CONTACT

School of Information Technology
Murdoch University
Murdoch WA 6150 Australia
Tel: +61-8-9360-2364 Fax: +61-8-9360-2941
Email: sudweeks@central.murdoch.edu.au
URL: www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~sudweeks/

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

2004 PhD in Communication Studies

Murdoch University
Thesis: Development and Leadership in Computer-Mediated Collaborative Groups

1991 Master of Cognitive Science

University of New South Wales
Major: Information Processing

1988 Bachelor of Arts

University of New South Wales
Majors: Psychology and Sociology

1980 Associate of Trinity College London

Trinity College of London
Majors: Pianoforte Performance

AWARDS

1989 Commonwealth Postgraduate Award

Scholarship for postgraduate studies, awarded on the basis of excellence in undergraduate studies

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008– Emeritus Associate Professor (Murdoch University)
          Adjunct Associate Professor (Australian National University)

1999– Senior Lecturer

School of Information Technology
Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

1999–  Lecturer
1997–98 Research Associate

Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition
Department of Architectural and Design Science
University of Sydney, Australia

1993–97 Executive/Research Assistant

Key Centre of Design Computing
Department of Architectural and Design Science
University of Sydney, Australia

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

CMC and Networked Groups

The aim of this project was to study the impact of new information technologies on a variety of networked groups. This "field" research is concerned with the mutual influences between information technology and group development. Specific research areas included the growth and features of the Internet, network norms and experiences, and the essential nature of network communication.
     A variety of hypotheses were proposed concerning social, psychological and behavioural features of a representative sample of cybercommunities. Research questions related to aspects such as the content of communication within communities and groups; broad macro-social effects of the sociology of knowledge; social control of the manufacturing, consumption, ownership, and storage of information; and mass-interpersonal-mediated-group processes. A content analysis of 3000 messages, posted publicly to three different networks, supported an hypothesis, inter alia, that interactivity is a unique and important part of computer mediated communication.
     The project was supported by Comserve, CompuServe, the Recanati Fund and the Key Centre of Design Computing.
     Co-oordinators: Sheizaf Rafaeli, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and Fay Sudweeks.

Computer Supported Collaborative Work

This research is a study of group dynamics in computer-supported collaborative work. The collaborators - the participants of the project described above - are more than a hundred scholars representing many universities and organizations in 17 countries. Results indicate that the developmental processes of networked collaborating groups are similar to traditional collaborative groups. The research indicates that though most of the processes are similar, there are important differences; for example, the need for an initial period of socialization; a longer period to develop norms and social relationships; the existence of conflicting task-oriented and socioemotional needs that need to be satisfied [refs 26, 27], and an experience of greater cohesiveness [ref. 30]. An ontology of communication patterns has been developed and preliminary results indicate that certain types of communication typically occur in different stages of the developmental group process.
     Some aspects of this research is included in my doctoral dissertation.

Electronic Commerce

The emergence of the Internet as an environment for commerce is creating a new global organization. A borderless, global industry has a crucial impact on many aspects of commerce; for example, organizational structure, industrial and national politics, corporate marketing strategies, financial transactions, intellectual property, patents, and social interactions.
     Doing Business Electronically: A Global Perspective on Electronic Commerce focuses on these issues is in press. Questions addressed include: what is the role of small businesses in a global commerce that is moving from niche marketing towards international competition? how does culture affect purchasing behaviour? how do companies deal with issues of integrity and security? what is the role of virtual cards for electronic shopping? what do the high tech offerings of multimedia technology imply for next generation marketing? how can networked communities benefit from global collaborative systems? The book is part of the CSCW series edited by Colston Sangster and Dan Diaper and published by Springer-Verlag London.
     Another book on electronic commerce, Doing Business on the Internet: Opportunities and Pitfalls, is in progress.

Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Praxis

This project focused on how information technology impacts on organizations and work practices, adopting an extensive interview survey that utilized both synchronous and asynchronous technology.
     The project addressed the impact of computing in organizations from a wide perspective, taking into account: the effects on management; changes to work practices; the nature of the environments created by computers; the way computers distort power relations within organizations; the relationship between computers and method; and the place of the computer as a metaphor for human cognition and collaboration. Findings from this project indicate that organizations are redefining themselves in terms of their entrepreneurial endeavours, as processors of texts, as collaborators, and as players in the global arena.
     This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Grant. Chief Investigator: Richard Coyne; Associate Investigator: Fay Sudweeks.

Artificial Neural Networks and Typicality in Networked Groups

This work involves the application of the techniques and theories of connectionism to communication within networked groups. An autoassociative neural network application was developed and used to classify several thousands of data files. Linguistic, technological and aesthetic features that typically occur in highly social and communicative interactions were extracted. The results demonstrated the efficacy of the methodology, and identified a set of features that is desirable in effective communication mediated by networked computers.
     The research was supported by a University of Sydney Research Grant. Chief Investigators: Richard Coyne, Sid Newton; Associate Investigator: Fay Sudweeks.

Computer-Mediated Collaborative Design

There is a lack of understanding of how designers collaborate in an environment in which interaction is mediated by shared computer resources. The work in this ongoing project addresses this lack of understanding. The major goal of the project is to structure and model the information resulting from the interaction of designers within a computer-mediated environment. Some preliminary research was carried out.
     Current research involves an understanding of collaborative and communication processes in a mediated environment. The environment is a virtual campus in which students work on a design project as part of graduate coursework assessment. The archived discussions and bulletin board messages that occurred throughout the design process are being analysed.

RESEARCH GRANTS

Associate Investigator

    1. ARC Grant, The Impact of Computer-Mediated Communication Technologies on Design Practice, 1993, $36,000 (Associate Investigator with Richard Coyne)
    2. University of Sydney Research Grant Scheme, Typicality in Computer-Mediated Communication in Design, 1993, $9,000 (Associate Investigator with Richard Coyne and Sid Newton)

RESEARCH REFEREEING

    1. Book Manuscripts: Sage Publications, MIT Press, McGraw-Hill, Allyn & Bacon, Idea Group
    2. Journal Proposal: Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands
    3. Theses Examination: various Honours and Masters theses
    4. Journal articles:
      AI and Society
      Communication Theory
      Electronic Journal of Communication
      International Journal of Design Computing
      International Journal of E-Learning
      Journal of Computer Mediated Communication
      Journal of Electronic Commerce Research
      Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations
      Journal of the European Institute for Communication and Culture
      Journal of Global Information Management
      Journal of Global Information Technology Management
      Journal of Information Technology
      New Media and Society
      Qualitative Health Research Journal
    5. Conference papers:
      AAAI Symposium on AI and Creativity
      Artificial Intelligence in Design
      Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education
      Australasian Conferences on Cognitive Science
      Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication 
      Information Resources Management Association
      Information Technology in Regional Areas
      Informing Science and Information Technology in Education
      Intelligent Data Analysis
      International Conference on Artificial Intelligence
      International Communication Association
      International Multiconference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics
      Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems
      Virtual Communities Conference
      Western Australian Workshops on Information Systems Research
      World Conference on e-Learning in Corporate, Government, Health-Care and Higher Education
      WebNet 

INVITED TALKS

    1. Interactivity on the Web, Conference on Challenges for Seniors and Physically Impaired in the Information Age, University of South-West Texas, Austin, Texas, August 2000.
    2. To Mediate or Not to Mediate - The role of the mediator in the online classroom, WebNet 2000.
    3. Publishing and the Web, Department of Psychology, Moscow University, Russia, 3 June 1997.
    4. Multimedia and Multilingual Communication, Centre for Advanced Foreign Language Education, Middle East Technical University, Gaziantep Campus, Turkey, 17 January 1995
    5. Distributed Networks and Computer-Mediated Communication, FZI, University of Karlsruhe, Germany, 18 August 1994.
    6. Communication in Networked Groups, Department of Computing Science, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, 14 June 1993
    7. Community and Communication on the Nets, School of Business Administration, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 29 March 1993.

EDITORIAL ROLES

Editorial Board, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication

Published by the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, this is a quarterly electronic journal. The journal publishes contributions to knowledge in the field of computer mediated communication from a wide range of disciplines encompassing all social sciences (see http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/).

Editorial Board Member, International Journal of E-Learning

Published by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, the IJEL serves as a forum to facilitate the international exchange of information on the current research, development, and practice of e-learning in corporate, government, healthcare, and higher education. IJEL is a peer-reviewed journal (see http://www.aace.org/pubs/IJEL/).

Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research

This is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published electronically. It focuses on electronic commerce including theoretical foundations, infrastructure and enabling technologies. (See http://www.csulb.edu/web/journals/jecr/a_j.htm).

Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations

Published by the Idea Group Publishing, this is a print journal designed to provide comprehensive coverage and understanding of the social, cultural, organizational, and cognitive impacts of e-commerce technologies and advances on organizations around the world.

Editorial Review Board Member, International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technologies

IJEDICT aims to strengthen links between research and practice in ICT in education and development in less developed parts of the world, especially small states, and rural and remote regions of developed countries (see http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu).

Contributing Editor, New Media and Society

Published by Sage Publications, New Media & Society is an international print and electronic journal providing an interdisciplinary forum for the examination of the social dynamics of media and information change. The journal publishes contributions from the communication, media and cultural studies, as well as sociology, geography, anthropology, economics and the political and information sciences (see http://www.new-media-and-society.com/). 

Reviewer, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research

This journal provides an international forum for researchers and professionals to share their knowledge and report new advances on all topics related to electronic commerce theories and applications. The journal focuses on Electronic Commerce including their theoretical foundations, infrastructure and enabling technologies (see http://www.csulb.edu/journals/jecr/).

EDITOR OF SPECIAL ISSUES OF JOURNALS

Co-Editor, Special Issue, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication

A special issue on virtual groups, edited by F. Sudweeks, M. McLaughlin and S. Rafaeli, Vol. 2, Issue 4, www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol2/issue4,  1997.

Co-Editor, Special Issue, EJC/REC: Electronic Journal of Communication/La Revue Electronique de Communication

A special issue on cultural attitudes towards technology and communication, edited by F. Sudweeks and C. Ess, Vol 8, Issue 3-4, 1999.

Co-Editor, Special Issue, AI and Society

A special issue on social attitudes towards technology and communication, edited by C. Ess and F. Sudweeks, Vol 14, Issue 1, 2000.

Co-Editor, Special Issue, Javnost: Journal of the European Institute for Communication and Culture

A special issue on Computer-Mediated Culture - a convergence of philosophy, culture and communication and its impact on information technology.

Associate Editor in Computer Mediated Communication, International Journal of Design Computing (1998-99)

The International Journal of Design Computing is a refereed journal that is published on the World Wide Web and archived by the University of Sydney Library. It is a first-of-its-kind journal that publishes interactive, multimedia articles. The objective of the journal is to promote research and technology transfer in design computing. Journal articles are published sequentially and the journal is archived annually on CD-ROM. As Associate Editor (CMC), I solicited and reviewed articles on computer-mediated communication.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Organisational Informatics

Introduction to Multimedia and Internet Studies

Age of Information

Distributed Communities

Human Factors in IT

Research Methodologies

Computer-Mediated Communication in Design

Electronic Communication In Praxis

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Chair, Divisional Information Technology Strategy Committee

Coordinator, Social Informatics Research Group

IT Representative, Murdoch University Web Strategic Plan Subcommittee

Production Manager, International Journal of Design Computing (1998-99)

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Computer Platforms
    1. PC
    2. Macintosh
    3. Sun workstations: SunOS

Software

    1. Web support: HTML, CGI in C
    2. Web design: FrontPage, Dreamweaver
    3. Database design: Access, FileMaker Pro
    4. Graphic editors: Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, Corel PhotoPaint.
    5. Publishing: LaTeX, PageMaker, Microsoft Office
    6. Qualitative analysis: Nudist, Ethnograph, CATPAC
    7. Learning Management Systems: WebCT, Blackboard
    8. Statistical and data analysis: SPSS, Excel

CONFERENCE ROLES

Co-Chair

    1. Fourth International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication (CATAC04), Karlstad, Sweden, 27 June-3 July.

    2.  Third International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication (CATAC02), Montreal , Canada , 12-15 July 2002.

    3.  Second International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication (CATAC00), Perth , Australia , 12-15 July 2000.

    4.  First International Conference on Cultural Attitudes Towards Technology and Communication (CATAC98), Science Museum, London, United Kingdom, 1-3 August 1998.

    5.  CMC Stream, First International Online Conference of Design Computing on the Net (DCNet’98), 30 November- 3 December 1998 .

    6.  AI, Reasoning, and Creativity Symposium, Lamington National Park , Australia , 20-23 August 1991.

    7.  First Australasian Conference on Cognitive Science, University of NSW , Australia , November 1990.

    8.  CMC Stream, First International Online Conference of Design Computing on the Net (DCNet’98), 30 November-3 December 1998, www.arch.usyd.edu.au/kcdc/conferences/dcnet 

Program Chair

    1. AoIR (Association of Internet Researchers), Brisbane, 2006.

Panel Chair/Discussant
    1. The Multiethnic Cyberworld, International Conference on Crossroads in Cultural Studies, Tampere, Finland, 28 June - 1 July 1998.
    2. Online Conversations: Creating Borderless Communities and Global Community, International Communication Association Conference on Communication in the Global Community (ICA'97), Montreal, Canada, 22–26 May 1997.
    3. Theoretical Issues in New Information Services, International Communication Association Conference on Democracy at the Crossroads (ICA'96), Chicago, USA, 23–27 May 1996.
    4. Are Virtual Communities that Different? Linguistic, social and political factors characterizing email communication within and between organizations, Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS’95), Perth, Australia, 27 September 1995.
    5. International Issues in Telecommunications Session, International Communication Association Conference on Communication and Reality (ICA'95), Albuquerque, USA, 25–29 May 1995.
    6. Network and Netplay: Virtual Groups on the Internet, International Communication Association Conference on Communication and Reality (ICA'94), Sydney, June 1994.

Organizing/Program Committees
    1. e-Society, Qawra, Malta, 27-30 June 2005.
    2. WebNet98, Orlando, Florida, 7-12 November 1998.
    3. Artificial Intelligence in Design (AID'98), Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal, 20-23 July 1998.
    4. Computational Models of Creative Design, Heron Island, Australia, December 1998.
    5. Formal Aspects of Collaborative CAD, Jenolan, Australia, 17-20 February 1997.
    6. Creative Collaboration in Virtual Communities ‘97, University of Sydney, Australia, 14-15 February 1997.
    7. Artificial Intelligence in Design (AID'96), Stanford University, USA, 24-27 June 1996.
    8. Computational Models of Creative Design, Heron Island, Australia, December 1995.
    9. Advances in Formal Design Methods for CAD, ITAM, Mexico City, June 1995.
    10. Research Directions for Artificial Intelligence in Design, University of Twente, The Netherlands, January 1995.
    11. Artificial Intelligence in Design (AID'94), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland, 15-18 August 1994.
    12. Formal Design Methods for CAD, Estonian Academy of Science, Tallinn, Estonia, June 1993.
    13. Computational Models of Creative Design, Heron Island, Australia, December 1992.
    14. Artificial Intelligence in Design (AID'92), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, June 1992.
    15. Research Directions for Artificial Intelligence in Design, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, January 1992.
    16. Artificial Intelligence in Design (AID'91), University of Edinburgh, UK, June 1991.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
1998- International Executive Guild’s Who’s Who
1994- International Communication Association
- Communication and Technology Division
- Organizational Communication Divisions
1994- International Association for Mass Communication Research
1989- Australasian Society for Cognitive Science

PUBLICATIONS