Selected Publications and Research Activity
DISSERTATION/THESIS
Hamilton-Taylor, Ashley George. The Study and Design of Algorithm Animations. Doctoral dissertation, Computer Science Department, University of Georgia, August 2006.
- Developed a holistic approach to the development of educational animations for computer science and IT. This included the study of instructor teaching methods, design of the SKA (Support Kit for Animation) interactive algorithm animation environment, and development of systems to evaluate the animations at the perceptual and cognitive levels.
[Hamilton-]Taylor, Ashley George. OACSE: An Object-Oriented Animated Computer Simulation Environment. Masters thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991.
- Developed an animated software environment to explore CPU concepts and operation, and conducted exploratory studies on the effectiveness of multimedia software.
BOOK CHAPTERS AND SECTIONS
Interactive Learning for Computer Science Education via SKA Algorithm Visualisation. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor and Kadian Davis. In Active and Interactive Teaching and Learning Guide, edited by Mervin E. Chisholm. Published by theJamaica Fulbright-Humphrey Alumni Association (JFHAA) in association with the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy. Kingston, Jamaica, May 2010.
JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Rethinking the Evaluation of Algorithm Animations as Learning Aids: An Observational Study. Colleen Kehoe, John Stasko, and Ashley [Hamilton-]Taylor. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, Vol.54, No.2, pp.265-284, Elsevier, February 2001. Technical report version available at
http://smartech.gatech.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1853/3376/99-10.pdf
- We showed that animated algorithm visualisation, when used as a resource in problem-solving contexts, resulted in significantly improved scores as compared to the use of static visual graphics of the algorithm state.
- This article is one of the most widely cited in the field of Algorithm Animation. Google Scholar reports 150 citations on May 7, 2012, from http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=15964401691982569026
Ashley George Hamilton-Taylor* and Eileen Kraemer. Designing an Algorithm Animation System to Support Instructional Tasks. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning (IMEJ), October 2002, Vol.4, No.2. ISSN-1525-9102. Available electronically at http://imej.wfu.edu/articles/2002/2/04/index.asp
- We conducted the first known observational study of computer science instructors to identify the tasks they performed and their use of artifacts such as diagrams. We describe how the results of the study informed the design of SKA (Support Kit for Animation).
Eileen T. Kraemer, Bina Reed, Philippa Rhodes and Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. SSEA: A System for Studying the Effectiveness of Animations. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, Volume 178, Pages 171-179, July 2007. Proceedings, Fourth Program Visualization Workshop (PVW2006), Florence, Italy. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.entcs.2007.01.048
Kadian Davis and Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. SKA for RBTs: Interactivity in Data Structures and Algorithm Courses with SKA for RBTs. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology (IJIMT), Volume 2, Number 1, February2011, ISSN:2010-0248.
Engaging Students in Developing Countries with ICT via a Multifaceted Foundation Course. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. Special Issue on Postcolonial Perspectives: The Place and Politics of Foundation Courses in the University of the Twenty-First Century, UWI Quality Education Forum Journal, OBUS, UWI, Mona, No.17, April 2011.
CONFERENCE PUBLICATIONS
Kadian Davis and Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. SKA for RBTs: An Algorithm Visualization System to Support Red-black Trees. Poster, ACM SIGCSE 2011, March 2011, Dallas Texas.
Jason Thompson and Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. Active Object Diagrams. Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and E-Learning (IC4E 2011), January 2011, Mumbai, India. IACSIT/IEEE.
Kadian Davis and Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. SKA for RBTs: An Interactive Multimedia Teaching Tool to Support the Learning of Red-black Trees. Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and E-Learning (IC4E 2011), January 2011, Mumbai, India. IACSIT/IEEE.
Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Evaluating the Effectiveness, Costs and the Benefits of Educational Technology and E-Learning in Developing and Developed Countries. Proceedings of the First Caribbean Conference on ICT, March 2009, UWI, Mona.
Davis, E.T., Hailston, K., Kraemer, E., Hamilton-Taylor, A., Rhodes, P., Papadimitrious, C., & Garcia, B.A. (2006) Perceptual Characteristics of Computerized Program Visualizations Differentially Affect Detection and Localization Performance. Poster. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFES) 50th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, Oct 2006, CD-ROM, ISSN 1071-1813, pp. 2066-2070.
Bina Reed, Philippa Rhodes, Eileen Kraemer, Ashley Hamilton-Taylor, Elizabeth Thorpe Davis, and Kenneth Hailston (2006). The Effect of Comparison Cueing and Exchange Motion on Comprehension of Program Visualizations. Poster. Proceedings of ACM Software Visualization SoftViz06, pp. 181-182. Brighton, England, September 2006.
Rhodes,P., Kraemer,E., Hamilton-Taylor,A., Thomas,S., Ross,M., Davis,E., Hailston,K., Main,K (2006). VizEval - An Experimental System for the Study of Program Visualization Quality. IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing VL/HCC 06, pp. 55-58, Brighton, UK, September 2006.
Empirical Evidence that Algorithm Animation Promotes Understanding of Distributed Algorithms. Mihail Tudoreanu, Rong Wu, Ashley Hamilton-Taylor, and Eileen Kraemer. IEEE Symposia on Human-Centric Languages and Environments (HCC'02), pp.236-243, Virginia, September 2002.
Ashley Hamilton-Taylor and Eileen Kraemer. SKA: Supporting Algorithm and Data Structure Discussion. Proceedings of the Special Interest Group in Computer Science Education (SIGCSE02), pp.58-62, Cincinnati, Feb. 2002.
Eileen Kraemer, Mihail Tudoreanu, and Ashley [Hamilton-]Taylor. Why Johnny Won't Visualize. Software Visualization Workshop at the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE01), pp.27-32, Toronto, 2001.
NGO and GOVERNMENT REPORTS
Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Final Report on the UNDP/GOJ Computer Assisted Instruction for Secondary Schools Project, JAM/88/013, Ministry of Education, Jamaica, 1996.
- Report on a two-year study of the effect of educational software use in a cluster of schools in Montego Bay. Submitted to the Ministry of Education. The report also recommended the development of local educational software and the training of master teachers in the creative use of educational technology and innovative teaching methods.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Cultural Animation with the Alice System and the Cultural Limitations of its Character Library, Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Juxtopia Urban Learning Technology Conference, December 8, 2010, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The Internet and the Rastafari: Issues and Risks. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. The Inaugural Rastafari Studies Conference, Kingston, Jamaica, August 2010.
Evaluating the Effectiveness, Costs and the Benefits of Educational Technology and E-Learning in Developing and Developed Countries. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Conference Presentation, First Caribbean Conference on ICT, March 2009, UWI, Mona.
The Potential Role of Information and Communications Technology in Underdevelopment, Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Conference Presentation, Walter Rodney Conference, October 2008, UWI, Mona.
A Paternalistic Cultural Philosophy of Educational Technology: E-Learning as a Panacea for the Developing World. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Conference Presentation, Seventh International ACS Conference, July 2008, UWI, Mona.
Driva! Challenges in Inspiring Cultural Animation via Computer Science Education in Jamaica. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Conference Presentation, First Global Reggae Conference, Feb 2008, UWI, Mona.
Tools for Supporting Algorithm and Data Structure Discussion. Ashley George Hamilton-Taylor. SIGCSE Doctoral Consortium, Cincinnati, Feb 28, 2002.
A Visual, Object-Oriented Transportation Route Simulation. Ashley [Hamilton-]Taylor, Janett Walters, and Andre Gayle. First Faculty of Natural Sciences Conference, UWI, Mona, May 1994.
Computer Simulation of the First Maroon War in Jamaica. Conference Presentation, Ashley George [Hamilton-]Taylor. Symposium of Maroon Heritage, Dept. of History, UWI, Mona, Oct. 1991.
ANIMATION SHOWCASE
First UWI Computer Science Student Animation Showcase, Mona, May 13, 2011
- Theme: Positive, Non-violent, Culturally Uplifting Animation; a showcase of outstanding amateur 3D computer animations by computer science students in Dr. Hamilton-Taylor’s first-year course, highlighting the creative potential of student self-expression via a melding of computing, new media, the arts, and Caribbean culture.
- The Showcase was featured in UWI Mona Magazine of May 2011 in the foreword A Solutions-oriented Mind-set by UWI Mona Principal Prof. Gordon Shirley and in the article Riding the Computer Animation Wave at http://www.mona.uwi.edu/publications/monanews/archives/may-2011.pdf
INVITED TALKS/PRESENTATIONS, INTERVIEWS and SEMINARS
The Internet and Children: Issues and Advice. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. CDA/PIOJ/ Inter-American Children's Institute CARICOM Regional Meeting on Protecting Children in the Carribbean from Commercial Sexual Exploitation. July 6-7, 2011, Kingston, Jamaica.
The Internet and Children: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A.G. Hamilton-Taylor. Keynote speech, at launch of the website of the Office of the Children's Advocate, Government of Jamaica. Institute of Jamaica, February 4th, 2010.
Information and Communications Technology in Africa and the Disapora: Development or Underdevelopment, Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor. Pan African Summit, Atlanta, GA, July 2009.
Yes We Can! Information Technology use in the Obama campaign, and IT flaws in the US Electoral System. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor, Computer Science Seminar Series, November 5, 2008.
Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. Interview on new initiatives in Computer Science at UWI on Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus radio WMBR by Carol Kirk. Jan 13, 2008.
Ashley Hamilton-Taylor. Developing Cultural Multimedia for Education. Pan African Summit Jamaica, July 17, 2007.
The SKA Project and Future Directions: Educational Technology and Cultural Computing Research at UWI. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor, Computer Science Seminar Series, UWI, Mona, November 2006.
Evaluation of Perception in Algorithm Animation. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor, Computer Science Seminar Series, UWI, Mona, March, 2006.
Empirical Studies of Perception and Comprehension of Visualization and Graphical Representation. Ashley Hamilton-Taylor and Philippa Rhodes, RATS Seminar, Computer Science Dept., Univ. of Georgia, November 17, 2003.
Information Technology in Jamaica: A Vision of the Future. Ashley George Hamilton-Taylor. EMBA Presentation, UWI, Mona, May 1994.
Computer Simulation for the Jamaican Public Transportation System. Ashley George Hamilton-Taylor. Seminar on Public Transportation Planning, ISER, UWI, Mona, Feb. 1990.
PUBLIC SERVICE
Interview on Protecting Children on the Internet: Advice for Parents. TVJ Smile Jamaica, Feb 24, 2010.
Interview on Together We Can program on NewsTalk 93 FM radio, Oct 17, 2009. Topic: E-Commerce: Making Money on the Internet.
Volunteer teaching computer animation programming to non-traditional high school youth from communities surrounding UWI at Inventors Club, Generating Genius programme, UWI, May-June 2009.
Interview on Protecting Children on Social Networking Sites and on the Internet. Running African program, IRIE FM radio. Dec. 22, 2008.
Planning Committee Coordinator, Pan African Summit Jamaica 2007, July15-18.
Interview on Hot 102 Today programme technology segment on Protecting Children on the Internet. Kingston, Jamaica, February 1st and 8th, 2007.
Voluntary service to organize holistic health care for Elders of the Niyabinghi Order of Rastafari.
Promotion of organic farming collectives with Jamaica Organic Agricultural Movement, including with the Niyabinghi Order of Rastafari and the Accompong Maroons, 2010-present.
Member of Executive of Hope Pastures Citizens Association, 2004-2010.
- Member of subcommittee implementing the Greening of Hope Pastures environmental project, including the first sidewalk pickup community recycling service in Jamaica.