| 1. |
- Marchant, Rob, et al.
(författare)
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Drivers and trajectories of land cover change in East Africa : Human and environmental interactions from 6000 years ago to present
- 2018
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Ingår i: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 178, s. 322-378
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- East African landscapes today are the result of the cumulative effects of climate and land-use change over millennial timescales. In this review, we compile archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data from East Africa to document land-cover change, and environmental, subsistence and land-use transitions, over the past 6000 years. Throughout East Africa there have been a series of relatively rapid and high-magnitude environmental shifts characterised by changing hydrological budgets during the mid- to late Holocene. For example, pronounced environmental shifts that manifested as a marked change in the rainfall amount or seasonality and subsequent hydrological budget throughout East Africa occurred around 4000, 800 and 300 radiocarbon years before present (yr BP). The past 6000 years have also seen numerous shifts in human interactions with East African ecologies. From the mid-Holocene, land use has both diversified and increased exponentially, this has been associated with the arrival of new subsistence systems, crops, migrants and technologies, all giving rise to a sequence of significant phases of land-cover change. The first large-scale human influences began to occur around 4000 yr BP, associated with the introduction of domesticated livestock and the expansion of pastoral communities. The first widespread and intensive forest clearances were associated with the arrival of iron-using early farming communities around 2500 yr BP, particularly in productive and easily-cleared mid-altitudinal areas. Extensive and pervasive land-cover change has been associated with population growth, immigration and movement of people. The expansion of trading routes between the interior and the coast, starting around 1300 years ago and intensifying in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries CE, was one such process. These caravan routes possibly acted as conduits for spreading New World crops such as maize (Zea mays), tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) and tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), although the processes and timings of their introductions remains poorly documented. The introduction of southeast Asian domesticates, especially banana (Musa spp.), rice (Oryza spp.), taro (Colocasia esculenta), and chicken (Gallus gallus), via transoceanic biological transfers around and across the Indian Ocean, from at least around 1300 yr BP, and potentially significantly earlier, also had profound social and ecological consequences across parts of the region. Through an interdisciplinary synthesis of information and metadatasets, we explore the different drivers and directions of changes in land-cover, and the associated environmental histories and interactions with various cultures, technologies, and subsistence strategies through time and across space in East Africa. This review suggests topics for targeted future research that focus on areas and/or time periods where our understanding of the interactions between people, the environment and land-cover change are most contentious and/or poorly resolved. The review also offers a perspective on how knowledge of regional land-use change can be used to inform and provide perspectives on contemporary issues such as climate and ecosystem change models, conservation strategies, and the achievement of nature-based solutions for development purposes.
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| 2. |
- Cort, Rebecca, et al.
(författare)
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At the Centre of Coordination for Train Traffic : Activity Theory and Distributed Cognition in times of digitalisation
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The field of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) is growing extensively, addressing a wide range of coordinative and technological applications from several perspectives. In this paper, we analyse and describe the use of technology in work practices within train traffic control rooms as they unfold in these complex technology-dense environments. With a workplace study, we focus on how traffic controllers and information officers deal with situations involving delays and disruptions of the traffic flow. In particular, we describe how the workers keep the trains running as well as how the activities of traffic controllers and information officers are shaped by the conduct of others, whether they are located in the same space or not. Part of our empirical work is a detailed analysis of the coordinative practices and technology use that is enacted in this setting based on two theories often applied within CSCW: Distributed Cognition (DCog) and Activity Theory (AT). We have three purposes with this paper: 1) addressing to what extent the ongoing digitalisation impacts the technology usage and if there are any novel insights on work practices to CSCW, 2) contributing to the discussion on the future use of DCog and AT in workplace studies in the increasingly digitalised nature of control room work, and 3) stimulating future research into the impacts of digitalisation from the viewpoint of how the workers contribute to upholding the traffic flow and how it should shape future work within operational train traffic from a holistic perspective.
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| 3. |
- Cort, Rebecca
(författare)
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Att utveckla ihärdighet : En intervjustudie om lärarens roll för studenters motivation att jobba mot långsiktiga mål
- 2020
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ihärdighet, eller ”grit”, är en egenskap som beskriver individers förmåga att behålla motivation i strävan mot ett långsiktigt mål och trots motgångar (Duckworth mfl., 2007). Personer med grit har ofta också ett ”growth mindset” vilket innebär en tilltro till sig själv och en inställning att lärande är en ständigt pågående process. Motsatsen, ett statiskt mindset, innebär att individen ser motstånd och misslyckanden som bevis på oförmåga (Dweck, 2017). Processen för lärande kommer då i skymundan och motgångar ses som ett definitivt mått på individens kompetens och värde. I klassrummet är det högst troligt att vi möter både studenter med ett growth mindset och de utan. De sistnämnda har sannolikt en tendens att ge upp när de stöter på utmaningar i utbildningen. Ur ett högskolepedagogiskt perspektiv är det relevant att fråga oss vad vi som lärare kan göra för att stötta studenterna i att utveckla ett growth mindset och bidra till ökad ihärdighet. Vinsten med detta skulle ligga i färre avhopp på kurser och utbildningsprogram samt i en större samhällelig utveckling när allt fler studenter lyckas använda sin fulla potential utan att hämmas av ett statiskt mindset.För att undersöka vad lärare kan göra för att stötta studenternas utveckling av ett growth mindset, och därmed också deras ihärdighet, genomfördes gruppintervjuer med studenter vid Uppsala universitet. Totalt genomfördes fyra stycken, 30 minuter långa, gruppintervjuer med totalt 13 deltagare. Intervjufrågorna kretsade kring utveckling av ihärdighet med fokus på studenternas erfarenheter av undervisning och vad de uppfattar som stöttande respektive begränsande när de kommer till att upprätthålla motivation över tid. Med en tematisk analys identifierades följande tre teman: Positiv attityd, Lärande som en process, och Att skapa kontext. Mer konkret handlar det om att som lärare (1) ha en positiv attityd till sitt ämne samt att visa tilltro till studenternas möjlighet att lära, (2) att se studenternas individuella inlärningskurvor och i viss mån anpassa undervisningen därefter, samt att (3) sätta ämnet och undervisningen i en större kontext för att synliggöra hur den aktuella kursen relaterar till utbildningsämnet samt till studenternas framtida yrkesutövanden. De aspekter som studenterna lyfter kan tyckas grundläggande men de är centrala för att förmedla vikten av att anstränga sig och vinsten av att inte ge upp. Om vi genom att inkludera små medel som dessa i vår undervisning kan öka studenternas tro på sina möjligheter att lära har vi inget att förlora men desto mer att vinna.Referenser:Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101.Dweck, C. S. (2017). Mindset: du blir vad du tänker. Natur & kultur.
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| 4. |
- Cort, Rebecca
(författare)
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Behind the Scenes : Unintended Effects of Increased Technology use in Operational Train Traffic
- 2020
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Ingår i: Swedish Transportation Research Conference 2020, October 21, 2020..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Information technology has been an increasingly pervasive component of most workplaces throughout the past half-century, and has resulted in changes to how, when and where we work. In operational train traffic, the main actors are traffic controllers and train drivers and their workplaces are no exception to the rapid implementation pace of new IT across society. The work of traffic control is performed in a control room—an environment that has long been technology-intensive, and automation is anticipated to play an even more increasing role in the future. At the same time, the train drivers that traditionally have relied on their “out the window” perception are now requested to work with a variety of modern driver systems and are thus exposed to more information technologies within the cab than ever before. Overall, the last two decades have presented a rapid growth of railway technologies, mostly with the aim to increase capacity. In this talk, I pose the question as to how this has affected the work practices conducted by traffic controllers and train drivers respectively but also how it has affected the collaborative aspects of their work.
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| 5. |
- Cort, Rebecca, 1988-
(författare)
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Getting Work Done : The Significance of the Human in Complex Socio-Technical Systems
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis aims to deepen the understanding of the role and relevance of the worker in the functioning of complex socio-technical systems. The perspective adopted is profoundly human-centred and the worker is considered as a resource. This stands in stark contrast to the performance-related measurements and accident investigations which have typically formed much research on work in complex safety-critical systems and conveyed a perspective of the human as merely a system cog. The empirical material in this thesis is based on ethnographic fieldwork in the shape of workplace studies conducted across two distinct work domains: manufacturing and operational train traffic. The studies are informed by distributed cognition (DCog) and activity theory (AT) as prominent theoretical approaches for developing in-depth understandings of how work activities are accomplished in situations where the interplay between humans and their socio-cultural and material environment is of interest. The findings are illustrated by empirical work that provides detailed accounts of work practices derived from a total of four work settings. It is illustrated how acquired experiences and skills allow the workers to simultaneously use and create resources in the socio-material environment. The findings also reveal novel characteristics of adaptations as driven by a human agency rather than being a result of external demands, which is the common view in literature on work in safety-critical domains. Based on the findings, the role of the worker is illustrated as a meaning-making actor – not only participating in, but also actively contributing to the system and its functioning. In that capacity, the worker is acting as a driving force for a process of continuous development, allowing the system to continue to function although frequently exposed to uncertainties and unexpected events. This thesis contributes to a deepened understanding of the role of human workers in socio-technical systems, highlighting how workers are an invaluable asset when it comes to managing large variations and unexpected events in technology-mediated complex work. This contribution is complementary to the current understanding of how to uphold system safety and provides insight into what underlies a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and technology to which both parties can contribute with what they do best.
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| 6. |
- Cort, Rebecca, et al.
(författare)
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Sensing the breakdown : Managing complexity at the railway
- 2023
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Ingår i: Culture and Organization. - : Routledge. - 1475-9551 .- 1477-2760.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the complex and time-critical work practices within operational train traffic in Sweden by reporting on an incident causing an infrastructure breakdown and large traffic disruptions. Based on a workplace study approach, we report on how the control room workers – train traffic controllers and information officers – grasp, make sense of, and handle the consequences of the incident as it unfolds in realtime. We portray how the workers develop and acquire a sense of place in relation to the incident’s severity which is essential for successfully handling the situation. By introducing the ‘sense of place’ concept originally derived from the field of natural resources to the domain of operational train traffic, we provide a deepened understanding of the challenges characterising remote control work from a safety-critical socio-technical systems perspective. Finally, reflections on the application of the ‘sense of place’ concept, safety aspects and directions for future research are provided.
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| 7. |
- Cort, Rebecca
(författare)
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”We’re Doing This Together” : An in-Depth Analysis of the Teamwork between Train Traffic Controllers and Train Drivers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Computer-Human Interaction Research and Applications. - Portugal : SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications. - 9789897584800 ; , s. 96-103
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Operational train traffic is executed by train drivers and traffic controllers operating as a tightly coupled team. Although separated in time and space, their work is intertwined to the degree that the realisation of the train traffic depends on successful coordination and collaboration between them. Prior rail research is mostly focused on either one of these two roles, which leaves the collaboration between them understudied. The controller-driver dyad is at the core of operational train traffic and their relationship is of major interest in creating and maintaining a safe and efficient train traffic system. With the use of observations and interviews, this study investigates and analyses the controller-driver dynamic, how they view each other and their collaboration. The findings highlight team spirit and trust within the relationship, and at the same time reveal an underlying relational distance that affects the relationship and their prerequisites for achieving a successful collaboration. Lack of insights into each other’s work and different priorities generate challenges, just as the implementation of new technology and its effects on information distribution. Findings are discussed in the context of obtaining a holistic perspective of operational train traffic, and the fundamental activities that lie at its core.
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| 8. |
- Jansson, Anders A., et al.
(författare)
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Assessment of openness as a dynamic team skill in order to counteract “free-riding”
- 2020
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Ingår i: 2020 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). - 9781728189611 - 9781728189628
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Group work is frequently used in higher education to prepare students for their future work roles and to foster the development of interpersonal and social skills. Such skills may be of particular importance when solving complex problems, in study situations as well as in real life. However, students often report on problems in group work and teachers face difficulties in making fair assessments of the individuals’ contribution. This paper emphasizes the development of openness as an essential team skill for enabling successful group work, to counteract free-riding, and to facilitate teachers in making fair assessments. With the use of a questionnaire for peer assessments of team skills, we measured openness in 23 groups from two different courses—one with students who know each other well and one with students who just met. In a comparison of the two student groups, we conclude that students with a history of working together exhibited more openness, thus speaking in favor of group work running over a longer period of time. We consider the operationalization of the concept of openness as the main contribution here, in addition to the empirical result.
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| 9. |
- Lindblom, Jessica, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Roadmap for UX in future operational train traffic control
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics. - : InderScience Publishers. - 2045-7804 .- 2045-7812. ; 11:1, s. 28-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we promote and motivate research on user experience (UX) in the domain of rail, more specifically for the workers engaged in the daily operational parts of executing train traffic. UX aspects have often been overlooked in the design and use of technology within the workplace, particularly in safety-critical work domains. Here, we provide an overview of current UX research at work and outline a roadmap with seven facets for future research within the domain of operational train traffic that is in alignment with the need for further investigation into UX at work. We hope future research will contribute to a deeper understanding of how positive experience at work provides additional means of enhancing engagement and improving safety management in workplaces in general and for the work in operational train traffic specifically.
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