Papers by Barbara Chaparro
The ME telescopes are over 60 lb mounts that must be secured to permanent piers that have been ce... more The ME telescopes are over 60 lb mounts that must be secured to permanent piers that have been cemented onto the roof of COAS. The astronomy students have to learn to assemble these telescopes during their labs each semester. We have been working in tandem with the astronomy department to simplify their assembly manuals for the ME, Mx, and Mx+ telescopes. Feedback from ERAU students indicated that they were struggling to clearly understand the assembly process and reported the current instruction set to be cumbersome to use. Through a review of human factors and educational literature, a set of best practices was developed to create a template for a new instruction set that breaks down each step and pairs it with two images per page. The language was simplified into bulleted direct command statements rather than paragraphs. Once the ME manual was completed, we ran a pilot study where two teaching assistants and a professor walked through the manual during assembly. Currently we are making the necessary changes based on the pilot. The next steps will be to conduct a full usability study with naive students and to apply the template to the other telescope models.
This article describes the application of sunflower plots and classification trees to the study o... more This article describes the application of sunflower plots and classification trees to the study of onscreen typeface legibility. The two methods are useful for describing high-dimensional data in an intuitive manner, which is crucial for interacting with both the typographers who design the typefaces and the practitioners who must make decisions about which typeface to use for specific applications. Furthermore, classification trees help us make specific recommendations for how much of a character attribute is "enough" to make it legible. We present examples of sunflower plots and classification trees using data from a recent typeface legibility experiment, and we present R code for replicating our analyses. Some familiarity with classification trees and logistic regression will be helpful to the reader.
This study investigated the Ilse of a computcrized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a co... more This study investigated the Ilse of a computcrized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a computer-managed general psychology course. STAR consists of four major modules which provide the student with a variety of learning exercises, including practice quizzes, practice final exams, rerformance reviews, and structured study questions. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students would choose STAR as a study tool, the effect of lecture versus self-paced settings on the use of STAR, whether students who used STAR would perform better than those who did not, and the effect of the timing of feedback in STAR on performance. Students were enrolled in either a leuture or self-paced setting. Students in lecture sections met in the classroom for a traditional lecture, discussion, and classroom activities. Students in self-paced sections met in a computer-managed testing center. Analyses of data on course performance and STAR usage indicate that: (1) 49% of the 1,136 subjects used STAR; (2` lecture versus self-paced settings did not affect the use of STAR; (3) the timing of feedback did not have an impact on performance; and (4) students who used the STAR tutorial performed well in the course and, as a whole, better than those students who d-d not use the tutorial. It is concluded that, while the results were generally positive, the findings of the study create other research questions concerning the impact of modification of lecture sP_tings, the impact of STAR tutorials in other course formats, and the ways in which SIAR influences student comprehension. (39 references) (DB)
Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications
Academic programs benefit from the addition of a formalized peer mentorship program to help under... more Academic programs benefit from the addition of a formalized peer mentorship program to help undergraduate and graduate students achieve academic success, social and psychological wellbeing, and career development. This article describes a peer mentorship program developed in the Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) where students study human factors at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. We describe the steps taken to develop, maintain, and evaluate the program, along with lessons learned.
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts
Comparing products, features, brands, or ideas relative to one another is a common goal in user e... more Comparing products, features, brands, or ideas relative to one another is a common goal in user experience (UX) and market research. While Likert-type scales and ordinal stack ranks are often employed as prioritization methods, they are subject to several psychometric shortcomings. We introduce the numeric forced rank, a lightweight approach that overcomes some of the limitations of standard methods and allows researchers to collect absolute ratings, relative preferences, and subjective comments using a single scale. The approach is optimal for UX and market research, but is also easily employed as a structured decision-making exercise outside of consumer research. We describe how the numeric forced rank was used to determine the name of a new Google Cloud Platform (GCP) feature, present the findings, and make recommendations for future research.
With the increase in online learning, learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas are increa... more With the increase in online learning, learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas are increasing in importance for disseminating information from professors to students. In an effort to help students create a clear mental model of a Canvas course, we developed a template homepage that contains a main navigation menu including an FAQ, Course Resources, Start Here, Grades, and Syllabus link. We are currently evaluating the new design in terms of efficiency and student perceptions. Our hypothesis is that the homepage design will help students get to the information they want faster and provide a better overview of the course than the traditional home page design.
2009 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
where he gained a BSc Honours Degree in Materials Science. Post graduation he continued his devel... more where he gained a BSc Honours Degree in Materials Science. Post graduation he continued his development through company sponsored programmes at Ashdridge and Insead. He joined BAE SYSTEMS in 1980 and held a wide range of technical and operational roles across different aerospace sectors including commercial aircraft, business jets and space systems. For eleven years he participated in a number of senior management roles within the company's Airbus operations. In late 1999 he left Airbus to work on the integration of key engineering activities of Marconi Electronic Systems into BAE SYSTEMS. In 2000 he joined the Aerostructures business unit to establish its first design engineering capability. In 2006 Chris was part of the senior management team that was involved in the sale of BAE SYSTEMS' Aerostructures business unit to Spirit AeroSystems Inc. He became part of the senior leadership team who invested in the new
In order to meet the ABET requirements for sustainability, the environment must be considered. Ho... more In order to meet the ABET requirements for sustainability, the environment must be considered. However, most students do not consider how decisions made when running a factory can impact the environment. Understanding these cause-and-effect relationships is key to evaluating and designing a production system. This paper presents a short overview of a simulation-based project useful for Production Systems/Operations Management courses. The simulation is flexible to cover basic course content as well as recent industry trends involving sustainability issues and the lean enterprise. It proves challenging for instructors to present these topics in a convincing manner to students, because many of these concepts, such as one-piece flow and reusable containers, are counterintuitive to traditional manufacturing logic. This paper presents the project itself, describes the application of modern production systems and the integration of environmental issues, and concludes with results from a (pre and post) survey of student perceptions of green issues in the factory and student ability to synthesize course concepts after the project is complete.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2021
Peer mentorship programs that pair more experienced students (i.e., mentors) with less experience... more Peer mentorship programs that pair more experienced students (i.e., mentors) with less experienced students (i.e., mentees) can have an effective, positive impact on university students’ personal, academic, and professional outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and lessons learned in the creation of a peer mentorship program in a Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) academic department. Through a combination of peer networking opportunities and skill development workshops, the mentorship program outlined in this paper aims to promote students’ academic and professional growth. Take-aways that can be utilized by other HF/E academia departments interested in starting or revamping their own peer mentorship programs are included.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2021
According to a survey conducted by the CDC, it is estimated that 26% of Americans are living with... more According to a survey conducted by the CDC, it is estimated that 26% of Americans are living with a disability. Of those with disabilities in the United States, it is estimated that 33 million play video games. People with disabilities face many barriers in gaming, which is likely to impact game satisfaction. Measuring game satisfaction among this population can be problematic if the scale is not adapted to their needs, which can vary significantly based on the disability. To understand how best to assess game satisfaction among these populations, we discuss the issues people with cognitive, sensory, and/or motor disabilities may face when completing assessment scales and then use the validated Game User Experience Satisfaction Scale (GUESS) as a framework for understanding the game design issues that may impact satisfaction.
2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a rigorous and relevant pre-engineering curriculum implemented in ... more Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a rigorous and relevant pre-engineering curriculum implemented in middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. PLTW has a hands-on approach using activities and project-based learning. The College of Engineering at Wichita State University has partnered with three local school districts to implement the PLTW program to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This study begins to assess the impact of the PLTW program on student perceptions and attitudes toward engineering and technology as part of an ongoing three-year assessment. A pre-and post-assessment were administered to middle school students (N=1063 and N=800, respectively) at the beginning and end of the 2010-2011 academic school year. The assessment consisted of 67-questions addressing students' attitudes toward engineering and technology. This assessment was a combination of subscales from the Pupils' Attitude Toward Technology (PATT-USA) and the Middle School Attitudes to Engineering, Science & Mathematics survey. Dependent variables of interest included attitude differences between PLTW students and non-PLTW students, gender differences, and differences attributed to length of involvement in the PLTW program. Results indicated PLTW students have a greater interest in technology, however there were notable gender differences and differences attributed to length of involvement in the program. Males had a greater interest in technology and longer involvement (0-3 years) in the program resulting in more positive attitudes. Females tended to have more negative opinions about technology at both pre-and post-assessment.
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2019
Immersive simulation technology has transformed the training and learning environment. Virtual re... more Immersive simulation technology has transformed the training and learning environment. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices have been adopted by medical professionals, military forces, and marketing firms. Aviation training facilities are also integrating VR and AR technology into a variety of training. To ensure students begin training on equal footing, an engaging, guided tutorial for the virtual environment (VE) was created. A usability study was conducted to evaluate the tutorial’s learnability, effectiveness, and satisfaction for two user groups varying in VR experience. Results show users found the tutorial enjoyable with high usability and playability. Novice users reported the tutorial as more mentally effortful than expert users and were less comfortable with self-maneuvering. Users successfully completed most tasks on the first attempt after completing the tutorial. Those who noted difficulty in completing tasks in a post-assessment reported user error a...
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2019
General Aviation flight operations have been negatively affected by the slow decreasing weather r... more General Aviation flight operations have been negatively affected by the slow decreasing weather related accident rate for the last 20 years. Upon further investigation, research suggests, that poor preflight planning and a lack of aviation weather experience and knowledge may be contributing factors to the stagnant weather related accident rate. Our team developed a Preflight Weather Decision Support Tool (PWDST) to help novice pilots access, interpret, and apply weather information. We used a user-centered design process which involved an initial task analysis, low-fidelity prototyping, low-fidelity usability testing, user interviews and expert review. This study assessed and compared the perceived usability, difficulty, and the system assistance satisfaction of the PWDST. Participants (n=9) completed a usability study and a series of surveys during, as well as, after the completion of the preflight planning scenario. A series of Mann-Whitney U Tests were conducted to compare the d...
Annals of Cognitive Science, 2018
Advances in technology have yielded new techniques for investigating phenomena in the area of ear... more Advances in technology have yielded new techniques for investigating phenomena in the area of early childhood developmental science. Electronic eye-tracking allows for a more detailed and objective way to measure infant attention as compared to traditional methods, such as the Preferential Looking Paradigm. As the use of this technique increases, it becomes important for researchers to understand both the benefits and challenges of its use with young prelinguistic infants. The accuracy of gaze determination and ease of use with young populations make eye-tracking a worthwhile method to consider. Challenges, however, do exist that make replicability and generalizability difficult. The purpose of this paper is to provide a succinct, review of literature of eye-tracking techniques with prelinguistic infants, challenges of its use for diagnostic purposes and conclusions for how researchers should proceed.
Applied Clinical Informatics, 2019
Objective Usability of electronic health records (EHRs) remains challenging, and poor EHR design ... more Objective Usability of electronic health records (EHRs) remains challenging, and poor EHR design has patient safety implications. Heuristic evaluation detects usability issues that can be classified by severity. The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides a safety scale for EHR usability. Our objectives were to investigate the relationship between heuristic severity ratings and safety scale ratings in an effort to analyze EHR safety. Materials and Methods Heuristic evaluation was conducted on seven common mobile EHR tasks, revealing 58 heuristic violations and 28 unique usability issues. Each usability issue was independently scored for severity by trained hospitalists and a Human Factors researcher and for safety severity by two physician informaticists and two clinical safety professionals. Results Results demonstrated a positive correlation between heuristic severity and safety severity ratings. Regression analysis demonstrated that 49% of safety risk variability ...
Introduction to Human Factors, 2017
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2018
This study demonstrates the user experience measurement technique of Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)... more This study demonstrates the user experience measurement technique of Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) with a commercially available board game. This method of study has yet to be tested on board games in the current literature. Participants experienced four phases of the board game - Unboxing, Setup, Initial Play, and Disassembly – and were queried for their feedback and expectations. Analysis of this data revealed several themes contributing to overall user satisfaction. Players gravitated to the art style, look and theme of the board and pieces. However, users were frustrated with the written instructions and fundamental mechanics of gameplay. These themes can be used for design recommendations and improvements. Overall, these findings show how OOBE can be applied to understand aspects of first impressions that may impact game satisfaction before game play even begins.
This study investigated the Ilse of a computcrized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a co... more This study investigated the Ilse of a computcrized tutorial--Self-Test and Review (STAR)--in a computer-managed general psychology course. STAR consists of four major modules which provide the student with a variety of learning exercises, including practice quizzes, practice final exams, rerformance reviews, and structured study questions. The purpose of the study was to determine whether students would choose STAR as a study tool, the effect of lecture versus self-paced settings on the use of STAR, whether students who used STAR would perform better than those who did not, and the effect of the timing of feedback in STAR on performance. Students were enrolled in either a leuture or self-paced setting. Students in lecture sections met in the classroom for a traditional lecture, discussion, and classroom activities. Students in self-paced sections met in a computer-managed testing center. Analyses of data on course performance and STAR usage indicate that: (1) 49% of the 1,136 subjects used STAR; (2` lecture versus self-paced settings did not affect the use of STAR; (3) the timing of feedback did not have an impact on performance; and (4) students who used the STAR tutorial performed well in the course and, as a whole, better than those students who d-d not use the tutorial. It is concluded that, while the results were generally positive, the findings of the study create other research questions concerning the impact of modification of lecture sP_tings, the impact of STAR tutorials in other course formats, and the ways in which SIAR influences student comprehension. (39 references) (DB)
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Papers by Barbara Chaparro