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Advances in computer hardware and networking technology have incited the deployment of large-scale group-oriented applications for delivery or interactive development of multimedia content in the Internet. There is a growing number of protocols and techniques for group communication and membership services in the IP-multicast framework, however, group coordination support for telecollaborative tasks such as videoconferencing or distributed interactive simulation has received little attention. In this dissertation, we address network control and coordination functions to orchestrate synchronous multimedia groupwork, establishing a sharing discipline on multimedia resources and guaranteeing consistency of distributed activities with ordered multicasting. We introduce a formal framework for group coordination and a turn-taking abstraction useful for evaluating coordination protocols. Elemental design choices for group coordination architectures and the concept of aggregated processing of coordination information are discussed.

Past research in the area of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) has attempted to ascertain its future potential in the business world. This thesis extends the GDSS research to the area of distributed Group Decision Support Systems (DGDSS) . An experiment was performed where groups of three and four persons were tested in different group decision making settings, a traditional decision room and a DGDSS. An experimental prototype DGDSS program, developed at Claremont University, Claremont, CA, was evaluated during the experiment. The experiment pointed out several program advantages and disadvantages during the evaluation. The study determined that use of the DGDSS resulted in generation of larger numbers of criteria and alternatives and greater decision satisfaction. DGDSS supported groups experienced: less commitment to the final decision, less satisfaction with the decision process, and less satsifaction with communication.

An increasing reliance on group decision making and advances in computer technology have combined to spur research in an area of decision support known as group decision support systems (GDSS). Proponents of GDSS claim its unique features enable groups to make decisions faster, better and with greater confidence and satisfaction than non-GDSS groups. This study is an empirical experiment evaluating the operational effectiveness of a GDSS. A complex scenario covertly resembling the Cuban missile crisis was passed out to seven groups of four graduate students. Four groups were instructed to recommend a solution to the crisis scenario with the aid of a GDSS. The other three groups were instructed to do the the same, but without computer aided support. The analysis of the data indicated that there was not an appreciable difference in decision quality, speed, or satisfaction between the GDSS groups and the non- GDSS groups. Keywords: Theses: Management information systems.

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The purpose of this thesis is twofold; (1) Explore some design issues for building group decision support systems for non-cooperation environments, and (2) Expand CO-OP, a cooperative multiple criteria group decision support system, to support particular classes of group decisions. From the conceptual standpoint, this work argues for that cooperation is a special case of non-cooperation. The following design requirements are proposed: (1) Negotiation as a capability within model management, (2) Greater capabilities in database management, and (3) Increased flexibility for the user interface. The present version of Co-oP has, with this work, implemented the following features: (1) Scrolling windows to handle group problems with large size, (2) Code optimization to provide fast feedback to members, (3) Improved heuristics for the Negotiable Alternatives Identifier (NAI), (4) Implementation of the Mediator module, and (5) Allow more advanced data manipulation to promote data exchange in competitive environments (e.g., data security and sharing). The above implementation has encompassed approximately 6,000 lines of original Pascal code, and 3,000 lines of modified code. (Author)

Group Support Systems (GSSs) are a combination of hardware, software, and human facilitation designed and employed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of decision making groups. Engineers at the Sustainment Logistics Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory have recently proposed employing the technology in a distributed setting to conjoin geographically separated members of decision making groups in order to facilitate the reengineering of logistics processes in an any place/any time environment To date GSSs have been studied and employed primarily in the same time/same place setting. Consequently, little is known or understood of the effects that use of these systems may have on the group dynamic when employed in the distributed setting. This thesis examines how two elements of GSS configuration, the location and alignment of the meeting facilitator, may impact system users' perceptions of situational equity, their attitudes towards the efficacy of the technology, their information sharing behavior, and the quality of decisions reached by user groups. The results of the work evidence that isolation of the facilitator from meeting members is desirable, and that facilitator neutrality is essential to the efficacy of such systems deployed in the distributed setting.

Group decision making utilizing the Delphi method can be a time-consuming and difficult procedure, especially when the required group membership is separated by great distances. This study designs and implements an automated group decision support system (GDSS) which may be employed by a single computer or a networking system. This particular model is text-based as opposed to mathematical-based, a radical departure from the GDSS models currently in vogue. This program, TouchStone, successfully translates the Delphi method of criteria development to the computer. It is implemented in Turbo Pascal for the IBM-PC. Keywords: Theses; Computer program documentation; Interfaces.

Group decision making utilizing the Delphi method can be a time-consuming and difficult procedure, especially when the required group membership is separated by great distances. This study designs and implements an automated group decision support system (GDSS) which may be employed by a single computer or a networking system. This particular model is text-based as opposed to mathematical-based, a radical departure from the GDSS models currently in vogue. This program, TouchStone, successfully translates the Delphi method of criteria development to the computer. It is implemented in Turbo Pascal for the IBM-PC. Keywords: Theses; Computer program documentation; Interfaces.

During the Information Age, an increased need for group collaboration and group decision making has developed. Companies have concentrated on the processing and distribution of data, and the increased productivity of the individual user. Now more work is done in groups and companies are looking to meet the decision making needs of groups. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) are emerging as a solution for those needs. Most companies have no idea what GDSS is, and if they do, they do not have experienced implementing GDSS type technology into their organizations. One problem is that GDSS has many different definitions and different products within each definition. This has led to confusion over this new technology. To implement a GDSS, an organization must match its need with an appropriate technology and an effective implementation strategy. There are many different types of GDSS. This study looks at a GDSS with Face-to-Face-Conferencing capabilities (or decision room).

Region One Education Service Center (Region One) was awarded an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, entitled Project Health Education for ALL (HEAL[superscript 2]). Project HEAL[superscript 2] i3 initiative served a pipeline of high school grades 9 to 12 students in deep South Texas. Region One implemented the Project HEAL[superscript 2] program across three independent school districts (ISDs), also referred to as Local Education Agencies (LEAS), and their 11 high schools. The following include the implementation ISDs: Pharr San Juan Alamo (PSJA) ISD, La Joya ISD, and South Texas ISD. All have worked in cooperation with key partners and the greater surrounding community to implement Project HEAL[superscript 2] in support of students in their high schools, including: Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD's six high schools: PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, PSJA Early College High School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, and PSJA Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School; La Joya ISD's four high schools: La Joya High School, Palmview High School, Juarez-Lincoln High School, and Thelma Salinas T-STEM Early College High School; and South Texas ISD's one high school: South Texas High School for Health Professions. The goal of Project HEAL[superscript 2] is to increase the Health-integrated (STEM-design) Nursing competencies of low-income and under-represented students, specifically students from minority backgrounds, through creativity, innovation, and engagement activities that promote diversity in education. The study used a three-year, longitudinal, two Cohort quasi-experimental design (QED) to assess the impact of Project HEAL[superscript 2] on students' achievement on: (1) the American College Test (ACT) and (2) a single health education readiness assessment: Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) at the end of (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) program exposure. The ACT outcomes were compared of Project HEAL[superscript 2] students with similar students from the same schools that did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students were matched to comparison high school students at the same school. The HESI outcomes compared Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students with traditional college-level students who were accepted into the same Nursing (ADN) program and were administered the same HESI assessment but did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] students were matched with traditional ADN nursing program students determined as the comparison students. This study is written to meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Group Design Standards with Reservations. While the results of the study indicated there were no apparent group differences comparing all the Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students to all the non-Project HEAL[superscript 2] business-as-usual control students, there were instances where Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students significantly outperformed controls at certain school districts on the ACT outcome. Secondly, the results of the study also indicated that the traditional ADN nursing program students who formed the business-as-usual comparison group reported a higher HESI outcome than the treatment group. The duration of students' exposure to Project HEAL[superscript 2] fidelity of implementation, alignment between Health-integrated (STEM-design) instruction and the HESI (single health education readiness) standardized assessments, and other program-related factors that might have weakened the intervention strength relative to ADN business-as-usual conditions are discussed as possible factors that account for these findings. The report concludes with a discussion and suggestions for future research and implications for education policy. [The report was produced by EGT Institute, Inc.]

Region One Education Service Center (Region One) was awarded an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, entitled Project Health Education for ALL (HEAL[superscript 2]). Project HEAL[superscript 2] i3 initiative served a pipeline of high school grades 9 to 12 students in deep South Texas. Region One implemented the Project HEAL[superscript 2] program across three independent school districts (ISDs), also referred to as Local Education Agencies (LEAS), and their 11 high schools. The following include the implementation ISDs: Pharr San Juan Alamo (PSJA) ISD, La Joya ISD, and South Texas ISD. All have worked in cooperation with key partners and the greater surrounding community to implement Project HEAL[superscript 2] in support of students in their high schools, including: Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD's six high schools: PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, PSJA Early College High School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, and PSJA Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School; La Joya ISD's four high schools: La Joya High School, Palmview High School, Juarez-Lincoln High School, and Thelma Salinas T-STEM Early College High School; and South Texas ISD's one high school: South Texas High School for Health Professions. The goal of Project HEAL[superscript 2] is to increase the Health-integrated (STEM-design) Nursing competencies of low-income and under-represented students, specifically students from minority backgrounds, through creativity, innovation, and engagement activities that promote diversity in education. The study used a three-year, longitudinal, two Cohort quasi-experimental design (QED) to assess the impact of Project HEAL[superscript 2] on students' achievement on: (1) the American College Test (ACT) and (2) a single health education readiness assessment: Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) at the end of (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) program exposure. The ACT outcomes were compared of Project HEAL[superscript 2] students with similar students from the same schools that did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students were matched to comparison high school students at the same school. The HESI outcomes compared Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students with traditional college-level students who were accepted into the same Nursing (ADN) program and were administered the same HESI assessment but did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] students were matched with traditional ADN nursing program students determined as the comparison students. This study is written to meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Group Design Standards with Reservations. While the results of the study indicated there were no apparent group differences comparing all the Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students to all the non-Project HEAL[superscript 2] business-as-usual control students, there were instances where Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students significantly outperformed controls at certain school districts on the ACT outcome. Secondly, the results of the study also indicated that the traditional ADN nursing program students who formed the business-as-usual comparison group reported a higher HESI outcome than the treatment group. The duration of students' exposure to Project HEAL[superscript 2] fidelity of implementation, alignment between Health-integrated (STEM-design) instruction and the HESI (single health education readiness) standardized assessments, and other program-related factors that might have weakened the intervention strength relative to ADN business-as-usual conditions are discussed as possible factors that account for these findings. The report concludes with a discussion and suggestions for future research and implications for education policy. [The report was produced by EGT Institute, Inc.]

Region One Education Service Center (Region One) was awarded an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, entitled Project Health Education for ALL (HEAL[superscript 2]). Project HEAL[superscript 2] i3 initiative served a pipeline of high school grades 9 to 12 students in deep South Texas. Region One implemented the Project HEAL[superscript 2] program across three independent school districts (ISDs), also referred to as Local Education Agencies (LEAS), and their 11 high schools. The following include the implementation ISDs: Pharr San Juan Alamo (PSJA) ISD, La Joya ISD, and South Texas ISD. All have worked in cooperation with key partners and the greater surrounding community to implement Project HEAL[superscript 2] in support of students in their high schools, including: Pharr San Juan Alamo ISD's six high schools: PSJA North Early College High School, PSJA Southwest Early College High School, PSJA Early College High School, PSJA Memorial Early College High School, PSJA Thomas Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, and PSJA Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School; La Joya ISD's four high schools: La Joya High School, Palmview High School, Juarez-Lincoln High School, and Thelma Salinas T-STEM Early College High School; and South Texas ISD's one high school: South Texas High School for Health Professions. The goal of Project HEAL[superscript 2] is to increase the Health-integrated (STEM-design) Nursing competencies of low-income and under-represented students, specifically students from minority backgrounds, through creativity, innovation, and engagement activities that promote diversity in education. The study used a three-year, longitudinal, two Cohort quasi-experimental design (QED) to assess the impact of Project HEAL[superscript 2] on students' achievement on: (1) the American College Test (ACT) and (2) a single health education readiness assessment: Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) at the end of (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) program exposure. The ACT outcomes were compared of Project HEAL[superscript 2] students with similar students from the same schools that did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students were matched to comparison high school students at the same school. The HESI outcomes compared Project HEAL[superscript 2] high school students with traditional college-level students who were accepted into the same Nursing (ADN) program and were administered the same HESI assessment but did not participate in Project HEAL[superscript 2]. For the study, Project HEAL[superscript 2] students were matched with traditional ADN nursing program students determined as the comparison students. This study is written to meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Group Design Standards with Reservations. While the results of the study indicated there were no apparent group differences comparing all the Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students to all the non-Project HEAL[superscript 2] business-as-usual control students, there were instances where Project HEAL[superscript 2] treatment group students significantly outperformed controls at certain school districts on the ACT outcome. Secondly, the results of the study also indicated that the traditional ADN nursing program students who formed the business-as-usual comparison group reported a higher HESI outcome than the treatment group. The duration of students' exposure to Project HEAL[superscript 2] fidelity of implementation, alignment between Health-integrated (STEM-design) instruction and the HESI (single health education readiness) standardized assessments, and other program-related factors that might have weakened the intervention strength relative to ADN business-as-usual conditions are discussed as possible factors that account for these findings. The report concludes with a discussion and suggestions for future research and implications for education policy. [The report was produced by EGT Institute, Inc.]

Computers are used to support collaboration among members of a business team. The specific application is the augmentation of meetings. The motivation, approach, and empirical results are presented.

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An increasing reliance on group decision making and advances in computer technology have combined to spur research in an area of decision support known as group decision support systems (GDSS). Proponents of GDSS claim its unique features enable groups to make decisions faster, better and with greater confidence and satisfaction than non-GDSS groups. This study is an empirical experiment evaluating the operational effectiveness of a GDSS. A complex scenario covertly resembling the Cuban missile crisis was passed out to seven groups of four graduate students. Four groups were instructed to recommend a solution to the crisis scenario with the aid of a GDSS. The other three groups were instructed to do the the same, but without computer aided support. The analysis of the data indicated that there was not an appreciable difference in decision quality, speed, or satisfaction between the GDSS groups and the non-GDSS groups. Keywords: Theses: Management information systems. (KR)

An increasing reliance on group decision making and advances in computer technology have combined to spur research in an area of decision support known as group decision support systems (GDSS). Proponents of GDSS claim its unique features enable groups to make decisions faster, better and with greater confidence and satisfaction than non-GDSS groups. This study is an empirical experiment evaluating the operational effectiveness of a GDSS. A complex scenario covertly resembling the Cuban missile crisis was passed out to seven groups of four graduate students. Four groups were instructed to recommend a solution to the crisis scenario with the aid of a GDSS. The other three groups were instructed to do the the same, but without computer aided support. The analysis of the data indicated that there was not an appreciable difference in decision quality, speed, or satisfaction between the GDSS groups and the non-GDSS groups. Keywords: Theses: Management information systems. (KR)

This thesis is a continuation of the research done on the REpresentation and MAintenance of Process knowledge (REMAP) project for large scale systems design and maintenance. A review of the REMAP model and the Cooperative Multiple Criteria Group Decision Making (Co-oP) group decision support system will be conducted. These two models complement each other and their combined functionalities will be examined as they relate to capturing and reasoning with process knowledge. This research further explores possibilities of incorporating group decision support mechanisms into the REMAP model. The analytical techniques suitable for supporting cooperative work in systems design activities, as well as the development of a decision support system incorporating them are evaluated.

The research contributed to the study of Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) in field experiments involving real managers making real decisions. This research was conducted by the Air Force Institute of Technology with the Air Force Armstrong Laboratory to evaluate the efficacy of using GDSS technology in an Air Force decision making environment. This study compared facilitated GDSS, facilitated manual, and unfacilitated manual decision making processes. This study focused on performance and secondary outcomes resulting from GDSS effects versus process structure effects. The research evaluated two performance outcomes: GDSS efficiency in terms of decision speed and effectiveness in terms of consensus. Post-process questionnaires were used to compare groups with respect to the participant's perceptions. The study concluded that GDSS, process structure, and group dynamics impacted performance. GDSS groups experienced lower decision speeds and consensus compared to facilitated manual groups which, in turn, experienced lower decision speeds and consensus compared to unfacilitated manual groups. Participants perceived the GDSS process as more difficult than the facilitated manual process. Likewise, participants perceived the facilitated manual process as more difficult, more structured, and producing more conflict than the unfacilitated manual process. These findings are consistent with other field studies which concluded that small groups or groups performing less complex choice-type tasks may not benefit from use of a GDSS.

Strategic planning at an Air Force wing is a team based activity that offers many advantages to the Air Force. But, it is clear there are still questions about how to properly conduct strategic planning to produce the highest quality plans in the most effective and efficient manner. To answer this question, the Air Force created a research project aimed at discovering new methods to improve strategic planning at Air Force wing levels using a computer-mediated communication system. The research project's goal is to apply collaborative processes and technologies, such as Group Support Systems (GSS), to improve the quality of the strategic planning process. This thesis validated the measurement instruments and analyzed the data from one of those studies. The thorough evaluation of the measurement instruments led to validated scales that could be valuable for future use. The analysis shows a significant increase in overall plan quality, and increased participant satisfaction with both the process employed and the product created when the groups used a GSS instead of traditional face-to-face methods. These results lend support to the continued fielding of such systems to support the decision making process for these types of problems.

Thesis advisor: Suchan, James E

Advancing technologies and equipment give smaller Group I type unmanned aerial system aircraft such as the RQ-11 Raven B, Wasp, and other miniature sized vehicles the capability for a single Marine to carry and employ a Group I UAS to provide over the hill intelligence and surveillance for a prolonged period of time at the tactical level. Because the Wasp and Raven B both have the capability to locate targets and provide a 1 O-digit grid, a forward observer or fire support team can utilize the airborne capability of adjusting fire for indirect weapons as well identifying targets and' surveying damage induced by indirect fire when larger assets are not available or timely because of deliberate planning and higher level requirements for larger Group I type UASs support. As Group I UASs become more prevalent at the tactical level, especially within the fire support community, it is imperative that FOs, FiSTs, and even squad members fully embrace this capability and train to harness the information it can provide. Group I Type UASs are the force multiplier to the fire support team.

Advancing technologies and equipment give smaller Group I type unmanned aerial system aircraft such as the RQ-11 Raven B, Wasp, and other miniature sized vehicles the capability for a single Marine to carry and employ a Group I UAS to provide over the hill intelligence and surveillance for a prolonged period of time at the tactical level. Because the Wasp and Raven B both have the capability to locate targets and provide a 1 O-digit grid, a forward observer or fire support team can utilize the airborne capability of adjusting fire for indirect weapons as well identifying targets and' surveying damage induced by indirect fire when larger assets are not available or timely because of deliberate planning and higher level requirements for larger Group I type UASs support. As Group I UASs become more prevalent at the tactical level, especially within the fire support community, it is imperative that FOs, FiSTs, and even squad members fully embrace this capability and train to harness the information it can provide. Group I Type UASs are the force multiplier to the fire support team.

Thesis advisor, James E. Suchan

The project 'Portable Operating Systems for Network Computers' that ran from April 1982 until August 1985 saw the creation of an entire distributed operating system (MICROS/SAM2S) for a multiple ethernet system of DEC LSI-11 and Motorola 68000 systems. The modularity, hidden type managers, abstract manager hierarchies, message-oriented drivers, and layered tasks used in the design of the SAM2S operating system allowed the easy porting of the original LSI-11 based system to Motorola 68000 processors and its extension to a plexus of four interconnected thernets. The system was used to explore ways to support efficient communications within groups of processes scattered over many computers, especially in very large networks. This project has carefully delineated different classes of multicast communications within networks and has shown three different efficient waqys to implement multicast: host, channel, and tree-based protocols. Only tree multicast is suitably efficient for networks of thousands of computers.

Groupware is a term describing an emerging computer software technology enhancing the ability of people to work together as a group, (a software driven 'group support system'). This project originated at the beginning of 1992 and reports were issued describing the activity through May 1995. These reports stressed the need for process as well as technology. That is, while the technology represented a computer assisted method for groups to work together, the Group Support System (GSS) technology als required an understanding of the facilitation process electronic meetings demand. Even people trained in traditional facilitation techniques did not necessarily aimlessly adopt groupware techniques. The latest phase of this activity attempted to (1) improve the facilitation process by developing training support for a portable groupware computer system, and (2) to explore settings and uses for the portable groupware system using different software, such as Lotus Notes.

The growth of distributed group support systems (GSS) suggests that organizations will continue to bring dispersed groups of people together to make decisions over computer networks. In many instances those groups are temporarily assembled to address a task and then summarily disbanded never to work together again. In order for users to effectively use the GSS issues of trust and control need to be addressed within the GSS design. Users have perceptions about the fairness of structural and social determinants of the GSS design. These perceptions influence both the decision making process and process outcomes. This article shows the negative impacts that facilitator alignment and co-location with a single meeting member has on the other group members' perception of GSS fairness and equality of power distribution. This study also demonstrated how video could effectively reduce or mitigate the negative justice perceptions that users experience from facilitator alignment and co-location. The findings suggest that the increased communications capabilities available from video can help users overcome limitations that would otherwise be present from the design.

The nature of group decision support systems (GDSS), its key advantages, and the experience of using it with several classes help illustrate that this type of computer technology can serve an important function in supplementing instruction of the small group course. The primary purpose of a GDSS is to improve group decision-making and effectiveness by removing communication barriers, providing structuring techniques for decision analysis, and systematically directing the pattern, timing, and content of group discussions. Advantages of GDSSs in education include: (1) text printout and automatic data storage; (2) availability of structured tools; (3) combination of face-to-face and electronic communication; (4) opportunity for repeated use as a supplemental form of instruction; (5) greater equality of participation; and (6) anonymity. The biggest drawback of GDSS is that it is not yet widely available. The experience of various classes at San Diego State University (California) indicates that the usage rates and role, process, and outcome satisfaction were high. The use of GDSS in small group communication courses deserves further exploration, research, and incorporation. (A diagram of an Electronic Boardroom GDSS is included; 24 references are attached.) (RS)

This study was designed for evaluation of the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers for Technology (PT3) Grant goal that all preservice teachers will effectively integrate technology into instruction and serve as role models and mentors for inservice teachers as determined by qualitative and quantitative assessment tools. The Group Support System (an electronic meeting system; GSS) was used to collect qualitative data and a paper-and-pencil survey was used to collect quantitative data from 110 candidates as they completed student teaching. Descriptive statistics from the analyses were compared. Results from the GSS data analysis found that 36 different technologies were used during student teaching. PowerPoint presentation software (n=57) and Internet )n=49) were the most frequently used. Ninety-one percent of the student teachers stated that using technology increased student learning in their classrooms. Through quantitative analysis, competency levels using different technologies were identified. Qualitative analysis also identified areas for future training. Both National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and National Teacher Standards require new teachers to have technology competencies. The paper includes a description of the GSS process and the survey developed for the study. (Contains 5 tables and 14 references.) (Author/SLD)

The purpose of this thesis is twofold; (i) Explore some design issues for building group decision support systems for non-cooperation environments? and (ii) Expand CO-OP, a cooperative multiple criteria group decision support system, to support particular classes of group decisions. From the conceptual standpoint, this work argues for that cooperation is a special case of non-cooperation. The following design requirements are proposed: (i) Negotiation as a capability within model management, (ii) Greater capabilities in database management, and (iii) Increased flexibility for the user interface. The present version of Co-oP has, with this work, implemented the following features: (i) Scrolling windows to handle group problems with large size, (ii) Code optimization to provide fast feedback to members, (iii) Improved heuristics for the Negotiable Alternatives Identifier (NAI), (iv) Implementation of the Mediator module, and (v) Allow more advanced data manipulation to promote data exchange in competitive environments (e.g., data security and .sharing). The above implementation has encompassed approximately 6,000 lines of original pascal code, and 3,000 lines of modified code.

The document contains the proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced Group Support Systems and Facilities held at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, July 19-20, 1999. The workshop was jointly sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Computational Technology and NASA. Workshop attendees came from NASA, other government agencies, industry, and universities. The objectives of the workshop were to assess the status of advanced group support systems and to identify the potential of these systems for use in future collaborative distributed design and synthesis environments. The presentations covered the current status and effectiveness of different group support systems.

This study examined the effect of Group Decision Support System (GDSS) technology on perceived influence modes. The researcher measured perceived influence modes in two group treatments: GDSS groups and non-GDSS (N-GDSS) mediated groups. Actual groups in both treatments performed judgmental tasks of their own choosing. Group members then completed a survey which measured their perceptions regarding five influence sources: expert influence, influence from legitimate authority, referent influence, reward influence, and coercive influence. The survey also measured the extent to which members perceived an "opportunity to influence" other group members. For each variable measured in both treatment groups, mean scores were calculated from respondents' ratings. Analysis indicated that ODSS technology significantly reduces the amount of influence perceived by group members when compared to members in N-ODSS groups. Results also indicated that there was no significant difference between treatment groups regarding members' perceived "opportunity to influence" other group members.

This thesis is a continuation of the research done on the Representation and MAintenance of Process knowledge (REMAP) project for large scale systems design and maintenance. A review of the REMAP model and the Cooperative Multiple Criteria Group Decision Making (Co-oP) group decision support system will be conducted. These two models complement each other and their combined functionalities will be examined as they relate to capturing and reasoning with process knowledge. This research further explores possibilities of incorporating group decision support mechanisms into the REMAP model. The analytical techniques suitable for supporting cooperative work in systems design activities, as well as the development of a decision support system incorporating them are evaluated.

Thesis advisor, B. Ramesh

Thesis advisor, B. Ramesh

Thesis advisor, B. Ramesh

Available from National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Va