1 / 17

Nathan W. Moon, Ph.D. Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D. James White, Ph.D.

“An Oracle Walks into a Bar...”: The Policy Delphi and Its Application in ICT and Disability Research. Nathan W. Moon, Ph.D. Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D. James White, Ph.D. Center for Advanced Communications Policy Georgia Institute of Technology ICT Research Roundtable

gizi
Download Presentation

Nathan W. Moon, Ph.D. Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D. James White, Ph.D.

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. “An Oracle Walks into a Bar...”:The Policy Delphi and Its Application in ICT and Disability Research Nathan W. Moon, Ph.D. Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D. James White, Ph.D. Center for Advanced Communications Policy Georgia Institute of Technology ICT Research Roundtable Tuesday, October 12, 2010 12:00 p.m. An affiliate of the Georgia Research Alliance

  2. Introduction • Policy Analysis vs. Policy Studies • Applied Policy Research and Empirical Methods • CACP and Its Projects • Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Technologies • Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Workplace Accommodations • National Council on Disability Study on Digital Technologies

  3. Delphi Method - Background • Conventional Delphi Method • Olaf Helmer and the RAND Corporation • Cold War Origins: Military and Economic Forecasting • Group Collaboration and Communication • Not a Specific Set of Tasks… • Flexible Guidelines for Structuring Group Activity • Application to Complex Problems • Exploration and Distillation of Group Opinion

  4. Policy Delphi Method • Murray Turoff and the Policy Delphi Method • Emphasis on “Stakeholders” Rather than “Experts” • “Pro” and “Con” Arguments Rather Than Consensus • Tool for Analysis, Not Mechanism for Decision Making • Any of Three Objectives: • Ensure All Possible Options Proposed for Consideration • Estimate Impact and Consequences of Given Option • Examine and Estimate Acceptability of Given Option

  5. Principles of Delphi Method • Four Key Principles • Anonymity • Asynchronicity • Controlled Feedback • Statistical Response • Role of Moderator as Facilitator • Six Phases of Communication

  6. Implementation of Policy Delphi Method • 4 Categories of Questions: • Reliability of Forecasts • Importance of Issues • Desirability of Goals • Feasibility of Options • Iterative Technique • Closed-Ended and Open-Ended Questions • Multi-Stage Process • Issue-Specific Topics for Study

  7. Electronic Delphi (e-Delphi)

  8. Electronic Delphi (e-Delphi)

  9. Policy Delphi on Wireless Technologies • Adoption and Use of Mobile Wireless Technologies by People with Disabilities • Issues: Awareness, Technology Compatibility, General Economic Concerns • Goals: Bridging Stakeholder Gaps and Voluntary, Market-Based Solutions • Options: 12 Options to Address Awareness, Economic, Regulatory, and Technology Issues/Goals

  10. Policy Delphi on Workplace Accommodations • Barriers and Opportunities to Implementation of Successful Workplace Accommodations • Issues: Employer-Side Awareness, Employee-Side Awareness, Technology Regulations, and Social Aspects • Goals: Outreach and Education Regarding Misconceptions, Revision of Regulations, Data Collection • Options: 22 Policy Options Identified

  11. Policy Delphi on Digital Technologies • Potential of Digital Technology Vectors for Improving Employment of People with Disabilities • Examined the Potential of Social Networking, Immersive Digital Environments, Commons-Based Peer Production • Insights from Delphi Developed from and Informed Other Project Findings

  12. Discussion: Strengths • Survey of the Broad “Policy Landscape” • Adaptability and Flexibility of Method • Evolving Insight into Complex Policy Issue without Clear Solutions • Consideration of Opposing Views • Potential to Inform Policymaking Process

  13. Discussion: Limitations • Limited to Perspectives of Participating Stakeholders • Reliance on Tacit Knowledge May Pose Problems • Not Ideal for Analyzing a Specific Policy Option in Close Detail

  14. Lessons Learned • Optimizing the “N”: Maximum Participation vs. Managing Participation • Maintaining Participation and Minimizing Attrition • Developing Questions in the Beginning: Understanding the Literature • Developing Questions During the Delphi: Interpreting Open-Ended Responses • Devising Appropriate Policy Options

  15. Useful Resources Harold A. Linstone and Murray Turoff, eds. The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications http://is.njit.edu/pubs/delphibook Human-Environment Regional Observatory, Pennsylvania State University White Paper: “The HERO e-Delphi System” http://hero.geog.psu.edu/products/Delphi_white_paper.pdf

  16. Useful Resources Nathan W. Moon and Paul M.A. Baker CACP Working Paper: “Workplace Accommodations for People with Disabilities: Results of a Policy Delphi Study” http://www.cacp.gatech.edu/docs/MoonBakerWAFPWD.doc

  17. Contact Information Nathan W. Moon, PhD Center for Advanced Communications Policy Georgia Institute of Technology 500 10th Street NW Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0620 Telephone: 404-894-8845 E-mail: nathan.moon@cacp.gatech.edu Website: http://www.cacp.gatech.edu

More Related