Twidale to share research on computer-supported cooperative work

Professor Michael Twidale
Michael Twidale, Professor and Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs

Professor Michael Twidale will discuss his research on computer-supported cooperative work at the Columbia Science Review's event, "E-Living: Social Interactions in a Virtual World." E-Living, which will be held virtually on April 15, will include a panel discussion on how people form relationships online and how software can be better designed to support this networking. As described on the event's website, discussions will also focus on how videoconferencing companies like Zoom are evolving to make online interactions easier, "especially considering the fact that numerous companies and schools are moving online even after the coronavirus pandemic ends."

According to Twidale, early research on computer-supported cooperative work demonstrated the importance of audio quality in working synchronously and the power and potential of asynchronous work. It also showed that asynchronous work needs careful coordination to be successful and that working at a distance can build much better on pre-existing face-to-face interactions.

"At the upcoming event, I will share how these practical experiences of using technology have been refined and studied at the iSchool over the last 25 years that our master's degree in library and information science has been offered online," he said. "As a School, we have built a rich set of expertise in online pedagogy, online tech support, and perhaps most important of all, online community building to help our many cohorts of online degree graduate students feel a genuine connection to each other and to the School."

Twidale is an expert in computer-supported cooperative work, collaborative technologies in digital libraries and museums, user interface design and evaluation, information visualization, and museum informatics. He holds joint appointments at Illinois in the Department of Computer Science, Information Trust Institute, and Academy of Entrepreneurial Leadership. Twidale is a frequent speaker at scholarly conferences, and his research has been published in books and academic journals, including the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology and International Journal on Digital Libraries. He holds a PhD in computing from Lancaster University. 

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Hassan selected for IAPP Westin Scholar Award

PhD student Muhammad Hassan has been selected as an IAPP Westin Scholar Award honoree. The annual awards were created by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) to support students who are identified as future leaders in the field of privacy and data protection. 

Muhammad Hassan

Bak defends dissertation

PhD candidate Michelle Bak successfully defended her dissertation, "Promoting a Healthy and Comprehensive Diet through Theory-Driven Large Language Models-based Agents," on July 14.

Chaewon Bak

School welcomes specialized faculty

The iSchool is pleased to announce the appointment of two specialized faculty members. Yildiz Esener and Nitin Verma will join the School as teaching assistant professors in August 2025.

iSchool to present research at the Digital Humanities 2025 conference

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will present their research at DH2025, the annual conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO), which will take place on July 14–18 in Lisbon, Portugal. The digital humanities (DH) conference is the largest event of the international DH community and unites scholars from across the globe. 

Zalot defends dissertation

PhD candidate Andrew Zalot successfully defended his dissertation, "'Tweet of the Town:' Synthesizing Local and Social Media Discourse on Book Bans," on July 3.

Andrew Zalot