Richard Blumenthal | Regis University (original) (raw)

Papers by Richard Blumenthal

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

"The right of suffrage is a fundamental Article in Republican Constitutions"[6]

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

Every few months or so since graduate school, I encounter new circumstances that remind me of the... more Every few months or so since graduate school, I encounter new circumstances that remind me of the relation between the descriptive and prescriptive approaches humans use to understand and navigate the world in which we live. My most recent reminder occurred while reading about bias in software and efforts by researchers to reduce the negative impacts of this bias on society by (re) designing algorithms to address such biases as gender, racial, age, etc. Typically, "software bias" arises from using a descriptive model of human behavior within a prescriptive program.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

As exemplified in the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the ethical responsibility of ... more As exemplified in the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the ethical responsibility of computing professionals obliges both guiding and aspirational behaviors. The guiding aspect of this responsibility includes ethical principles focused on avoiding harm and trustworthiness, while the aspirational aspect focuses on contributing to society and human well-begin. Ethical computing is often identified with the guiding principles. Though valued, they should not overshadow the aspirational aims of ethical computing. Towards this end, we advocate for a proactive pedagogy that promotes the aspirational aspects of computing for the social good throughout the computer science curriculum. This abstract presents our efforts in this direction.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2021

Process-based workflow lives in tension between the conflicting demands associated with the struc... more Process-based workflow lives in tension between the conflicting demands associated with the structured automation of computational processes and the unstructured situated nature of actual office work. This dissertation defines a situation-based workflow approach that balances the prescriptive requirements of the former against the descriptive needs of the latter. This new workflow approach is captured in the design of a Semi-Structured Information Control Network workflow model (ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$) and an associated ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$ interpreter. This situation-based ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$ modeling formalism extends the previous process-based Information Control Network formalism by modeling unstructured workflow activities using a representation that models the situated context in which the activity occurs. The corresponding interpreter uses an API based on a Meta-Contextual Protocol (MCP) Language to support the contextual information needs of end-users who dynamically construct the contex...

Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Feb 26, 2020

There are many excellent reasons for incorporating social good activities throughout our CS curri... more There are many excellent reasons for incorporating social good activities throughout our CS curricula. Possibly the most important are the large number of pressing local/global issues facing society (e.g. climate change and related issues)[8] which deserve the attention of the computing community, and in turn, demand the attention of computing educators. In addition, research suggests focusing on how computing can affect the social good can help broaden participation in computing[10, 11]. The problem is many CS educators both don't know where to start or how to create programming assignments around socially relevant themes, and believe that such activities can only be undertaken by advanced students in upper division courses, e.g. software engineering and capstone courses. The purpose of this special session is to equip participants with the easy to learn skills so they can begin incorporating socially relevant assignments/projects throughout the introductory computing sequence. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → Computer science education.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society

"Thus SIGCAS was born amidst controversy... And the work of the SIG, if done correctly, will... more "Thus SIGCAS was born amidst controversy... And the work of the SIG, if done correctly, will undoubtedly invite controversy."1 Whether intentional, Mark Zuckerberg's, Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, position on free expression and Internet platforms has undoubtedly invited controversy. As Mr. Zuckerberg is a recognized leading computing professional, I applaud him for taking a stand and "addressing concerns and raising awareness about the ethical and society impact of computers", which is the defined scope of SIGCAS' specialty [2]. As Editor-in-Chief, it is my honor to extend Mr. Zuckerberg an invitation to engage the SIGCAS community by contributing to Computers and Society, especially as our membership raises any concerns on his position. I understand Facebook is a commercial entity, but together "all people are stakeholders in computing" [1].

ACM Inroads

A ccording to the United Nations, twenty-two global issues face society [31]. Many of these-Healt... more A ccording to the United Nations, twenty-two global issues face society [31]. Many of these-Health, Food, Water, Poverty, and Migration-relate to Climate Change, while others are social issues related to Democracy, International Law and Justice, Gender Equality, and Human Rights. Each of these issues deserves the attention of the computing community, and in turn, demands the attention of computing educators. As a community, we dare not continue with business as usual. Specifically, we must do our part to fill the pipeline of future computing professionals with practitioners who deeply understand that they can use their unique skills to tackle the major social issues of our time

Authoring Tools for Advanced Technology Learning Environments, 2003

International Conference on Supporting Group Work, 1995

Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing ... more Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing in popularity, many fundamental problems, such as supporting unstructured office activities, still remain before this technology will be especially useful in the office. This paper examines difficulties associated with handling unstructured office activities and argues that it is both necessary and possible for workflow technology to

ACM Sigois Bulletin, 1995

The idea for this workshop was born during the 1993 Conference onOrganizational Computing Systems... more The idea for this workshop was born during the 1993 Conference onOrganizational Computing Systems (COOCS). Researchers anddevelopers from academia and industry who attended the conferencewere sharing their observations and concerns on the absence of aconnection between earlier work presented at COOCS and the currentpresentations of workflow systems.Historically, COOCS has focused on office automation and officeinformation systems (OIS). During the 1980s

Google, Inc. (search). ...

ACM SIGOIS …, 1991

Many large, widely distributed organizations struggle with the enormous task of providing the rig... more Many large, widely distributed organizations struggle with the enormous task of providing the right information to the right people at the right time. Organizations facing this task often develop groups of analysts who specialize in supplying information transport and access capabilities to end-users. However, this approach has several drawbacks. Our aim is to address these problems at their source —

Proceedings of conference on Organizational …, 1995

Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing ... more Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing in popularity, many fundamental problems, such as supporting unstructured office activities, still remain before this technology will be especially useful in the office. This paper examines difficulties associated with handling unstructured office activities and argues that it is both necessary and possible for workflow technology to

… Journal of Artificial …, 1999

An important goal of current work in computer-based learning environments is to develop systems t... more An important goal of current work in computer-based learning environments is to develop systems that combine the richness and effectiveness of an individually crafted intelligent tutoring system (ITS) with the generality and flexibility of a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) authoring ...

ACM SIGOIS …, 1995

Rodney Fuller: The Model Class Discovery Dilemma in Com-puter-Supported Work Environments - from ... more Rodney Fuller: The Model Class Discovery Dilemma in Com-puter-Supported Work Environments - from Critical Incidents to Metrics of Coordination Sture H~igglund and Rego Granlund: Collaborative C3I Decision Making and Training. *** Christine A. Halverson: Traffic Management in Air ...

Object Oriented Systems, 1990

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

"The right of suffrage is a fundamental Article in Republican Constitutions"[6]

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

Every few months or so since graduate school, I encounter new circumstances that remind me of the... more Every few months or so since graduate school, I encounter new circumstances that remind me of the relation between the descriptive and prescriptive approaches humans use to understand and navigate the world in which we live. My most recent reminder occurred while reading about bias in software and efforts by researchers to reduce the negative impacts of this bias on society by (re) designing algorithms to address such biases as gender, racial, age, etc. Typically, "software bias" arises from using a descriptive model of human behavior within a prescriptive program.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2020

As exemplified in the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the ethical responsibility of ... more As exemplified in the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the ethical responsibility of computing professionals obliges both guiding and aspirational behaviors. The guiding aspect of this responsibility includes ethical principles focused on avoiding harm and trustworthiness, while the aspirational aspect focuses on contributing to society and human well-begin. Ethical computing is often identified with the guiding principles. Though valued, they should not overshadow the aspirational aims of ethical computing. Towards this end, we advocate for a proactive pedagogy that promotes the aspirational aspects of computing for the social good throughout the computer science curriculum. This abstract presents our efforts in this direction.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 2021

Process-based workflow lives in tension between the conflicting demands associated with the struc... more Process-based workflow lives in tension between the conflicting demands associated with the structured automation of computational processes and the unstructured situated nature of actual office work. This dissertation defines a situation-based workflow approach that balances the prescriptive requirements of the former against the descriptive needs of the latter. This new workflow approach is captured in the design of a Semi-Structured Information Control Network workflow model (ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$) and an associated ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$ interpreter. This situation-based ICN$\sb{\Sigma}$ modeling formalism extends the previous process-based Information Control Network formalism by modeling unstructured workflow activities using a representation that models the situated context in which the activity occurs. The corresponding interpreter uses an API based on a Meta-Contextual Protocol (MCP) Language to support the contextual information needs of end-users who dynamically construct the contex...

Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Feb 26, 2020

There are many excellent reasons for incorporating social good activities throughout our CS curri... more There are many excellent reasons for incorporating social good activities throughout our CS curricula. Possibly the most important are the large number of pressing local/global issues facing society (e.g. climate change and related issues)[8] which deserve the attention of the computing community, and in turn, demand the attention of computing educators. In addition, research suggests focusing on how computing can affect the social good can help broaden participation in computing[10, 11]. The problem is many CS educators both don't know where to start or how to create programming assignments around socially relevant themes, and believe that such activities can only be undertaken by advanced students in upper division courses, e.g. software engineering and capstone courses. The purpose of this special session is to equip participants with the easy to learn skills so they can begin incorporating socially relevant assignments/projects throughout the introductory computing sequence. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → Computer science education.

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society

"Thus SIGCAS was born amidst controversy... And the work of the SIG, if done correctly, will... more "Thus SIGCAS was born amidst controversy... And the work of the SIG, if done correctly, will undoubtedly invite controversy."1 Whether intentional, Mark Zuckerberg's, Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, position on free expression and Internet platforms has undoubtedly invited controversy. As Mr. Zuckerberg is a recognized leading computing professional, I applaud him for taking a stand and "addressing concerns and raising awareness about the ethical and society impact of computers", which is the defined scope of SIGCAS' specialty [2]. As Editor-in-Chief, it is my honor to extend Mr. Zuckerberg an invitation to engage the SIGCAS community by contributing to Computers and Society, especially as our membership raises any concerns on his position. I understand Facebook is a commercial entity, but together "all people are stakeholders in computing" [1].

ACM Inroads

A ccording to the United Nations, twenty-two global issues face society [31]. Many of these-Healt... more A ccording to the United Nations, twenty-two global issues face society [31]. Many of these-Health, Food, Water, Poverty, and Migration-relate to Climate Change, while others are social issues related to Democracy, International Law and Justice, Gender Equality, and Human Rights. Each of these issues deserves the attention of the computing community, and in turn, demands the attention of computing educators. As a community, we dare not continue with business as usual. Specifically, we must do our part to fill the pipeline of future computing professionals with practitioners who deeply understand that they can use their unique skills to tackle the major social issues of our time

Authoring Tools for Advanced Technology Learning Environments, 2003

International Conference on Supporting Group Work, 1995

Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing ... more Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing in popularity, many fundamental problems, such as supporting unstructured office activities, still remain before this technology will be especially useful in the office. This paper examines difficulties associated with handling unstructured office activities and argues that it is both necessary and possible for workflow technology to

ACM Sigois Bulletin, 1995

The idea for this workshop was born during the 1993 Conference onOrganizational Computing Systems... more The idea for this workshop was born during the 1993 Conference onOrganizational Computing Systems (COOCS). Researchers anddevelopers from academia and industry who attended the conferencewere sharing their observations and concerns on the absence of aconnection between earlier work presented at COOCS and the currentpresentations of workflow systems.Historically, COOCS has focused on office automation and officeinformation systems (OIS). During the 1980s

Google, Inc. (search). ...

ACM SIGOIS …, 1991

Many large, widely distributed organizations struggle with the enormous task of providing the rig... more Many large, widely distributed organizations struggle with the enormous task of providing the right information to the right people at the right time. Organizations facing this task often develop groups of analysts who specialize in supplying information transport and access capabilities to end-users. However, this approach has several drawbacks. Our aim is to address these problems at their source —

Proceedings of conference on Organizational …, 1995

Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing ... more Workflow systems have been proposed as a means for automating business procedures. While growing in popularity, many fundamental problems, such as supporting unstructured office activities, still remain before this technology will be especially useful in the office. This paper examines difficulties associated with handling unstructured office activities and argues that it is both necessary and possible for workflow technology to

… Journal of Artificial …, 1999

An important goal of current work in computer-based learning environments is to develop systems t... more An important goal of current work in computer-based learning environments is to develop systems that combine the richness and effectiveness of an individually crafted intelligent tutoring system (ITS) with the generality and flexibility of a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) authoring ...

ACM SIGOIS …, 1995

Rodney Fuller: The Model Class Discovery Dilemma in Com-puter-Supported Work Environments - from ... more Rodney Fuller: The Model Class Discovery Dilemma in Com-puter-Supported Work Environments - from Critical Incidents to Metrics of Coordination Sture H~igglund and Rego Granlund: Collaborative C3I Decision Making and Training. *** Christine A. Halverson: Traffic Management in Air ...

Object Oriented Systems, 1990