Jordan, K. and Rimpilainen, S. (2010) How we understand research practices: The example of the semantic spider. Presentation at 'Socio-material and Posthuman Readings of Digital Learning: An Ensemble Project Seminar Day', Liverpool John Moores University, 17th September 2010.

1. How we understand research practices:
The example of the Semantic Spider
Sanna Rimpiläinen and Katy Jordan
The Ensemble Project
www.ensemble.ac.uk

2. What is the ‘Semantic Spider?’
Thesauri,
Databases Multimedia Published
Ontologies
Collections Materials
etc
Conversion
Services
Aggregators
and Reasoning
Engines
Services and APIs
Devices Collaborative
Environments
Visualisations

3. The Ensemble Project
• Ensemble: Semantic technologies for the
enhancement of case-based learning
• 3 years 2008-2011
• £1.5 Million FEC
• Six UK Universities (Liverpool John
Moores, Cambridge, City, UEA, Stirling, Essex)
and two international partners (MIT and UT
Sydney)
• Engaging with ~6 disciplinary settings across
UG and PG courses at Cambridge, City and
LJMU
• Team includes education
researchers, cognitive scientists, computer
scientists and disciplinary specialists

4. Semantic technologies for the enhancement of
case-based learning
Case-based learning: Semantic technologies:
“The work of the project is focused on - integration of heterogeneous data
settings in which sources
complexity, contestation or rapid - advanced search tools
change makes some kind of case based - representations and visualisations of
learning the pedagogy of choice.” data
(Tscholl et al., 2009) - collaborative functions (Carmichael
and Martinez, 2009)

5. An Interdisciplinary Project – Multidisciplinary
areas of study
Software
Design
Software Higher
Engineering Education
CSCW Computer
Sciences
Programming
Ensemble Psychology
Project
Requirements
Engineering Education History
HCI Design Philosophy
Teacher
Sociology
Education

6. Multidisciplinary backgrounds of
researchers
Anthropology
Criminology
Sociology Geology
Biochemistry
English Software Educational
CSCW Design Research
HCI Programming Biology
Cognitive
Science
Computer Requirements Software
Sciences Engineering Engineering
Psychology

7. The Evolution of the ‘Semantic Spider’

8. Managed Data Thesauri,
Databases Multimedia Web
Published
Ontologies
Sources
Collections Materials
etc
Conversion
Services
Aggregators
Triplestore
and Reasoning
and Engines
Reasoner
Services andEndpoint
Sparql APIs
Devices Collaborative
Environments
Web Client
Visualisations
2009-01
2009-03

9. Managed Data Web
Sources
Triplestore
and Reasoner
Sparql Endpoint
Web Client
2009-03
2009-05

10. Thesauri,
Databases Multimedia Published
Ontologies
Collections Materials
etc
Conversion
Services
Aggregators
and Reasoning
Engines
Services and APIs
Devices Collaborative
Environments
Visualisations
2009-05

11. Legacy Digital Structured Web
Databases Repository Data Services
Thesauri,
Databases Multimedia Published
Ontologies
Collections Materials
etc
Conversion
Tools
Conversion Conversion Conversion
Tools Services Tools
Mulgara
Semantic
Aggregators
Triplestore
and Reasoning
Engines
SPARQL
Services and APIs
Gateway
Devices Collaborative
Environments
Visualisations
Web Applications Mobile Devices Structured Data
2009-05
2009-11

12. Legacy Digital Structured Web
Databases Repository Data Services
Conversion
Tools
Conversion Conversion
Tools Tools
Mulgara
Semantic
Triplestore
SPARQL
Gateway
Web Applications Mobile Devices Structured Data
2009-11
2009-12

13. 2009-12

14. Digital Structured Taxonomies Web
Databases Libraries Data Ontologies Services
Semantic
Triplestore
SPARQL
Web Applications
Faceted Search
Visualisations
Network Exploration
Annotation
2009-12
2010-02

15. Practice of
doodling
“I think we’ve got to be
careful here not to sort of,
erm, fall into a trap of
assuming that there is
some sort of grand
narrative, whereby some
scribble gradually became
elaborated. - - I think it is
important to realise that
sort of [Amy] and I, draw
this kind of stuff *all the
time*. This is just one of
the things that we do
while we’re sitting round
with a piece of paper.” –
Jim

16. Spider: Simplified representation of the
Semantic Web
• Doodles become translated into a diagram, presented
in a Powerpoint
• A very simplified diagram, a ‘cartoon of the semantic
web’ (not a ‘face’ – more like a ‘mask’)
• Purpose to communicate the ‘single concept of data
aggregation’
Thesauri,
Databases Multimedia Published
Ontologies
Collections Materials
etc
Conversion
Services
Aggregators
and Reasoning
Engines
Services and
APIs
Devices Collaborative
Environments
Visualisations

17. Stabilization of diagram through… LJMU team
Project •Unexpected adoption by the
team
External rest of the team
meetings
conferences Decision about technology
•
choices VRE
• Repeated presentations at
multiple events
Partner • Translation into a html-
institution format and then into an
seminar
Exhibit made it more like an
object than a representation
TEL programme
Postgrad students

18. Stability and fluidity
For the Computer For the Educational
Scientists (creators): Researchers (consumers):
Fluid, changing, temporary Stable, static tool; some
; part of thinking practice have adopted it as part of
their work practices

19. Multiple Spiders: ‘more than one, less
than many’ (Mol, 2003, 55)
Thinking tool
Tool for making sense of
‘Cartoon’ technologies
‘Not a design tool’ ‘Helps with design’
Instructional Engagement tool
tool
‘Not my thing’
Planning tool
Demonstration
Communication tool! tool

20. Spider: Mediating artefact between the
different participants in the project?
Boundary Negotiating Artifacts: Borrowed artifact
“Borrowed artifacts that are taken from its creator
in one community of practice and used in
unanticipated ways by those in another community
of practice. Designers use borrowed artifacts to
augment their understanding of design problems.
The practice of borrowing occurs when communities
of practice are in close proximity.”
(Charlotte Lee (2007, 331):

21. Boundary negotiating artifacts used
also to: Ensemble -team
• record, organize, explore
and share ideas; Experts in technology
• introduce concepts and
techniques;
• create alliances;
• create a venue for the
exchange of information,
augment brokering
activities;
• create shared
understanding about Non-experts in technology
specific design problems
(Lee 2007, 333)

22. Practice negotiating artifact?
• Interdisciplinary research team ~
heterogeneous network
-> Internal boundary – problematic concept
(c.f. Edwards et al. 2009)
• Spider – helps to mediate and
negotiate the relationship between
different work practices

23. “not so much of what the Spider is but
what it does”
• Spider enacted as a research tool
• Led us to examine the work practices of
the interdisciplinary team;
• Unearthed unexpected multiplicities of
opinion, practices, skills, expertise etc.
• Points to further blurring of disciplinary
‘affiliations’ in the interdisciplinary team.

24. Thank-you
Many thanks to all involved in the
Ensemble Project
www.ensemble.ac.uk
Katy Jordan - klj33@cam.ac.uk
Sanna Rimpilainen -
s.k.rimpilainen@stir.ac.uk