[WS 2024-25] Project Seminar Digital Trace Data: Review of Research and Analysis of CEIR Digital Trace Data

Start date: October 2024

Project description

Digital trace data is now increasingly being used to gain research and business insights and to understand how information systems and technologies are being used by individuals, workgroups and organisations. In the Center for Enterprise Information Research (CEIR), we are especially interested in the use of digital trace data to understand collaboration technologies and the ways they are being used to support different types of work and workgroups. For example, we collect trace data from about user actions, social documents, workgroups etc. from collaboration technologies including HCL Connections, Skype, Mattermost, Alfresco and Zoom. We then use this data to understand how different types of workgroups form and how they collaborate, how different technologies and used to support specific collaboration scenarios etc.

If you are interested in developing your research skills and developing a detailed understanding of trace data this project is for you! In the Project Seminar (Forschungspraktikum - Master's level) you will undertake the following work. These are some basic starting requirements; we will formalise the requirements in our first meetings and there will be opportunities for you to add your own input and creativity to the planning of the work deliverables.

Part 1: Literature review and analysis of the characteristics of digital trace data

Conduct an extensive and in-depth literature review of the broad topic of digital trace data and its use and identify the key characteristics of DTD included in the extant literature and develop: i) an annotated bibliography of the key articles and ii) create a summary spreadsheet containing information such as, definitions, characteristics, analysis methods and data quality measures. Following the broad literature review you will narrow your focus to examine studies that use trace data for the purpose of understanding collaborative work and the digital workplace and summarise the range and types of studies that have been conducted.

Outputs from Part 1 will include:

• Annotated bibliography and correctly formatted reference list
• Spreadsheet containing the analysis
• Report explaining how the review was conducted and an overview of the key findings

Part 2: Social collaboration – CEIR data analysis

In CEIR we use a wide range of different trace data in our research. Using the characteristics you have identified in your literature analysis you will create a template/ data profile sheet and conduct an data audit of the CEIR trace data sources and provide examples of each data type and how it has been used to understand collaborative work / workgroups.

Outputs from Part 2 will include:

• Analysis of all CEIR trace data and it different uses
• Data sources and systems
• Data structure / dimensions
• Comparison between data types (overlapping dimensions)
• Matrix / mapping (visualising this information in some way)
• Digital resource/report summarising the audit findings and including examples of the data and how it is used.

Expressions of Interest:

If you are interested in participating in this Project Seminar, please send an email to Jennifer Gerbl (jgerbl@uni-koblenz.de) with a short message stating your interest in participating in the Project Seminar in WS2024-25 and a brief paragraph about why you are interested in this topic. The deadline for expressions of interest is 25.10.2024. (or earlier if all project places are allocated). As there are limited places in the project team, we recommend you submit your expression of interest as soon as possible.

Kick-off meeting:

The first meeting for the project will be held in the first week of the Winter Semester. In this meeting, full details of the project will be presented and the work will begin. Full details about the date, time and meeting location will be sent nearer the time