How novice analysts understand supply chain process models: an experimental study of using diagrams and texts

PurposeProcess models specific to the supply chain domain are an important tool for the analysis of interorganizational interfaces and requirements of information technology (IT) systems supporting supply chain decision-making. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of supply chain process models for novice analysts in conveying domain semantics compared to alternative textual representations.Design/methodology/approachA laboratory experiment with graduate students as proxies for novice analysts was conducted. Participants were randomly assigned to either the diagram group, which worked with “thread diagrams” created from the modeling grammar “Supply Chain Operation Reference (SCOR) model”, or the text group, which worked with semantically equivalent textual representations. Domain understanding was measured using cognitively demanding information acquisition for two different domains.FindingsDiagram users were more accurate in identifying product-related information and organizing this information in a graph compared to those using the textual representation. The authors found considerable improvements in domain understanding, and using the diagrams was perceived as easy as using the texts.Originality/valueThe study's findings are unique in providing empirical evidence for supply chain process models being an effective representation for novice analysts. Such evidence is lacking in prior research because of the evaluation methods used, which are limited to scenario, case study and informed argument. This study adds the diagram user's perspective to that literature and provides a rigorous empirical evaluation by contrasting diagrammatic and textual representations.

Comparing textual, visual and practical methods for teaching physics

The same material about friction was covered by the same teacher in three different ways: using only verbal and textual means of communication (text group), using visual aids (diagram group) and using simple experiments (experiment group). The conceptual understanding of each group was evaluated using a test developed for this research. The scores were similar across the groups.

A parabolic action on a proper, CAT(0) cube complex

We consider diagram groups as defined by Guba and Sapir [Mem. Amer. Math. Soc. 130 (1997)]. A diagram group

SURFACE SUBGROUPS OF RIGHT-ANGLED ARTIN GROUPS

We consider the question of which right-angled Artin groups contain closed hyperbolic surface subgroups. It is known that a right-angled Artin group A(K) has such a subgroup if its defining graph K contains an n-hole (i.e. an induced cycle of length n) with n ≥ 5. We construct another eight "forbidden" graphs and show that every graph K on ≤ 8 vertices either contains one of our examples, or contains a hole of length ≥ 5, or has the property that A(K) does not contain hyperbolic closed surface subgroups. We also provide several sufficient conditions for a right-angled Artin group to contain no hyperbolic surface subgroups. We prove that for one of these "forbidden" subgraphs P2(6), the right-angled Artin group A(P2(6)) is a subgroup of a (right-angled Artin) diagram group. Thus we show that a diagram group can contain a non-free hyperbolic subgroup answering a question of Guba and Sapir. We also show that fundamental groups of non-orientable surfaces can be subgroups of diagram groups. Thus the first integral homology of a subgroup of a diagram group can have torsion (all homology groups of all diagram groups are free Abelian by a result of Guba and Sapir).

RIGIDITY PROPERTIES OF DIAGRAM GROUPS

In this paper we establish a rigid connection between two classical objects: the R. Thompson group F and the Dunce hat (the topological space obtained from the triangle ABC by gluing AB, BC, and AC). We prove that a diagram group of a directed 2-complex contains a copy of the R. Thompson group if and only if the 2-complex contains a copy of the Dunce hat.

Effects of Explicit Instruction on Math Word-Problem Solving by Community College Students with Learning Disabilities

This study examined effects of two types of instruction on the word-problem solving performance of postsecondary students with learning disabilities. We used an analysis of error patterns to determine the effects of explicit instructions when word-problem language did not directly correspond (i.e., was inconsistent) with required arithmetic operations. Thirty-eight students randomly participated in either a translation training group, a diagram training group, or an attention-control group. Analyses of variance revealed that the diagram group outperformed both the attention-control and the translation group. We interpret these findings as showing the importance of procedural as well as declarative forms of math word-problem solving knowledge.