the elision of public and private realms in the interior at advent of the 21st century. “The Fluid Contemporary Interior,” covering the mid-1980s to the present, surveys the interior spaces of the house, the apartment, the loft, the office, civic spaces, religious spaces, cultural spaces, retail spaces, restaurants, hotels, and therapeutic spaces. A critical assessment of the social implications of the contemporary interior, this paper examines the fluctuations in design typologies in a globalized era. For example, hospitals are increasingly adopting the form language of spas and health clubs to allay patient's fears and to be more …

The “Star” Interaction Design Summer Schools Framework, N. Schadewitz, P. 'Adler' Jorge, W Moncur, J. Roberts

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper outlines the intercultural, collaborative nature of Interaction Design summer schools for PhD and Masters students, while describing the design practices and educational methods utilized in such a context. The authors’ experiences as participants and facilitators in combination with data collected from a questionnaire and design patterns workshops are captured in this paper and reflected upon. In conclusion, a framework for organizing and implementing future Interaction Design academies is proposed.

Are We Designing Female Audiences? The Case Of Beme.Com A Women’S Commercial Online Portal, N M Sadowska

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Feminist critique of design practice has drawn attention to continuing problems women have as design practitioners and design consumers. A case study analysis of BEME.com, a commercial online portal design for female Internet users, offers an opportunity to address some of the issues such a critique raises. Notwithstanding that Internet technology and design offer new means of communicating with women, a feminist critique highlights that particularly within a commercial context there is an unwillingness within design practice to problematise its participation in the processes that embody gendered meanings. Instead, gender frequently features as part of design practitioners’ creative toolkit when …

Evaluation Of A Product Under An Attitudinal Approach, L Niemeyer, J Esposel

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The research presented in this article, performed in Brazil, consisted of the evaluation of a specific product, the shaver, through the attitudinal approach techniques. The target product was chosen because it has a clear and unambiguous main function. Besides, it used individually and frequently. Shavers are found in the Brazilian market in a great variety of models, brands and prices. We tested a sample of shavers that are for sale in most drugstores and supermarket in Brazil. All the participants were men. They were gathered according to their educational levels and kind of professional activity. The analysis of the result …

Go With The Flo: A Report On A Collaborative Toilet Design Project That Utilized A Transdisciplinary Approach, T. Christensen, J. Takamura, D. Shin, D. Bacalzo

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The Flo toilet is a product of a transdisciplinary design process initiated by graduate students and faculty of the Industrial Design department at Arizona State University. The final product illustrates the benefits of collaboration and research. The project offers insight about bridging the gap between research and practice in the academic arena. The Flo team is composed of two graduate students and two faculty members whose experience in Industrial Design is complemented by another area of specialization. Disciplinary interests include mechanical engineering, brand architecture and design management, socio-cultural theory and empirical research, and concept generation and computing technology. In this …

Designing A Physical Environment For Co-Experience And Assessing Participant Use, Marlene Ivey, E. B.-N Sanders

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Since participatory design methodology began to take shape in the 1980s, the prevalent view of experience as something individual has expanded to include the experience of collective creativity – defined as co-design by Sanders (2002) and co-experience by Battarbee (2003). To date, research based on co-experience scenarios has focused on experiences that users create for themselves using products or services that already exist (Battarbee 2003) in spaces that do not appear to be specifically designed for co-experience. Kristensen (2004:7) refers to the limited address of the physical context of creativity. However, there is limited scope for developing knowledge in this …

Wander_Woman_Wonder: Sexual Difference In Urban Design, S.N. Sauvé

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This working paper seeks to expose two meditations on sexual difference in design, based on preliminary philosophical inquiries. The first meditation, on binary opposition, relates the use of dichotomies within language, and also within the language of design that uphold a construct perpetuating a hierarchy and a status quo, where women are not fully included in neither the process nor the outcome. The second meditation is a suggestion of ways in which issues such as binary opposition can begin to be mediated on common ground, here termed 'third space', where a sharing between different subjects can occur. "The language system, …

Referencing The Sociocultural During Designing, Mk Strickfaden, P Rodgers, P Langdon

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The development of an artefact is inherently bound up with meanings, relationships, and value systems relative to the individuals creating them, and to the context of their immediate and external environments. This paper begins to explore the sociocultural affects on the design process through two field studies within two industrial design education studios. Two separate design groups and projects are followed for extended periods of time in order to collect naturally occurring ‘references’. These are analyzed revealing central themes and categories that are presented here as indicators of the varying context of artefact design. In doing so, a model called …

Rationales For Role Playing In Design, Stella Boess

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In approximately the last ten years, there have been reports of of role playing techniques in the designrelated literature. The paper examines the rationales being given in the literature for its adoption. Three rationales are identified: communication within the design process, the increase of technological complexity, and the experience and empathy of designers. The paper then develops a fourth rationale that could warrant the use of role playing techniques: attentiveness to social change. The literature on role playing shows that the technique has this potential. In our own work, we have run three projects involving role playing techniques. Having monitored …

Wallpaper Tiger: The Florence Broadhurst Collection And The Questions Of Cultural Appropriation In Design., Vicki Karaminas, Alana Clifton-Cunningham

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In 1959, Sydney based textile designer Florence Broadhurst emerged on the design scene with a collection of prints inspired by Japanese motifs; Art Nouveau and Deco swirls, abstract weaves and traditional tapestry designs. Setting up her studio in the heart of avant-garde Paddington with a team of young designers and screen printers at her side, Florence Broadhurst, also known as ‘Madame Pellier’, began creating her lavish, bold coloured designs. These eclectic prints were extensively utilised for wallpaper and interior furnishings and introduced the Australian post war consumer to vibrant geometric patterns and valiant colour plans. If one examines the cultural …

What It Takes To Design In The Virtual World, Anthony Williams, Willy Sher, Tom Bellamy, Rod Gameson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The operational differences which result from using different electronic communication media and its impact on generic design skills have been the basis for the research reported in this paper. The outcome of this research is the development and mapping of generic skills profiles for virtual design teams and the designers who work in them. The research findings also identify changes in generic skills profiles between the traditional mode of team design as well as the different operational states of current and future ICT environments. This paper examines design team activities, processes and skills occurring in co-located environments and links these …

Full Proceedings, Alok K. Bohara, Mukti P. Upadhyay

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Association for Himalayan Policy Research: Through various scholarly activities, NSC aims to create a global network of scholars, professionals, and policy practitioners interested in the policy and development of Nepal and the Himalayan region. Eventually, NSC plans to create an Association for Himalayan Policy Research. Journal publications and Himalayan-focused conference at Wisconsin University are important activities contributing to this collaboration, and our initial attempt to create this network has been very successful. Many scholars from the US, Europe, Far East, Australia, and Nepal are joining this network.

Investigation Of Pre-Clinical Damage Of Lens From Smoke Exposure In Nepalese Women, Amod Pokharel

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Prolonged exposure to biomass and tobacco smoke can damage the lens of human eyes. Epidemiological studies conducted in developed and developing countries have established an association between smoke and lens opacity (cataracts). In our earlier epidemiological study conducted in the eye hospital at western Terai region of Nepal, we had found rate of lens damage (cataracts) two times higher among women who cooked with solid fuel (wood, dung cake, crop-residues) in unvented stoves than women who cooked with clean burning fuel-stove (LPG, bio-gas, kerosene and electric heaters). Damaged lens (lens opacity) or cataract is still the most important cause of …

Sex For Sale: An Investigation Into The Status Of Nepali Women As A Root Cause Of Sex Trafficking, Michelle Kaufman, Mary Crawford

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Trafficking is a major part of the social and economic structure of Nepal. Currently, very high numbers of young girls are taken from Nepal into India as trafficked sex workers. It is estimated that 5,000 to 7,000 girls are trafficked to India each year (Poudel & Carryer, 2000). There are many factors contributing to the continued practice of sex trafficking in Nepal, including poverty, migration (due to both high levels of poverty in rural areas and the Maoist insurgency), and the low status of women in Nepali society. The current research is focused on the status of women as a …

Economic Inequality In Kathmandu: A Multi-Indicator Perspective, Udaya R. Wagle

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Studying economic inequality is increasingly important because of its multidimensional effects on human and societal well-being. This paper examines economic inequality in Kathmandu using wealth, income, and consumption as its indicators. Amidst the finding that wealth, income, and consumption have mutually reinforcing relationships, recent survey data indicate that high income many not necessarily accumulate into wealth as normally expected. Data also show that the household and householder characteristics somewhat differ when it comes to explaining disparities in household wealth, income, and consumption. The suggestion that spatial segregation, human capital and capability, inheritance, and household composition are important determinants of economic …

Sex Trafficking In Nepal: Survivor Characteristics And Long-Term Outcomes, Mary Crawford, Michelle Kaufman

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Sex trafficking, the coercion of girls and women into forced prostitution, is a global problem. South Asia is a particular trouble spot for trafficking. Source countries in this region include Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), and Nepal. Destination countries include India and Thailand (Farr, 2005). The present research focuses on sex trafficking from Nepal. Although accurate figures are difficult to obtain, the best estimate is that 5,000 to 7,000 Nepali girls and women are trafficked each year, primarily to India, and at least 200,000 Nepali girls and women currently work in Indian brothels (Huntington, 2002).

Poverty, Economic Growth, And Inequalty In Developing Countries: A Focus On Nepal And South Asia, Mukti Upadhyay, Gyan Pradhan

Himalayan Policy Research Conference

Our study seeks to answer what rate of economic growth will achieve a one percentage-point reduction in the level of poverty, as measured by the popular headcount ratio. We also recognize that income distribution might change in response to growth and may in turn have an effect of its own on poverty. In particular, do initial inequality and level of development matter in the subsequent realization of poverty? Finally, we examine if some seemingly important variables, such as trade and human capital, also have a significant influence on poverty. For obvious reasons, these findings can have significant implications for policy.

2006 Day Of Common Learning Program, Seattle Pacific University

Day of Common Learning

No abstract provided.

What Do You Do When The Law Doesn’T Work? Adult Educators’ Role In Fighting Workplace Discrimination, Ann Brooks, Tamara Clunis

Adult Education Research Conference

An analysis of research suggests that ethnic/racial group members lack informal access to developmental opportunities in the workplace. Legal scholars critique Title VII law as ineffective in current organizations. Research shows the work of adult educators is critical in fighting discrimination in the absence of effective legal protection.

Critical Adult Learning Of Immigrant Workers: A Social Network Perspective, Moosung Lee

Adult Education Research Conference

Why does one immigrant worker get involved in critical learning whereas another does not? This study attempted to answer the question by revealing how social ties of immigrant workers play a key role in mediating critical learning to a particular political attitude. The results of the study suggested that immigrant workers who showed a resistant political attitude, which is linked to the process of critical learning, tended to have more social ties and occupy more important socio-structural positions in their network than other peer workers.