Here are the CivicIxD researchers that are currently following a PhD Track:

Digital Shared Photo Elicitation
Researcher: Marije ten Brink 
PhD track

Creating and discussing photos together supports high levels of reflective learning. However, these activities are not utilised to their full potential in higher education today. This doctoral research introduces Digital Shared Photo Elicitation as a way to fulfil this potential. Digital Shared Photo Elicitation potentially supports exploring and reflecting on students’ personal values and identity and is driven by the speculation that technology has more to offer than enhancing efficiency in learning. Through an iterative design research process, opportunities are examined and applied in educational practice. The aim of this doctoral research is to contribute theoretical and practical knowledge as well as prototypes for students and educators to use in reflective learning processes.The research is conducted at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) and the Technical University Eindhoven (TU/e) and is supervised by Prof. Lector Dr. Ben Schouten.


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Toys4Therapy
Researcher: Tamara Pinos Cisneros
PhD track

Paediatric occupational and physical therapy exercises often turn out to be uninviting due to its repetitive nature, therefore patients struggle with executing them in the home environment. The intent of this research is to study how already used muscle therapies for children with cerebral palsy can be complemented with playful and engaging interactions that increase motivation supported by behavioural change techniques (BCTs). For this, I am focusing on new technologies, like smart toys (interactive & connected), that can provide personalised hand therapy while improving the play experience, providing the therapists with relevant data and encouraging children to exercise more at home. This research provides an important opportunity to advance the understanding of motivation and playfulness in therapy assisted by new technologies. This is a PhD project executed in collaboration with the ‘Digital Society School’, the Civic Interaction Design lectorate and the Digital Life Centre in the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the ‘University of Twente’ and ‘Roessingh Rehabilitation Centre’.


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Reviving Political Unity:  online platforms and democratic deliberation
Researcher: Wouter Janssen 
PhD track

After early optimism over the internet’s potential for promoting rational discussion among citizens from diverse backgrounds, theorists have listed multiple problems with the feasibility of such potentially valuable online encounters. Flaming and trolling, the use of algorithmic content suggestion and the genesis of echo chambers, among other issues, seem to promote polarization and radicalization, having a real influence on democracies (e.g. US Election 2016, Brexit). This contributes to an expanding problem: how will cooperative democratic politics survive the growing political divide when people no longer seem to tolerate opposing views and arguments and ascribe to a sense of unity? In his upcoming PhD-project, Wouter Janssen will look into the effects that platform configurations (accessibility, design, moderation etc.) have on deliberative encounters with respect to reciprocal political respect and political tolerance. This research should lead to an overview of those configurations that lead to high levels of respect and tolerance for future platforms that promote user to user interaction.


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Convivial Media
Researcher: Luis Rodil-Fernández
prePhD track

Convivial media investigates alternative ways in which people find each other through digital media with or without the internet. We look at emerging off-grid communities that use networked media in ways that better adapt to their offline-first lifestyles. We look at countries where digital media has followed a different path of adoption than it did in the Global North. We look at the new wave of protocols for the so-called distributed web, that are giving birth to ways of building online communities that have sustainability, consent and data sovereignty as core values. These bottom-up approaches to building media are laboratories of alternative imaginaries around innovation where ideas are driven by values that go beyond innovation for innovation’s sake.

Convivial media aims at developing critical pedagogies from methodologies encountered in the arts, to equip coming generations in developing a more intuitive, observant, consentful, humane and critical relationship with networked media. Observing, documenting and developing alternative notions of innovation that can provide a more lasting and sustainable vision of a networked world. One that empowers participants to co-exist in a more livable network.