This paper presents an overview of GroupKit, a groupware toolkit that lets developers build applications for synchronous and distributed computer-based conferencing. GroupKit was constructed from our belief that programming groupware should be only slightly harder than building functionally similar single-user systems. We have been able to significantly reduce the implementation complexity of groupware through the key features that comprise GroupKit. A runtime infrastructure automatically manages the creation, interconnection, and communications of the distributed processes that comprise conference sessions. A set of groupware programming abstractions allows developers to control the behaviour of distributed processes, to take action on state changes, and to share relevant data. Groupware widgets let interface features of value to conference participants to be easily added to groupware applications. Session managers⎯interfaces that let people create and manage their meetings⎯are decoupled from groupware applications and are built by developers to accommodate the group’s working style. Example GroupKit applications in a variety of domains have been implemented with only modest effort.

Real-time educational groupware systems allow physically separated learners to work together in a shared virtual workspace at the same time. These systems do not yet approach the interaction richness of a face-to-face learning situation. In particular, one element poorly supported is workspace awareness: the up-to-the-minute knowledge a student requires about other students ’ interactions with the shared workspace. This awareness is essential if students are to learn and work together effectively. We present a framework of several types of awareness required by students in a collaborative learning situation, including their social, task, concept and workspace awareness. We then concentrate on workspace awareness, and describe how particular awareness requirements of students in group learning situations depend on the closeness of their tasks, and whether they are sharing the same view or have separate views into the workspace. From these requirements, we have prototyped several awareness widgets for educational groupware. These widgets help learners maintain awareness of other learners ’ locations when their views are separated, of other learners ’ activities in shared and separate view situations, and of other learners ’ past activities.

Desktop conferencing systems are now shifting from strict view-sharing towards relaxed "what-you-see-iswhat -I-see" interfaces, where distributed participants in a real time session can view different parts of a shared visual workspace. As with strict view-sharing, people using relaxed-WYSIWIS require a sense of workspace awareness---the up-to-the-minute knowledge about another person's interactions with the shared workspace. The problem is deciding how to provide a user with an appropriate level of awareness of what other participants are doing when they are working in different areas of the workspace. In this paper, we summarize requirements for workspace awareness, identify limitations of existing groupware solutions, and propose as a replacement fisheye views that show both global context and local detail within a single window. Within groupware, these displays provide: a) peripheral awareness of other participants by showing their position and actions in the global context; b) det...

Sharing knowledge in a strategic alliance is far from being a smooth and self-propelled process. An important determinant of successful knowledge sharing is the level of fit between the tasks being undertaken by alliance partners and the IT-enabled knowledge sharing mechanism being employed to carry out these tasks. This paper reports on ongoing research investigating IT-enabled knowledge sharing mechanisms in multinational strategic alliances within construction. First, the concept of media richness is introduced, which argues that the characteristic of a communication medium significantly determines how successfully that medium can share knowledge between participants. Second, the importance of task relevance is identified, emphasising that the success of a knowledge sharing mechanism is determined by how relevant the content of the message is to the receiver’s work. These two themes are integrated to offer a media richness – task relevance fit model. This model is used as a framework to structure and evaluate interim research findings from a multinational alliance case study. The findings indicate that successful IT-enabled knowledge sharing mechanisms are closely linked to both media richness and the business logic and the social processes captured in the task relevance and task environment aspects of a virtual organisation. The results reinforce the need to adopt a social constructivist approach to IT-enabled knowledge sharing mechanisms, which challenges researchers and practitioners to understand different alliance stakeholder groups ’ interpretations of, and interactions with, the information technology.

Real-time desktop conferencing systems are multi-user computer applications that allow physically distant people to work together in a shared virtual space at the same time. These systems do not yet provide the rich communication and awareness that are possible in a face-toface interaction. One of the elements lacking in desktop conferencing is group awareness- the upto-the-minute knowledge of other people’s activities that is required for an individual to coordinate and complete their part of a group task. This paper describes our initial investigations into computer support for group awareness. We present a framework for thinking about the concept that divides awareness into physical, task, and social environments, and then uses a proximity space to categorise group situations in terms of group awareness. From the framework, we have designed and built several awareness widgets for use in a groupware toolkit. These widgets assist conference participants in staying aware of others ’ locations when their views are separated, of others ’ task activities in shared and separate view situations, and of their past activities in semi-synchronous situations. 1.

Desktop conferencing systems are now moving away from strict view-sharing and towards relaxed “whatyou-see-is-what-I-see” (relaxed-WYSIWIS) interfaces, where distributed participants in a real time session can view different parts of a shared visual workspace. As with strict view-sharing, people using relaxed-WYSIWIS require a sense of workspace awareness—the up-to-the-minute knowledge about another person’s interactions with the shared workspace. The problem is deciding how to provide a user with an appropriate level of awareness of what other participants are doing when they are working in different areas of the workspace. In this paper, we summarize requirements for workspace awareness, identify problems with existing groupware solutions, and propose as a replacement fisheye views that show both global context and local detail within a single window. Within groupware, these displays provide peripheral awareness of other participants by showing their position and actions in the global context. As well, detailed awareness is provided by assigning multiple focal points to each participant, and by magnifying the area around everyone’s work to highlight all details of their interactions. Concepts are illustrated in two groupware prototypes: a fisheye graph browser, and a fisheye viewer for text documents.