Presentation for the MoRoCo '13 workshop at ECSCW 2013; "Models and their Role in Collaboration".

1. Operationalizing Dialogue games for
Collaborative Modelling
stijn.hoppenbrouwers@han.nl

2. * Thank you:
Jan Pieter Zwart, HAN UAS
Jan Vogels, Radboud University Nijmegen
Rob Thijssen, Radboud University Nijmegen / Moxx

3. * Outline
 The challenge of model elicitation
 Modelling as a dialogue
 Gamification and Dialogue games
 A prototype DG for FCO-IM conceptualisation

4. * The challenge of model elicitation

5. * Immediate research goal
 How can we make elicitation/modeling
procedures easier and more accessible while
maintaining a systematic and efficient
approach?
 How to operationally capture and shape
expert knowledge on model elicitation?
I‟m not claiming I have the answer, but here‟s my 5 ct
•Most experts have gotten the hang of elicitation
and most of them successfully wing it –which is
great
• Yet most novice modelers have substantial trouble
in effectively handling a systematic, goal-driven
elicitation/modelling process
• Is “throwing them in at the deep end” a
satisfactory approach to instructing/
supporting elicitors?

6. Modelling as a Dialogue

7. The Basic Idea
 Every collaboratively created model is the
result of a dialogue, that could be logged; the
model reflects the dialogue
 Every change in the model implies a
proposition, for example “I propose to add the
concept/object student”.
 Every proposition can then be discussed:
argued for/against, accepted/rejected, asked
about, …
Theory: conversation view on
Collaborative Modelling sessions

8. Example Video
CLICK HERE

9. * RIM model: Rules, Interactions, Models
Rules Interactions
Models
(propositions)
Log
But what are the rules of such
„games‟, and what are successful
tactics/strategies?

10. Dialogue Games
 Theoretical roots in Wittgenstein‟s „language
games‟ and in Argumentation Theory
 InterLocoperationalization: “Structured
Chats”
 Opener mechanism: e.g. “I disagree with this
because …”
 Example in System Dynamics modelling
context

11. Further issues, however:
 How to break this down into
manageable, playable, focused sub-parts?
 How to keep an overview?
 How to actively support contextualized
questioning and answering (Prompting!)?
 This has led to the current “Dialogue game
Setup” (admittedly, still experimental…)
 Generic in nature, details aimed at FCO-IM
conceptualisation phase

12. A Dialogue Game for FCO-IM conceptualization
(Mickey Mouse example; sorry)

13. * FCO-IM example (without constraints)

14. Dialogue Game Setup
 Word processor, editor/verbalizer
 Could also be paper, whiteboard
 Structured chat device
 But normal, f2f conversation also possible
 Roles: facilitator, participant(s)
 Game structure (sub-activities; flow)
 Evolving „Mission List‟
 Structured openers (context sensitive)

16. Mission List
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
• Get 4 examples of “Mentorship”
• Get elementary fact
• Get identifier
• Get LTL-FTE (label expression)
• Get OTL-FTE (object expression)
• OPTIONAL: identify uniqueness constraint (UC)
• OPTIONAL: identify totality constraint (TC)
• Draw part of the Information Grammar Diagram
• Validate drawn Information Grammar Diagram and repository information
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

17. Opener fragments
 Could you give a meaningful name for this <type concept>?
For instance, Fido is a Dog; Mercedes Benz is a Car Brand.
(Elicits a meaningful type name for an object, label or fact type)
 How are <object>s identified?
For example, a ‘Dutch Citizen’ has a name but also a unique
Citizen Service Number
(Elicits an identifier for a concept)
 How do you distinguish between <object>s in your
communication?
(Auxiliary question for eliciting an identifier for a concept)
 Can there be two <object>s with the same <identifier>?
(Validates the uniqueness of an identifier)

18. Example (1/9): mission list
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

19. Example (2/9): adding the template steps
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
• Get 4 examples of “Mentorship”
• Get elementary fact
• Get identifier
• Get LTL-FTE (label expression)
• Get OTL-FTE (object expression)
• OPTIONAL: identify uniqueness constraint (UC)
• OPTIONAL: identify totality constraint (TC)
• Draw part of the Information Grammar Diagram
• Validate drawn Information Grammar Diagram and repository information
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

20. Example (3/9): selecting a question
Options:
 Could you give four examples of mentorships?
 How do you distinguish one mentor from another in the
administration?
 …

21. Example (4/9): the answer
Could you give four examples of mentorships?
 The mentor of John Doe is JPZ
 The mentor of Jane Doe is HOP
 The mentor of Jack Frost is HOP
 The mentor of Britney Spears is BAK

22. Example (5/9): mission list
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
• Get 4 examples of “Mentorship”
• Get elementary fact
• Get identifier
• Get LTL-FTE (label expression)
• Get OTL-FTE (object expression)
• OPTIONAL: identify uniqueness constraint (UC)
• OPTIONAL: identify totality constraint (TC)
• Draw part of the Information Grammar Diagram
• Validate drawn Information Grammar Diagram and repository information
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

23. Example (6/9): get elementary fact
and label types
So this is what we get for “mentorship” :
 The mentor of John Doe is JPZ
 “ Jane Doe “ HOP
 “ Jack Frost “ HOP
 “ Britney Spears “ BAK
What do you call the John/Jane/Jack/Britney thing?
It‟s the student
And the JPZ/HOP/HOP/BAK thing?
It‟s the student‟s mentor

24. Example (7/9): mission list
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
• Get 4 examples of “Mentorship”
• Get elementary fact
• Get identifier
• Get LTL-FTE (label expression)
• Get OTL-FTE (object expression)
• OPTIONAL: identify uniqueness constraint (UC)
• OPTIONAL: identify totality constraint (TC)
• Draw part of the Information Grammar Diagram
• Validate drawn Information Grammar Diagram and repository information
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

25. Example (8/9): get the identifier for Mentor
How do you distinguish one mentor from another in the
administration?
By a three letter teacher code (like BAK)

26. Example (9/9): mission list
 Create FCO-IM model of “student project” domain
– Concept “Project” [+]
– Concept “Student” [+]
– Concept “Mentorship” [+]
• Get 4 examples of “Mentorship”
• Get elementary fact
• Get identifier
• Get LTL-FTE (label expression)
• Get OTL-FTE (object expression)
• OPTIONAL: identify uniqueness constraint (UC)
• OPTIONAL: identify totality constraint (TC)
• Draw part of the Information Grammar Diagram
• Validate drawn Information Grammar Diagram and repository information
– Concept “Mentor” [+]

27. Diagram/verbalization example

28. * Some more questions and answers
 How is your work different from other
work in the field? Connection to others
in workshop?
 What does it add to the area of
collaborative usage and development
of models?
 What is controversial about your
work? What should we discuss about
it?