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1. Sensing Technologies in Construction Engineering and Management Programs: A Comparison of Industry Expectations and Faculty Perceptions

   Ogunseiju, Omobolanle; Akanmu, Abiola; Bairaktarova, Diana (January 2021, Proceedings of 57th Associated Schools of Construction Conference)

   null (Ed.)

   The fast-growing adoption of sensing technologies in the construction industry has necessitated a demand for workforce with technical skills. This study explores the current state of sensing technologies in the industry and sensing technology education in construction engineering and management programs. The study investigates the agreeability of industry and academia’s perceptions of the integration of sensing technologies in construction engineering and management curricula. The study employs online surveys to capture industry and instructor perceptions of the skills required of graduating construction engineering and management students and the extent of sensing technology education respectively. Comparison of the survey responses reveals differences between sensing technologies and applications deployed in the industry and those taught in construction engineering and management programs. While reinforcing the need for technical skills in the industry, results provide highlights to well-structured sensing technology courses based on required competencies to prepare students for a relevant and successful career in the industry. 

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2. A Utility-Based Path Planning for Safe UAS Operations with a Task-Level Decision-Making Capability

   https://doi.org/10.1109/SMC.2019.8914226  

   Kaya, Uluhan C.; Dogan, Atilla; Huber, Manfred (October 2019, 2019 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC))

   Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are being used more and more every day in almost any area to solve challenging real-life problems. Increased autonomy and advancements in low-cost high-computing technologies made these compact autonomous solutions accessible to any party with ease. However, this ease of use brings its own challenges that need to be addressed. In an autonomous flight scenario over a public space, an autonomous operation plan has to consider the public safety and regulations as well as the task specific objectives. In this work, we propose a generic utility function for the path planning of UAS operations that includes the benefits of accomplishing the goals as well as the safety risks incurred along the flight trajectories, with the purpose of making task-level decisions through the optimization of the carefully constructed utility function for a given scenario. As an optimizer, we benefited from a multi-tree variant of the optimal T-RRT * (Multi-T-RRT * path planning algorithm. To illustrate its operation, results of simulation of a UAS scenario are presented. 

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3. How Mock Model Training Enhances User Perceptions of AI Systems

   Mahmood, Amama; Ajaykumar, Gopika; Huang, Chien-Ming (November 2021, Human Centered AI (HCAI) workshop at NeurIPS (2021))

   Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an integral part of our daily technology use and will likely be a critical component of emerging technologies. However, negative user preconceptions may hinder adoption of AI-based decision making. Prior work has highlighted the potential of factors such as transparency and explainability in improving user perceptions of AI. We further contribute to work on improving user perceptions of AI by demonstrating that bringing the user in the loop through mock model training can improve their perceptions of an AI agent’s capability and their comfort with the possibility of using technology employing the AI agent. 

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4. Information sharing in a hybrid workplace: understanding the role of ease-of-use perceptions of communication technologies in advice-seeking relationship maintenance

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad025  

   Wu, Y. Jasmine; Antone, Brennan; DeChurch, Leslie; Contractor, Noshir; Baym, ed., Nancy; Ellison, ed., Nicole (June 2023, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication)

   Abstract Shifts to hybrid work prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to substantially impact social relationships at work. Hybrid employees rely heavily on digital collaboration technologies to communicate and share information. Therefore, employees’ perceptions of the technologies are critical in shaping organizational networks. However, the dyadic-level misalignment in these perceptions may lead to relationship dissolution. To explore the social network consequences of hybrid work, we conducted a two-wave survey in a department of an industrial manufacturing firm (N = 169). Our results show that advice seekers were less likely to maintain their advice-seeking ties when they had a mismatch in ease-of-use perceptions of technology with their advisors. The effect was more substantial when advice seekers spent more time working remotely. The study provides empirical insights into how congruence in employees’ perceptions of organizational communication technologies affects how they maintain advice networks during hybrid work. 

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5. Perceptions, motivators and barriers of using city management applications among citizens: a focus group approach

   https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2020-0148  

   Annis, Catherine; Hou, Jinghui; Tang, Tian (May 2021, Information Technology & People)

   null (Ed.)

   Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand citizens' perceptions of smartphone-based city management apps and to identify facilitators and barriers that influence app adoption and use. An aim is to identify how current technology adoption theories might be expanded and enriched for studying citizen adoption of city apps in the US. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a qualitative exploratory case study of citizen perceptions of city management apps in Tallahassee, a top-ranked digital city in the southeastern United States. The authors derive empirical data from focus group discussions with citizens using thematic analysis. Findings Overall, the findings suggest that city management apps are primarily perceived and used by citizens as handy and efficient tools for the provision of information and public services. The findings suggest that current technology adoption and use models applied to citizen adoption of m-government may benefit by being expanded for the US context. Originality/value This paper highlights what factors of m-government technology are effective, useful or inhibiting in citizens' lives from the perspective of a group of citizens in the southeastern US. Implications that might be learned for researchers and practitioners are discussed. 

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